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I'm looking to get some input on what people think about the quality of life in the Tampa Bay area vs. the Baltimore area. There are the obvious perks about Tampa (beaches, weather, lower cost of living) and Baltimore (more walkable, better public transportation, adjacency to other cities, high pay), but there are also other things I'm thinking about. Please provide a preference for one of the two metro areas based on the following:
-"Laid back" attitudes (Live to work or work to live)
-Pride in where you live (You're proud to say you live in the area and you actively work to help make it a better community)
-Friendliness (Neighbors and strangers say hello, practice good manners with one another, and work towards creating a generally positive vibe)
-Over all positive, happy vibe.
-Tolerant attitudes (Do people of different stripes get along well and treat each other with some level of respect and tolerance)
Aside from a generic statistical similarity in population size (and being on the water), they really are nothing alike. Poor comparison.
Tampa, in my opinion, is sort of a trashy Midwestern enclave in coastal Florida - clad in denim shorts and underwater on house value whilst driving a Hummer. That's the "attitude".
Baltimore? A gritty core with a surprisingly affluent periphery. I lived nearby for 4.5 years, and I can't tell you the attitude, aside from being generically Mid-Atlantic and vaguely in the DC orbit, with a dash of Philly. Definitely more professional.
Baltimore is a disoriented, crime-filled ghetto ass city with poor public transportation. Tampa has state of the art infrastructure, warm weather, beaches, and (as previously mentioned) tons of Floridian trash. I'll take trash over getting knifed on the street.
It's a really poor comparison. Maybe a Tampa versus Atlanta and a Baltimore versus Richmond poll(s) would be more accurate.
I know the two areas aren't that similar. I started the thread because I live in Baltimore but the weather, racial issues, crime, and blight are starting to get to me. I like how many decent paying jobs there are here and I used to like the politics (I'm a democrat but not nearly as liberal as most Maryland politicians...I'm more of a moderate). I'm considering the tampa area because I have friends down there, I love the weather and the beach, and I like how it appears to be split between republicans and democrats. Also I heard it's more laid back and easy going. On a personal note I prefer white trash over ghetto. Or maybe I should just move to San Diego and get the best of everything.
Last edited by baltplanner; 03-10-2014 at 11:45 AM..
I know the two areas aren't that similar. I started the thread because I live in Baltimore but the weather, racial issues, crime, and blight are starting to get to me. I like how many decent paying jobs there are here and I used to like the politics (I'm a democrat but not nearly as liberal as most Maryland politicians...I'm more of a moderate). I'm considering the tampa area because I have friends down there, I love the weather and the beach, and I like how it appears to be split between republicans and democrats. Also I heard it's more laid back and easy going. As a personal note I'd take some white trash behavior over ghetto. Or maybe I should just move to San Diego and get the best of everything.
If you are a democrat but not that 'liberal' per say than it seems like MD is right for you.
I'm looking to get some input on what people think about the quality of life in the Tampa Bay area vs. the Baltimore area. There are the obvious perks about Tampa (beaches, weather, lower cost of living) and Baltimore (more walkable, better public transportation, adjacency to other cities, high pay), but there are also other things I'm thinking about. Please provide a preference for one of the two metro areas based on the following:
-"Laid back" attitudes (Live to work or work to live)
-Pride in where you live (You're proud to say you live in the area and you actively work to help make it a better community)
-Friendliness (Neighbors and strangers say hello, practice good manners with one another, and work towards creating a generally positive vibe)
-Over all positive, happy vibe.
-Tolerant attitudes (Do people of different stripes get along well and treat each other with some level of respect and tolerance)
The Tampa Bay area is more "laid back" than the Baltimore area, for sure, but more so in culture than attitude, meaning that locals aren't necessarily easy-going, but rather complacent/sluggish/apathetic. In particular, lots of young people (i.e., 20's & 30's) in the Tampa Bay area seem to lack direction/focus and seem to be content with being beach bums, potheads, rednecks, etc., hence the reason why I would strongly caution a young, educated, upwardly-mobile professional against moving there. Not only would it be difficult for a young professional to make friends/develop a social circle, but I think it would also be difficult to meet a partner with similar goals and interests as yourself.
I would give Tampa the slight edge with regard to friendliness, mostly due to lots of Midwestern transplants and Florida natives. That said, the demographics of Tampa are changing in that more Northeasterners, particularly those from New York and New Jersey, are "discovering" Tampa, so to speak, and moving into the area more frequently than ever before. The Tampa Bay area had always been popular among New Englanders, Upstate New Yorkers, and Pennsylvanians, but over the course of the past few years or so, it's definitely seen a huge influx of people from the NYC area. I'm quite curious as to how that will alter the culture of Tampa...
No city in Florida has a happy/positive vibe, IMO, but neither does Baltimore, which is a pretty bleak city, FAIAP.
I've never lived in Maryland, so I don't know if people there are prideful of their state, but I can tell that state and civic pride is virtually non-existent in Florida, especially compared to some heavy-hitter states like Texas and California. Most communities in Florida are shallow-rooted, as the state is very transient overall. Most people living in Florida are prouder to be from somewhere else or have parents from somewhere else than to be from Florida--kinda sad, if you ask me.
I would imagine that people in Baltimore are more tolerant and open-minded than people in Tampa Bay. FWIW, Maryland voters approved gay marriage at the ballot in 2012, so that should provide you with some insight as to prevailing mindset of the state, if nothing else. OTOH, the Tampa Bay area trends conservative, again due to lots of Midwestern transplants and Florida natives.
Overall, I think that a greater number of people in the U.S. perceive the QOL in the Tampa Bay area to be higher than that of Baltimore because of its location, weather, beaches, etc. Truth be told, I think Tampa Bay offers a higher QOL for certain groups (i.e., retirees, older middle-aged folks, children, college students, etc.) than Baltimore, which offers a higher QOL for working professionals due to a more robust, diversified economy and more competitive salaries.
Last edited by 8to32characters; 03-10-2014 at 11:15 PM..
I wouldn't dare move to Florida judiary system is so corrupt there.
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