Affordable and SAFE neighborhoods in Tampa (Orlando: 2013, apartments, rentals)

[mooncakes]

I'm a soon-to-be single mom who is considering relocating to the Tampa area.

-- I will probably need to rent a house instead of an apartment, for at least a year or two.
-- There is a school in the Town and Country (? is that right?) area of Tampa that the kids may or may not be attending. Proximity to this is ideal but they might not end up there.
-- We would like to live near some sort of YMCA as we have always been really pleased to use them. I know quality varies, so a nice Y would be a plus.
-- I don't have a job right now, and will likely have to go back to school for at least a semester or two since I've been out of the workforce for so long. Living near a community college would be great.
-- Right now the budget is very frugal. The main priority for us is safety. I'm definitely a little jumpy being on my own as a woman with three kids, and am perfectly happy to compromise on the size or shininess of the neighborhood as long as it's a relatively safe area.

(And if we could avoid sinkholes, snakes, and gators, that'd be a plus too. I know, I know...)

[MAniacTHW]

With those specs, I say Egypt Lake. It's 15 mins TOPS from TnC, which also has a YMCA in the area. Egypt Lake is up the road from HCC. And there are a lot of affordable rentals (from what I see). I know you said that you don't want apartments, but Himes has a lot of nice apartments in it. TnC is a less desirable part of town, but there are also a lot of apartments in the area. That's my two cents.

[dystopian]

(And if we could avoid sinkholes, snakes, and gators, that'd be a plus too. I know, I know...)

Combined those and multiple times 100 and you still wont come even close to the danger they represent compared to humans.

[Augusta23]

Originally Posted by MAniacTHW

With those specs, I say Egypt Lake. It's 15 mins TOPS from TnC, which also has a YMCA in the area. Egypt Lake is up the road from HCC. And there are a lot of affordable rentals (from what I see). I know you said that you don't want apartments, but Himes has a lot of nice apartments in it. TnC is a less desirable part of town, but there are also a lot of apartments in the area. That's my two cents.

I agree.

[mooncakes]

Thanks for the heads-up about TnC being less desirable. These are things I wouldn't know without being able to visit. I will start looking at the Egypt Lake area market, then.

The reason I think we may need a house is because I have two children with autism (plus a toddler who does not have autism but is... well... a toddler) who are pretty loud. We lived in an apartment before for a brief window and... let's just say the immediate neighbors were not really happy due to the volume. We might be able to survive in a corner unit on a ground floor, but I'd be wary of repeating the experience...

[stpeteguy]

Originally Posted by mooncakes

I'm a soon-to-be single mom who is considering relocating to the Tampa area.

-- I will probably need to rent a house instead of an apartment, for at least a year or two.
-- There is a school in the Town and Country (? is that right?) area of Tampa that the kids may or may not be attending. Proximity to this is ideal but they might not end up there.
-- We would like to live near some sort of YMCA as we have always been really pleased to use them. I know quality varies, so a nice Y would be a plus.
-- I don't have a job right now, and will likely have to go back to school for at least a semester or two since I've been out of the workforce for so long. Living near a community college would be great.
-- Right now the budget is very frugal. The main priority for us is safety. I'm definitely a little jumpy being on my own as a woman with three kids, and am perfectly happy to compromise on the size or shininess of the neighborhood as long as it's a relatively safe area.

(And if we could avoid sinkholes, snakes, and gators, that'd be a plus too. I know, I know...)

You need to figure out your job situation before any of the other stuff will even matter.

Not trying to be a downer or anything, but your job, it's location and its pay scale will determine where you live and how much you can afford.

[MAniacTHW]

Stick to the area of Hillsborough and Dale Mabry, west of Dale Mabry. A buddy of mine lives in the townhomes at the very back of Manhattan Ave. Can't tell you the name of them, but they are gated and minutes away from Dale Mabry and Waters.

[gardenpearl]

Originally Posted by stpeteguy

You need to figure out your job situation before any of the other stuff will even matter.

Not trying to be a downer or anything, but your job, it's location and its pay scale will determine where you live and how much you can afford.

I agree - or in your case, your school situation, as you said you will be returning to school.

I have visited the Tampa area many times, and personally feel that its highways, traffic and commutes can be tougher than in some other areas. As a female who is not crazy about highway driving anyway, I would never live too far from where I worked. Florida is a big state and things are often more spread out than they appear on a map.

I would forget about avoiding gators and snakes, because you really can't, as these are random everywhere in Fla., and focus on staying out of sinkhole territory. If you don't live near a lake, your chances of running into gators and snakes are less.

[sunrise_iranja]

I am not from Tampa, planning to move to Tampa-those whom have lived for a long time now may tell me what part of Tampa is not or less likely to have sinkhole. I am terrified about sinkhole

Originally Posted by gardenpearl

I agree - or in your case, your school situation, as you said you will be returning to school.

I have visited the Tampa area many times, and personally feel that its highways, traffic and commutes can be tougher than in some other areas. As a female who is not crazy about highway driving anyway, I would never live too far from where I worked. Florida is a big state and things are often more spread out than they appear on a map.

I would forget about avoiding gators and snakes, because you really can't, as these are random everywhere in Fla., and focus on staying out of sinkhole territory. If you don't live near a lake, your chances of running into gators and snakes are less.

[gulfporter]

Here's an interactive map of actual sinkholes. Florida sinkholes map - Orlando Sentinel