So miserable here, what to do..... (Tampa, Clearwater: home, good schools, to live)

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by Marielamb

Maybe the history in Tampa isn't really emphasized or valued, as I have lived here over a year

Perhaps you missed the brand new history museum downtown, as well as all of the historical markers and publications put out by the historical society.

Are there historic tours of ybor?

Yes, as well as tours of other neighborhoods, like the annual home tour.

Besides ybor and Hyde park, where is the history in this area? and if the history is so rich, why is this not more of an emphasis for the area?

Downtown Tampa, Old West Tampa, Davis Island, Port Tampa, University of Tampa complex, Palma Ceia, Tampa Heights, Seminole Heights, Sulphur Springs, and Palmetto Beach are the most historic neighborhoods in the city, ranging from housing stock to the cigar industry to colorful local figures.

I've always thought that Tampa does a pretty good job at promoting its history. Unfortunately, many new residents couldn't care less about stuff like that and have no idea about Tampa's history and pioneers. (I bet most people have no idea who a lot of Tampa's streets are named after.)

[Keeper]

Let me explain.. Do I think Tampa Bay is perfect? Heck no.. I can name you many things I think could/should be changed but IMHO doesn't really matter. It is what matters to you that is important. It is how you handle what you don't like that will make you happy or unhappy. My saying 'Look for the good because the bad shows up soon enough.'

I have lived in many places including Central America and each place is different. I saw many ppl who hated living in CA, couldn't wait to get back to the US.. stayed 2 years and left. Within 6 months they wanted to come back to CA. I have seen the same thing on this forum.

I was trying to make a point that you can not expect every place to be like the one you left behind because if you do you will be disappointed.
Things to do in Tampa
There are tours in Ybor on the weekends and ghost tours on Sat night IIRC. There is a farmer's market in Ybor on the weekends. The Renaissance Festival in Feb, the Strawberry Festival, Art shows downtown Tampa. TBPAC has great broadway shows. Go to Spook hill http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spook_Hill/ , go to Tarpon Springs to the sponge docks, try some greek food or pastries, go to Sarasota to the Ringling museum. Drive down to Ft Myers to the Edison Museum. Take the high speed boat to the keys for the weekend. Go kayaking at the many parks, rivers. Check out the manatees at the Electric plant

Volunteer to get out of the house and make friends.. You have spring training for baseball coming up soon, hockey and football.. all in Tampa Bay. Go see the psychics here in their own town Omin Orion's Universal Centre of Cassadaga

[bluejean53]

Originally Posted by Marielamb

Backstory: moved here 18 months ago with toddler in tow. Loved where we came from (small town, mid-Atlantic) but husband had a great job op here in south Tampa. We HAVE to be close to his work, and the pay is good, so we rented a townhome in Harbour island to try it out.
18 months later, still hate Tampa. I Have made some friends, but overall find Tampa to be a bad fit for us. I think part of the problem is housing. We came from a place where people had yards, space, trees... We aren't sure enough about Tampa to buy because I think to buy now you need to see yourself living there for at least 5-10 years. That's not what we see for oursleves so buying is out. (plus i think south tampa is insanely overpriced for quality and location, its like chicago or atlanta prices, without the benefits of a real town... But i digress) So we could rent someplace bigger, maybe with a yard for the dog? But no, the rental market is so tight right now even if we could find a home to rent that is nice in south Tampa, we'd be paying 4+ grand a month, which is insane. We have tried to relocate back north, but no good jobs for hubby ( I too work part time, my job down here is ok, not great...) so it appears we are stuck.
I could go on and on why Tampa is a terrible place, especially to raise kids. Besides the lack of open green space, high housing and insurance prices, overall rude attitude of the people, insane snobbish vibe of so many south Tampa folks, plethora of strip clubs and Asian massage parlors in the "good" areas of the city,horrible drivers, miserable hot summers, lack of beach without a 45 min drive.... To a crowded beach at that.... What this city lacks most is a soul. There is no collective feel, no general aura of "this is what we are about" that makes so many other cities interesting and tolerable to live in. Maybe it's because this place is so full of transients and shiesters...maybe it's because the constant threat of sinkholes and hurricanes make nothing here seem solid...
I know I will get lots of people defending the city. But I just need answers to what do I do now? Do we buy a home so we can live somewhere halfway decent even though we are looking for the quickest way out? How do I find a decent rental in south tampa when are realtor can't even help us? And where the hell do people in this town get off being so rude, egocentric and superficial? I'm in downtown Atlanta for the holidays and i have run into so many more kind, generous and polite strangers here than I ever have met in downtown Tampa. I don't get it, but the moral fiber of south Tampa seems frayed somehow... Am I missing something here?

why don't you get the heck out of Tampa? I live in east Hillsborough (Dover), close to the Interstate, and have been in the same house for 30 plus years. I like it here just fine. Same neighbors for 30 years, big yard, garden, just a decent place to live. Plus, this is also a farming area, and the mix works out well. Crime is fairly low. Property around here is probably way cheaper than where your're at, and the people are a lot nicer. Sounds like your're surrounded by snobs.
If you buy out of a subdivision, you have much more freedom to do what you want without a lot of HOA rules. Just take a drive through the area, and see what it's like. There are areas around here that I wouldn't live in, but when you see them, you'll know it, common sense. But there are many areas in the brandon , Valrico area that are real nice. More room for less money.

