Looking for a Nice Family Town in Central/West Florida (Tampa: relocating, gated)

[ras23]

Hi,

We are planning on moving to Florida in Summer 2007. We have family in Spring Hill. We don't really like Spring Hill but we don't want to be too far away. We are considering some towns a little south of SH, like Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, or Dunedin.

Can any of you recommened some nice, family oriented towns for us? We have 2 young children and we want to live in a town that has a community feel with a downtown area that's not too spread out. We're hoping for a quaint, friendly town. Please send any info or recommendations you can. We need help! And if you know anything about the towns I mentioned above, please comment. We appreciate it. Thanks.

Rob and Liz

[PHINSFAN]

ras23,

Check out Pasco county, New Port Richey & Trinty area its close to Spring Hill but not as highly priced. Homes/Taxes/Ins is not through the roof and the school district is excellent. Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor & Dunedin have nice areas & sub divisions but are highly priced for homes with small sq footage. We lived in Pinellas county for 7 yrs and rented as we SEARCHED for a home because we really couldn't find a family neighborhood to buy in. We also weren't thrilled with Pinellas school system. Went into Pasco and found & closed on our home in 2 wks that was 5 yrs ago, and the scools are zoned for neighborhood. Commutes to Tampa Metro/Clearwater/St.Pete go from 35 min to 45 min depending.
If you don't go into a sub-division make sure you check out the neighborhood, because 1 neighbor can be great and the rest are the neighbors from hell. Also Pasco county has strict restrictions on parking in the street, lawn care and your homes appearance ex: yard trash-cars on lawn-etc, code enforcement which is really important.
Our Sub Division which is not a gated comm, contains about 200 homes and we know at least 50 families, all the kids know each other and play at each others houses and in the streets cause theres no traffic.
You said you have kids, you need to also research sex offenders at familywatchdog . us you can get city-address-state info for anywhere.

Good Luck - been there done it and now we're doing it again relocating to NC due to hubby's job

If ya need any more info let me know, We know how hard it is to research an out of state move.

[sami]

Stay OUT of Spring Hill like it has the plague....too many sink holes. Research where you are going and pick low/no sink hole areas. Also get high and dry land so you do not flood or have to evacuate because of hurricane waters. There are lots of family towns here in Florida. The towns already mentioned are nice. I do not know what you like but even middle class areas of some cities and large towns are nice. One small place that is near everything yet is actually a small town inside the bigger city and has its own feel is Kenneth City (surrounded by St. Petersburg) and it is middle class. Towns in north Pinellas County may be more to your liking. Some people have talked about places like Port Richey, Dundin, etc. Other places are just over the Pinellas line. Rent near your relatives in Spring Hill and research surrounding towns (possibly considering a suburban area of the city though that may not be what you are looking for). There should be someplace near your relatives that you can be comfortable living there. Good luck.

[yellowsmileyface]

It is not on the coast, but try Winter Park (suburban Orlando). This is such a great family community. The schools are excellent (both public and private), people are very health oriented, with walkers, joggers, cyclists everywhere. There are lots of YMCA's around here which offer so many great programs for kids and adults. It is close to the city, but has a small community feel to it. There are festivals, road races, triathlons, museums, and just about anything you could ever want or need for your family.

[ras23]

Hi Phinsfan,

Last year you posted to my question above about where to live in FL. I just wanted to let you know that your advice was great. We just bought a house in Pasco -- New Port Richey, in a beautiful, small subdivision called Nature's Hideaway. We're getting ready to move in in about 2 weeks. Thanks for the advice. We're very excited about moving there. Any tips you can give us, like where are the best beaches, stores, fun stuff, etc?

[daniellefort]

I live in Inverness just north of Springhill. My in laws and most of our friends live in Springhill so the traveling is only about 45 minutes to them.

[JSOM]

Edgewater Is Amazing

[surffin]

New Port Richey is nice. Save you money and take serveral vacation in different towns and stay for a month to see if you like it. There are lots of short term rentals. try this Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association

[mslilrose]

I am a single 50 yr. young woman. I am moving from Maine to New Port Richey to rent my sister's home. I was wondering if there was night life: dance clubs, singles over 50 clubs etc. Are there beaches? Any information one can give about nearby social and recreation activities? Thanks.

[Sunnydee]

Originally Posted by ras23

Hi Phinsfan,

Last year you posted to my question above about where to live in FL. I just wanted to let you know that your advice was great. We just bought a house in Pasco -- New Port Richey, in a beautiful, small subdivision called Nature's Hideaway. We're getting ready to move in in about 2 weeks. Thanks for the advice. We're very excited about moving there. Any tips you can give us, like where are the best beaches, stores, fun stuff, etc?

Congratulations! How about giving us another update?