Carrollwood & Citrus Park questions (Tampa, Palm Harbor: middle-class, lease, condo)

[Moni74]

We moved to St. Pete last July from MN. We are happy living in FL. However, I work in Tampa so I have an hour commute EACH WAY and I can't stand it any longer. Our lease is up soon and we've been thinking of Carrollwood / Citrus Park area. I have a few questions for anyone who lives or has lived there.

These are the things we're looking for in a neighborhood:
1) DIVERSE. Diversity is very important to us. We don't care what the nationalities are but we just want our son to grow up amongst people who look the same and different than him.
2) middle class families. We are hard working professional people. We want to live in a decent area where people work hard and take care of their properties.
3) Family friendly. We want lots of kids around, playing outside, at parks, etc. Since we are new to FL we are looking to make friends with other families.

Since we are still relatively new to FL we will be looking to rent a 2/3 bedroom home or townhome.

If anyone has any comments/opinions on this neighborhood and elementary schools in the area it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[algia]

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Keep scrolling on that page and you will see the demographics.
Another site:
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

I've seem lost of kids outside in Palm Harbor, but nowhere around Carrollwood since it is mostly homes and businesses, Lake Park is one Park close by but it gets busy at times. We stopped going when they put a fee on it as there is nothing in there that attractive to justify the cost.

[ferret111]

Carrollwood and Citrus Park are mostly white, middle-class areas, with Carrollwood being more established. They're both pretty family-friendly.

[TampaKaren]

^^ Horse feathers!!! The two previous posts could not be further from the truth. Just on my street, there are 7 different ethnicities within 6-8 houses each way (I just had someone else ask me). The neighborhood kids in Carrollwood and Citrus Park do indeed play outside when homework is done and weather permits. They're not that into bicycles like when I was growing up though unless it's too far to walk to each others houses. They mostly run from house to house swimming and playing video games - the two elementary age kids next door and the two across the street are like little ninjas. Early Saturday mornings are entertaining to watch the middle-high school aged girls walking home in their jammies from sleepovers. Most of the streets have lights and there are sidewalks for safety. The neighborhoods each have their own parks with playgrounds, tot lots, running tracks, pavillions, tennis, racquetball, soccer fields - it's all here.

I don't have the exact demographics (you can look it up on City-Data), but I'd venture a guess that both Citrus Park and Carrollwood are solidly middle class. Don't get me wrong, there are people with lots of money here too and others with financial hardships.

You can look up stats on the elementary schools but the ones I'm most familiar with are Claywell, Northwest, and Essrig. Each one is a very good public school. The only two elementary schools in the area that I wouldn't recommend based on recent parental feedback are Carrollwood Elementary and Citrus Park Elementary. Overall, you will find most of the elementary schools in the Carrollwood/Citrus Park area score above average on state tests.

[Moni74]

TampaKaren I want to live on your street! Honest to goodness, that is EXACTLY the kind of street we want to live on! Where people know and care about eachother and their children. For example, we live in a small townhome community and our son has 2 friends. 2 weeks ago our dog was ran over by a truck and did not survive. We were devastated as this happened right before our eyes. NONE of our neighbors have said a word of condolence to us! I just could not believe it! I certaintly will not miss this neighborhood!

Last Saturday I went to visit a Tae Kwon Do center in Carrollwood. There were about 8 kids in the class and 4 were minorities. Although this was an extremely small sample of children, I was pleased to see that mix of kids. Diversity is so important to us. Some people may be comfortable raising their kids without it but it's non-negotiable for us.

I'm planning to spend some time in Carrollwood on Saturdays & Sundays, at parks, restaurants, shopping, etc. Hopefully I'll meet some people/parents that will be willing to chat with me a bit.

Thank you all for your responses.

[ferret111]

Demographics wise, Greater Carrollwood is 67.5% white and 23.5% Hispanic. Citrus Park has similar demographics.

[Tim Tim Tim]

I grew up in carrollwood and live in citrus park now. I really like both, I would say that its a generally white area. I know the other person said there street is very diverse but thats all just luck. I just moved to my house recently and have noticed only white and a some hispanics on my street. Honestly, the nicer the area you get *generally* the less people interact with eachother.

[crazynip]

If you want to live in a diverse neighborhood, live in Town and County or West Tampa.

And deal with the crime...

I lol when I see these "diversity" questions

[Pragmaticus]

Originally Posted by crazynip

If you want to live in a diverse neighborhood, live in Town and County or West Tampa.

And deal with the crime...

I lol when I see these "diversity" questions

The OP is trying to avoid neighborhood with 100% of them are exactly like you

[crazynip]

Originally Posted by MeInDenudinFL

The OP is trying to avoid neighborhood with 100% of them are exactly like you

A neighborood with 100% me would not have any crime or issues with people letting their home go to hell. YMMV in a "diverse" neighborhood.