Questions about relocating to Tampa, please (Tallahassee: rental, homeowners insurance, crime rates)

[murof]

Does Tampa have a better summer climate when compared to Houston, TX?Is now a good time to relocate to Tampa in regards to the economy?I am currently living in Colorado, and I am fed up with cold weather.I am single and employed as a city truck driver. I want to find thesame type of job position elsewhere, in a warm weather climate.I will most likely relocate to my new city without a job since it maybe difficult to get a job offer while I'm still living in Colorado. Thanks

[Keeper]

The weather is similiar to Houston but Tampa gets thunderstorms in the summer nearly everyday. The beaches are nicer on the Gulf in FL IMHO

You might want to consider a visit to Tampa.

Good Luck

[jewels_2472]

So funny that you are considering the exact same two cities my husband and I are!! We are currently in Minnesota (I grew up in Loveland Co) and are also sick of the cold.... My husband is lucky enough to have a job transfer offer in both Houston and Tampa. We have been to both cities this year and IMO Tampa by far out weighs Houston! If you like being near or in the water...then you want Tampa. Tampa has a very nice night life scene too....and if you are looking to rent, Tampa is much more affordable. After Hurricane Ike blew through Texas rental prices have gone through the roof and are in short supply due to all the current TX residents needing new housing.
Good luck in your decision and search! My vote is for Tampa!

[murof]

wow that's mind blowing that rents are more affordable in Tampa compared to Houston.I would have never figured. Yes I will be renting for at least the next few years. I hate it when people tell me I might want to consider a visit to the places I'm considering. As if I never thought of that before, you know? I looked at the climatestats for Tampa and the average daily high in July is about 90, whereas the it is 94 for Houston. Plus Tampa has better winter temperatures, too. That is a big advantage for Tampa over Houston, imo. But I wonder how much of a working cityTampa is. How much industry, I mean. Maybe I can get lucky and find work as a citydriver as freight delivery is needed in every city. But no doubt the work is muchmore plentiful in other areas of the South. So far I am turned on about the weatherin Tampa, and the rental prices, which were mentioned. I need to read other threadsto find out how prevalent poverty and ghetto is in Tampa. Why are people living Florida? I hear about it all the time. Am I going against the grain by coming to Florida? Eventually I want to be a homeowner, but not for a few years.

[jeffreda30238]

Wow,

If housing in Houston is higher than that of Tampa then I'm definately shocked! I really never liked Houston because it was just nasty and overcrowded to me. I lived in Austin at the time which was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I visited Tampa this summer and loved it! I am considering settling there, despite the weird rain in the summer. It rains for like 30 min and stops, 30 min and stops, which was a bit odd but you could tell those that were use to it because they kept going like it was the norm. I would definately choose Tampa over Houston anyday.

[Krulik]

Originally Posted by murof

I hate it when people tell me I might want to consider a visit to the places I'm considering.

I am not sure why you hate such suggestions. I think that visiting the place you consider being your future home for several years is well worth a visit that could spare you some major disappointments. It is especially a good idea to "test the water" for jobs in your trade.

[murof]

Originally Posted by TampaOrNotTampa

I am not sure why you hate such suggestions. I think that visiting the place you consider being your future home for several years is well worth a visit that could spare you some major disappointments. It is especially a good idea to "test the water" for jobs in your trade.

obviously

[murof]

Originally Posted by jeffreda30238

Wow,

If housing in Houston is higher than that of Tampa then I'm definately shocked! I really never liked Houston because it was just nasty and overcrowded to me. I lived in Austin at the time which was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I visited Tampa this summer and loved it! I am considering settling there, despite the weird rain in the summer. It rains for like 30 min and stops, 30 min and stops, which was a bit odd but you could tell those that were use to it because they kept going like it was the norm. I would definately choose Tampa over Houston anyday.

Thanks, I like it when I read that other's say they loved it (Tampa).

[a_fl_vol]

Originally Posted by murof

wow that's mind blowing that rents are more affordable in Tampa compared to Houston.I would have never figured. Yes I will be renting for at least the next few years. I hate it when people tell me I might want to consider a visit to the places I'm considering. As if I never thought of that before, you know? I looked at the climatestats for Tampa and the average daily high in July is about 90, whereas the it is 94 for Houston. Plus Tampa has better winter temperatures, too. That is a big advantage for Tampa over Houston, imo. But I wonder how much of a working cityTampa is. How much industry, I mean. Maybe I can get lucky and find work as a citydriver as freight delivery is needed in every city. But no doubt the work is muchmore plentiful in other areas of the South. So far I am turned on about the weatherin Tampa, and the rental prices, which were mentioned. I need to read other threadsto find out how prevalent poverty and ghetto is in Tampa. Why are people living Florida? I hear about it all the time. Am I going against the grain by coming to Florida? Eventually I want to be a homeowner, but not for a few years.

The previous posters statements were inaccurate. The housing in Tampa is 2x more expensive than Houston's. Go to realtor.com and compare for yourself. The unemployment rate is almost 2% higher in Tampa than Houston. Although there are more people in Houston, the Tampa Bay area is smaller and more densely populated. You're going to feel more crowded in Tampa. Furthermore, per capita, Tampa ranks among the highest in crime rate. Houston is the 4th largest city in America, but does not crack the top 25 in crime. Also, Florida is known to be at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to education. The high school graduation rate is around 64%.

Florida is a transient state. If you stay here, Tampa, for any significant amount of time, you'll make a lot of good friends that come and go. Maybe you think I am a Florida hater. I'm not. I have lived in the Tampa Bay area for the past 10 years. It is a beautiful place to live and work. My motive is not to discourage from coming. I just hope you have an honest and realistic view. By the way, I am considering moving to Houston. Best of luck to you.

Oh, I almost forgot, I bet you pennies to nickels, the homeowners insurance in Tampa is higher than Houston's. We've had a couple of hurricanes ourselves.

[murof]

Originally Posted by a_fl_vol

The previous posters statements were inaccurate. The housing in Tampa is 2x more expensive than Houston's. Go to realtor.com and compare for yourself. The unemployment rate is almost 2% higher in Tampa than Houston. Although there are more people in Houston, the Tampa Bay area is smaller and more densely populated. You're going to feel more crowded in Tampa. Furthermore, per capita, Tampa ranks among the highest in crime rate. Houston is the 4th largest city in America, but does not crack the top 25 in crime. Also, Florida is known to be at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to education. The high school graduation rate is around 64%.

Florida is a transient state. If you stay here, Tampa, for any significant amount of time, you'll make a lot of good friends that come and go. Maybe you think I am a Florida hater. I'm not. I have lived in the Tampa Bay area for the past 10 years. It is a beautiful place to live and work. My motive is not to discourage from coming. I just hope you have an honest and realistic view. By the way, I am considering moving to Houston. Best of luck to you.

Oh, I almost forgot, I bet you pennies to nickels, the homeowners insurance in Tampa is higher than Houston's. We've had a couple of hurricanes ourselves.

thanks for the realistic portrayal of Tampa. I think the other postee wasreferring to rental housing being cheaper, but even still I find it unusual to think housing of any type would be cheaper in Tampa compared to Houston.I am not dissuaded by crime rates. I used to live in Tallahassee andsupposedly by all accounts Tally had very high violent crime rates.But I never felt like there was much crime there, it seemed like a nicesafe city. No ghettos to speak of, either.