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If anyone from the Midwest (i.e. Chicago) is on here can you shed some light on how Tampa is compared to the lifestyle of the Midwest? Do you like/dislike, are you dieing to move back, how bad is this so called "traffic" everyone talks about?
We are making the move as we have no family left and my parents will be in Tampa in June but after spending a few days reading on these forums I just feel such a negative vibe towards the whole Tampa area (including suburbs/rural), bad neighborhoods (can be found in any area), horrible schools, congestion, traffic, many say it's dirty.
I come from a "suburb town" of Chicago with population of 60,000 people and a county of 5.5 million and in my town we have a very expensive part, a middle class, and a lower end area. Each are pretty segregated and you know when you are in a different part. Is this just like Tampa and its surrounding areas? Yes we have mini strip malls and shops on almost every block. Only thing we don't have is the "strip clubs" that many seem to say they are everywhere down there.
We have begun looking at outside areas (LOL, Lutz, Ruskin, Riverview, etc). Are these pretty much considered outside of the "Tampa area" and more rural type locations?
I had posted another thread but didn't seem to get any response or maybe didn't state what I wanted to.
I'm from Des Plaines IL. and want to relocate to the Tampa area, but seem hesitant based on what I've read so far.
It's just my wife and I, on a fixed income.
I'm looking for a 800-900 sqft 1 bdrm apartment in a neighborhood near the Va Hospital, northwest Tampa. What are the neighborhoods like?
What are the rental rates? Can I walk my dog around the area with saftey? What traffic and parking issues can we expect?
I live in Palatine and while I live in the nice area the cost of living for everything in these parts is outrageous. Many of the high prices that I see mentioned about Florida doesn't seem as bad as prices here. What really gets to me is all the comments on how unsafe or drug infested or gang infested these areas are.
come on down! enjoy yourself, one of the things i did was look up the nay sayers past posts, most would bit-h if hung with a new rope. never seem happy no matter what. lots on great places in the surrounding area. and some not so great. the traffic is no worse than anyother city with a large population. job market tough all over the county. i think everyone knows that by now people are people north, south, east, west.green or pink! use a little common sense make your choice. my wife and i will look forward to see more people smiling that are just glad to have what they have, i know we are! good luck,see ya at the beach or the dollar store...
I lived in Indiana and I can give you a perspective on what I like better and what I miss.
I miss the fall colors and the spring bloom. That's about it.
I like the sunny skies here. Northern IN was very gray and depressing. I felt the same way about Chicago. I am a lot happier here and some of that is because of the amount of sunshine.
Tampa is not like Chicago where you have very distinct boundaries of the good and bad areas. Tampa is very patchy. Good streets followed by bad streets etc. That takes a little getting used to. If you're the type of person that wants to completely segregate yourself from lower income people then you might not like it here. I had a little big of adjusting to go through but now it doesn't bother me at all.
I lived in Indiana and I can give you a perspective on what I like better and what I miss.
I miss the fall colors and the spring bloom. That's about it.
I like the sunny skies here. Northern IN was very gray and depressing. I felt the same way about Chicago. I am a lot happier here and some of that is because of the amount of sunshine.
Tampa is not like Chicago where you have very distinct boundaries of the good and bad areas. Tampa is very patchy. Good streets followed by bad streets etc. That takes a little getting used to. If you're the type of person that wants to completely segregate yourself from lower income people then you might not like it here. I had a little big of adjusting to go through but now it doesn't bother me at all.
I lived in Indiana and I can give you a perspective on what I like better and what I miss.
I miss the fall colors and the spring bloom. That's about it.
I like the sunny skies here. Northern IN was very gray and depressing. I felt the same way about Chicago. I am a lot happier here and some of that is because of the amount of sunshine.
Tampa is not like Chicago where you have very distinct boundaries of the good and bad areas. Tampa is very patchy. Good streets followed by bad streets etc. That takes a little getting used to. If you're the type of person that wants to completely segregate yourself from lower income people then you might not like it here. I had a little big of adjusting to go through but now it doesn't bother me at all.
