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I've been here for 15 years. Moved here from Los Angeles- lived out there for 25 years. Here are my observations:
1) Weather can't be beat out here. It's awesome. Humidity is tolerable, and you get used to it.
2) The beaches are beautiful, the water is warm, and the beachy atmosphere in places like Clearwater kicks azz.
3) The traffic BLOWS. I can honestly say that FLorida DOT has no clue how to design roadways, control intersections, or use proper planning to avoid traffic snafus. LA had it DOWN with the freeway system. Out here? US 19??? Kill me, please. Malfunction junction? They're working on it, but it's still a joke. The side streets? Fine, if you want to stop at EVERY SINGLE TRAFFIC LIGHT EVERY BLOCK!!!
4) The nightlife and entertainment factor is pretty good out here. Not like in LA, but it's pretty easy to find something to do pretty much every night if you want. And it's pretty affordable to do so.
5) Florida drivers SUCK. With all the snowbirds coming down here (you guys know to stay away from the knuckleheads from Ontario) and the transplants who don't know how to drive to begin with, this place is downright DEADLY for drivers. I never saw so many accidents out here-even LA was tame, people drove fast, but knew WTF they were doing. The drivers out here are rude and oblivious...a very dangerous combo.
6) Housing is still pretty inexpensive compared to other locales in the US, especially in larger urban areas.
7) The freaks all move to FLorida. Child molesters and sex offenders everywhere. Most of the bizarre news you see on the tele ends up in our backyard. Watch Americas Most Wanted...where do they find most of the fugitives? You guessed it...FLorida. If you can ignore that and turn a blind eye, then you'll be OK. Otherwise, move to a more rural area. There are a lot of them outside of Tampa.
8) Pharmaceutical sales you say?? Oh hell, FLorida is your GOLD MINE. With all the decrepit people and dying population out here, not to mention the pill poppers and doctor shoppers galore, you will have no job issues. Man, someone once said Florida is heaven's waiting room...they aren't kidding. The people out here (even the young ones) look straight out of a George Romero zombie movie. It seems like everyone who has an ailment comes down here for doctors named Patel who dole out 'scripts like they're hotcakes.
9) Did I mention the weather and the water?
10)Overall, I like it better here than I liked LA. It's more spread out, feels roomier and I can breathe the air out here...lol. I do miss the mountains and the desert. But I don't miss the LA crime and the snooty douchebags out there. Tampa is more down to earth, and people seem to still be friendlier out here, although it's gotten worse in the past 5 years. I can't blame people though, the economy and other stuff makes people stressed.
I've been here for 15 years. Moved here from Los Angeles- lived out there for 25 years. Here are my observations:
1) Weather can't be beat out here. It's awesome. Humidity is tolerable, and you get used to it.
2) The beaches are beautiful, the water is warm, and the beachy atmosphere in places like Clearwater kicks azz.
3) The traffic BLOWS. I can honestly say that FLorida DOT has no clue how to design roadways, control intersections, or use proper planning to avoid traffic snafus. LA had it DOWN with the freeway system. Out here? US 19??? Kill me, please. Malfunction junction? They're working on it, but it's still a joke. The side streets? Fine, if you want to stop at EVERY SINGLE TRAFFIC LIGHT EVERY BLOCK!!!
4) The nightlife and entertainment factor is pretty good out here. Not like in LA, but it's pretty easy to find something to do pretty much every night if you want. And it's pretty affordable to do so.
5) Florida drivers SUCK. With all the snowbirds coming down here (you guys know to stay away from the knuckleheads from Ontario) and the transplants who don't know how to drive to begin with, this place is downright DEADLY for drivers. I never saw so many accidents out here-even LA was tame, people drove fast, but knew WTF they were doing. The drivers out here are rude and oblivious...a very dangerous combo.
6) Housing is still pretty inexpensive compared to other locales in the US, especially in larger urban areas.
7) The freaks all move to FLorida. Child molesters and sex offenders everywhere. Most of the bizarre news you see on the tele ends up in our backyard. Watch Americas Most Wanted...where do they find most of the fugitives? You guessed it...FLorida. If you can ignore that and turn a blind eye, then you'll be OK. Otherwise, move to a more rural area. There are a lot of them outside of Tampa.
8) Pharmaceutical sales you say?? Oh hell, FLorida is your GOLD MINE. With all the decrepit people and dying population out here, not to mention the pill poppers and doctor shoppers galore, you will have no job issues. Man, someone once said Florida is heaven's waiting room...they aren't kidding. The people out here (even the young ones) look straight out of a George Romero zombie movie. It seems like everyone who has an ailment comes down here for doctors named Patel who dole out 'scripts like they're hotcakes.
9) Did I mention the weather and the water?
10)Overall, I like it better here than I liked LA. It's more spread out, feels roomier and I can breathe the air out here...lol. I do miss the mountains and the desert. But I don't miss the LA crime and the snooty douchebags out there. Tampa is more down to earth, and people seem to still be friendlier out here, although it's gotten worse in the past 5 years. I can't blame people though, the economy and other stuff makes people stressed.
Great observations, and as a 50-something Florida native, agree with you on all points, good and bad. Bottom line, Tampa area can be a great place to be, it's what one makes of it. There are many fabulous neighborhoods cities, towns, and neighborhoods in the Bay area, and there are ghettos and not-so-nice places as well. But it's easy enough to stay away from the bad areas - that's what I do!
Good luck - I always believe if one comes here with an open mind and a positive attitude they are already way ahead of the game!
You may THINK that you didn't know anyone bad or shady in the Great Frozen North. You may THINK that there were no sex offenders or people who had ever been arrested within your entire realm of knowledge back in the Great Perfect North.
