Leaving Chicago...coming to Tampa Bay (St. Petersburg, Largo: living in, move, friendly)

[poohcorner]

My husband is transferring to Tarpon Springs... What do you think of the Trinity area..How does that compare to Wesley Chapel?

[Tampa Red]

Originally Posted by AmyF

As for being challenged in the geography area...You are talking to someone who commuted at least an hour to and hour and a half..."hello we do live near Chicago". chicago is known to have the worst traffic right behind New York and LA. So an hour or so commute is not a big deal. If you have a great neighborhood, schoool, and family you do things for the better of your family. thank you for your input...but you haven't seen traffic with 18 inches of snow on the ground and winds thirty miles and hour and temps at zero.

Didn't mean that as an insult, just meant you're looking at a map rather than experiencing actual traffic factors.

I lived in Boston. If you choose to find traffic that's certainly your choice.

I currently live in Northeast Tampa by necessity and would love to be able to live in the less congested beach area of Pinellas county.

Too bad I can't go to school in St. Pete and live near a beach and your husband work 20 minutes away from Wesley Chapel, where I live. LOL

Different strokes for different folks.

Good Luck!

[Shores9]

Amyf – first congrats on the move and good luck! I think you’ll like FLA it has a lot to offer except 18” of snow. I’m here 5 yrs from NY just outside Manhattan and know commuting well. I also know the Pasco - Meadow Point/Wesley Chapel and Land O Lakes areas quite well. There are some very nice communities in these area - I would lean towards Wesley Chapel.

There is however the consideration of commute. Unfortunately there are no commuter rails to ease traffic and many of the roads and interchanges were poorly designed. If your husband’s job is in St Pete as you say then there will be a ton of traffic to contend with. I think the only realistic route is I75 into I275 south to Tampa and it will be heavily trafficked during rush hour with everyone feeding onto it from north of WC all the way down to the I275/I4 junction (notoriously bad almost all day). Beyond that -- I275 turns west passing downtown Tampa and Tampa International and then onto the Howard Franklin Bridge. This entire segment is also a mess. Once on the bridge it opens up substantially.

I know commuting (by car) to NYC and commuting in LA traffic -- it was predictably bad with a consistent rhythm . Here it goes from bad to worse in an unpredictable fashion with some pretty insane drivers. 2 hours of rush hour here is a real challenge and that comes from someone who drove the Long Island expressway to NYC for the better part of 15 yrs.

I live in NE St Pete its beautiful but not rural nor is Pinellas county or the majority of areas in Hillsborough north and northwest of Tampa.

FYI - An issue with Wesley Chapel/Pasco county is insurance - Difficult to get and high premiums. Insurance companies blame it on sink hole problems

[AmyF]

Thanks for all of your help. I know it wil be better when we are able to visit in a week and get a feel for the area and traffic.

Two huge, stupid questions...what are these sink holes like and where are they mostly concentrated in?

Any othere info. appreciated.

[firemed]

Originally Posted by AmyF

Thanks for all of your help. I know it wil be better when we are able to visit in a week and get a feel for the area and traffic.

Two huge, stupid questions...what are these sink holes like and where are they mostly concentrated in?

Any othere info. appreciated.

The more water we use in south Florida the greater the chance of a sink hole.
Sinkholes originate beneath the surface when groundwater moves through the limestone and erodes large voids, or cavities, in the bedrock (Limestone). When water fills a cavity, it supports the walls and ceiling, but if the water-table drops, the limestone cavity is exposed to further erosional processes that eventually result in the collapse of the cavity, causing a surface indenture, or sinkhole. The sinkhole becomes a primary site of recharge, where surface water can enter the aquifer and replenish the groundwater supply.
On the surface, sinkholes may develop progressively as subtle, bowl-shaped depressions, or they may collapse suddenly into steeply sided, water-filled craters. The shape of the sinkhole, and the speed that it forms, depend on the size of the subsurface cavity and the thickness of the overburden (sediments or organic matter that rest on the limestone bedrock) This is a site .http://www.sinkholes.net/

[tampaguy03]

There is no state or city taxes, and property taxes seem to be in kine with the ourchase price of your home, and from my Northern friends, ALOT less expensive. South County area of Hillsborough is nice, and steadily growing, alot fo new everything, but still very rural. I believe there is more infrastructure that has been built and careful planning in South County area as opposed to the northern part(New Tampa, Wesley Chapel). I'd check Apollo Beach, Riverview, Ruskin areas. Its a short drive(15 miles) over the beautiful skyway bridge each morning to St. Pete from South County, and your a quick hop to everything Tampa and St. Pete have to offer. As far as schools, not too familiar, but I do know some of my friends have there kids in private schools.

[Tampa Red]

Everything is just a skip and hop from everything else in Tampa Bay at rush hour, especially when you have a 10-15 mile bridge between you and your destination.

[Tampa Red]

I'm biased just because I would much rather live in Pinellas County.

But if for some reason you want to commute over a 10-15 mile bridge daily I would just imagine 1 stalled vehicle.

Of course I know from personal experience the Howard Frankland is bumper to bumper for 2-3 hours every night without any accidents.

It's funny how different people like different things. I would move back to Pinellas and commute to USF in a second if I could be sure of a 45 minute-1 hour commute most of the time.

All the beaches in "Tampa" are actually in Pinellas county. St. Petersburg's downtown is nicer and more fun than anything in Tampa.

And there are some really nice beach communities and neighborhoods with single family homes, (very few apartment complexes, some luxury condos Downtown.

I could see commuting from Tampa Airport area to Feather sound, (for someone else, not for me), but you still have the problem of that one stalled car.

Once you're on the bridge, there are no alternate routes for 8-15 miles.

Not my idea of a good time.

[DeLaSalle]

Originally Posted by kona

We lived in CT for 7 yrs and San Diego for 11. We like it here just fine. It's pretty and people are nice.

+1.....................Although give Me Coronado and "Birds of Paradise" in June-Aug, But something alot less than 1 mil +...LOL

[Floridasunshine]

You will be spending 1 or 2 hrs a day to get to work in St Pete, better off checking out St pete areas.