[BucFan]

I and all the people I know don't fit that stereotype. Tampa has everything I need. Great quality of life for me. Sorry for your misery. Great thing about this country. You're free to move where you please.

Why don't you?

[Dallas Kitty]

Originally Posted by ECHOES2

This area is extremely over-populated.
It is so congested and you have to drive hours to get out of it.
I live 3 miles from work and have to allow 20 minutes to get there. The same is true no matter where you are going in this area. 10 miles can take an hour.
There is no sense of community.
The IQ is very 'south'.
It is a place to vacation, not a place to live a quality life.
Unless you are a ponytailed, barfly, pothead who includes par-tay mentality as quality.

I haven't encountered those people so maybe this explains where you've been hanging out. I'm a Floridian/Texan/Floridian and I have a Mensa IQ. Is that 'south?' In Dallas a 10-15 minute drive is often just getting out of your neighborhood. Maybe you would be happier riding a bicycle on your 3 mile work commute.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by Marielamb

Backstory: moved here 18 months ago with toddler in tow. Loved where we came from (small town, mid-Atlantic) but husband had a great job op here in south Tampa. We HAVE to be close to his work, and the pay is good, so we rented a townhome in Harbour island to try it out.
18 months later, still hate Tampa. I Have made some friends, but overall find Tampa to be a bad fit for us. I think part of the problem is housing. We came from a place where people had yards, space, trees... We aren't sure enough about Tampa to buy because I think to buy now you need to see yourself living there for at least 5-10 years. That's not what we see for oursleves so buying is out. (plus i think south tampa is insanely overpriced for quality and location, its like chicago or atlanta prices, without the benefits of a real town... But i digress) So we could rent someplace bigger, maybe with a yard for the dog? But no, the rental market is so tight right now even if we could find a home to rent that is nice in south Tampa, we'd be paying 4+ grand a month, which is insane. We have tried to relocate back north, but no good jobs for hubby ( I too work part time, my job down here is ok, not great...) so it appears we are stuck.
I could go on and on why Tampa is a terrible place, especially to raise kids. Besides the lack of open green space, high housing and insurance prices, overall rude attitude of the people, insane snobbish vibe of so many south Tampa folks, plethora of strip clubs and Asian massage parlors in the "good" areas of the city,horrible drivers, miserable hot summers, lack of beach without a 45 min drive.... To a crowded beach at that.... What this city lacks most is a soul. There is no collective feel, no general aura of "this is what we are about" that makes so many other cities interesting and tolerable to live in. Maybe it's because this place is so full of transients and shiesters...maybe it's because the constant threat of sinkholes and hurricanes make nothing here seem solid...
I know I will get lots of people defending the city. But I just need answers to what do I do now? Do we buy a home so we can live somewhere halfway decent even though we are looking for the quickest way out? How do I find a decent rental in south tampa when are realtor can't even help us? And where the hell do people in this town get off being so rude, egocentric and superficial? I'm in downtown Atlanta for the holidays and i have run into so many more kind, generous and polite strangers here than I ever have met in downtown Tampa. I don't get it, but the moral fiber of south Tampa seems frayed somehow... Am I missing something here?

I agree Tampa isn't great for kids/family life but you may be able to find that suburbia feel in Brandon. Tampa is great for a weekend but I would never want to live there though it does have a lot of waterfront/beaches.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by MeInDenudinFL

I believed the story, too until I saw "lack of beach without driving 45min" is also what annoys the OP .

You could look at this two ways:

1. Lack of pristine, postcard beach like behind the Don Cesar is probably 45 minutes away on a Saturday morning from downtown Tampa.
2. Redneck Riviera like the side of the road off Gandy is technically a beach but not exactly postcard picturesque! Pickups backed up to the shoreline, grill on the tailgate, pitbulls running loose and a fresh 12'r of bud light may not be the ideal beach scene for the OP! Maybe the migrants fishing/doing their laundry roadside might put the OP over the top!

[apmat]

I'm confused. I'm fairly new here but it seems to take a good 30-45 minutes to cross Pinellas county to get to the beach from South Tampa. Am I missing something? Are there closer beaches?

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by apmat

I'm confused. I'm fairly new here but it seems to take a good 30-45 minutes to cross Pinellas county to get to the beach from South Tampa. Am I missing something? Are there closer beaches?

See the above post (#117)......you may need to specify the type of beach you are talking about!

[Marielamb]

Happy new year, everyone. Had my black eyed peas already, so I'm hoping 2012 brings us a good job opportunity where we would like to live. We are not going anywhere without a job, and we are looking. Until then, I will try to enjoy it here as much as I can, try to put up with the other bs, and make use of tampa's excellent airport to get me out of here as much as possible.

Beaches? Yes, there are beaches. 30-45 min away in st Petersburg, some nice beaches with hotels and condos built up all along them. Reminds me of myrtle beach. All pretty crowded, except for pass a grille or way up north at carlowel (sp?). I prefer the beaches in st Simon area, or charleston, nags head. The beaches of captiva/sanibel island are nice, as are the beaches of Anna Maria island Florida.