The only person looking to move OUT of South Tampa

[Johnland]

I would give your kids the experience of the more urban upbringing in South Tampa over a suburban experience. Suburbs are boring in general everywhere, and particularly in the Tampa metro. Stick to the city.

[shenandoahslammer]

I have friends raising kids on a pipestem in Westchase and wouldn't trade it for anything. I have friends living on Jetton and MacDill in South Tampa and his street is packed with kids. More house for your money in the burbs, but there are definietly trade offs. What about Old NE in St. Pete, it is full of old homes and new families and you can still walk to things. You almost have to go private for school though.

[spunker72]

Thanks for all your responses! We have pretty much decided to stay where we are. The schools are wonderful, there is no doubt about that. And technically, we would have less time to spend with our daughter if we had hour long commutes each way.

BUT, I still think that there are pitfalls to raising a child in the city. It is a wonderful thing for the diversity and variety and culture. But I think that as a parent, one must be extra vigilant since you are so close to major highways and let's face it, there are low income crime ridden neighborhoods very close as well. So just because there are million dollar mansions across the street doesn't mean that you are protected from a criminal element close by. Suburbs with their gated communities provide a sense of protection against that.

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by spunker72

Suburbs with their gated communities provide a sense of protection against that.

Exactly. Just a "sense."

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by ferret111

Exactly. Just a "sense."

Yup, just a "sense." Many crimes can and do happen in those "safe, gated commuities." In fact criminals like to travel to those. People let their guards down because they are "gated" and assume they are 100% safe.

Teach your kids to be safe and street-smart. That will be far better for them in the long run. And again, south Tampa is just such a more interesting place to live, IMO.

[bravardmedia]

I grew up in the suburbs and would have probably had a much happier childhood growing up in a more populated area where there was something to do. I'm just not a fan of the suburbs. Plenty of kids in South Tampa and they all seem to be doing ok. Just my opinion.

[DoctorRain]

You may think you are doing good by moving your kids to the burbs of any city here, but all these places are is places far from everything where you really aren't running from your problems. Cities may be dangerous on the whole, but whenever you are in a nice part of a city, its usually gold for services even better so than outer burbs with generic housing and new unestablished school systems or they gotta go to school in another more dangerous town. See Parrish.. Far from civilization, but they gotta send their kids to Palmetto which is more dangerous than South Tampa IMO. You don't necessarily escape your problems moving further out.