Jacksonville or Tampa? (Clearwater, Spring Hill, Hernando: insurance, condos, how much)

[cappy7]

Helle everybody,

My wife and I would like to relocate to either Tampa or Jacksonville. We have family in the Tampa area and job prospects in both cities. I've done some research on both cities and I think we are leaning towards Jacksonville. I work in the IT field and my wife works in the architectual drafting field. We currently reside in central PA and want to move somewhere warmer and close to water and the beaches. The only reason we are leaning towards Jacksonville is for the somewhat changing of seasons I've been reading on this board. What area is better for employment opportunities? What about family friendly areas? We are thinking about starting a family soon. I am leaving this weekend for a 10 day trip to the Tampa area to visit family. They live in the Spring Hill area. I also have an interview in Tampa while I'm down there and might have one in Jacksonville.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

[Karla with a K]

cappy7
we do get cooler up here in Jax, My father in law lives in Tampa and it always seems cooler here.
Another difference maybe in housing costs and Insurance rates
As far as IT jobs goes I would check one of the online job sites to compare the number of jobs thay have for each area
I would take time on your trip to check out both places
have a safe trip down
karla

[cappy7]

Thanks myfask! I also read the median age in Jax is around 33. Seems like a younger area, which would be a plus for us. I do plan on checking out both areas. I have been looking at IT jobs and it seems they are both comparable, maybe with a slight edge going towards Tampa. I keep reading that Jax is up and coming and is a city on the rise. Is this true? This is what is attracting me towards Jax. How are the beaches? I keep hearing the beaches aren't that nice and the Gulf side is a lot better. Is this true?

Thanks again.

[Karla with a K]

Cappy7
yes Jax is growing and there are alot of young people It has changed so much since I moved here 15 years ago.
I am not much of a beach person I prefer being 50' below the surface if I am in the water. So I can't answer this question. But I do know there are alot of people that go to the beach every weekend.
Maybe someone that has been to both can give you their oppinion

Karla

[cappy7]

Thanks again! I'm getting very excited about my trip down there. I'm sure the beaches are nice, but just thought I would ask. Since the weather is a littel different than other parts of FL, does it rain a lot during the summer months?

[Karla with a K]

we were dryer last year, I think we ended the year with a deficit of 13" of rain. We have been getting more rain so far this year. lol I have had to mow my lawn twice so far. I usually stop mowing in November.
I am orginally from outside of Phila so I really like that it does get colder
here is our forecast from Thurs to Mon
karla

Thursday Night: partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers in the evening. Lows in the mid 40s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
Friday And Friday Night: partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 60s. Lows in the mid 40s.
Saturday: partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 60s.
Saturday Night: mostly clear. Lows in the upper 30s.
Sunday: partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 60s.
Sunday Night: partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Lows in the mid 40s.
Monday: breezy. Mostly cloudy with chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 70s. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Monday Night And Tuesday: partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 40s. Highs in the mid 60s.

[Grego]

The Gulf beaches are nice unless there is 'red tide'. One reason they may be nicer is that they spend millions to renourish the beaches with fresh sand so that all the condos dont wash away.

[Grego]

Visited Jax a couple weeks ago. Still not sure what I think yet.
I have lived in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco for years.
The Tampa, StPete, Clearwater area should be a slam dunk. Except... I believe that the housing, taxes and insurance is more. Spring Hill is a different animal. But they also have a fair amount of sink holes in Pasco and Hernando.
Im in IT too.

[cappy7]

myfask, that forecast sounds good to me. Where at in the Philly area are you from? I currently reside in Harrisburg. We are getting a batch of cold air that is supposed to stay here for awhile. Winter hasn't really hit us yet, but it's coming...

Grego, how long have you lived in the Tampa area?

I guess from living in PA for so long, my wife and I might miss the season changes if we lived in the Tamap area, but I'm sure we would get used to the weather. How much does it rain there? I've read you get a lot of thunderstorms in the summer. I don't think the humidity will be a problem since we have a lot of that up here during the summer.

Thanks

[Grego]

off and on for 22 years