Where to move? (Tampa, Palm Harbor, University: 2010, apartment complexes, rentals)

[missyb1972]

Me and my family are probably going to move to the Tampa area in 2010. I am in nursing school and will relocate there for at least 3 years. The company that owns the hospitals will pay for my ADN. Unfortunately I have no idea where to relocate. The hospitals are Memorial of Tampa, Town and Country, or Palms of Pasadena. I know they may not be the absolute best hospitals, but I can hardly turn down 3 years for over $24,000 private nursing school and $7500 relocation. I do not plan on buying, at least at first, need 3 bedrooms, safe and clean area, and good school district. I would prefer not to have to worry about the choice thing and actually move into a good high school area. Thanks in advance for any advice

[BJS1981]

Hi everyone,

I don't want to take away from the thread but I also plan to move to Tampa Bay and don't know much about the area. I'm from Columbus Ohio & I could tell a newcomer which areas to live in in my hometown on a street by street basis. I hope someone in this forum could tell me.

My husband has taken a position in Temple Terrace. We want to rent for at least one year. I will try to find a job in PR so a central location is fine. I am in my 20s and he is in his early 30s. My first concern is safety. Two, we would like someplace near shopping, restaurants, etc., but not a party district. We don't need a lot of space at all so we would rather rent an expensive 1 bedroom in a safe area than a big place that is dangerous. We would like to spend no more than $1000 and our limit is $1200 a month.

Could someone point me in the right direction? So far "south tampa" or the area south of downtown looks the most promising? Would Temple Terrace be a safe bet? I am clueless!


Blair

[tampaguy03]

Hi everyone,

I don't want to take away from the thread but I also plan to move to Tampa Bay and don't know much about the area. I'm from Columbus Ohio & I could tell a newcomer which areas to live in in my hometown on a street by street basis. I hope someone in this forum could tell me.

My husband has taken a position in Temple Terrace. We want to rent for at least one year. I will try to find a job in PR so a central location is fine. I am in my 20s and he is in his early 30s. My first concern is safety. Two, we would like someplace near shopping, restaurants, etc., but not a party district. We don't need a lot of space at all so we would rather rent an expensive 1 bedroom in a safe area than a big place that is dangerous. We would like to spend no more than $1000 and our limit is $1200 a month.

Could someone point me in the right direction? So far "south tampa" or the area south of downtown looks the most promising? Would Temple Terrace be a safe bet? I am clueless!


Temple Terrace East of 56th street is nice and safe area to rent, and hubby would be close to work until you get a good feel for the area. 56th street in Temple Terrace has most of the shops/restaurants, there is a large concentration of them around 56th street and Fowler Ave. You may even look into renting a housre for around 1200/month in that area.

Tampa Plams and New Tampa would be about 15-20 minutes from Temple Terrace and give you nice, safe suburban. Most fo the area has been built in the past 10-20 years, so all is reletively new. If YOU had to work downtown or westshore areas, the communte would be terrible though.

Consult with a realtor that specializes in rentals or Apartment Hunters, you may find renting a pricately owned condo or townhome may be best.

[compelled to reply]

Hmmm. I was in Tampa recently, staying in Oldsmar, and it didn't take me long to get to Town and County at all. About 15 minutes it seemed. Westchase is a very clean, newer area, which from what I understand has good schools and it's right next door to Town and Country. That's probably expensive though. How about north Pinellas County? I heard Palm Harbor and the "East Lake" areas have the best schools up that way and I liked the sturdy feel and how you were never far from the water.

[jessiesma]

Originally Posted by BJS1981

Hi everyone,

I don't want to take away from the thread but I also plan to move to Tampa Bay and don't know much about the area. I'm from Columbus Ohio & I could tell a newcomer which areas to live in in my hometown on a street by street basis. I hope someone in this forum could tell me.

My husband has taken a position in Temple Terrace. We want to rent for at least one year. I will try to find a job in PR so a central location is fine. I am in my 20s and he is in his early 30s. My first concern is safety. Two, we would like someplace near shopping, restaurants, etc., but not a party district. We don't need a lot of space at all so we would rather rent an expensive 1 bedroom in a safe area than a big place that is dangerous. We would like to spend no more than $1000 and our limit is $1200 a month.

Could someone point me in the right direction? So far "south tampa" or the area south of downtown looks the most promising? Would Temple Terrace be a safe bet? I am clueless!


Blair

As a woman, I have to disagree with Tampa Guy. Apartment complexes vary and have lots of students in some. Just an aside, you'll see a lot of women in head scarves and chodors because CAIR's hq is in Temple Terrace.
University Plaza mall is the least safe mall in the whole of Tampa Bay even tho it has Macy's and other major retailers. Fowler Ave is very iffy and Fletcher is worse. Restaurants are chains the "nicest" being Carraba's I'm from NY and felt anxious in those areas during the day.
Go online to http://www.apartmentguide.com.
You want "university area and New Tampa." There are nice apts. in the U area because it is a major research U so lots of docs coming on fellowship and other short term reasons. Let price guide you. a nice 2 br will run to the top of your budget and there might be lots of students doing the roommate thing. Complexes can't tell you what the demographics are because of Fair Housing. The closer to Fletcher Ave you are the more likely to be in a student complex. Avoid Bearss Ave. very iffy. "New Tampa" is bland but for safety and big box shopping it has what you want. since you are using this as a base to find a place to buy, that is what I'd suggest. Once you find your way around, depending on what part of TT he's working in, South Tampa may work if he's willing to take the Crosstown Expy. YOu could find a rental there now and if you want an "intown" feel and he's in the more southern part of TT it'll be ok but during the week, from 56th and Fowler it's terrible.
After rereading your post, I have to say again the commute will be a pain from either NT or South Tampa but being young and if you want town as opposed to totally suburban/family, South Tampa will be better. Avoid University if safety is your primary concern. Even the daytime is bad, lots of carjacks and holdups in parking lots.
ONE LAST THING. YOU MENTION "SOMETHING CENTRAL" THE PROBLEM WITH TAMPA IS THERE IS NOTHING CENTRAL BUT I'M GUESSING THAT FOR YOU THE PR JOBS ARE MORE DOWNTOWN.

[BJS1981]

Thank you for this advice. I really appreciate it. I have been searching apartments in Tampa and comparing them to apartment reviews online. I am encountering the same problem or frustration, that I can not look at a map and sense which areas are good and which are bad. So it's a bit of a crap shoot. But I may name some locations and hopefully receive the same helpful feedback.

Blair