Neighborhoods to Consider/Avoid in St. Pete/Clearwater (Tampa, Orlando: 2013, apartment complex)

[romes591]

Hi - I am moving to Tampa Bay from Cleveland later this year and I am looking for a place to rent for a year or two before I am ready to buy.

I am hoping to land somewhere in St. Pete or Clearwater as I prefer the Pinellas side to Tampa. I am in my early 30s and will be living alone (my girlfriend lives in Orlando and will be staying with me frequently) and I have no pets. I prefer houses compared to apartments but I am open to either. My budget is about $2k a month but I'd prefer to stay at $1.5 or less.

I have found a few places in "Greater Woodlawn" St. Pete but I am unsure if this is a nice neighborhood. Any suggestions?

Thanks

[wallyb2013]

Greater Woodlawn is a wonderful neighborhood and probably one of the closest "nice" neighborhoods near downtown St. Pete where you'll find a house (vs apartment) in your budget. It's very safe, walkable to a number of coffee shops and grocery stores, and is a straight shot to downtown St. Pete. You might be able to find something in Historic Uptown, which is closer to downtown and very walkable. Both excellent choices for a first place to live in St. Pete. Since you have no kids or pets, consider a townhome, duplex, or multi-family housing, which will definitely increase your options but will also not involve living in a big, noisy apartment complex.

[romes591]

Originally Posted by wallyb2013

Greater Woodlawn is a wonderful neighborhood and probably one of the closest "nice" neighborhoods near downtown St. Pete where you'll find a house (vs apartment) in your budget. It's very safe, walkable to a number of coffee shops and grocery stores, and is a straight shot to downtown St. Pete. You might be able to find something in Historic Uptown, which is closer to downtown and very walkable. Both excellent choices for a first place to live in St. Pete. Since you have no kids or pets, consider a townhome, duplex, or multi-family housing, which will definitely increase your options but will also not involve living in a big, noisy apartment complex.

This is awesome advice, thanks!

[mermaid sees all]

In terms of Clearwater you might want to avoid north Clearwater as in the downtown and close to Edgewater Drive .There's too many issues to address in a public forum. However the Countryside area is nicer,safer and farther east in Pinellas County.Dunedin isn't too bad for renters as opposed for homeowners.Downtown St Pete has brand new apts where you can walk everywhere yet a few block north or south of Central Ave isn't as safe.A family member rented a home in a multi family unit that had nothing but issues.It was a lovely home from the outside and 1 block from Mirror Lake but it wasn't safe.Drive around before you decide.Youll learn a lot that way.

[romes591]

Does anyone have any info on the crescent lake neighborhood? Finding some good deals there, around 5th Ave N.

Thansk!

[mermaid sees all]

Having been well acquainted with Cleveland & it's suburbs I'd ask what area of Cleveland are you from and do you want something similar to that here in FL? The Hyde Park area has charming brick apt buildings that remind us of Cleveland Heights. Dunedin,St Pete and Safety Harbor have downtown's & can give you that small town feel if you're looking for that. Seminole is close to the beach and Pinellas Trail if you want to be outside more but mostly it's a quiet area.I find Clearwater to be a peculiar mix of things,few are enticing. Seminole Hts is like a combo of west Cleveland & the urban. parts of Lakewood. It really depends on your age,interests and lifestyle as to the kind of experience you want to have.Hope this helps with a bit of perspective.

[LKJ1988]

Greenwood is rough.

[wallyb2013]

Originally Posted by romes591

Does anyone have any info on the crescent lake neighborhood? Finding some good deals there, around 5th Ave N.

Thansk!

My response may be too late, but 5th Ave N. is not in Crescent Lake. Did you mean 5th St. N? Crescent Lake is a fantastic area, extremely safe, a great mix of families, retirees, empty-nesters, and childless couples of all ages. You can walk to a lot of restaurants and coffee shops, and downtown and Tampa Bay are only 10 blocks away. It's well-insulated from the crowds of downtown and Old Northeast and is safer and less transitional than Historic Uptown. If you meant 5th St. N, that side of the lake is almost all condos, apartments, and townhomes, some much nicer than others, and it's a huge mix of different ages and demographics (but very few, if any, children live on that side). Crescent Lake Apartments look kind of old and run down (but not unsightly, sketchy, or unsafe), but they have a great lake view and are surrounded by $500K+ townhomes and garden homes (mostly older people live in those).