Sarasota or Tarpon Springs Tampa???? (Clearwater, Sunrise: rent, mortgage, house) - Manatee and Sarasota Counties - City-Data Forum

Cath0004 · 08-14-2011, 04:08 PM

Hi, I am seriously considering relocating from Long Island, NY to either Sarasota or the Tampa area. I've been to Sarasota and loved it but heard Tarpon Springs was a great place also. I am 50 yrs old and recently divorced. I'm a registered nurse and will likely have my 25 yr old son with me who is a marine mechanic. We both love living near the water. I'd love to hear opinions of which place is more desirable.
Thank you for your suggestions.

gypsychic · 08-14-2011, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cath0004

Hi, I am seriously considering relocating from Long Island, NY to either Sarasota or the Tampa area. I've been to Sarasota and loved it but heard Tarpon Springs was a great place also. I am 50 yrs old and recently divorced. I'm a registered nurse and will likely have my 25 yr old son with me who is a marine mechanic. We both love living near the water. I'd love to hear opinions of which place is more desirable.
Thank you for your suggestions.

What anyone considers "desirable" is subjective. For instance, my DH works in Tampa, yet we live on the northern edge of Sarasota and he commutes an hour each day so we can live here. Do you want big city or small city? Coast lifestyle or more urban. Tarpon Springs is cute but I prefer Sarasota. Maybe list more of what you want/need.

Actually with you being a nurse and your son a marine mechanic you could probably find employment opportunities somewhere here in the Sarasota area. It's really a great place to be, IMO.

Good luck!

TamRE · 08-14-2011, 04:54 PM

Well, the first thing would be for you and your son to obtain employment. Jobs in Florida are very hard to come by. Nursing is a popular field where you should be able to find work. As a marine mechanic your son may be able to find a job, but that is a specialty type job where they are few and far between.

Sarasota is south of Tampa and Tarpon Springs. Sarasota would be a little warmer climate in the winter. Tampa is an extremely busy, high traffic area. Sarasota has a lot to offer as far as cultural and recreational activities near the water (beaches, boating, fishing, etc.) Tarpon Springs is famous for sponges and they have the Sponge docks. There are a lot of specialty and anqitue shops. It is a large Greek community.

All three areas would have communities that I am sure you would feel quite comfortable living in. It really depends on your lifestyle and the type of activities that you would enjoy. Each of these three areas I would say are totally different. It would also depend on your price range for either renting or purchasing a home.

Cath0004 · 08-14-2011, 05:10 PM

TamRe, thank you for your info
. I am going to visit Sarasota again next month. I'd start off in Tampa and drive to Sarasota but the last time I did that I had to drive over the skyway bridge and I will never do that again. Is there another way to drive to Sarasota from Tampa?

fiege1224 · 08-14-2011, 05:13 PM

Tarpon Springs is a great place to visit. But the area doesn't compare to Sarasota. Sarasota is much nicer. I have family and friends that live in the tarpon springs area.My mothers boyfriend is Greek and they live there. He and his friends are very nice. The docks and waterfront area are controlled by tight nit group of Greek families. That could make doing business on the waterfront area harder if your not in a Greek family. Most of the waterfront areas of Sarasota are very nice and there is a lot more culture in this town.There also is a lot more marina's in the Sarasota area than Tarpon Springs area for marine work. The beach in Sarasota is great where you have to drive a good way to Clearwater or Sand Key from Tarpon Springs to get to a good beach. I think airports are about the same for going in and out of both these towns. The only thing Tampa has going for it is the airport is closer and many more jobs. I grew up right down the street from Sand Key across from Clearwater beach and it was a great place to be as a kid.I sold one of my homes on the water near Tarpon Springs in 2005 and now have a home in Cape coral on the water. If you live on the water and are a boater I really don't see how you can go wrong on either place. Good luck on your choice.

fiege1224 · 08-14-2011, 05:20 PM

When I go visit my mom in Tarpon Springs I just put in my gps no tolls and it takes me around the skyway bridge. I don't mind the bridge but the traffic when you get into St pete. can take forever to get to Tarpon springs.

TamRE · 08-14-2011, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cath0004

TamRe, thank you for your info
. I am going to visit Sarasota again next month. I'd start off in Tampa and drive to Sarasota but the last time I did that I had to drive over the skyway bridge and I will never do that again. Is there another way to drive to Sarasota from Tampa?

If you are coming down to Sarasota from the Tampa airport, the Skyway Bridge is the quickest route. Here are directions from Yahoo that takes you a different route. Click the image to see a larger view.

Sarasota or Tarpon Springs Tampa????-driving-directions.jpg

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Cath0004 · 08-14-2011, 07:40 PM

Thank you everyone for your input. I am definitely set on Sarasota. I am leaving NY where I have been my entire life. This is a big move and I hope I am making the right decision. I can rent my house in NY for exactly what my monthly mortgage payment is. I have a view of the LI sound and steps down to the beach which I will miss, but...I can only appreciate that about 4 months out of the year.

jnanner · 08-15-2011, 07:36 AM

are you greek? my grandmother (who is greek) has been happy living there for 25 yrs but we've been wanting to move her out of there for the last 10. She was mugged once walking to the store

I was there yesterday and I wouldn't want to live there. I'm from Long Island. I have been living in Sarasota for a year. As I drove away from 19 and the never ending construction and ugliness of that road I told my husband it was like visiting an ugly part of LI but with palm trees

i was happy to get back to Sarasota.

19 is the pits but I like the Skyway bridge so it's an OK tradeoff. Also, driving 19 is kind of like Hempsteap Tpke or Sunrise Hwy traffic for a comparison, busy but moving.

NYPhinfan13 · 08-15-2011, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cath0004

Hi, I am seriously considering relocating from Long Island, NY to either Sarasota or the Tampa area. I've been to Sarasota and loved it but heard Tarpon Springs was a great place also. I am 50 yrs old and recently divorced. I'm a registered nurse and will likely have my 25 yr old son with me who is a marine mechanic. We both love living near the water. I'd love to hear opinions of which place is more desirable.
Thank you for your suggestions.

I'm from Long Island as well and moving down there in 3 weeks. If you want to go with Aesthetics alone, then Sarasota is where you want to be. I’m actually looking in the Tarpon Springs area (mostly East Lake/Palm Harbor). That’s because of work though. If I had my choice, I would want to be in Sarasota. It feels more Tropical. As long as you’re looking close to the water your son shouldn’t have a hard time finding a job. There are a million Marinas down there. However, like others have said, you should have a job before you move.