Interested in moving to Tampa bay area 2016 (Orlando, Palm Harbor: apartment, to rent)

[shaunta021]

Hello All. I am looking for any and all types of information. First, let me tell you about me. My name is Amy. My fiancee and I have been considering moving to Florida for a few years. We are currently in Central PA. I was born in Florida and have family in Orlando and Cocoa Beach. I was raised in Brooklyn, NY. I have never been to Tampa but was always interested in living there. We are an African American couple in our 30's. He has a 12 year old daughter that will be entering high school by the time we want to move out there. I am in social services and have my Bachelors in Pyschology and he works in a factory as a Forger.

We are looking for affordable neighborhoods, info on the job outlook, good high schools and whatever other info u may be able to provide. I currently make $40,000 a year and he's at about $30,000. We are paying $765 for a 2/1 townhouse. I understand that it may be more expensive there. How is transportation? I would love to live somewhere that has a city surburban feel with entertainment for the 30's crowd. We dont club hop anymore but love to here music and have a few drinks on the weekends. I am of Caribbean descent and would love some of that culture back in my life. PA has very little of that. Also, I wont lie our credit is not great. No renting issues but still not great. He also has a criminal history but its been 11 years. Any help would be huge. If u need me to give more info on something, let me know.

[Wayema]

Originally Posted by shaunta021

Hello All. I am looking for any and all types of information. First, let me tell you about me. My name is Amy. My fiancee and I have been considering moving to Florida for a few years. We are currently in Central PA. I was born in Florida and have family in Orlando and Cocoa Beach. I was raised in Brooklyn, NY. I have never been to Tampa but was always interested in living there. We are an African American couple in our 30's. He has a 12 year old daughter that will be entering high school by the time we want to move out there. I am in social services and have my Bachelors in Pyschology and he works in a factory as a Forger.

We are looking for affordable neighborhoods, info on the job outlook, good high schools and whatever other info u may be able to provide. I currently make $40,000 a year and he's at about $30,000. We are paying $765 for a 2/1 townhouse. I understand that it may be more expensive there. How is transportation? I would love to live somewhere that has a city surburban feel with entertainment for the 30's crowd. We dont club hop anymore but love to here music and have a few drinks on the weekends. I am of Caribbean descent and would love some of that culture back in my life. PA has very little of that. Also, I wont lie our credit is not great. No renting issues but still not great. He also has a criminal history but its been 11 years. Any help would be huge. If u need me to give more info on something, let me know.

i will be watching this thread...i visit the greater Tampa area 2-3 times a year. its always a nice experience . except traffic,

[shaunta021]

Originally Posted by Wayema

i will be watching this thread...i visit the greater Tampa area 2-3 times a year. its always a nice experience . except traffic,

Are u looking to move out to Tampa, as well?

[Wayema]

im considering it for at least 2 years

[lavender]

Hello Amy. I am sure you will find a job in some kind of social work and probably at a similar level of pay, depending on experience possibly higher. Your fiancé, if he is working now and has good references may find it challenging but not impossible to find work, I assume he was young whenever he got into trouble with the law. Indeed I know a company that does try to employ ex offenders in their factory (they make machines for packaging) I don't know too much about forging but if its similar work to fabricating, then there may be opportunities. Heavy industry is not big here, its much more health, service and tech with fabrications and small item production, rather than things like heavy steel goods. You would need to do some homework and maybe look at the Pinellas and Hillsborough Chambers of Commerce to see which big corporations are in that field. I would maybe avoid Pasco/Manatee as they are more rural and have a lot less going on job wise. For schools there are good and bad areas. In the poorer areas the schools suffer from a system that pays less to failing schools and more to successful ones, which kind of messes up things. If children are from poorer backgrounds and less emphasis is placed on education, then they are likely to need more help than less but what do I know (I am just a realtor!) So its a good idea to try and get into a school that has a good rating. Seminole has decent schools in all 3 levels and housing is not too expensive to rent, a 2/1 apartment here in pretty decent shape is running around $850-$900 so a bit more than you pay. It is close to the beaches, is safe clean and a good environment for children. There is not an even mix of African American and other ethnicities in much of the county, but my son had several friends at Seminole High who are African American. If your daughter is a stellar student and is possibly likely to have grades to enable her access to the IB program for high school, we have 3 schools in the area and depending on where you reside you would be referred to the nearest. There are also other magnet programs for medical/science/thearts/vet/etc etc and its worth looking at Pinellas county schools website about those. Seminole is in Pinellas County. There is also Palm Harbor area, East Lake and Safety Harbor. Hillsborough has similar kind of story, IB etc programs in schools, good/bad areas and so forth. I suggest it would be wise to make a trip and check it out, after you have done some homework. I hope this helps wish you luck with your plans.

[shaunta021]

Thanks Lavender!! All of your info is so helpful. I will be looking into this.