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Old 07-18-2010, 05:32 PM
 
9 posts, read 17,503 times
Reputation: 12

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We live in Minnesota and I just got a job in Tampa and will be relocating down there with in about a month. We have five sons 2 years to 13 years old. I would like to have a commute 20 minutes or less to the Tampa Airport. My kids like BMX. At first we will have to rent until our Minnesota house sells. Looking to rent a home for around $1000.00/month. Want safe neighborhood with kids and stuff for kids to do close by. Where is your employment and the hours you will be working. Probably rent until early next year. Good schools is important. The plan is to find a great school district; rent in that district then buy a home early next year in that same school district. The boys enjoy football, basketball, bmx and being outside. Being close to a nice beach would also be great. Any guidance and input would be great. The kids are excited for the move and we are trying to make it as positive a move as possible. Being close to a medical center would also be a plus. And finally, being close to stores like grocery, Target, and other shopping would be a plus. Thanks for taking time out of your day to read our post and offer your insight.
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Old 07-18-2010, 05:43 PM
 
Location: Florida & Arizona
5,977 posts, read 7,371,509 times
Reputation: 7593
A 20 minute commute to TPA is going to limit your choices severely. I would think this limits you to maybe Westchase at best. $1000.00/month would probably be tough to find in that area, or for that matter, any comparable area. The housing market is lousy for sellers, but there are tons of renters now, so the rental market is pretty competitive. I haven't looked lately, but I don't think $1000/month is going to get you much around here for a home that would accommodate a family of your size.

Extend your commute a bit more and you open up a wider range of possibilities. School district is a moot point with these requirements, as you'll be in Hillsborough County for the most part. Down here the school districts are county-wide, unlike the Midwest and Upper Midwest. That being said, school quality can vary widely depending on your neighborhood.

Keep in mind that unlike Minnesota, you're not going to have to worry about getting up early to scrape the windshield or clear the driveway in the winter months.....

RM (former Cheesehead)
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Old 08-30-2010, 11:58 AM
 
34 posts, read 102,760 times
Reputation: 28
Have you made a decision?? We live in Lake Heather Oaks. GREAT SCHOOLS!!!!!! Accross the street from Lake Park BMX track. The elementary is Schwarzkopf, the middle is Martinez and the HS is Steinbrenner or Gaither. Let me know what other info you need.
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Old 08-30-2010, 12:01 PM
 
34 posts, read 102,760 times
Reputation: 28
Almost forgot, OUR NEIGHBORHOOS IS OUTSTANDING! We were tranferred and bouth the first nice house we found, we lucked out! The neighborhoos is soooooooo kid friendly. You never drive by someone you don't regonize. Feels Like a small town. Lake Heather Oaks. We may know of a nice house for sale...I am not an agent, just love my neighborhood!
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Old 08-31-2010, 06:05 AM
 
27,192 posts, read 43,886,661 times
Reputation: 32245
If you can stretch your commute to 30-40 minutes you might look at Oldsmar, which is straight up 580 (Hillsborough Avenue) NW of TPA. East Lake Woodlands is a great gated community with top-tier schools. East Lake High School is one of the top schools in the area and the feeder system (elementary and middle schools) are excellent as well. There is a nice newer shopping center next to East Lake Woodlands with a Publix and Target, as well as restaurants. Just down Tampa Road a half mile or so is another new center with an AMC Multiplex Theatre, Starbucks, Panera Bread, Pollo Tropical (amazing chicken!) and a BD's Mongolian Grill (awesome food). Oldsmar has a great BMX facility, as well as youth baseball/football leagues, AND a great hockey facility with league play too! The beach is less than 30 minutes away (Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area in Dunedin) is a straight shot across 580. (10 miles). Mease Countryside Hospital is about a mile away. Mease Countryside Hospital

Check it out, Oldsmar/East Lake is a great place to live and very convenient to much of the Bay area.

oldsmar-falcons.com
Welcome to Oldsmar BMX
Oldsmar Little League - (Oldsmar, FL) - powered by LeagueLineup.com
:: Tampa Bay Skating Academy :: Oldsmar, FL ::
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Old 08-31-2010, 08:10 AM
 
817 posts, read 2,250,515 times
Reputation: 1005
As others have said, the 20 minute commute to TIA limits you to Westchase, which is a good place to live...in fact, it's the ONLY place within 20 minutes of TIA that's a good family area.

As an aside, school districts in Florida are county-wide...so saying you want a good school district is different than in some other places where school districts are smaller. Hillsborough SD, which covers all of Tampa proper, also includes the entire county that Tampa is in...so within that district, you have ghetto schools in areas like South of Gandy, west Tampa, and Sulphur Springs...and you have great schools like in Bloomingdale and Northdale. The thing is, in that area, busing is heavy and you can live in a nice area and have kids bussed in from a crappy area. You have to really do your homework to find the good schools, you can't just move to a good school district and expect it's all going to be good.

If you're willing to stretch your commute, you could live in Pasco...mid-Pasco is a straight shot down the Veterans/Suncoast e-way to TIA. There are some good schools in the Trinity area.
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Old 08-31-2010, 08:29 AM
 
Location: Tampa
2,602 posts, read 8,302,277 times
Reputation: 1566
You can get to TIA from parts of South Tampa in twenty minutes, though this would be one of the pricier parts of town. Other than that, Westchase will probably be your best bet.
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Old 01-28-2013, 09:07 AM
 
11 posts, read 26,879 times
Reputation: 10
Hi Steph. Is Lake Heather Oaks in the town of Brandon? Having trouble finding the area on the real estate sites.
Thanks!
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Old 01-28-2013, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Toledo, OH
1,725 posts, read 3,462,671 times
Reputation: 1277
Quote:
Originally Posted by LainieVee View Post
Hi Steph. Is Lake Heather Oaks in the town of Brandon? Having trouble finding the area on the real estate sites.
Thanks!
https://www.google.com/#hl=en&safe=o...w=1280&bih=592

Try this link. If it doesn't come out, I type in google LAKE HEATHER OAKS TAMPA MAP and it showed a nice one that hopefully helps you out!
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Old 01-28-2013, 06:07 PM
 
Location: Florida & Arizona
5,977 posts, read 7,371,509 times
Reputation: 7593
Uh, this thread is nearly three years old, folks. Doubt there will be much in the way of responses...

RM
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