Interested in Moving to Florida...Help Please (Miami, Tampa: homes, crime)

[SeekingSunshine]

My husband and I are interested in moving to Florida from New York...Hillsborough County specifically. Does any one know where I can get information concering elevation levels and high flood areas? Any other info would be helpful. Thanks

[tonytampa]

I'm a third-generation native of Tampa, which is in Hillsborough County. Hillsborough is a very large county which encompasses diverse areas...rural, suburbs and the City of Tampa....what lifestyle are you looking for??

Tampa is a large, older city based not on tourism or theme parks, but on industry. It has a history of ethnic diversity, rooted mainly in Spanish, Cuban and Sicilian cultures, and more recently, immigrants from Latin America and Mexico. The city remains quite diverse, ethnically, but as opposed to Miami, one does not have to speak Spanish in order to thrive there..that is part of its appeal. Some of the older neighborhoods are enjoying a revitalization and offer interesting older homes at affordable prices.....areas such as West Tampa, Tampa Heights and Ybor City. By the way, these neighborhoods are known to be on higher elevation (approx. 10 feet, which for coastal Florida is high, believe it or not). In the event of a storm, these areas are much less likely to flood.

If the city is not for you, consider Temple Terrace or Brandon. These are suburbs which developed in the '50's and '60's. They offer a more sedate life-style, but are politically more conservative than the city. The "upscale" area of Tampa itself is the south side...however, ironically more prone to flooding, since it is closer to the bay. Remember, anything can happen, but statistically speaking the Tampa area is much less prone to a direct hurricane hit than most other areas of Florida. If a more upscale "suburb" is what you want, then consider "New Tampa"..it is in northern Hillsborough County and near the University of South Florida. If weather is an issue for you..the northern county and suburbs can be considerably colder on winter nights than the city. We are in Central Florida, our weather is sub-tropical and we do get occasional cold snaps..Brandon, New Tampa and anywhere in Northern Hillsborough can drop to freezing or below several times each year. If you are a gardener, South Tampa or anywhere in the city would be more conducive for tropical plantings.

Good luck!!

[Dee2e]

Originally Posted by SeekingSunshine

My husband and I are interested in moving to Florida from New York...Hillsborough County specifically. Does any one know where I can get information concering elevation levels and high flood areas? Any other info would be helpful. Thanks

http://www.placenames.com/ You can use this link to search cities for longitude, latitude and elevation.

[Shores9]

Originally Posted by SeekingSunshine

My husband and I are interested in moving to Florida from New York...Hillsborough County specifically. Does any one know where I can get information concering elevation levels and high flood areas? Any other info would be helpful. Thanks

Don't know if this will help you but here is a link to Hillsborough county's site that will give you info on the proposed NEW flood maps

http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/pg...odMap/home.cfm

[dlh891]

Originally Posted by tonytampa

I'm a third-generation native of Tampa, which is in Hillsborough County. Hillsborough is a very large county which encompasses diverse areas...rural, suburbs and the City of Tampa....what lifestyle are you looking for??

Tampa is a large, older city based not on tourism or theme parks, but on industry. It has a history of ethnic diversity, rooted mainly in Spanish, Cuban and Sicilian cultures, and more recently, immigrants from Latin America and Mexico. The city remains quite diverse, ethnically, but as opposed to Miami, one does not have to speak Spanish in order to thrive there..that is part of its appeal. Some of the older neighborhoods are enjoying a revitalization and offer interesting older homes at affordable prices.....areas such as West Tampa, Tampa Heights and Ybor City. By the way, these neighborhoods are known to be on higher elevation (approx. 10 feet, which for coastal Florida is high, believe it or not). In the event of a storm, these areas are much less likely to flood.

If the city is not for you, consider Temple Terrace or Brandon. These are suburbs which developed in the '50's and '60's. They offer a more sedate life-style, but are politically more conservative than the city. The "upscale" area of Tampa itself is the south side...however, ironically more prone to flooding, since it is closer to the bay. Remember, anything can happen, but statistically speaking the Tampa area is much less prone to a direct hurricane hit than most other areas of Florida. If a more upscale "suburb" is what you want, then consider "New Tampa"..it is in northern Hillsborough County and near the University of South Florida. If weather is an issue for you..the northern county and suburbs can be considerably colder on winter nights than the city. We are in Central Florida, our weather is sub-tropical and we do get occasional cold snaps..Brandon, New Tampa and anywhere in Northern Hillsborough can drop to freezing or below several times each year. If you are a gardener, South Tampa or anywhere in the city would be more conducive for tropical plantings.

Good luck!!

Good info. I just moved from Temple Terrace and was across the street from the Hillsborough River and was not in a flood zone.

[SeekingSunshine]

Originally Posted by Dee2e

http://www.placenames.com/ You can use this link to search cities for longitude, latitude and elevation.

The info you gave us was incredibly helpful....we are a young thirty something couple with three children. So, we need an area that is low on crime with great schools. We also need a mix of good mature enterainment and family friendly entertainment.