What comes to mind...

[Pragmaticus]

Originally Posted by tinytrump

I lived and worked in Clearwater for 5 yrs never heard of one single block party- maybe it's "exclusive" ... and he didn't mention that city-- and I love the beach- the civic centers, parks, Largo getting a complete rebuild to their community center,,, but still people NOT that friendly. I mingled all i could moved back to Tampa..

The guy didn't move here yet and probably visited for few days. Now he is arguing if block party is common over here, when clearly it was said in another post otherwise .

Sounds too familiar to me with someone I know .

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by JM2408

When you see these communities?

Can you give me a few words about each of these communities, that sums up your impression about these areas? These are the areas we have looked At online for homes...we are a late 20s couple with a young child who are looking for the right type of community fit: young families, middle class down-to earth people, neighborhood block parties

Seminole
Safety Harbor
Palm Harbor
East Lake
Dunedin
New Port Richey
Oldsmar

Thanks!

In your instance I would rate as follows:

Seminole - Probably your best "down to earth" middle class option with close access to the beaches, a history of good schools and close proximity to St Pete. I would point you toward the extreme north end bordering Largo, west of 113th Street and either side of 102nd Avenue. The extreme west side of Largo, south of West Bay Drive and west of Ridge Road has some nice neighborhoods as well.

Safety Harbor - Also a good option though it tends older in my opinion with more older families than younger ones with toddlers.

Palm Harbor - Age-wise fits but in my opinion seems more heavy with status-driven types who want more or pretend they have it. Definitely not contented, "down to earth" middle-class for the most part in my opinion.

East Lake - Very nice area but much like Palm Harbor in terms of residents.

Dunedin - kind of the odd duck and definitely not young/family-oriented with many retirees, empty-nesters and some skeevy areas on the south side that are family-populated but not what you're after I don't think.

New Port Richey - not that familiar but my impression is many retirees with some lower income/skeevy areas thrown in as well.

Oldsmar - Like Seminole in many regards though newer and a bit more polished, and probably the best located. The city has terrific youth recreation programs and is great for young families in my opinion.

In terms of block parties I think Safety Harbor seems most oriented given my best friend's block which always has something going on in terms of BBQs and such. Though I think many non-transient areas have the potential and sometimes all it takes is for one to get things started, which may very well be you.