Thank you for a response. I by no means differ myself from lower income people as we would be considered on the "lower side" of the spectrum but in the area we live now we really don't have to much of the big crimes but I'm sure plenty of the smaller stuff that just goes unreported.
We are fortunate that we will be carrying over our Chicago salaries with us that will help us greatly in living a more than average life than here in Chicago. We just have 5yr old child and want her to be in a "safer" area with "safe" schools.
We certainly don't mind living rural as as apposed to the city life. Any recommendations on more rural type areas that would be within a moderate drive to the airport (I travel almost weekly) or a short commute to outskirts of Seffner? Max price of about $250k?
Last edited by sjea0124; 01-26-2010 at 06:13 PM..
Reason: added
Hey sjea0124,
I lived in downtown Chicago (lakeview) for 8 years before moving to Iowa City, Iowa-- and will be making a final move down to Tampa in May. I've visited the area three times to research, to find if the Tampa Bay can sustain the kind of lifestyle I want to live. While it sounds like we're looking for different things, I believe I can share a helpful perspective in knowing both your current area (Palatine) and have a bit of experience with the Tampa Bay at large.
First-- about the gangs, strip clubs, drugs, prostitution, etc. Yep, there's plenty in Tampa. But more in the greater Chicago area. You may not see it in Palatine, but how about a quick drive to Elgin? Oak Park? Cal City? Hell, Gary? Like in Chicago, however, areas in Tampa are well insulated.
I spent most of my time within the Tampa city limits (as well as in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, etc), and I've chosen the SoHo/Hyde Park area as my next home. It's not for everyone, it's liberal, young (late 20s, 30s), perhaps a bit snooty-- think Lincoln Park in Chicago. But having traveled around the city a bit, other areas can get sketchy. Travel to the north / northeast / east side of the city, and you can wind up in a rough neighborhood, a project block, and then stumble on a really nice neighborhood (like Seminole Heights). Within a close proximity to downtown, you're going to get what people described-- a 50/50 chance you could wind up in a slum, where the negatives are present. But if you travel just southwest of downtown, into Soho/HydePark, you're in an absolutely beautiful, albeit upscale area. In fact, South Tampa in general is wonderful. There's a rough patch or two or three, but you don't have to come near it if you don't want to. You don't NEED to visit Cabrini Green if you live in Wrigleyville, do ya?
As for strip clubs, drive through Pinellas Park on 66th (i think) on your way to gulf-to-bay... they're ubiquitous. Strip club, car dealership, strip club, car dealership, strip club, car dealership. But no knock on Pinellas Park-- if you take a turn down a side street you can find some wonderful areas. At first glance though, you see the negative that people described.
Thing is, the few other suburbs I visited seemed great. If I were you, and this is where the current Tampa residents will fill in, you might want to look in the north part of Tampa or Pinellas County. Maybe Dunedin is your speed? I don't know enough about those places to give a fair suggestion.
All I can say is that you should ignore the naysayers. There is PLENTY of beauty to be found in the Tampa area, and SO many neighborhoods and suburbs to choose from. Not all of them suffer from the good-side/bad-side disease, and not all have Strip Club Row. Oh, and the ocean is slightly, slightly better than Fox River
Good luck! Make an educated, planned visit to Tampa, and I'm sure you'll be thrilled with what you experience.
I thought the Fox River was the best body of water out there was!!! jk. Thank you though for the post, it did really help.
I do know Elgin very well as my mother owned her company for several years in the downtown district near the casino which honestly wasn't that bad. Yeah some pockets of bad areas but you knew where they were and was no need to travel into those parts unless looking for trouble.
Gary on the other hand I doubt can be even on the same level of the Tampa area. That brings the word "Poverish" to another level and reminds me more of a smaller Detroit.
But again, thank you thethinktank, you gave a little more insight into what I was looking for.
