Relocating to Zephyrhills and getting conflicting info. Please help! (Tampa: low income, for rent)

[Movingtoflfromtn]

My wife and I are relocating to Tampa and found a place for rent right off of 301 close to what seems to be downtown Zephyrhills, a few blocks south of C ave.

I've researched and found crime to be highest of any city in Tampa area, but I also hear it's a quiet retiree community, and that crime in Tampa can go from low to high within 3 blocks of each other.

Can someone please help and let me know if it's safe? I don't want to move somewhere that would put my wife in more danger than we need to be.

Please someone help!

Thanks

[EngGirl]

It's very specific area, pretty quite with older people living there with many snow birds. There are few Spanish speaking communities out there too. If you never been there, I would recommend visit that area first before moving there.

[nmargo17]

I work in the area. Lots of trailer parks...lots of them...like I've never seen some many in a developed town amount of trailer parks...

[Vannort54]

Originally Posted by nmargo17

I work in the area. Lots of trailer parks...lots of them...like I've never seen some many in a developed town amount of trailer parks...

My grandparents moved there in the late 60's into a trailer, went out there last year to see their grave abd there trailer is still being lived in. And the park is a armpit.

[gypsychic]

Zephyrhills is one of the few towns in Florida that I have nothing good to say about. And that is all I have to say on the subject!

[BobBarger]

I have a bail bond agency in Pasco county and can assure you that there is criminal activity in Zephyrhills Florida! Most charges are possession of narcotics with domestic battery and burglary coming in a close second and third. Traffic is a larger concern, when the snowbirds arrive steer clear of Z-Hills!

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by BobBarger

I have a bail bond agency in Pasco county and can assure you that there is criminal activity in Zephyrhills Florida! Most charges are possession of narcotics with domestic battery and burglary coming in a close second and third. Traffic is a larger concern, when the snowbirds arrive steer clear of Z-Hills!

I think Z-Hills is going the way of Holiday and New Port Richey. It never was a nice place, it was just a massive trailer park for snowbirds, now it has become crime-infested. HOWEVER, Dade City to the north is just the opposite - it's the county seat for Pasco, has a lot of wealthy people living there, and it is very beautiful with all the woods and hills. Lived there for 12 years and loved it.

[InGateway]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

I think Z-Hills is going the way of Holiday and New Port Richey. It never was a nice place, it was just a massive trailer park for snowbirds, now it has become crime-infested. HOWEVER, Dade City to the north is just the opposite - it's the county seat for Pasco, has a lot of wealthy people living there, and it is very beautiful with all the woods and hills. Lived there for 12 years and loved it.

I know I was talking about possibly being unhappy in St Pete but these other areas are worse, I will not lie. These are like complete armpits. They make Parrish/Ellenton look good even. Ellenton probably was a snow bird ghetto though itself but even that isnt like Holiday or any of those places with the crime. The stories I hear in those places though, makes where I used to live look like nothing. St Pete has some of it though to be fair but more so places like Lealman and Haines Rd looks like a real dump. If a whole county or town is like that , I'd want out even more.

[pssworld]

I have lived in various places on both sides of the bay for the last 20+ years, and I currently live in Zephyrhills, and this is my take on it.

Although there are high crime pockets in several areas, I have found, with a couple exceptions, most of Tampa to be generally safe. The situation in Zephyrhills is a little strange, as I believe they have an odd kind of stratification that doesn't generally fit most common demographic models. It goes like this: Yes, they have a very large senior population, especially during the snowbird season (when the population doubles), and the bulk of the rest of the population is made up of the people who serve the seniors, i.e. the service industry class of people, generally working people but fairly low income. If you check crime stats, you'll see that violent crimes (eg rape, murder etc.) is pretty low but property and drug crimes are kind of high. I know the cops recently raided and put out of business a drug lab that was right in the middle of town. And full disclosure should say that there are also a lot of registered sex offenders in Zephyrhills (about six times the Florida average).

I find the neighborhoods rather quaint and kind of nice. There is definitely a bit of community feel to the place that there isn't much of in places like Tampa, Clearwater or St. Pete. There are some nice farm markets and independent restaurants in the area. But this quaint appearance may well mask what I wrote about in the first paragraph. I think you and your wife would generally be safe in the area (I have to believe that or I wouldn't have moved here--I'm probably about a dozen blocks from what you're looking at) but I am kind of wary about the amount of property crimes.

If you're still ruminating about this--hope it helps.

[karen vasquez]

Yes I too am moving to Zephyrhills to a 55 plus community and very excited about it and then I saw the crime rates which kind of freaked me out anybody living there please give feedback for a single 58 year old woman with a dog and how developed is the community around there is there a nearby shopping center we do suggest shopping in another town for safety sake? I see Saint Leo is right near it and it is extremely safe but but the prices go up Sky High I used to live in Holmes Beach I loved it again Sky High I'd like to retire here or feedback welcome thank you