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My husband and I moved to Tampa from MI and, sad to say, we really dislike it here. We moved to Tampa because I have family in the area, we hated the six month MI winter, and we were able to easily relocate my husband's job (big three accounting firm). Well, I have to admit we were naive and didn't do enough research. Things we dislike -
- It's difficult to find a neighborhood that feels safe, clean, and well maintained like we had in MI. There are pockets, but most neighborhoods, even "good" ones, have run down areas a mile or less away.
- To get into one of the "good" areas, it's expensive. We house hunted for awhile with a budget of 230k and really couldn't find a 3/2 in a safe neighborhood near Tampa or St Pete
- Traffic is so bad. It takes my husband an hour plus to get ten miles to downtown in the morning.
- The weather is nice for a few months in winter, but summer, spring, and fall are way too hot and humid.
- Disregard for the environment. Many places have a lot of trash lying around, and in our neighborhood they are constantly spraying hardcore pesticide. Our HOA has lawn service that applies once a week. I don't even feel safe letting my daughter crawl on the grass here.
- This may sound weird, but it has been our experience....there are so many shady, transient people. We have seen drug use several times out in the open. Many times when I walk my nine month old daughter, people will cat call me from passing cars. And we are renting a home in supposedly one of the nicest areas in Tampa, homes in this neighborhood start around 350k. So it's not a bad area by any means. Most places around here just don't feel family oriented. I know this can happen in any city, but it just seems particularly prevalent here. I never had these experiences in MI and we lived about 30mins from Detroit.
There are pros too, the beaches are gorgeous and there's a lot to do! To us though, those things don't outweigh the cons. Basically, if I could sum up Tampa in three words, it would be crowded, hot, and rundown.
Things we are looking for -
- Safe, well kept areas that we can afford in our budget. We don't need a huge home, just a 3/2 that's at least 1000 square feet. We'd like to be relatively close to shops and restaurants. Husband would likely work uptown.
- Lots of young families and a sense of community
- All seasons of weather, just mild - not a brutal, six month winter like MI has. I miss holiday decorations and activities! They just don't seem to be a big thing in FL.
- Lots of outdoor activities. Our favorite things to do are walk and do easy hikes with our baby girl!
- I'm into the "crunchy" scene, so things like yoga, farmer's markets, etc are awesome. Things where I can meet other stay at home moms 😊
We definitely plan to visit several times before deciding. I don't want to make the same mistakes I did when planning our move to Tampa! I've never been to Charlotte, but my husband has, and likes it. But I'd like to hear from people who came from Tampa or similar places in FL. Do you think Charlotte would be a good fit for us? How do you like the weather and culture?
$230 is a low budget for Charlotte as well, and probably won't get you what you want, house-wise. Other than that, Charlotte meets your requirements, although its very hot and humid in the summer too.
$230k is a low budget for most of the areas close to Uptown Charlotte and at that budget you will likely have a rough commute from a far out outer suburb. If he is working in Uptown on that budget, he will be at a 45 minute commute at least from safer areas you could afford and have single family homes. You will be able to find something safe and small further out, but the commute will be bad. If schools mater, it will be even harder at that budget. Are you ok with a townhome in order to have a shorter commute / be closer in?
Thank you for the feedback! What type of budget would we be looking at for a small, single family home if we wanted to be within 20-30min commute of Uptown?
We would be fine with a townhome as long as we have a little outdoor space!
Schools aren't a huge concern, we will likely be homeschooling.
Thank you for the feedback! What type of budget would we be looking at for a small, single family home if we wanted to be within 20-30min commute of Uptown?
We would be fine with a townhome as long as we have a little outdoor space!
Schools aren't a huge concern, we will likely be homeschooling.
$300 would be the minimum. $350 would open up a lot more option.
I can't speak to the other areas of Charlotte, but in terms of South Charlotte, there are plenty of townhomes under $250K in the Myers Park/Quail Hollow/Carmel area (north of Rt 51, East of South Blvd, West of Monroe/Independence-74). This are will keep you with a ~30-40 minute commute to uptown (20 mins off-peak) and keep you in "safe" areas. Just search on RedFin to get an idea of what's available.
Steele Creek might also be a good area but I'm not as familiar with the peak commute times from there.
If you can swing it, I'd definitely recommend renting before buying. You'll get a much better feel for the neighborhoods & areas after living here a few months.
In terms of weather, it's hot here in the summer as well...~3-4 months of 90 degree weather with relatively mild spring/fall/winters.
People in our experience are very nice in Charlotte. It's quite clean and has a very nicely landscaped feel throughout the area. There are a lot of public greenways to take walks with your family and most are paved. If you're in town for a visit, a good spot to visit is Freedom Park just south of Uptown. A nice pond to walk around, playground, and greenway to walk along as far as you'd like nearby.
I live in Concord near the Cabarrus County/Huntersville Line (Poplar Tent and Harris Rd) and it takes me 30 minutes to get into Uptown and around 35 minutes to get home. Its around a 22 mile drive. I leave my house at 7am and am usually driving into the parking deck around 7:30. I leave work at 4:30pm and usually get to my house at around 5:05pm. There are houses in my neighborhood (Moss Creek) that are less than $230k.
I can't speak to the other areas of Charlotte, but in terms of South Charlotte, there are plenty of townhomes under $250K in the Myers Park/Quail Hollow/Carmel area (north of Rt 51, East of South Blvd, West of Monroe/Independence-74). This are will keep you with a ~30-40 minute commute to uptown (20 mins off-peak) and keep you in "safe" areas. Just search on RedFin to get an idea of what's available.
Steele Creek might also be a good area but I'm not as familiar with the peak commute times from there.
If you can swing it, I'd definitely recommend renting before buying. You'll get a much better feel for the neighborhoods & areas after living here a few months.
In terms of weather, it's hot here in the summer as well...~3-4 months of 90 degree weather with relatively mild spring/fall/winters.
People in our experience are very nice in Charlotte. It's quite clean and has a very nicely landscaped feel throughout the area. There are a lot of public greenways to take walks with your family and most are paved. If you're in town for a visit, a good spot to visit is Freedom Park just south of Uptown. A nice pond to walk around, playground, and greenway to walk along as far as you'd like nearby.
Yes, we will definitely be renting for at least a year! We are so thankful we did that when we moved to Tampa.
I have heard that Charlotte is hot in the summer, so I'm prepared for that. I'm just hoping it lasts for less time than FL. I expect June, July, and August to be hot. Here though, I am miserable from May to the end of October. Sometimes even March and April are awful. Too long!
Sounds like exactly what we are looking for, somewhere scenic, clean, and green.
I live in Concord near the Cabarrus County/Huntersville Line (Poplar Tent and Harris Rd) and it takes me 30 minutes to get into Uptown and around 35 minutes to get home. Its around a 22 mile drive. I leave my house at 7am and am usually driving into the parking deck around 7:30. I leave work at 4:30pm and usually get to my house at around 5:05pm. There are houses in my neighborhood (Moss Creek) that are less than $230k.
Thank you, I'm definitely going to look at Concord. Now that you mention it, I actually remember my husband saying he liked that area.
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