Relocating from North Carolina to Tampa! Early 30's young professional woman~ (Clearwater: real estate market, rentals)

[bnicoleroberts]

Hi All! I am very excited to be relocating with my company to Tampa in November. I live in Raleigh currently (the past 2 1/2 yrs) and I'm so ready to leave. Before that I lived in Southern Cal and loved it. I enjoy the beach, have a large dog (golden retriever) and am looking for some suggestions on where to live. I've heard alot about Hyde park, Soho, Channelside District and think that may be a good fit. I'm interested in walking or being close enough for good restaurants, live music, etc. My office is located at like 7650 Courtney Campbell and don't mind a little commute but would like to stay close. I have a few friends that live over that way but there isn't much there. Mostly just Landry's and an Bahama Breeze. If you can point me in the right directions in a good place to live for awhile before I purchase and maybe some websites (aside from craigslist) on where to find them. I'd rather rent a condo or townhouse than an apt.

Thanks in advance! YAY for TAMPA!

[backtofla]

hi,

i have lived in both nc and fla. i live in fla now and i do enjoy it, but i live in orlando, and i am trying to get out. with that said, and i am sure others have thought this when reading your post but havent spoken up.................. are you really going to leave raleigh for tampa??? if you have to, as far as keeping your job, then i understand. but raliegh is filled with young professionals, good economy, nice ppl, etc... tampa is alright, but it's hot as hell in the summer, the economy is so-so, the ppl are mostly from somewhere else (most of the natives left for the area you are in now), and a lot of ppl here are rude and drive terribly. and crime is far worse here in tampa than in raleigh. are you sure you wanna do this? i mean, tampa has it's good points, but overall doesnt compare to raleigh or charlotte, or atlanta as far as quality of life, cost of living, etc...

[mike28]

Good you are to have a nice time and a secure job welcome to the area . You will love it channelside is nice.

[bnicoleroberts]

Actually I've lived in Raleigh long enough to hate it and have many friends here from other big cities and we all feel the same about Raleigh. It's ok if your 23 and just out of college or married with a family. There is no nightlife, a ton of chain restaurants and it's very conservative. I'm not a big fan of the south and have been in Tampa enough to know that it's NOT a huge city, but it's affordable, has the beach and some culture and there are other cities near that have plenty of things to do. You can't say the same about Charlotte or Raleigh. You're pretty much stuck with what you have. Atlanta- I'm not a huge fan of. It's the typical southern big city with crappy traffic and kind of in the middle of nowhere as far as not close to the beach or mtns. If I could afford Southern Cal, I would move back. I lived there 7 yrs and it rocked! Tampa will be a close 2nd for now!

[backtofla]

ok, so you know you will like tampa. that sounds good. i just wanted to make sure that you know fla isnt all palm trees and sunshine. but i can see you've done your homework and you arent moving down here on a whim or anything.

one thing you will hear a lot, trust me................... you moved HERE, from NC??? WHY???

we hear it all the time in orlando, so i thought you'd probably hear it too. it's weird, but you will meet ppl all the time moving out of fla and into nc once you get here. i hope u like it. i like fla more than nc too, and i've lived in both places, i just want to get out of orlando, really.

[tampaguy03]

I think you will be fine for what you are looking for in South Tampa. Have you contacted a local realtor(they also specialize in rentals), especially considering the real estate market today, there are NUMEROUS private condos/townehomes for rent in South Tampa. Neighborhoods like Hyde Park/SOHO, Palma Ceia, Bayshore Gardens/Beautiful, and Davis Islands. Great dog parks on Davis Islands(can get busy by the beach though), and also Picnic Island. Channelside is very up and coming, you have Channelside Entertainment area, Downtown and Ybor City(great for restaurants, some nightlife is OK, but I mostly go to SOHO now) all a stones throw from each other, also check out Harbour Island which is downtown.

[dunedingirl]

Hi there, If you hadn't thought of it, you could live on the Pinellas side and be there in 10-15 minutes tops. Courtney Campbell is Gulf to Bay on the Pinellas side and you could live in Safety Harbor or Clearwater and be there in no time. Very close to the beaches, safe areas to hang out at night and walk around and the drive every day would be nothing to complain about. I used to work on the Causeway and came from Dunedin each day. It took me about 25 minutes from my house but you could watch the sun come up over the water every day on the way there and watch the sun going down on the beaches sometimes when I came home. Gorgeous and relaxing, nice start or end to the working day

[bnicoleroberts]

I've actually heard that Dunedin is very nice and that the drive wouldn't be so bad. Is Dunedin have alot of restaurants, etc. where I could walk and meet people. I would absolutely love living on the beach but wasn't sure if there was much else to do down there.

[dunedingirl]

Originally Posted by bnicoleroberts

I've actually heard that Dunedin is very nice and that the drive wouldn't be so bad. Is Dunedin have alot of restaurants, etc. where I could walk and meet people. I would absolutely love living on the beach but wasn't sure if there was much else to do down there.

Dunedin is a great little town w/ quite a few award winning restaurants and some cool little bars & shops all within about a 6 block area. The area is small and pedestrian friendly. The Pinellas Trail(dog friendly) runs right through the center of town where people roller blade, bike & run and everything is based around it. There is live music playing somewhere downtown almost every night and the arts center has classes through out the year. The downtown area has shops, bars, pubs, fine dining, hole in the wall joints(dog friendly/Skip's) and everything in between including our own brewery(dog friendly). Caladesi Island off of the Dunedin Causeway is rated the #1 beach in the nation right now so if you like beaches you will be thrilled. Clearwater Beach is within 10 minutes and Honeymoon Island is at the end of the Causeway(dog friendly). Tell me what you like to do for fun and I can tell you if it is available....Moderator cut: advertising

[Keeper]

If you are looking for a different lifestyle than the city, I would recommend Dunedin also. Caladesi and Honeymoon Island are a well kept secret with very few tourist. We use to sail in our Hobie off of Dunedin every weekend.