best Tampa neighborhoods? (Lakeland, University, Lutz: real estate, houses, new construction) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - City-Data Forum

erbfarm · 08-04-2010, 06:12 AM

I'm looking at a job at Saint Leo University and am wondering if there are any older neighborhoods in the north Tampa area. I would like to live as close to work as possible so that puts us in either north Tampa or somewhere outside of Tampa but closer to Saint Leo. I'm not interested in living in a subdivision or gated community. Looking for a small bungalow type of house with a nice streetscape, close to grocery stores etc, we don't have kids so don't need a good school system. My priorities are 1) not having to drive anywhere at all if at all possible so that means having things close and being able to bike anywhere else 2) an area with some character and lots of different types of people 3) lots going on in terms of outdoor concerts and events 4) we'll need a place with a fenced in backyard b/c we have 2 dogs 5) affordable (< $200k). Any suggestions? thanks

thethinktank · 08-04-2010, 08:22 AM

Hey erbfarm-- you may want to consider Seminole Heights. It may not be as north as you'd prefer, but it hits mostly all of your other criteria. It's in your price range, features plenty of outdoor events, has a lot of character and a healthy social climate. It is bike-able, but not as walkable as I'd prefer. Check out Wikipedia's page for Seminole Heights:
Seminole Heights, Tampa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good luck in your search!

gypsychic · 08-04-2010, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erbfarm

I'm looking at a job at Saint Leo University and am wondering if there are any older neighborhoods in the north Tampa area. I would like to live as close to work as possible so that puts us in either north Tampa or somewhere outside of Tampa but closer to Saint Leo. I'm not interested in living in a subdivision or gated community. Looking for a small bungalow type of house with a nice streetscape, close to grocery stores etc, we don't have kids so don't need a good school system. My priorities are 1) not having to drive anywhere at all if at all possible so that means having things close and being able to bike anywhere else 2) an area with some character and lots of different types of people 3) lots going on in terms of outdoor concerts and events 4) we'll need a place with a fenced in backyard b/c we have 2 dogs 5) affordable (< $200k). Any suggestions? thanks

It's too bad you don't just want to live in San Antonio - that area is SOOO beautiful, and has lots of character. But of course there is not much going on around those parts as far as concerts etc., We lived up there for 10 years, such beautiful countryside but I got tired of always having to drive to Tampa for stuff. So bottom line, do you want to commute to work everyday, or live near your work and commute to Tampa? Seminole Heights in Tampa is nice but the commute will be bad - my husband commuted to Tampa every day from Dade City just north of St. Leo, and that drive on 275 is hellish - over an hour just to go 37 miles. Also, the nicest parts of Seminole Heights are pretty expensive. Just something to think about.

cheerbaby112 · 08-04-2010, 03:21 PM

New tampa.

Keeper · 08-04-2010, 03:28 PM

Check out Land O lakes. There are some really nice older homes and there is shopping. Check out the area around Lake Paggett Estates. Houses that are not right on the lake are reasonable. You aren't too far from Tampa either. Lutz is another area but it is more rural.

New Tampa is gated communities and cookie cutter houses. I don't think it is what you are looking for. There are some nice homes there though.

erbfarm · 08-05-2010, 06:08 AM

I've been living on a farm in rural New England for the past 15 years so I've done country and I've had it with driving everywhere so right now I'm really hungry for city life. If I have to choose, I'd prefer to live in the city and drive to work every day then vice versa but ideally, I'm looking to live and work in a town/city of about 250,000 people. I'm pretty much going to have to settle this time around it looks like due to maybe not having much choice about jobs, but I really don't want to have to drive a car at all except maybe once in a while on a rare occasion. I've lived in the northeast all my life so I'm big on character and uniqueness and couldn't really handle everything looking the same like it would in a new development or gated community. I am from Pittsburgh, PA originally and would really like to move back there, but don't have much of a job opportunity at the moment. We do have lots of family in FL and it would be a good move for us in a lot of ways. I don't want to commute and I don't want to live too far away from "things" and I"m just thinking I probably am not going to be able to get both of those things w/ this Saint Leo position though the jobs sounds great. I could not start my day by getting on a freeway. Did that for awhile when I lived near Boston, had enough of it.