That means that, unlike many other places, you can easily know about the sex offender that lives upstairs or down the block. I can remember a time when I could look up a potential date's driving record, because it was a matter of public record.
Yes, there are plenty of perverts here; they move here from all over the country and if that wasn't enough, we grow our own, too. But the fact is that reporting requirements are also much more stringent than they used to be.
Nobody needed to disclose their wrong doing where you came from because unless you read the police runs in the newspaper you probably wouldn't know.
You may THINK that you didn't know anyone bad or shady in the Great Frozen North. You may THINK that there were no sex offenders or people who had ever been arrested within your entire realm of knowledge back in the Great Perfect North.
That means that, unlike many other places, you can easily know about the sex offender that lives upstairs or down the block. I can remember a time when I could look up a potential date's driving record, because it was a matter of public record.
Yes, there are plenty of perverts here; they move here from all over the country and if that wasn't enough, we grow our own, too. But the fact is that reporting requirements are also much more stringent than they used to be.
Nobody needed to disclose their wrong doing where you came from because unless you read the police runs in the newspaper you probably wouldn't know.
You may THINK you know what I was saying but your post proves otherwise.
Of course there are criminals everywhere. Perhaps because of who I am and who I chose to aasociate with I didn't have that criminal element in my life. Your experience may be different.
That said, if you read the whole post you would know that I have formed my opinion based on the background checks I have run (many 1000s) both in Florida and the Great Frozen North.
I think the biggest differences are 1) in florida it's very hard to get too far away from the bad elements of society. When I lived up north one side of town was riddled with crime, the other was essentially crime free. Those on the wrong side of town rarely wandered to the good side because they didn;t fit in and would be recognized as being out of place, so to speak. And, 2 in my expereince, the level of criminal in florida is different. It's the white collar looking guy whose got a sexaul assualt conviction, or an attempted murder charge. Interviewing these guys you would never know. Some even seem like great people and when the background comes back you're like, "no way!".
But Florida has a lot of great qualities as well. I was merely pointing out that since the OP expressed a desire to raise a family here these are things they should probably be aware of and take precautions against. I have an 11 year old daughter and a young son so these things matter to me. I've been lucky enough to be able to afford to insultate my family as best one can. If I couldn't do that I would have to seriosuly think about living somewhere else.
I suppose like most things this falls into the what are you used to catagory. And I'll admit even after 17 years I'm still not used to what is for many Floridians normal. It's okay though, I just arrange my life so that we don't even have to deal with it to be honest. That way we can just enjoy all the good things Floirda has to offer.
Roxy, one of the ten things you need to know about Tampa is the roadways are under perpetual construction. We used to laugh about finding our way to/from an area by the orange cones and barricades. It's unfortunate, but Tampa builds new developments, then puts in the infrastructure .
Thanks for your feedback, judging by the comments it sounds that the only thing I need to be concern of is the high amount of sexual offenders in the city..Other than that no much comments about the entertainments, malls, and life style so I assumed in the other aspect TAMP is pretty good Thanks for all your feedback and comments. Feel free to share more if you think I should know more. Favorite place to go.... are the people friendly or superficial? .... THANKS!
Malls:
best and most expensive: International Mall in Tampa- lotsa hot soccer moms with Gucci shop here, and most of the stuff is more expensive than other malls. Great shops an food places.
moderately expensive but still decent: Citrus Park Town Center, Countryside Mall, Westshore Plaza and Brandon Town Center.
entertainment: Orlando-amusement parks galore. Tampa- Busch Gardens, comedy clubs, great drinking areas, restaurants on the water, etc.
It's all a matter of opinion. I actually had quite a laugh reading the North v. South B.S., sex offenders, traffic, crime, even the job market.
Tampa is NOT unique in that it holds its share of sex offenders, poor drivers, crime, an economy that is barely treading water... it's everywhere.
I've lived in Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Orlando and Tampa. Orlando has Pine Hills and other areas west of Downtown, Chicago--the south-side and some west-side areas, Boston--So. Boston, and on, and on and on.
It's not a competition. But when you LOOK FOR THE UGLY, you FIND THE UGLY.
The best I can offer to the original post is this: come stay for a bit, if you can. I moved BACK to Tampa, because of all cities I've been in Florida, Tampa has enough variety, culture and plenty of things to keep one occupied and entertained. I live in the Port, in Channelside. A hop over to Ybor, a walk down to Channelside shops/restaurants, blocks from Downtown, 5 minute drive from Hyde Park and Bayshore. 20+ minutes to beautiful beaches. USF is ranked in the top tier of National Universities and is a Tier-One research University. St. Pete/Clearwater beaches are consistently ranked in the top 10 for beaches both in the US and World.
Perhaps I've been lucky with the job... working for a Boston-based company, we've been fairly unscathed by the economic downturn. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because not everyone is as lucky, and I recognize that.
Tampa has its beauty, and Tampa has its grit. Tampa is NOT cosmopolitan. Tampa is steeped in history. Tampa is not Miami, Orlando or Jacksonville. It has its own identity, which I, at least, found appealing enough to move back after leaving for 7 years. And the changes from 2001 to 2008 -- incredible. I find something new each time I venture out. I can only hope the next 7 years will provide just as much or more beneficial change.
The neigh-sayers will always find something to complain about. And every city has its share of crap. I welcome you to come down and experience Tampa for yourself. Formulate your own opinion. And like it, or leave it!!
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Thanks for all your feedback and comments. Feel free to share more if you think I should know more. Favorite place to go.... are the people friendly or superficial? .... THANKS! 
