Hello there,
Just want to leave a quick post in case others are thinking of how the tri-city area compares to Chicagoland.
1.
Traffic
Most of the driving I do is on US19, and it is pretty bad. Turn signals are used around 10% of the time. Reckless lane changing is the norm, and not the standard. In fact, I am very surprised when I see somebody signaling that they want to enter the lane.
More aggressive driving done by people who should not be doing it. I routinely observe people being on the leftmost lane, cutting through 3 lanes of traffic without looking to make a right turn.
Side streets are a little better but turn signals are still optional.
As far as traffic goes, it is not as bad as Chicago where you can easily wait 5 minutes for one stop light and move along at a snail's pace.
Chicago, has it much better in terms of quality of drivers.
2.
Lackluster Restaurant Scene
Don't expect Chicago-style dinning in Tampa/Cleaerwater/St. Pete.
In Chicago and northern suburbs (Evanston), there are a lot of non-chain restaurants you could eat at. Simple mom-pop shops, where you could drop in and get some cheap cooked breakfast (greek, italian, eastern european, ethiopian you name it..it is there)
Clearwater has a bunch of chains (Olive Garden, Outback) but nothing close to the family restaurant scene, or places where you can grab a dog, burger, gyro etc. from non-chain places.
3.
Less crime.
I have noticed that the atmosphere is pretty relaxed, and have not come across major crime spots, or places that make you want to clutch your wallet and look around at all times.
After reading a few of these threads, I was worried that crime could be a real problem..but honestly I have not encountered it. Haven't heard gun shots, fights or anything of that sort around here.
There were some areas of St Pete in the southern parts that were a bit shady but nothing that compares to some of the South-side neighborhoods in Chicago.
4.
Cheaper rents and housing.
The rent is a lot cheaper than in Chicago.
For example, with the money to get a nice 1 bedroom apartment in Chicago (close to city center, good neighborhood), you could get a 2 bedroom in an equally nice neighborhood with free cable, water and pest control.
Studios in Chicago are around $600 a month, or <$550 for crappy areas. With a little bit of searching a $600 1 bedroom apt. in Clearwater/Tampa/St. Pete can be found without a problem.
Housing prices are the same. A condo in Chicago (near the lake) would set you back $300k for 1br, 1ba in relatively good neighborhood. For that same $300K you can get a lot more condo.
5.
Cheaper food.
There is no sales tax on food. Compared to the tax where I lived in illinois at 8.75% that translates into a lot of saved money per year.
6.
No "City Sticker" To Pay For.
Correct me if I am wrong, but there does not seem to be a city sticker that you have to purchase for a car. That's about $75 a year saved on that right there.
No more having to buy a sticker and put it on our windshield in order to park your car outside!
7.
Lack of Tech Jobs.
This is a big one.
For the jobs that do exist the pay is lower. A job in Chicago for what I do would get close to $40k starting, and there are offers for much more with a bit of specialization.
Here, that same job goes for as little as $30K. Not sure why that is
8.
Summer Heat.
So far summer heat seems to be comparable to the July heat/humidity in Chicago. So no surprise there.
9.
More wildlife.
So far I've seen a few types of lizards (small), squirrels, raccoons, several water-type birds, frogs, green insects.
While there are squirrels in Chicago, you don't see raccons, birds, frogs, lizards, and other misc. insects as much.
10.
Very spread out.
Everything is pretty much spread out (residential areas, commercial areas). Hard to get to places without having a car, with some roads lacking a sidewalk completely..
It seems that there are no considerable 3-story apt. complexes. It is all either 2 story, 1 story.
11.
Lacking Public Transportation.
Yes, there is a bus system..but I cannot for the life of me figure out why the bus stops do not have some shade built into it. This is Florida!
I've waited at a bus stop (which is a small pole), with the sun beating down on me, with no place to sit down on. Some places you can sit down at (a little bench) but there is no covering, so the rain and sun will definitely get you.
Some places have a covering (with shade), so it would be awesome if that was incorporated in all of the bus stops.
Don't expect CTA-like dense routes. It is a smaller transportation system, that is still growing.
That's about it, I'll check in and see what you guys have to say about it
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Chicago to Tampa/Clearwater/St. Pete - 1 Month Review
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