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I know there is crime and some rough edges, but when I was down there I wondered if St. Petersburg has the potential to become the "san francisco of the south".
I never liked St. Pete, but it seems to be turning the corner, even in s. St pete which is sort of rough in some places ! even some places 'bayside' are getting upscaled, and crime rolled back...I little while ago my family sold a house at Pasadena Y &CC which is in essentially S. St Pete or really Gulfport which is right off 22nd Av South near Stetson law school....you actually had to travel through a trashy neighborhood to get to this very very nice gated, waterfront community ! I always thought that to be weird, but that's Florida !! St. Pete beach has changed for the better, and my goodness, just look at what's happened at Clearwater beach, and the beautiful renovations donw in DT St. Pete near the Vinoy and the yacht basin near Beach Road !! truly a beautiful setting NOW ! there are worse places to live in the states that St. Pete ! like Birmingham or Memphis, or New Orleans !
I know there is crime and some rough edges, but when I was down there I wondered if St. Petersburg has the potential to become the "san francisco of the south".
I believe that if Mass Transit was in the area on a Regional Basis(Tampa, St. pete, Clearwater, Sarasota/Bradenton, Lakeland), it would have additional potential, but in an answer to your question, St. Pete could never become the "San Francisco of the south" - population, ethnicity are not there.
It'll never be like SF but it's getting written about a lot in national magazines and newspapers - NY Times wrote about the farmer's market, Jane magazine visited the hipster shuffleboard court - plus artists like Peter Max and Dale Chihlully (sp) are making their way down there.
Pam Iorio is the Mayor of Tampa. Not that that's irrelevant to St. Pete but she's actually done a LOT for the area since coming into office in Tampa. Rick Baker is the mayor of the incorporated areas of St. Pete. But their leadership isn't completely why or why not the area hasn't thrived (and driven costs up frankly like SF) Having said that I think prices in this area are disproportionate to the offerings for quality of life which the area seems to lack.
But my theories on the reasons are pretty basic. I moved here from Dallas after living in Houston and Austin. All interesting cities with very interesting growth patterns.
I work in real estate with developers and commercial groups as well as the housing sector and I have some observations about the involvement of the Tampa area as observed over the last 8 1/2 years. The short answer to your questions as I see it is largely due to a former lack of concentration on Economic Development for both the area as well as the State as a whole.
Forward thinking takes years to develop, decades even. There are now some very interesting think tanks in place that are making some fundamental changes on how the economic opportunities of the areas will develop over time. My prediction is that because of these, the whole Tampa Bay economy will change for the better over the next 10-25 years. Prices will go up as coveted areas progress. I would hate to see the afford ability factor reach the SF area but it has as much to do with job wages as anything else.
We have wonderful natural resources here so it makes perfect sense that people would be attracted to beaches and sunshine but why oh why did it take Starbucks as long as it did to come here (I got here in 1999 and had to drive 45 minutes for my coffee fix when I first moved here). And even if you don't drink Starbucks, having one (since they will move in darn near everywhere and pay very high rents) is sort of the de fecto tenant. They are here with a force now and moving in all over thank goodness but more on that later, they are just the bell weather.
I don't have much time to write about this now but I would like to later add why there are so few retailers/restaurants and major employers with high-paying jobs in clean industries in the area when I get the chance....
Pam Iorio is the Mayor of Tampa. Not that that's irrelevant to St. Pete but she's actually done a LOT for the area since coming into office in Tampa. Rick Baker is the mayor of the incorporated areas of St. Pete. But their leadership isn't completely why or why not the area hasn't thrived (and driven costs up frankly like SF) Having said that I think prices in this area are disproportionate to the offerings for quality of life which the area seems to lack.
But my theories on the reasons are pretty basic. I moved here from Dallas after living in Houston and Austin. All interesting cities with very interesting growth patterns.
I work in real estate with developers and commercial groups as well as the housing sector and I have some observations about the involvement of the Tampa area as observed over the last 8 1/2 years. The short answer to your questions as I see it is largely due to a former lack of concentration on Economic Development for both the area as well as the State as a whole.
Forward thinking takes years to develop, decades even. There are now some very interesting think tanks in place that are making some fundamental changes on how the economic opportunities of the areas will develop over time. My prediction is that because of these, the whole Tampa Bay economy will change for the better over the next 10-25 years. Prices will go up as coveted areas progress. I would hate to see the afford ability factor reach the SF area but it has as much to do with job wages as anything else.
We have wonderful natural resources here so it makes perfect sense that people would be attracted to beaches and sunshine but why oh why did it take Starbucks as long as it did to come here (I got here in 1999 and had to drive 45 minutes for my coffee fix when I first moved here). And even if you don't drink Starbucks, having one (since they will move in darn near everywhere and pay very high rents) is sort of the de fecto tenant. They are here with a force now and moving in all over thank goodness but more on that later, they are just the bell weather.
