Nice parts of St Pete (houses, safe neighborhood, new construction)

[ftimothymartin]

Hi,

IMO Historic Kenwood is a really good pick for someone in your situation.
I'm a 30-something professional and moved there about 3 years ago from California - never had any regrets. It contains one of the largest collections of 1920-s era Craftsman bungalows in the state. Many of the streets are brick-lined with large oak trees. The neighborhood is adjacent to the Grand Central District, which provides lots of independent restaurants, pubs, and shops within walking distance. HK is very gay-friendly and has arguably the most active neighborhood association in the city. We have monthly porch party get-togethers, an annual art festival, an annual homes tour, picnics, cleanups, a softball team, and more. You'll be hard pressed to find a more community-minded neighborhood. And the home prices are about half the cost of what you'd find in Old Northeast.

Now on the downside, yeah the area to the West along 34th St. does have issues with prostitution. But you get the same thing on 4th Street adjacent to other neighborhoods you mentioned. There have also been some auto break-ins, but I don't think it's any worse than other parts of the city. We have a very active neighborhood watch program and neighbors tend to go out of their way to look out for each other.

I also happen to be president of the neighborhood association, so maybe I'm a bit biased. =)
But if you're interested, feel free to contact me and I'll take you out for a tour (and a beer if you like).

Cheers,

- Tim Martin
[email]ftimothymartin@yahoo.com[/email]

[FloridaDerby]

I live in Lakewood Estates and it is great for walking, roller blading or riding bikes. There is a very active neighborhood association and a very low crime rate. Welcome to Lakewood Estates

[xbillyx]

Do homes in the Old Northeast not have pools?! I've looked online and haven't found one yet.

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by xbillyx

Do homes in the Old Northeast not have pools?! I've looked online and haven't found one yet.

Most probably won't. It's one of the oldest neighborhoods in St. Pete and residential pools are a relatively new (suburban) item.

[Jenniegurl]

Just curious, on the map where would I find Old NE? Also, does any one know of a good rental site for Townhomes/houses in St Pete area? I will be moving there and I have been looking online at a few places but thought I might ask the locals if there are any better sites then what I have found. Does any one know what middle schools are like in Old NE or is this more of a singles area to live??

[ferret111]

Old Northeast is north of 5th Avenue North and east of 1st Street Northeast. I don't know where the northern boundary is, but I'd imagine it would be somewhere in between 22nd and 30th Avenues North. In short, Old Northeast consists of the homes on the streets near Downtown with a "NE" suffix.

[xbillyx]

I'll have to take a look around in the Old Northeast, although not having a pool is a big detractor (and may result in us skipping it altogether).

[xbillyx]

How about Greater Woodlawn, Five Points, Magnolia Heights? Are the neighborhoods North and Northwest of Old Northeast nice and safe as well?

I know South St Pete is bad but what about the North?

I see MLK runs North-South in the city. Is anything off that road bad (even in Greater Woodlawn)?

Thanks.

[jambo101]

MLK is basically 9th st. and gets a bit seedy south of the downtown area but anything north of the downtown area can be quite nice, i like the area around Crescent lake.
If a pool is a must then some of the newer homes north of 62nd ave n might be more likely to have pools.
If you like casual seafood dining give the 4th st Shrimp Store a try.

[xbillyx]

Originally Posted by jambo101

MLK is basically 9th st. and gets a bit seedy south of the downtown area but anything north of the downtown area can be quite nice, i like the area around Crescent lake.
If a pool is a must then some of the newer homes north of 62nd ave n might be more likely to have pools.
If you like casual seafood dining give the 4th st Shrimp Store a try.

Thanks for the info. So, it sounds like North and Northeast of downtown are fine/safe neighborhoods? I'm most likely going to rule out South, as I've heard it's unsafe. However, the impression I'm also getting is that it tends to get sketchy going West (even Northwest) of downtown. Is that true?

If I'm looking for a nice, safe neighborhood that I don't have to worry much about my wife walking around at night, do I want to stick to neighborhoods North and Northeast of downtown/375/Mirror Lake?