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OT: Anyone live in the greater Tampa, Florida area?


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It can be easy to hate on Florida, SAL I know your thoughts on this already :)  Curious about the Tampa area though. Possible job opportunity I might have to consider. Pay would be pretty good, and according to cost of living calculator on bankrate.com, it's 12% cheaper to live there than where I am now. Plus it was ZERO degrees this morning walking into work. Holy {censored}, that is cold (without the wind chill).

So tell me more. I don't care much about night life and all, but I do care about communities to live in, and if there are some good areas to live in with good public schools. I've researched that good areas include Carrollwood, Brandon, Westchase, South Tampa, and New Tampa. 

Job would be at the University of South Florida, so I'd like my commute not to be too long, probably would rule out St. Petersburg and Clearwater because of this. I dunno if I'm a Florida person or not, but the older you get, it does seem more appealing :) Plus no state income tax and no sales tax, would make my salary go even further. So let me know, the good, bad and the ugly. All places have them.

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I don't know the Tampa area very well, but I have friends who live there and they seem to love it.

 

Pros that I know of?

  • Pleasant weather in general.
  • Sunsets over the gulf with lots of places to have a drink and watch.
  • Some lovely beaches. I particularly loved Anna Maria Island.
  • Manatees, dolphins, pelicans... wildlife galore.
  • Great seafood and sailing.
  • Fresh produce and citrus always.
  • Radiohead and other great acts always seem to play in Tampa
  • Proximity to some interesting places like Homosassa Springs, Tarpon Springs, Mote Marine Laboratory, etc.
  • Probably not the worst place to be if you're single.

Cons that I know of?

  • Hurricanes
  • Summer heat
  • Traffic
  • Rick Scott
  • Marco Rubio
  • Retirees and all the bagage that comes with their politics
  • Lack of urban planning in general
  • Flat terrain, lack of mountains
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I live in Oldsmar, top rated elementary school in Pinellas county.  I commute to Tampa.  Westchase is nice, newer somewhat expensive homes.  Seminole Heights has some very pretty historic homes and isn't too expensive.  South Tampa can be both spendy and snooty.  Don't care much for New Tampa.  Plus, you could see our band.

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I live about 2 hours south of Tampa. Florida takes some getting used to. I'm originally from NY but have been down here for 12 years. I could never move back up north. Cost of living is less and the quality of life is better. My brother in law lives in Tampa and is a student at USF. He loves it! Lots of great restaurants, plenty of things to do, great weather and beautiful women. Sure it gets hot in the summer, but so do a lot of other places. It's just hotter for longer down here. But most places are newer construction so everything is air conditioned.

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Jnichols2727 wrote:

 

I live about 2 hours south of Tampa. Florida takes some getting used to. I'm originally from NY but have been down here for 12 years. I could never move back up north. Cost of living is less and the quality of life is better. My brother in law lives in Tampa and is a student at USF. He loves it! Lots of great restaurants, plenty of things to do, great weather and beautiful women. Sure it gets hot in the summer, but so do a lot of other places. It's just hotter for longer down here. But most places are newer construction so everything is air conditioned.

 

 

Thanks! I imagine any place takes a while to get used to. I think Tampa might be slightly more moderate (or a tad less hot/humid) than where you're at, but probably not by a lot. At least that's what others have told me that know Florida more than me. Newer construction sounds good to me. I'm always fixing something on my house, and I'm at the point I really hate it, can't afford to really fix it up, and I can't really move locally and find something better because it costs too much. So the answer is to take a new job and move. I'm tired of feeling trapped.

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