Town 'n' Country? What's this town like? (Tampa, Citrus Park: apartment complexes, for rent)

[Chicken Wing]

How long of a commute to Tampa?

Close to beaches?

Crime?

Pretty town?

Thanks for any input.

[Angel and The Dolphin]

Ich. Really. It's not a town, it's an unincorporated part of Hillsborough county with ugly stripmalls, terrible traffic, and zero character.

[Chicken Wing]

Originally Posted by Angel and The Dolphin

Ich. Really. It's not a town, it's an unincorporated part of Hillsborough county with ugly stripmalls, terrible traffic, and zero character.

Okay, well, if you were working in TnC, what would be a good, affordable suburb to live in (assume you're renting a 1BR or 2BR apartment initially)?

[Angel and The Dolphin]

Sorry for my dramatic opinion. I moved there when I first came to Tampa not knowing anything about the area and was so happy to move to South Tampa after a few months.

There are some okay areas in TNC, but they are golf course and gated communities that are not my cup of tea (though they may be yours).

If you are working in TNC you may want to look at the Westshore area of Tampa (it's pretty close to TNC but in South Tampa which is the best area of Tampa and it's surrounding 'burbs). Best bet is to stay South of Kennedy Blvd, North of Gandy, and West of Downtown

[tracyintpa]

I have to agree with everything Angel said. Pretty much on target. I live in South Tampa (for the past 30 years, since I was 18). Its very easy and quick to get to TNC from here, and if you are working there you will probably be in a reverse traffic pattern and avoid the rush hours if you work typical M - F office hours. There are a lot of nice apartment complexes in S. Tampa. My brother in law had a 2 bedroom apt w/washer and dryer hook up and a patio and I think he was paying around $900 a month give or take.

[Keeper]

You can check out apts around Citrus Park/Westchase. TnC has some problems with crime and gangs but not all areas are bad. There are some nice apts off of Memorial Hwy near the Veterans and also a couple off of Hillsborough near the veterans.

There are a few I would stay away from on Memorial, Sheldon and Hillsborough due to crime.

I would suggest you check out some apts and then list the ones you are interested in here.

Depending on where in TnC you will be working, living in S. Tampa would not be a bad commute. I love S. Tampa due to the character and safety, but you can find a nice place elsewhere.

[Annie of Oldsmar]

I agree with Keeper that the areas to look are Westchase/ citrus Park and even Oldsmar would be closer to TC than going all the way to the south. There are some areas in TC that are not bad, like everywhere. If you want to, PM me and I will send you some apt tel # that I see for rent in Oldsmar.

[Lives 4 The Water]

I've heard a lot of good things about South Tampa. Are the schools good there? Where exactly are the boundaries (zip codes, etc.)?

Thanks for the info!

[tampaguy03]

Originally Posted by Lives 4 The Water

I've heard a lot of good things about South Tampa. Are the schools good there? Where exactly are the boundaries (zip codes, etc.)?

Thanks for the info!

South Tampa is the peninsula of land that sticks out into the Bay, South of Kennedy Blvd. Westshore Blvd along the westside, Bayshore Blvd along the East, MacDill AFB on the southern tip. Zips include 33606, 33609, 33629, 33611, 33616. Plant High School is consistently one of the best schools in the Bay area, wrestler Hulk Hogan went to Robinson High School(not that that means anything)..

[Keeper]

Not sure how Robinson is now a days but it use to have a pretty bad rep. I think they have done a lot to improve the school. Hulk Hogan and several other wrestlers were raised in S. Tampa.

Plant is one of the best HS in Tampa, if you can afford to live in that district.

Westchase, TnC and Citrus Park are in Grissom HS district. You might want to check the greatschools.net to see the scores, they use to be a good school. They were overcrowded for a while and on double session a few years.

I lived in TnC for years. There are some nice areas but the problem with gangs in some areas gave the whole area a bad rep.