Macdill AFB (Tampa, Brandon, Lutz: apartment, sex offenders, how much)

[Bossdjay]

Looking at getting a job at Macdill. What are the options I have as far as neighborhoods if i want to keep my commute under 30 mins?

How would you describe these areas?

I know you guys get lots of these, so any help is very very much appreciated. Thanks!

[Keeper]

Are you looking for house or apt? How much rent/buy? Are schools important to you? What else is important to you?

There are lots of areas that would qualify, we need a little more info.

[Bossdjay]

Ah, I see, didn't want to burder ya'll with specifics, but since you asked...

I am 30, not married, but not single. So none of the typical family type stuff is important to me right now, however it more than likely will be soon. Night life is nice on occasion, but not a necessity, as I'd rather be doing productive things like fishing, kayaking etc.

I'm just looking for a nice place. A house. at least 3 b/2b 1200 sq ft, minimum....with as much land as I can get. 1+ acres is ideal. I have two big dogs who need a yard. I prefer the central FL tropical terrain to the beach terrain. See "Ginnie Springs" for reference points

I'd be working at Macdill, as stated so it needs to be relatively close. I'd like to have access to lakes, streams, rivers, ponds, the beach, and I prefer the southern "country" to the urban vibe. At least as far as residency is concerned.

Is that better?

[PurifySweetAmber]

You are going to have to look for areas outside of South Tampa (MacDill AFB being the southern most part). I would personally check out North Tampa, Lutz, and Carrolwood. If you decide on having an apartment or a house with little yard, I can give you eons of options in South Tampa. Good Luck!!

[Stewabby]

Also check out Brandon and Riverview, you get more room out in the burbs and it is a lot cheaper than South Tampa. You can get to Macdill in 30 minutes via the Crosstown.

[Nav]

Riverview, Ruskin, Plant city, Dover, Lutz, and possibly parts of Apollo Beach are areas you can find 1+ acre lots. The crosstown expressway in Brandon takes you right down near McDill so if you can get near the interstate the commute wont be that bad. The problem that you will most likely face is the "rural" and "30 minute" commute. It takes almost an hour just to cross Tampa during rush hour so the time of your commute will make all of the difference. You also didn't mention your price range. if you are set on at least an acre, plan on at least 200k for an older place that needs some updating and fixing. You are not going to find many "bargains" on homes with property.

Nav

[TexasAxiom]

I found Brandon, Lutz, and Carrolwood to be more than a 30 minute commute (more like an hour). South Tampa is your best best for a short commute.

[YeatesFamily]

For the most part I agree with what I read above however commutes to North Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills areas (which is likely where you'll find land and a country setting) are easliy 45 min+ commutes. My husband works at Mac Dill and we live in a South Tampa house with a decent size yard big enough for our three dogs. You will have to take into account WHERE ON POST you will be working. From our driveway to his parking spot, it takes my husband AT LEAST 20 minutes to get to work and we live only about 5 miles away from the Dale Mabry entrance...

[Lienyie]

My husband is active duty career, I am Dod. Yuk. We were offedred jobs in Tampa and declined. I wold onlly move there if I had extended familyh there. I found the educaltion system from public to private worse than the hills of W.V. Check your house address to sex offender register. Tooled around most of Florida, it is a Detroit city in the making. Lost of mishandling of funds. I would rather be in billion dollar deficit California than Florida. Yiks, you both are screwed up!>

[charlesj]

Originally Posted by Lienyie

My husband is active duty career, I am Dod. Yuk. We were offedred jobs in Tampa and declined. I wold onlly move there if I had extended familyh there. I found the educaltion system from public to private worse than the hills of W.V. Check your house address to sex offender register. Tooled around most of Florida, it is a Detroit city in the making. Lost of mishandling of funds. I would rather be in billion dollar deficit California than Florida. Yiks, you both are screwed up!>

I think that is a little misleading. I'm not here to say Tampa is superb, but this is not true, or at not mostly true. For starters, the school system greatly depends on which district. Plant High for example was rated as one of the top public schools in the country. The catch however is that is dense and expensive South Tampa. There are other schools and magnet schools that are perfectly fine. Just a matter of research. Florida does have a high population of sex offenders, however again it matters where you are. Budget problems are not in the same realm of CA. Much like others states and areas, budgets suffer from the economic downturns. It's not much worse in Tampa and most parts of the country

The issue with anywhere in FL is that areas are spotty. You not only have to know the general area, but your specific neighborhood as well. That said, Tampa has some good options.

Now for you, to stay within 30 minutes and be more rural is tough, but your best bet is right near the cross town in brandon/riverview. If you are within 5 minutes of the cross town, you can stay at 30 minutes. There is another option you may not have known about with is actually adjoining Macdill in South Tampa. At the very bottom of south Tampa on the Westshore side, there are some old streets going into Port Tampa. Some of them butt up against Macdill property and have an old florida feel. A few have 1/2 acre and larger lots. The neighborhood is spotty though, so you have to explore a little and you would want to stay generally on the easterly edge of this port tampa area. Zip is 33616.

Benefits include a non existent commute and close access to picnic island which has great areas for kayaking and fishing. Its also a hell of a lot closer to the beach than Brandon