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We are looking to relocate with wife and 4, 2 year old daughters from metro Atlanta (Roswell) to Tampa to pursue a great opportunity in Riverview.
First, I saw the Rays/Yankees game on TV last week but couldn't help to notice the lack of fans. What's up with that? They are vying for 1st place so you would think the stadium would be packed especially vs the Yankees.
We just spent several days down there and here are my thoughts...which could be wrong.
The Traffic - everyone down there seemed to complain about the traffic but we spent Friday rush hour 3-6pm in and around New Tampa on 75/275 and traveled to the Fish Hawk are and there is no comparison whatsoever to Atlanta traffic even with the Northbound traffic coming up 75. The drive was easy so my thoughts are that folks down there are very spoiled.
My thoughts, in no particular order of visiting.
New Tampa - I liked it because of the close proximity to everything (stores, Home Depot, schools, etc.) but my wife hated it.
* Tampa Palms - nice area but HUGE. Really not my kind of place. A real estate agent there said there were 10K homes. We live in a neighborhood with 900 homes. I also didn't like the face that it sat right off a busy road (can't remember the highway).
* Arbor Greene (sp?) - nice area but the homes all appeared to look the same to me. Overall, it looked like a nice area and there were young kids outside playing.
* Hunters Greene (sp?) - didn't go through there because of the gate but I assume it looks pretty close to Arbor Greene with a golf course.
South Tampa - very cool neighborhood, we visited the AMI Montessori school there (our 1st place to visit) because Montessori is important to us. Very nice people running the school. The owner couldn't meet with us because she was supervising the children in the play area. Some might construe that as snobbish, I took it as she has the kids 1st in mind. Neighborhood is nice but homes are small and expensive. Reminds me a little of Virginia-Highlands here in Atlanta if anyone is familiar with that area. Not my cup of tea but my wife like the area.
Fish Hawk Ranch - ugh, not for us. We had high hopes due to all the hoopla around the neighborhood but it just didn't do it for us at all. There seems to be a lot going on there but it just appeared to be out of the way from a lot of things.
Fish Hawk Trails - very nice neighborhood, houses are set back a little from the street and are fairly good-sized homes. The problem: my wife would not be working so and we both agreed that she would go nuts from boredom living there...there are no amenities. We only saw one mother with two small children playing outside and she liked the neighborhood and told us that most of the children were out playing in sports related activities. She told us that the Trails neighborhood does not have amenity options in the Ranch neighborhood.
River Hills Masters - didn't get in there but assuming it is like FH Trails with a golf course and amenities.
Safety Harbor - unique area, commute to Riverview would probably stink. Not really for us.
Tarpon Springs - stopped there just to get Greek food. Pretty neat area but not for us...more for tourists or a half-day trip to visit...in my opinion.
Bradenton (Heritage Harbour) - seemed nice but the commute to Riverview would get old in a hurry.
Riverview - ho hum. Not much more I can explain beyond that. Not bad, not great.
Brandon - same as Riverview in my opinion.
(Brandon and Riverview appear to me as great areas geographically but the infrastructure and modernization hasn't caught up yet.)
Apollo Beach - we probably liked this area the most (especially Mira Bay). To someone coming from Atlanta, this appeared to be a place that visually looked liked a full-time vacation. Again, the surrounding areas appear to have forgotten about infrastructure. Perhaps the Waterset and other developing areas will bring that area together. Proximity to South Tampa (AMI school) would be a challenge and who knows what to expect with hurricanes or flooding. The power plant really wasn't that bad of an eyesore to me.
Overall, none of the places gave us that "vibe". Mira Bay was close but too many questions about the overall area.
Couple of side notes: we had dinner at the International Mall on Friday night which was nice. We happened to be driving by the St. Pete airport and saw the Presidents plane sitting out there. The general area itself is very, very clean. Trust me, you folks living down there should be blessed.
Obviously, it is very difficult to see a culture in just a couple of days but we did get out and saw quite a bit. To me, Tampa seemed like a nice area to live. For my wife (25 years of living in Atlanta), it's a different story.
I welcome any and all feedback which is much appreciated.
Go support your Rays!
Last edited by plshelpwithmovetofl; 09-09-2012 at 09:04 AM..
This region is populated with people who move here but never adopt the local professional teams. I know very few native Floridians here. Most people come from up north. They keep their loyalty to their old team and don't go to games unless their old team is in town.
The area is an economic mess with high unemployment. People don't pay to go see games when they have trouble paying the rent.
IMO didn't seem like your impressions of the area was a very good one, maybe you should reconsider and not move ? You don't want to move be unhappy and have to move back, just a thought
I think that your impressions are pretty accurate! I have lived here for over four years and would agree with almost everything. You sure did you diligence in visiting the various neighborhoods.
As far as the Rays are concerned, I think it's a function of the economy, the location, and the fans' preference for other teams. But the Orioles are having the same problem and their in the race. Hopefully the Rays move to downtown Tampa in the future.
Good luck in your future decision-making. I hope Tampa gets another baseball fan. If it matters any, I love living in S. Tampa and the reverse commute to Riverview would be bearable if you're used to the Atlanta traffic.