I don't have much time to write about this now but I would like to later add why there are so few retailers/restaurants and major employers with high-paying jobs in clean industries in the area when I get the chance....
NTFELDMAN - I love reading your posts - I hope you will keep posting about your theories and what you know - I love researching cities, and am interested in how and why they grow and change.
And re: Starbucks - I don't drink their coffee, but there is one in walking distance of our house in Lakeland (which we close on in two weeks)!
yes the homeless population has increased by TWENTY SIX percent and rising since Pam Iorio took office. I'm at starbucks right now but don't necessarily think they're such a boon. A few min. wage jobs and a place to meet people for whatever. They don't give anything back to the community.
Tampa was SO MUCH better before 1999. In the last three years it has become a truly crowded and exasperating place to live.
But, that's why the new people can have Tampa while the original tampa residents are being moved on out. And I'm sure everything will work out in the long run.
Glad you like it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ntfeldman
Pam Iorio is the Mayor of Tampa. Not that that's irrelevant to St. Pete but she's actually done a LOT for the area since coming into office in Tampa. Rick Baker is the mayor of the incorporated areas of St. Pete. But their leadership isn't completely why or why not the area hasn't thrived (and driven costs up frankly like SF) Having said that I think prices in this area are disproportionate to the offerings for quality of life which the area seems to lack.
But my theories on the reasons are pretty basic. I moved here from Dallas after living in Houston and Austin. All interesting cities with very interesting growth patterns.
I work in real estate with developers and commercial groups as well as the housing sector and I have some observations about the involvement of the Tampa area as observed over the last 8 1/2 years. The short answer to your questions as I see it is largely due to a former lack of concentration on Economic Development for both the area as well as the State as a whole.
Forward thinking takes years to develop, decades even. There are now some very interesting think tanks in place that are making some fundamental changes on how the economic opportunities of the areas will develop over time. My prediction is that because of these, the whole Tampa Bay economy will change for the better over the next 10-25 years. Prices will go up as coveted areas progress. I would hate to see the afford ability factor reach the SF area but it has as much to do with job wages as anything else.
We have wonderful natural resources here so it makes perfect sense that people would be attracted to beaches and sunshine but why oh why did it take Starbucks as long as it did to come here (I got here in 1999 and had to drive 45 minutes for my coffee fix when I first moved here). And even if you don't drink Starbucks, having one (since they will move in darn near everywhere and pay very high rents) is sort of the de fecto tenant. They are here with a force now and moving in all over thank goodness but more on that later, they are just the bell weather.
I don't have much time to write about this now but I would like to later add why there are so few retailers/restaurants and major employers with high-paying jobs in clean industries in the area when I get the chance....
be careful what you wish for...Starbucks and Barnes & Noble are like roaches, pretty soon there all over the place and everything starts to look the same
Quote:
Originally Posted by ntfeldman
Pam Iorio is the Mayor of Tampa. Not that that's irrelevant to St. Pete but she's actually done a LOT for the area since coming into office in Tampa. Rick Baker is the mayor of the incorporated areas of St. Pete. But their leadership isn't completely why or why not the area hasn't thrived (and driven costs up frankly like SF) Having said that I think prices in this area are disproportionate to the offerings for quality of life which the area seems to lack.
But my theories on the reasons are pretty basic. I moved here from Dallas after living in Houston and Austin. All interesting cities with very interesting growth patterns.
I work in real estate with developers and commercial groups as well as the housing sector and I have some observations about the involvement of the Tampa area as observed over the last 8 1/2 years. The short answer to your questions as I see it is largely due to a former lack of concentration on Economic Development for both the area as well as the State as a whole.
Forward thinking takes years to develop, decades even. There are now some very interesting think tanks in place that are making some fundamental changes on how the economic opportunities of the areas will develop over time. My prediction is that because of these, the whole Tampa Bay economy will change for the better over the next 10-25 years. Prices will go up as coveted areas progress. I would hate to see the afford ability factor reach the SF area but it has as much to do with job wages as anything else.
We have wonderful natural resources here so it makes perfect sense that people would be attracted to beaches and sunshine but why oh why did it take Starbucks as long as it did to come here (I got here in 1999 and had to drive 45 minutes for my coffee fix when I first moved here). And even if you don't drink Starbucks, having one (since they will move in darn near everywhere and pay very high rents) is sort of the de fecto tenant. They are here with a force now and moving in all over thank goodness but more on that later, they are just the bell weather.
I don't have much time to write about this now but I would like to later add why there are so few retailers/restaurants and major employers with high-paying jobs in clean industries in the area when I get the chance....
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