[Longing to Move]

We are trying to decided which area would be better to concentrate on relocating to-the Ft. Lauderdale area or Tampa area. We have 2 daughters (under 4 years old). We want to buy a house (around $200,000), live near the beach, and be in a nice area with good schools. There are jobs available in both areas we are considering. Any advice or pros/cons of each area would be so helpful!

[Jlopes26]

ft lauderdale... tampa is like the city and it's bout 45 minutes from the beaches..

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

I would go with the southern part of Sarasota county. Known for great schools and of course the best beaches in Florida in Siesta Keys, Anna Maria Island etc.

Ft Lauderdale is also very nice and beautiful also. I would still go with the outside of the Sarasota area.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Longing to Move

We are trying to decided which area would be better to concentrate on relocating to-the Ft. Lauderdale area or Tampa area. We have 2 daughters (under 4 years old). We want to buy a house (around $200,000), live near the beach, and be in a nice area with good schools. There are jobs available in both areas we are considering. Any advice or pros/cons of each area would be so helpful!

You might get more for your money in the Tampa area, otherwise go for where the better job opportunity is. All things being equal, if moving to Tampa, I would just make sure to live on the Pinellas County side of the bay, as Hillsborough is a far drive to the beaches. Otherwise, it's pretty much a wash. I would say the biggest difference is that there is a more diverse demographic in the "good areas" around Ft. Lauderdale when compared to the Tampa area, and that the gulf beaches are calmer. Tampa also doesn't have a very good highway network, although the principle highways around Ft. Lauderdale are soon to be under construction anyway. Tampa/St. Petersburg also has a lot more in the way of well-preserved history, if you are into that. Otherwise both have a lot of nice (and crappy) areas and similar pros and cons, so it really is a wash.

[mango23]

Originally Posted by Longing to Move

We are trying to decided which area would be better to concentrate on relocating to-the Ft. Lauderdale area or Tampa area. We have 2 daughters (under 4 years old). We want to buy a house (around $200,000), live near the beach, and be in a nice area with good schools. There are jobs available in both areas we are considering. Any advice or pros/cons of each area would be so helpful!

It is not even a close call, Fort Lauderdale by a long shot. There are buys now walking distance to the beach that would only have been a dream for most a few years ago. Without a doubt in the near future people will be regreating not making the plunge now. I am not talking about everything, but some homes at these prices in areas like are available and at in today's interest rates, what else can you say. Not everyone is broke or out of work and for those with a little security there are deals they may not see again.

Again, I am not talking about dime a dozen cookie cutter homes, those will always be around. I mean the nice stuff that is a few more dollars but "wow", places the average owner could have only dreamed about is now a reality for them. I have a friend who is a cop and he just bought a foreclosure just off Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale for $345,000.00. Water front, deep water access to the ocean, 90 feet of dock space. This was a million dollar property a few years ago and will go up in value.

[fauve]

I've lived in both places with a family with young children. I felt more comfortable in Ft Lauderdale. I also loved Sarasota and perhaps if I had to do over would have tried there next (the kids are now college-aged). My largest objections about Tampa were the signs (they have no zoning restrictions and it made nice streets pretty tacky looking) and a general feeling of anonymity. Just didn't feel like home. This of course is purely subjective. I'm originally from NYC and there are more northeast transplants here, while there are more midwest transplants in Tampa which may have accounted for that not-at-home feeling. Housing was a much better deal in Tampa.

[G8tor]

I have not lived in Fort Lauderdale, but know Tampa Bay very well. Sarasota is a great place but a distance from Tampa and not a wise commute. Tampa has a fair share of crime and is a long drive from the beaches that do not compare to the east coast, unless you get down to Sarasota where magnificent beaches await. A fun and unique neighborhood is in the old northeast in St. Pete. But do check the crime stats everywhere and the sexual predators; not cool.

[Kevin from Tampa]

Originally Posted by G8tor

I have not lived in Fort Lauderdale, but know Tampa Bay very well. Sarasota is a great place but a distance from Tampa and not a wise commute. Tampa has a fair share of crime and is a long drive from the beaches that do not compare to the east coast, unless you get down to Sarasota where magnificent beaches await. A fun and unique neighborhood is in the old northeast in St. Pete. But do check the crime stats everywhere and the sexual predators; not cool.

I've lived in both places...and moved away from Ft Lauderdale to Tampa when my kids were fixing to go into elementary school. Why? The kids in Ft Lauderdale just seemed to grow up faster in Ft Lauderdale. It's a much more...I don't know how to say this exactly...an atmosphere where kids mature sooner than they should...or are exposed to mature things in schools faster than than I think they should be.

The beaches in Tampa are not that much further away than in Ft Lauderdale. It's not like you have to spend the night...if you're in central Tampa, Clearwater Beach is like, a 30 minute drive.

It's worth it. I think Tampa is far and away the better place to raise a family.

[G8tor]

I have to disagree with Kevin on the drive time to Clearwater Beach or any other beach in Tampa Bay from Tampa. On a weekend, which is when parents with kids in school would go, it can take 30 minutes from Clearwater to Clearwater Beach or St Pete to St Pete Beach as the traffic is stop and go. From Tampa? Easily an hour or more and then deal with parking.

Relative to maturity - that seems to be the public school system everywhere - here in Charlotte I had an eleven year old pointing out augmentations the other day. That can be learned from the wrong television programs, lax parenting, or frequently at the back of the public school bus where the kindergartners sit next to 5th graders.

Good luck - it's a tough decision and ultimately boots on the ground is what you need to decide between locations.

[Kevin from Tampa]

Originally Posted by G8tor

I have to disagree with Kevin on the drive time to Clearwater Beach or any other beach in Tampa Bay from Tampa. On a weekend, which is when parents with kids in school would go, it can take 30 minutes from Clearwater to Clearwater Beach or St Pete to St Pete Beach as the traffic is stop and go. From Tampa? Easily an hour or more and then deal with parking.

Relative to maturity - that seems to be the public school system everywhere - here in Charlotte I had an eleven year old pointing out augmentations the other day. That can be learned from the wrong television programs, lax parenting, or frequently at the back of the public school bus where the kindergartners sit next to 5th graders.

Good luck - it's a tough decision and ultimately boots on the ground is what you need to decide between locations.

As far as the maturity thing...like I said, I have lived in both places...and seen the kids and what they are exposed to in both. In that regard alone, if it matters to you, Tampa is a much more conservative place to raise kids...and I don't mean that in a political sense...I mean that kids will just grow up more quickly there than in Tampa. It's hard to say what I mean when I say this, but I'd be willing to bet that the sex, drug, and alcohol use starts earlier in Broward county than in the bay area, and is more pervasive. Girls dress hoochie-ish at a younger age there. Boys start cursing at a younger age there. The disrespect for authority is greater there in the schools than in Tampa.

You may be right about the beaches from Tampa, but I've lived in South Tampa and I had more than a 45 minute drive to Clearwater. In any case, unless you live right on the beach in Broward, you're driving...so a 20 minute drive versus a 45 minute drive....not a big deal.