new job in st pete (Gulfport, Feather Sound: how much, home, neighborhoods)

[linilena]

I am taking a job in st pete and we are looing for a home... have 2 young boys who are active and love the water and 2 labs..... any recommendations on neighborhoods to look at?

[goi_cuon]

Congratulations and welcome to the area! I'm about to move away, but this is a wonderful place to live!

I don't know enough to make much of a recommendation, because I can't tell what you like from your post.

Are you planning to send your kids to public school, private school or are you going to home school?

St Pete is a pretty dog-friendly city. There are lots of dog parks, and a great dog beach at Ft DeSoto park. Plenty of restaurants are dog friendly with sidewalk tables and water bowls.

That said, if you are new to the south, please be aware that your car is a death-trap in the warm months (most of the year). A few children and many pets are killed in parked cars every year. Don't leave your child or pet in the car, even if the windows are cracked.

Where to live!

If you are the manicured lawn, controlled conditions type of neighborhood, you might look in Feather Sound.

If you like a fun and funky, Gulfport and the Old Southeast Neighborhoods would be my picks. In Old Southeast, in particular, you are never more than a couple of blocks from the Bay.

Those are three very different neighborhoods. There are lots of good places to live here. What are you looking for?

[linilena]

we are looking for a trully "neighborhood" feeling ..... we are in NC in the country but came from Columbus Ohio where we were in an older neighborhood, very eclectic, artsy, but family feeling. I don't mind public schools if they are good. looking for neighborhood activities to meet other families, get kids involved in "stuff", and the kind of place where people know their neighbors, hang-out outside and talk, etc. thanks for the info already provided!!!

[goi_cuon]

How much money do you want to spend on a home? That may help define where you go.

Allendale is beautiful in St Pete. Old Northeast and Snell Isle are both nice areas.

I don't have kids so i can't comment on the schools. There are lots of activities for all ages in Pinellas County, though.