For those who moved here: What do you think?

[charlc318]

Probably a lot better than the homeless people that live on park benches in Boston during sub zero weather, who end up, literally, freezing to death!!!!

[kelly3120]

I moved hear in 1988 w/ my parents. ....wouldn't have changed it as I met my husband here and all of my family is here! during that time Pinellas was unpopulated and you could build a home on the water for around 400-500 ....think 4 bedroom w/ a fence go for that now.

I do not like pinellas,the heart of Tampa, st pete(downtown) and carrollwood ...they are way to congested.
Clearwater is a fun vacation but I would never live there. It is congested as well but I can smell the ocean SO I LOVE IT! I also like Tarpon Springs very much! The ocean smells different in Tarpon Springs.

I love Lutz, land o lakes, booksville,etc. ...the pace is slower, people sweet and productive. I don't think about things like "are the doors locked" in these areas.

I think we would rather live in North Carolina but in the end being close to family is most important to me.


While looking for a house I did notice a difference in homes depending on the area. ...Lutz, odessa, land o lakes has pretty well kept homes. We moved in and added curtains ....move in ready is a nice change!

[bullcitygirl]

Originally Posted by FLBOUND?

Been here from NYC for about 3 months now. Born and raised in NYC for 38 years. Here are my preliminary impressions of the Tampa area so far:

- Tampa itself, particularly in the city limits, is an armpit. A stinky armpit. And I've lived in the hood in NYC, so that's saying a lot.

- I'm in law enforcement. Recently I encountered someone who had 45 arrests to his name. 45 ARRESTS!!! That would make the news in NYC, believe it or not. Here, it's like "whatever".

- Scary looking people with red skin and mullets and pickups and really bad teeth.

- The homeless folks everywhere downtown. I saw a poor guy on the floor the other day, peeing himself. Sad.

- Too many darn sex offenders. Again, I'm in law enforcement and I'm starting to learn quickly how bad it is. I guess it's the heat.

- I second (third, fourth?) the previously made points about the food being bad. Hard to find a good food, let alone great food. I've eaten in some of the simplest, hole in the wall places in NYC, and one month into my stay here I got horrible food poisoning for the first time in my life. The cuban food's good, and some other places. Downtown really has bad food, ironically enough.

- Again, very reckless drivers. Serious tailgaters. Everyone's in a friggin hurry all the time, to go where I don't know.

Now, the good stuff:

- Beautiful weather so far. Absolutely beautiful. Most days are completely sunny and radiant. It's invigorating.

- Lot's of friendly, hospitable people.

- Lower cost of living than the big cities.

- Outside of Tampa proper, like Odessa, Lutz, etc., absolutely another world from Tampa. Nice, clean, quiet communities, progressive people, lower crime, nice well kept houses.

- Proximity to beaches. It's nice to know I can go to a great beach pretty quickly whenever I want. St. Pete and Clearwater have some nice communities.

- If you've got a good job w/a decent income, or better yet two incomes, can live very comfortably.

- I like the "wildlife" - the ducks, lizards, frogs, birds galore - even the insects (except the mosquitos). We had wildlife in NYC, but not the good kind.

If I could do it all over again, probably would not have chosen Tampa. But will probably stay because my wife and I have good jobs and we've seen enuf places just outside of Tampa that are quite appealing. Hope this helps.

Very interesting read....

[TampaKaren]

I moved to Tampa from the east Tennessee mountains in 1983. My new husband and his job brought us here. I really love the winter months and I definitely do NOT miss the cold wind and snow. I also like the fact than anything I could ever want or need is within close proximity. And I absolutely love the sunsets.

I do long for a slower pace of life than urban Tampa (must be that mountain woman thing). I only hope there's still a little rural area left in Florida by the time I finally get to retire.

One additional input to all the threads about the chain food... An acquaintance told me that Tampa is a major test market for new food items. (This person owned 42 Burger King restaurants.) I guess Tampa people will eat anything once. Ha! Not me!

[DecoDiva]

Originally Posted by FLBOUND?

Been here from NYC for about 3 months now. Born and raised in NYC for 38 years. Here are my preliminary impressions of the Tampa area so far:

- Tampa itself, particularly in the city limits, is an armpit. A stinky armpit. And I've lived in the hood in NYC, so that's saying a lot.

- I'm in law enforcement. Recently I encountered someone who had 45 arrests to his name. 45 ARRESTS!!! That would make the news in NYC, believe it or not. Here, it's like "whatever".

- Scary looking people with red skin and mullets and pickups and really bad teeth.

- The homeless folks everywhere downtown. I saw a poor guy on the floor the other day, peeing himself. Sad.

- Too many darn sex offenders. Again, I'm in law enforcement and I'm starting to learn quickly how bad it is. I guess it's the heat.

- I second (third, fourth?) the previously made points about the food being bad. Hard to find a good food, let alone great food. I've eaten in some of the simplest, hole in the wall places in NYC, and one month into my stay here I got horrible food poisoning for the first time in my life. The cuban food's good, and some other places. Downtown really has bad food, ironically enough.

- Again, very reckless drivers. Serious tailgaters. Everyone's in a friggin hurry all the time, to go where I don't know.

Now, the good stuff:

- Beautiful weather so far. Absolutely beautiful. Most days are completely sunny and radiant. It's invigorating.

- Lot's of friendly, hospitable people.

- Lower cost of living than the big cities.

- Outside of Tampa proper, like Odessa, Lutz, etc., absolutely another world from Tampa. Nice, clean, quiet communities, progressive people, lower crime, nice well kept houses.

- Proximity to beaches. It's nice to know I can go to a great beach pretty quickly whenever I want. St. Pete and Clearwater have some nice communities.

- If you've got a good job w/a decent income, or better yet two incomes, can live very comfortably.

- I like the "wildlife" - the ducks, lizards, frogs, birds galore - even the insects (except the mosquitos). We had wildlife in NYC, but not the good kind.

If I could do it all over again, probably would not have chosen Tampa. But will probably stay because my wife and I have good jobs and we've seen enuf places just outside of Tampa that are quite appealing. Hope this helps.

Excellent post, I feel exactly the same way. You hit the nail on the head.

[JeepGirl118]

Love living in Tampa. . . but I have a lot to compare Tampa up against - we have lived in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Chicago, and Los Angeles - by far, Tampa is the little white lamb of them all. The people in Tampa are much more friendly and hospitable than in other cities that we've resided - especially-especially-especially compared to Phoenix. My two cents.