moving from milwaukee to tampa area. (St. Petersburg, Clearwater: appointed, high crime, neighborhoods)

[mrgriff85]

tampa seems like a very nice area to move to..it seems like its a city thats has alot to offer and is surrounded by many other cities and towns of intrest.does tampa have much of a night life downtown.?is the beach a nice place to go?i want a nice area but no area is too bad every place can improve but what are some nice places to live that are at a good price?tampa doesnt seem like crime is off the charts i know there is some but how is the crime rate? are there any good malls or clubs?im just looking for an all around overview of the city/area from a person thats lived there and seen alot and been through alot.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by mrgriff85

tampa seems like a very nice area to move to..it seems like its a city thats has alot to offer and is surrounded by many other cities and towns of intrest.does tampa have much of a night life downtown.?is the beach a nice place to go?i want a nice area but no area is too bad every place can improve but what are some nice places to live that are at a good price?tampa doesnt seem like crime is off the charts i know there is some but how is the crime rate? are there any good malls or clubs?im just looking for an all around overview of the city/area from a person thats lived there and seen alot and been through alot.

The Tampa Bay area is very nice. The major components of the area are Hillsborough County (which is primarily Tampa and it's suburbs), and Pinellas County (which is St Petersburg and Clearwater, as well as smaller towns).
Tampa is on the mainland, and St Petersburg/Clearwater are on the peninsula with Tampa Bay to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. Tampa's population is around 340,000 and St Petersburg is around 245,000.

Tampa does not have much going on downtown after dark as it is primarily a business/corporate setting with few residents in the actual downtown area.
Hyde Park/Soho in South Tampa Hyde Park, Tampa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
and Ybor City Ybor City, Tampa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia are the main draws for nightlife.

St Petersburg has more of an active downtown at night. http://www.facebook.com/GrandCentralDistrictAssociation
Downtown St. Petersburg Guide/Map

There are some beautiful beaches in Pinellas County, a couple have been named best beach on the annual list of Best Beaches by Dr. Beach (North Beach in St Pete and Caladesi Island in Clearwater). My personal fave is Indian Rocks Beach. Indian Rocks Beach Access Park

Crime like any major metro area varies, and unless you manage to live/work in the middle of a high crime area your chances of becoming a victim are no greater than anywhere else in the US. The high crime areas here are obvious, and I doubt you'll accidentally move into one.

There are a number of great shopping areas here. Off the top of my head:
Westshore Plaza Store Directory :: WestShore Plaza :: Tampa, FL
International Plaza/Bay Street International Plaza and Bay Street: Mall Directory
Countryside Mall - Clearwater Westfield - - All Stores (http://westfield.com/countryside/ourstores/-all-stores-2040.html - broken link)
Johns Pass in Madeira Beach JohnsPass - Official Portal to John's Pass in Florida (http://www.johnspass.com/index.cfm - broken link)
Citrus Park Mall -North Tampa Westfield - Citrus Park Shopping Mall

There are many choices of places to live. If you could elaborate on your budget and what you plan to do when you arrive, it could help narrow down.
The Tampa-St Pete-Clearwater metro is the 19th largest in the US. Lots of places to look!

[MortonR]

No Summerfest here, however, you won't miss the lack of sun in the winter or the snow. You can't get a decent bratwurst or summer sausage here, however. I have mine shipped in every month or two from Bernie's Fine Meats.

RM (former Port Washington resident)

[RobertaofHydePark]

The "desirable" part of Tampa is South Tampa, which includes Davis Islands, Hyde Park, the SoHo district, and Palma Ceia (my apologies if I'm leaving a neighborhood out). Davis Islands is exclusive, can only be reached by a bridge, and there's not much going on there; it's primarily residential. The other areas are fun and pretty safe. The SoHo (South Howard) area especially has lots of restaurants and bars with live music. It's a place where you can walk around at night and feel pretty safe. There are a lot of college students in these places, mostly from the University of Tampa or University of South Florida, but a few older folks, too. Sushi, Mexican restaurants, and Irish bars are typical of what you'll find. You'll also find a Panera, Blockbusters, CVS and some small, interesting shops. This area is located mostly along S. Howard near Swann Ave. and Platt, and along Platt (if you want to look it up on a map).

[RobertaofHydePark]

In answer to your question about malls, there are two really nice, upscale malls in Tampa that are near each other: Westshore Plaza and the International Mall. You'll find the usual upscale department stores (Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, etc.), an Apple Store, and the typical mall stores; the malls are beautiful and well maintained. I think they both have a food court; the International Mall has an outdoor area which is really nice.

[jdvalle]

I moved here from Milwaukee as well.

Overall, crime here is about the same as Milwaukee - but it "feels" worse here. This is because Tampa is sort of like one large crappy part of town with nice part scattered around. Basically you can't drive from one end of the city to the other without passing through very large patches of bad neighborhoods (I'm talking about using city streets here, not freeways). Milwaukee is just laid out differently. You can drive through much of Milwaukee without going through rough parts if you know where you're going. Crime is simply more concentrated and segregated there.

In many ways Milwaukee and Tampa are VERY much alike. Sometimes it feels like Tampa is some sort of parallel bizarro-dimension version of Milwaukee, with the opposite weather.

The Bay = The Lake
Bayshore mansions = Lakeshore mansions
Hyde Park = Whitefish Bay
Palma Ceia = Shorewood
Soho = East Side near UW
Carrolwood = Greenfield
New Tampa = Brookfield
Seminole Heights = Historic North side (Washington Heights)
West Tampa = Sketchy North Side
Town n Country = near South Side
Channelside/Downtown = 3rd Ward/Yankee Hill

I know these type of comparisons could be made with most any city, but I'm telling you, there are some uncanny parallels in the look and feel of many things. I also would say both have similar levels of cultural attractions, dining, etc. Years ago, Milwaukee might have edged Tampa in this category, but I'm not so sure anymore.

Yes there are major differences, but both cities are a combination of ugly and interesting/charming in their own way. Depends a lot on where you live. I love being in South Tampa. Likewise, I always thought the East side and Shorewood areas of Milwaukee were beautiful, though I grew up on the south side. I think if you have reasonable expectations you won't be disappointed. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people move here thinking that Tampa is going to be like La Jolla, California or Boca Raton. It's more like an industrial Midwestern city transplanted to Gulf Coast (think Milwaukee or Cleveland).

[blackcoral]

Originally Posted by jdvalle

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people move here thinking that Tampa is going to be like La Jolla, California or Boca Raton. It's more like an industrial Midwestern city transplanted to Gulf Coast (think Milwaukee or Cleveland).

You are absolutely right. You put the point on the I.