A move to downtown St. Pete without a car? A couple questions. (Tampa: hotels, home) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - City-Data Forum

PDF · 07-12-2011, 08:42 PM

I'm going to be moving later this year and I was initially considering an out-of-state move. For details, you can check my post history for why I am doing this. I have recently begun to consider just moving to St. Pete for now.

I was in downtown St. Pete in May to see a movie in IMAX and I loved the area. I hung out around the area for a little bit and could definitely see myself living there. I don't like Tampa much, but St. Pete seems more me if I were going to stay in the area.

I should mention I would be living there without a car. How is this? I've read some other posts on here and it seems is def. doable with a little bit of work. Would I find any other people who do the same thing, or would I be the only one? I understand that most people would have cars, but it wouldn't be as rare as in other parts of the Tampa area. What if I lived and worked downtown? How is the bus system if I wanted to venture out?

I live at home in New Tampa right now, and I work at Publix. There is a Publix near downtown, right? I could try to transfer, but ideally I'd prefer to find another job there. If I could get a transfer then great, but at the same time I'd like to look for something else. I have plenty of savings, and my thinking was that if St. Pete is something I really want to do ... I could start looking for a job soon and move when I do get one. So in a few months compared to not until the winter if I was moving to upstate New York like I was considering initially.

This isn't something I would be living long-term, but just for the immediate future ... so I'm thinking it's doable. Thanks!

ferret111 · 07-12-2011, 09:03 PM

Living without a car in Downtown St. Pete is doable, but it will require a lot of planning. Williams Park is a giant bus hub and you can catch buses to most places in the county. That being said, unlike a few Tampa bus routes, most St. Pete lines shut down by 8 or 9PM on weeknights and only one or two continue for a little bit past 11; weekend buses likely stop by about 10 at the latest. And yes, there is a Publix on 4th Street South, I believe.

It will require a lot of work, but since you said it isn't a long-term plan, it might work out for you.

jambo101 · 07-13-2011, 04:35 AM

If you are living and working in downtown St Pete you definitely wont need a car, probably wont need a bus either.

crazynip · 07-13-2011, 04:54 AM

Living without a car ANYWHERE outside of a few NorthEast cities and maybe DC is impossible. St Pete? Please...

jambo101 · 07-13-2011, 05:49 AM

If our op is living around 5th ave N and 9th st. and works somewhere off Central and 9th St, and doesnt really want to go anywhere then no car is possible..

ferret111 · 07-13-2011, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazynip

Living without a car ANYWHERE outside of a few NorthEast cities and maybe DC is impossible. St Pete? Please...

Not impossible. Tons of people do it here every day.

PDF · 07-13-2011, 07:14 AM

Thanks for the responses. I wouldn't mind limiting myself to the downtown area, so maybe I would only rarely need a bus.

chi_tino · 07-13-2011, 09:36 AM

Don't forget that if you are near a few of the major hotels, you can score a cab pretty easily. I went without a car in Chicago for a decade and the couple hundred a month I spent on cab fare was much, MUCH cheaper than owning a car.

jambo101 · 07-13-2011, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferret111

Not impossible. Tons of people do it here every day.

I remember working at St Anthony's Hospital and living within a 2 minute walk to work.So living carless is definitely doable if the job is in the downtown area. anywhere else in the St Pete area and the lack of a car becomes a problem..

thethinktank · 07-13-2011, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazynip

Living without a car ANYWHERE outside of a few NorthEast cities and maybe DC is impossible. St Pete? Please...

I did it in South Tampa for the first three months I lived here and got along just fine. My last area just off of Howard and Westland was 2 blocks from 2 grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacy, entertainment, etc. I work from home and my fiance walks to work. We chose this area because you can live here without need of a car, a lifestyle I had in Chicago for 8 years.