Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Tampa Bay
 [Register]
Tampa Bay Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 02-04-2012, 08:30 AM
 
623 posts, read 1,296,381 times
Reputation: 148

Advertisements

Not talking about Miami, but the rest of south florida. How do the two compare pros/ cons in your opinion.

thanks all. Loving both areas but want your opinions.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-04-2012, 10:35 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
3,237 posts, read 6,278,223 times
Reputation: 1492
1. a lot less pretentious
2. cheaper
3. you dont need to know spanish here
4. less crime (except for SOUTH st. pete, which can be as bad as Overtown)

I would never live on the east coast anywhere SOUTH of Boca Raton.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-04-2012, 11:22 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
1,388 posts, read 2,371,284 times
Reputation: 993
worlds less pretentious.

better beaches.

also, i feel claustrophobic in south florida. skinny little tract of livable land straddling the coast coupled with the congestion makes for that.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-04-2012, 12:31 PM
 
17,453 posts, read 38,829,694 times
Reputation: 24072
Tampa/St. Pete - way more laid back, cheaper, more breathing room, less traffic, better beaches, friendlier.

I dislike the terrible traffic and congestion in south Florida, plus (to me) seems way hotter. And too much crime down there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-05-2012, 04:56 PM
 
Location: Austell, Georgia
2,217 posts, read 3,874,797 times
Reputation: 2252
South Florida is better for young single people.
Tampa is better for a family.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-27-2012, 02:38 PM
 
84 posts, read 225,730 times
Reputation: 96
Default reply

Quote:
Originally Posted by ATUMRE75 View Post
South Florida is better for young single people.
Tampa is better for a family.
that pretty much sums it up ^

Miami is elitist and money/looks do matter in South florida much more than tampa/st.pete, especially if you are single (obviously) and Tampa/St.Pete is very laid back, no one cares if youre wearing ferragamo, fendi or walmart

For a family definitely Tampa/St.Pete, but for your single friends-South Florida lol


to the OP I copied and posted this from another thread and I think youll find it useful:

__________________________


on paper that may be true but I have lived in both cities and miami is the fast paced, young, hip trendy cousin of tampa-the slow paced, cute, small country bumpkin

even in 2012 tampa is extremely slow paced, which is not a bad thing it all depends on what people like
on paper tampa's average population age may be lower than miami's but in REAL LIFE, you see SO many more q-tips in the tampa bay, clearwater, st. pete area than southeast florida aka miami
even most of tampa bay's tourists seem to all be 40years or older I asked someone why that is and this is the answer they gave me:
"It depends. Miami is a little much for older people who want to bask in the nice weather and just golf or check out Spring Training, and also a bit much for underage kids who do want to go to Orlando. Miami is more for single 20-30 somethings, and better if you are well off financially than not. Tampa is cheaper and has less crime, and is a less socially and racially stratified place than Miami.
Source(s):

been to both many times over three diff. decades"

and I completely agree with that person

I don't know why people in central and north florida feel like they need to "prove" that their cities are as good as miami when there is just no comparison...miami is the hot spot city in the entire state of florida hands down- when it comes to vacations, young sexy people, movie shoots, models, south beach, nightlife and the fast paced lifestyle miami will always be #1 in the state of FL.
Now does that mean places like Orlando and Tampa aren't great? No, they both have their own unique charm and amusement parks galore but it just all depends on who you are, how old you are, what you want in life and what kind of lifestyle you are used to


Central Florida-Tampa and Orlando
Pros-
Great for families
Much less crime than south florida
Cheaper than S.FL
More places to rent than S.FL
More "Green" than s.FL such as pastures, "woods" cattle, pine trees and such
Drivers arent as crazy as south florida
People are friendlier than south florida
Schools are better in terms of size and less problems than the ones in miami
Everything a person "needs" is available without the crazy fast paced lifestyle
Definitely more jobs available than miami and you dont have to speak spanish
Clearwater beach is very clean and pretty but thats not in tampa obviously its about a 40 minute drive to get there from tampa
Weather is more mild than South Florida, it does get colder for longer in tampa/st.pete than south florida but if you have experienced northern winters the cold is absolutely nothing