gypsychic · 08-05-2010, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erbfarm

I've been living on a farm in rural New England for the past 15 years so I've done country and I've had it with driving everywhere so right now I'm really hungry for city life. If I have to choose, I'd prefer to live in the city and drive to work every day then vice versa but ideally, I'm looking to live and work in a town/city of about 250,000 people. I'm pretty much going to have to settle this time around it looks like due to maybe not having much choice about jobs, but I really don't want to have to drive a car at all except maybe once in a while on a rare occasion. I've lived in the northeast all my life so I'm big on character and uniqueness and couldn't really handle everything looking the same like it would in a new development or gated community. I am from Pittsburgh, PA originally and would really like to move back there, but don't have much of a job opportunity at the moment. We do have lots of family in FL and it would be a good move for us in a lot of ways. I don't want to commute and I don't want to live too far away from "things" and I"m just thinking I probably am not going to be able to get both of those things w/ this Saint Leo position though the jobs sounds great. I could not start my day by getting on a freeway. Did that for awhile when I lived near Boston, had enough of it.

You will definitely have to forget the St. Leo job, then. As I said, the only thing there is beautiful countryside. City life is 35 miles away. If you are going to live in Tampa, I would choose South Tampa for what you want, although it might be above your price range. It's really the only part of Tampa that has walkable areas. I don't really consider Seminole Heights very walkable at all, only to a few things, but the old part has character, again probably over your price range. You might look at downtown living, as in Channelside as well.

Keep in mind that Tampa does not have the best transit system, and you will need a car for a lot of things. I think you might like living in Tampa, however, if you can resolve your commuting issues. The inner core of Tampa has a "gritty city" feeling, with character, and a friend of mine once compared it to Pittsburgh in a way. Lots of diversity, unique Tampa cuisine and a lot of history to the area. The city isn't perfect, but it really does have a lot to offer.

Good luck to you.

erbfarm · 08-06-2010, 05:25 AM

If I lived in south Tampa and commuted to Saint Leo wouldn't I be going against the traffic pattern everyday? I can imagine a horrible commute trying to get into the city but what about trying to get out of the city every day? anyone familiar with that?

kyle19125 · 08-06-2010, 06:04 AM

Another less obvious option to check out is Lakeland. It has some beautiful historic areas near downtown that are walkable to shops/services and within your price range. The drive north on US 98 north would be much easier than the drive out of South Tampa.

gypsychic · 08-06-2010, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Another less obvious option to check out is Lakeland. It has some beautiful historic areas near downtown that are walkable to shops/services and within your price range. The drive north on US 98 north would be much easier than the drive out of South Tampa.

This is a great suggestion. We moved from Dade City to Lakeland a few years ago (although we have moved again since then), and the drive is not bad. It won't be any less time because it's the same distance, and the whole drive is on basically a two-lane road. But Lakeland has a charming downtown with a lot of character neighborhoods. It's a much smaller city than Tampa (100,000) but still has it's own performance venue, and many festivals, concerts going on throughout the year. The neighborhoods near downtown are much more walkable than Tampa, and the city has one of the BEST public transit systems in Florida. I walked to everything when I was there, even Publix was right across the street in Southgate Shopping Plaza, and since we moved they have built a big, beautiful NEW Publix there. So you might want to give it a look. there are some screaming deals in real estate in Lakeland right now. It is also a great bicycling town.

Your commute heading north from South Tampa would not be much better, there is a TON of traffic going to USF in the morning. And 275 is really not built to handle all the traffic it gets beyond that point due to all the new construction in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. I don't know if they have started yet, but construction is or was supposed to begin on that stretch to widen it, which is going to add to the woes for a good while.