Traffic Reality Check, Please (Tampa, Clearwater: 2013, house, neighborhood)

[SunriseSunset64]

Hi, everyone.

I have been reading this forum for about a year, thinking that Tampa might be a nice place to slow down and relocate to after having lived all over the US and the world. Currently in DC.

There is a chance that I will be offered a job. Location is the southwest quadrant where I-4 and I-75 cross.

My wish list is that I want to live within a few miles of the beach. Ideally a small house (2 bedrooms, maybe 3) A fairly walkable area, with restaurants and shops nearby. Kind of a neighborhood feel. I really enjoy weekend mornings and being able to walk to a coffee shop, or a quick glass of wine after dinner. Generally, a place that has a local life to it.

Given this, it would appear that Clearwater and that area (Safety Harbor, Dunedin, Gulfport (?)) fits the bill quite well. My only concern is the commute. Currently, my 13 mile commute can take 20 minutes in the morning (6:15 am) to 1.5 hours (6:15 pm). I am used to a fairly long commute, but wanted a better sense. Google Maps says that it will be anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Is that accurate?

I guess my alternative would be South Tamps. Seems like it fulfills a number of things on my wish list and is a bit closer, like maybe half the commute.

Is this realistic? Is there anywhere else I might look? If it helps, I am a 50 yo, divorced guy with no kid issues (so no schools to think about).

Thanks in advance!

[MortonR]

Living in Clearwater, or anywhere in Pinellas County and working in the Sabal Park area (Citigroup, etc.) would be really unpleasant from a logistics and commuting standpoint.

Your desire to live close to the beach and work in Tampa is one mirrored by many who don't understand the geography of the area. Search the forum and you'll see this is a common thread and one that isn't realistic for most situations.

South Tampa is a possibility, but again, realize that there are no beaches on Tampa Bay in the sense that you are thinking, they are all on the Gulf coast.

Do some searching of the forum and a lot of your questions will be answered.

RM

[MAniacTHW]

South Tampa will get you close to Picnic Island. Not the nicest beach, but it IS a beach.

https://youtu.be/qDlguw_LO6M

[roadtrip75]

Originally Posted by SunriseSunset64

I am used to a fairly long commute, but wanted a better sense. Google Maps says that it will be anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Is that accurate?

It's accurate and if anything it understates the aggravation because you'll be spending lots of time at amazingly long red lights.

South Tampa is nice, but it isn't particularly "neighborhoody", nor is anything in Hillsborough. In 10 years, that will probably be much easier to find. Right now, Pinellas has more places of that type.

Dunedin would be ideal for you, except for the commute.

[pawn3d]

South Tampa is where all the youngsters hang out.

[SunriseSunset64]

Thanks for the feedback (and yes, I have read a great number of the posts here).

I gather that the commute times that Google puts up are reasonably accurate then and I would be looking at an average of an hour each way. For me, that would generally be doable.

I am looking for other suggestions and to be honest, close to the beach is not a deal killer. Really, nothing is. My preference is to avoid suburban sprawl with house after house followed by a mall. I've lived there and its often the best choice for families. The goal is more walkability and being able to just leave the house an be someplace without getting into the car. So any other suggestions are welcome.

[marc3565]

People say they want to be close to the beach. However in reality many don't end up going to the beach every day. You commute to work a lot more often for most people. I'd look a bit closer to work and extend the time it takes to get to the beach. There are plenty of places to go to be near water for walking etc that aren't beaches close to many places you could choose.

[jambo101]

Main problem with living near the beach will be your commute to and from work,after you`ve negotiated dozens of traffic lights intersections to get to the interstate you`ll have to deal with the heavy traffic that has to cross the Bay on the 5 mile long Howard Frankland Bridge, Looks like this going into Tampa from 7ish to 9ish everyday=
http://www.tampabay.com/resources/im...ridge_8col.jpg
Reverse that congestion for the trip home, and if there is an accident anywhere along the way double your commute time.

[just_visiting 9]

Perhaps a reality check will help: if you work 5 days/week compared to going to the beach 3x per month, then perhaps you should look for a nice neighborhood within 10 miles of work and then it doesn't matter about the drive to the beach. By the way, forget about the beaches in the Tampa / St. Pete area, the few places that have public access are way too crowded. The keys down by Sarasota are much better so figure a 45 minute drive at least.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by SunriseSunset64

Thanks for the feedback (and yes, I have read a great number of the posts here).

I gather that the commute times that Google puts up are reasonably accurate then and I would be looking at an average of an hour each way. For me, that would generally be doable.

I am looking for other suggestions and to be honest, close to the beach is not a deal killer. Really, nothing is. My preference is to avoid suburban sprawl with house after house followed by a mall. I've lived there and its often the best choice for families. The goal is more walkability and being able to just leave the house an be someplace without getting into the car. So any other suggestions are welcome.

Look into Seminole Heights.

It's a very walkable, up and coming area that has been gentrifying very gradually over the years. Lots of good bars and restaurants, even a couple of microbreweries. There is a broad range of housing choices as well.

RM