Cons:
Dead nightlife compared to miami/south beach
If you are from somewhere like LA, SD OR NYC you will get tired of tampa/orlando very quickly
This is just my opinion but south florida native (miami, fort laud, boca raton, palm beach) women are the hottest in the state, and other than a few transplants you wont find a lot of them in central and north florida unless they are attending college
Beaches arent as pretty and tourist friendly as miami beach, fort laud beach, palm beach etc, the best beach in tampa isnt even in tampa its in clearwater-however the view from the bridge from clearwater to clearwater beach is gorgeous it looks like a postcard, the first time you see it, especially if you have never been to FL, it will take your breath away, I definitely recommend a drive from clearwater beach down to st.pete beach, if you look on a map it looks like a long skinny peninsula near the side of clearwater, it has a cute oahu/island type vibe to it, very pretty drive
More rednecks and hillbillies than south florida, think confederate flags, pickup trucks with huge tires, and lots of bumper stickers- this seems to be a common observation from people who are from big cities like miami, nyc, and la that visit places like tampa or even orlando
Lots of q tip tourists from places like north carolina, virginia, texas, south carolina ALL year round so instead of those hot, cute college girl tourists coming down from California for spring break you will have to deal with 40 year old+ tourists, and families from the north visiting all year round especially during the winter time, and they tend to stay closer to clearwater beach but it spills over to tampa and some people visit tampa for families and relatives so expect to see cars with northern state license plates all year
SINKHOLES
tampa is known as the lightning city- guess why? rain rain rain and lightning. Some people like that so it could be a pro but I think most people dont so I put it in con




Miami/south east florida-

pros:
Hot, young sexy people-The largest grouping in one spot of hot, sexy, modeling contract worthy people will be found in miami, south beach, fort laud, boca raton, palm beach etc that doesn't mean there aren't some people like that in other areas of the state I'm just saying you'll find the LARGEST AMOUNT of people like that in south florida
great nightlife-south beach
Its the place to be in florida
Great malls such as aventura, galleria, sawgrass, pembroke
Spring breakers woohoo!
More of a cultural melting pot than any other area of florida-theres a lot of latinos, blacks, indians, native americans(semnoles), europeans etc etc racism is not really a problem in south florida, whatever color, ethnicity you are you are accepted, assimilation is easy
More to see, more to do, great beaches and lots of places to hang out for young singles, lots of bars, clubs

cons
Not that great to raise a family
Not a lot of jobs but depends on what you do
High cost of living- rent, insurance, food, taxes on bills
Not that many places to rent unless you want to pay $1,000+ for a one bedroom
HOT -think 98 degrees everyday in the summertime and only two weeks of "winter" and maybe only 2 days where the weather drops below 40 degrees
CRIME-everyday someone or a few people die in miami..not even that big of an exaggeration
If you are from a small town or used to a slower paced lifestyle you will probably start to hate miami after a few months
Miami despite being the most well known city in FL is actually quite small compared to places like Vegas and LA so it can get old quick
Drivers are maniacs-there was a news story not that long ago about some driver that shot at another driver through the passenger window down in miami ..probably for cutting him off or something
Schools are getting bad, a lot of parents are turning to home schooling in SE FL, theres just too many drugs and violence
Homeless people in downtown miami - lots of them
In most of SE FL if you are not latin or black in 2012 you are a minority...this can be a con or pro but it all depends on you


Economy is still not that good in any part of Florida, reports stated that when the economy crashed florida was the hardest hit state in the entire U.S., make sure you have a job lined up or at best you will get paid $9 an hour to work at circle k gas station in cities like Tampa, and Miami/SE FL you need to speak atleast some spanish because that'll raise your chances of getting hired anywhere just like hawaii where you need to know some japanese to get a job
_______________________________________



Sounds like tampa would be a better fit for you than south florida


For families -central florida
For young single with some cash definitely SE FL
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-28-2012, 12:02 AM
 
Location: Florida
7,719 posts, read 6,272,715 times
Reputation: 15684
We lived in Boca Raton for four years, couldn't wait to get back to Clearwater.

Folks on the Gulf Coast are more laid back.

Housing is cheaper.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-29-2012, 12:52 PM
 
Location: Native of Any Beach/FL
35,304 posts, read 20,671,984 times
Reputation: 14095
Quote:
Originally Posted by SAKIRAV View Post
Not talking about Miami, but the rest of south florida. How do the two compare pros/ cons in your opinion.

thanks all. Loving both areas but want your opinions.
Until you go north to WPBeach its all like Miami split up-. I lived in Sunrise, the same ambiance etc. just less congested.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Tampa Bay
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top