The area is an economic mess with high unemployment. People don't pay to go see games when they have trouble paying the rent.
Yeah, those $9 tickets (which can be purchased for $5 or less on StubHub), along with parking for $5 or less nearby and the ability to bring in your own food/drinks are a real burden to working families. During last year's playoffs, tickets in thre resellers market were available for $20 or less.
The Lightning average ticket prices are about three times the cost of a Rays ticket and there are no options to bring in your own refreshments, but that doesn't stop the Forum from being packed most games.
You can use the excuses that people are lazy, or that there are better entertainment opportunities elsewhere, but the cost of a Rays game is not one of them.
I hate to break it to you, but it is not just the cost of tickets involved here for families...what about gas? babysitters if they have small kids who cannot attend this type of event, the heat? its not like the stadium is AC'd! My kids couldn't handle Shamu at Sea World in the summer...went once, and that was it, it was miserable...For a family of 5 it would cost $41 bucks for tickets and parking, plus babysitter for the baby @ the cheapest $10 an hour...let's see how long does a game last 3 hours? getting in, getting out, traffic...5 hours? = $50+$41=$91...that $91 bucks represents gas and groceries for a week. And this is just one example...
Quote:
Originally Posted by chi_tino
Yeah, those $9 tickets (which can be purchased for $5 or less on StubHub), along with parking for $5 or less nearby and the ability to bring in your own food/drinks are a real burden to working families.
To the OP...well, let's put it this way...per what we've seen in Pittsburgh with the Steelers mania...I could tell you those fans won't switch teams any time soon!
Your assertion is correct...good that you came...Atlanta might have horrible traffic, but housing wise you get a LOT more house for the money there pretty much anywhere! You won't find those type of communities here. If your work is in Riverview, your best bet, if you make good money, is to be in South Tampa somewhere....
I wouldn't rule out Riverview yet. Give it a second look. It is family friendly and has some nice areas you may have missed. The Summerfield area is quite nice and close to the Big Bend area of shopping, dining and amenities.
South Tampa is overrated and overpriced, IMO. If a dog so much as takes a pee in the street, it floods like crazy and the news crews put on waders and stand in knee-high water, capturing video of all the cars trying to make it through the water and stalling out. It's on its way out as an area, but nobody wants to admit it. Only when it finally sinks beneath the waters of Tampa Bay will anyone admit it.
"The drive was easy so my thoughts are that folks down there are very spoiled."
The folks here are not spoiled. Atlanta is majorly transportationally challenged.
"I also didn't like the face that it sat right off a busy road (can't remember the highway)."
Bruce B. Downs, I think. Avoid. At all costs.
"Safety Harbor - unique area, commute to Riverview would probably stink. Not really for us."
Commute to Riverview Completely. Out of. The Question. But a nice place to visit.
Ditto Tarpon Springs. Fun to visit.
"Apollo Beach - we probably liked this area the most (especially Mira Bay)."
This has developed into a nice area for families, with lots of activities. Mira Bay, however, does have some issues. For starters, it's built over what used to be an area of mangrove swamp. They've done a pretty good job of filling it in, but I'd really do your homework on any subsidence issues. Back in the day before there was ever a Mira Bay, at high tide during a full moon some of the water from the bay would get onto Rte 41 there. Nothing major, mostly puddles. But still, the locals used to go clamming there and when they saw Mira Bay going in, many just shook their heads and laughed. It's a strong community for upscale families, though.
International Mall is awesome. I like it.
"Trust me, you folks living down there should be blessed."
Indeed we are.
"Tampa seemed like a nice area to live."
The people here can't be beat.
Best of luck to you. Like I said in my other comment, I would really urge you to give Riverview a second look. I very much disagree with the idea to live in South Tampa and reverse commute to R'view. If flooding concerns you about Mira Bay, then you will truly learn what flooding is in South Tampa. And that's just when there's a sprinkle of rain. If there were a major hurricane event and you had to evacuate, it would be easier to evacuate from Mira Bay than from South Tampa, trust me.
In Riverview, unless you live really close to the Alafaia River, you can pretty much stay put and hunker down.
I live in South Tampa and I never have any flooding issues whatsoever. If you do your homework, you can live happily in South Tampa and never encounter any flooding issues. Flooding issues are common when you live near the sea, as we all do in South Tampa.
South Tampa may be "overrated and overpriced," but it's the most convenient area to all major roads, activities, cities, etc. and it's also where you find most of the desirable shops, the Whole Foods, (future) Container Store, (future) Trader Joe's, etc. It also holds its (property) value the best of any area in Tampa Bay. Assuming you are buying a home, if you buy in Apollo Beach or Riverview, you better plan to hold on to that home for a LONG time to recoup what you paid. I know someone who lives in Apollo Beach and is dying to move due to the power plant "odors" and the commute.
Also, I'd like to know what evidence there is to support this theory that South Tampa is "on its way out"? What exactly does that mean? I guess all the developers who are tearing down $400,000 houses in South Tampa in order to build one $3 million house must have missed that memo.
To the OP: I am familiar with Roswell, and I would say that Carrollwood and Citrus Park are similar to Roswell.
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