Would you recommend Tampa for a young family? (University, Westchase: insurance, new house)

[thinkingaboutmoving11]

We are looking to relocate and, due the the nature of my husband's job, need to narrow our list down to multiple cities and then apply. Our priorities are excellent schools and a nice safe neighborhood. Our budget is up to $400,000 and we would like at leat 3000 sq. feet. I am currently a professional but will be a stay at home mom when we relocate. I would love amendities like a fitness center and great pool in the community. I had not considered Florida until last week when we visted the Palm Beach area and I was reminded of how nice it is there. I have been in Florida in the summer and found it brutal, but I think that is the trade off to get away from cold winters. All the places we are looking at have pretty rough summers.
I have never visited Tampa. Any advice? Is this a city we should add to our list? Is there anything I should know about hurricanes or insurance that I may not be aware of?

[thinkingaboutmoving11]

Oh, and any neighborhoods you would recommend? We would need to be withion 30 mintues of the airport and I would like to be within 20 minutes of a reform Jewish synagouge.

[annaegel]

I would say look into the Westchase area. It is not too far from the airport.

I can tell you about a few of the temples in Tampa. You said reform, there is Temple Beth Am, which would take about 20 minutes from Westchase. It is a small temple, but family oriented. Went to a Bat Mitzvah. It was very nice. There is Temple Kol Ami, but it is conservative. I know mostly older folks who go there, but my friends have said it is very family oriented. It is a large synagogue. It would be closer to Westchase. You may also want to look into Carrollwood area.

I live in Tampa Palms in New Tampa. Without traffic, I can get to the airport in about 30 minutes. With traffic, it takes an hour. I live within walking distance of the synagogue within Tampa Palms. I have not heard great things about them. They only have services every other week. They are snobbish and discourage older couples. We have a few Jewish families in my subdivision. One young family went there and liked it. The others would rather drive 30 minutes to Kol Ami where they felt more welcomed.

I have lived here for almost 7 years. From what I understand, Tampa is a bit more protected from direct hits. We have had some storms, but nothing serious. I keep hearing that Tampa is overdue for a hurricane. The year before we moved here, Tampa had 3 named storms roll in, but they caused minor damage.

I think you do get use to the heat to some degree. My husband hates the summer, I am more use to it. I do miss the change in seasons, but don't miss the shoveling snow.

I don't know what you are looking for in a town/city. What are your priorities? There are lots of outdoor things to do year round. There is some culture, but it is nothing like NYC or D.C. Most of the beaches are wonderful. We have Busch Gardens, Lowry Park Zoo, several aquariums, MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry), several museums, etc.

[crazynip]

Would I recommend Tampa? Yes

And for your budget you can live virtually anywhere you want... I cant answer your jewish question, but I am sure someone on here can, or google it.

[corvidae]

I think you could get a pretty nice house for that price in Tampa. It is surprisingly affordable to buy a house in this area because it was hit so badly by the housing market crash. Heck, you could get a decent house for 80,000 in Tampa.

Overall I think it is a pretty nice place to live. You are close to the gulf coast beaches and there are a lot of nice restaurants and that sort of thing in Tampa. I am a big nature person so I had a hard time when I moved getting used to how developed it is here. However, I went today to Lettuce Lake Park which has a beautiful boardwalk through the swamp. There are a couple of islands that are remote and relatively pristine that are only accessible by private boat or ferry, including Caladesi Island, Anclote Key and Egmont Key. The more developed beaches are also pretty nice. And even though the summers are long and hot, the winters are glorious.

The most desirable part of Tampa to live in right now is South Tampa/Hyde Park. This area is actually located southwest of downtown tampa along a peninsula that extends into Tampa Bay and includes a lot of smaller neighborhoods. Also the Davis Islands would be good to keep in mind. I can't really speak about the school districts for these areas, or Jewish Synagogues though. Also, New Tampa/Tampa Palms is a nicer part of town with new houses (which could be a plus or minus, depending on your perspective) near the University of South Florida but I think it would take you longer than 20 minutes to get to the airport.

[Not_liking_FL]

OP, I would recommend visiting the area. With your budget you will find plenty of good neighborhoods to choose from, but I wouldn't expect Palm Beach. Palm Beach and Tampa have a very different feel to them.

[TampaKaren]

Your housing requirements and budget are not a problem at all. And there is never a lack of things to do here as there are many activities to choose from. The problem lies in that Florida's public education system though doing a good job, is not excellent; it's not even close. You will need to provide additional guidance to your children and maybe incorporate some online education to supplement the systems' shortcomings. Sorry, it's the truth.

This said, my husband and I raised a daughter here and she and her husband are raising two children. Do we want to live anywhere else? NO!

[FloridaKash]

You need to consider what insurance is going to cost you on a house priced at $400K. Your budget may shrink considerably when you consider additional cost.

[ISOnewplace]

I second Floridacash. When looking at your budget, be sure to include insurance, additional flood insurance depending where, taxes (this can be a shock depending on what you are used to), HOAs and CDDs for most communities that have the amenities you mentioned (pool, gym) and likely private school. As FloridaCash said, you may need to adjust your budget. Here is a realistic scenario-Westchase/Waterchase area:

Purchase price 350K
Taxes: $5700 (likely more)
Insurance: 3-4K (minimum, does not include flood insurance)
HOAs: $1000 (some more, some less)
CDD: $1500(some more, some less)

Dont forget to add in a minimum of 10K if you are choosing private school.

If you have already factored these costs in then yes, you will have no difficulty finding something nice in that range. This is a great area and we love it but please do you homework with regard to budget.

[TampaKaren]

Maybe I should have elaborated a bit further on housing. At this time, there are many new construction homes (some ready now) in the Tampa Bay area with over 3000 square feet and priced below $260K. You can see them on Move.com though the search doesn't include SF. It's pitiful that their search function isn't more useful for potential buyers.