Relocating to Tampa, FL - Areas to avoid?
 

I will be relocating to the Tampa area from Detroit by September!

However, I know *nothing* about the area. I have plans to meet with a Realtor this weekend when I fly down there to go over some properties, but figured I'd get an unbiased feel for the area from people before hand so I can have some idea of where to look for a place.

To those who are familiar: What are the good areas to live in? What areas should I avoid like the plague?

For now I'll be renting until I get my house here sold and taken care of (figure a year or so), but ideally I'd love to be close to rather active spots - the beach, active nightlife, etc. I'm not looking for anything overly extravagant as much as I'm looking to avoid some questionable/bad areas.

I'm looking at a 20 or 30 mile radius from the Clearwater Airport, just to give you an idea of exact location.

Any tips, advice, etc is greatly appreciated :thumbsup:

Areas to avoid: Tampa, FL

j/k... well, somewhat. :)

I lived there for a year from '05-'06 and I never really felt like it was "home". I met a few good friends and had some good times... in fact I'm going back to visit in a couple weeks... but I knew within the first month that I didn't want to stay too long.

The first six months, I rented a 1-bedroom apartment in the Wesley Chapel area (NE of Tampa) which is growing like crazy and has lots of new things being built including a huge shopping mall. It was a great area to live in because I could be downtown in 20 minutes (not during rush-hour, obviously).

The second half of my stay, I moved in with a friend of mine over near New Port Richey. It was much closer to the beach, but further from any of the fun bar areas like Channelside or Hyde Park.

If I could do it over again, I'd try to get an apartment on Rocky Point (at the end of the causeway by the Tampa Airport). In my opinion, that location is unbeatable as far as logistics are concerned.

Although, rereading your post, I'm not sure I can be much help... haha. I don't know much about St. Petersburg, and I don't know a whole lot about renting houses in the area. I'd be glad to answer any questions I can, however... just PM me.

I haven't been in the area for a good 7-8 years now, but from I hear from my sis and from other members here, it still is as beautiful as ever.

The good thing about your relocation is you will always have a choice of at least three beaches to visit whenever you so choose...


Hmm, so will your proximity be closer to the Clearwater airport, or the one in Tampa?

If it is closer to Tampa, I'd say it would be essential to drive across the bridge to St. Pete and visit The Pier at night. It is so beautiful. Also in St. Pete is the Salvador Dali museum, so that will be a treat.


I believe fellow member Esoteric is well within the scope of your potential living area, so he might also have tips as well.

Hope your move goes smoothly, and if you have any other questions, don't hestitate to ask.

The Tampa area I'm not too familiar with, but my aunt used to live around Hyde Park. This was maybe 5-6 years ago though, but it was a great part of Tampa that I'm sure has grown a lot since then. In the Clearwater area though I'd say try to avoid the Greenwood area. I think Palm Harbor is about a 15 minute drive to the St. Pete/Clearwater airport and it's a nice area to live in, it's actually the city I'm currently living in. Clearwater is an all around nice area though, and the beach is like 20 minutes away if you don't catch traffic. If you do catch traffic it can take over an hour, lol.

Thanks for the replies!

Just got back from the area on a small vacation of sorts and found a temporary rental spot not too far from our new offices down there. Pretty nice area overall.

I think it'll take me a while to sorta get a feel for the areas and whatnot, so I figured renting would be the best option at this point.

Hopefully by this time next year I'll be looking for actual properties! :)