Hey sjea0124,
I lived in downtown Chicago (lakeview) for 8 years before moving to Iowa City, Iowa-- and will be making a final move down to Tampa in May. I've visited the area three times to research, to find if the Tampa Bay can sustain the kind of lifestyle I want to live. While it sounds like we're looking for different things, I believe I can share a helpful perspective in knowing both your current area (Palatine) and have a bit of experience with the Tampa Bay at large.
First-- about the gangs, strip clubs, drugs, prostitution, etc. Yep, there's plenty in Tampa. But more in the greater Chicago area. You may not see it in Palatine, but how about a quick drive to Elgin? Oak Park? Cal City? Hell, Gary? Like in Chicago, however, areas in Tampa are well insulated.
I spent most of my time within the Tampa city limits (as well as in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, etc), and I've chosen the SoHo/Hyde Park area as my next home. It's not for everyone, it's liberal, young (late 20s, 30s), perhaps a bit snooty-- think Lincoln Park in Chicago. But having traveled around the city a bit, other areas can get sketchy. Travel to the north / northeast / east side of the city, and you can wind up in a rough neighborhood, a project block, and then stumble on a really nice neighborhood (like Seminole Heights). Within a close proximity to downtown, you're going to get what people described-- a 50/50 chance you could wind up in a slum, where the negatives are present. But if you travel just southwest of downtown, into Soho/HydePark, you're in an absolutely beautiful, albeit upscale area. In fact, South Tampa in general is wonderful. There's a rough patch or two or three, but you don't have to come near it if you don't want to. You don't NEED to visit Cabrini Green if you live in Wrigleyville, do ya?
As for strip clubs, drive through Pinellas Park on 66th (i think) on your way to gulf-to-bay... they're ubiquitous. Strip club, car dealership, strip club, car dealership, strip club, car dealership. But no knock on Pinellas Park-- if you take a turn down a side street you can find some wonderful areas. At first glance though, you see the negative that people described.
Thing is, the few other suburbs I visited seemed great. If I were you, and this is where the current Tampa residents will fill in, you might want to look in the north part of Tampa or Pinellas County. Maybe Dunedin is your speed? I don't know enough about those places to give a fair suggestion.
All I can say is that you should ignore the naysayers. There is PLENTY of beauty to be found in the Tampa area, and SO many neighborhoods and suburbs to choose from. Not all of them suffer from the good-side/bad-side disease, and not all have Strip Club Row. Oh, and the ocean is slightly, slightly better than Fox River
Good luck! Make an educated, planned visit to Tampa, and I'm sure you'll be thrilled with what you experience.
That was a great post, and being a lifelong native I totally agree with your assessment. That is what I have always said about Tampa, that within the city limits, it is "patchy", those neighborhoods like Tampa Heights, Seminole Heights and Riverside Heights are beautiful, near the river, and old historic homes, yet you can have a few nice blocks then all of a sudden - a "ghetto" type street or two. South Tampa is indeed considered the most desirable area of Tampa overall, and there are many mini neigborhoods in this general location to choose from. Elsewhere in the city, the next best, IMO only, is old Carrollwood, on the northwest side of town.
The worst commercial strip in Tampa is Dale Mabry, lots of those strip clubs, traffic, ugly looking, etc. As thinktank posted, it is easy enough to avoid the bad stuff if you are living in a nice neighborhood and know the town. I lived there for the first half of my life and my husband still works there (he is from Indiana) and he thinks Tampa's a pretty nice town. It's not perfect, but honestly, it is FAR from the pit some people on this forum make it out to be. In fact I have had friends from Chicago make comparisons (on a small scale of course) to certain areas, much like thinktank has done. Bottom line, when people come to an area expecting the worst, that is usually what they find. Come with an open mind and decide for yourself if it's for you. Like Chicago, there is plenty of bad, but also like Chicago, plenty of good here, too. REMEMBER: the negative people are always the most vocal! Plenty of happy people not posting here, but enjoying their lives and what the area has to offer!
Oh, and did I mention that the Tampa Bay area (including St. Pete and on down to Sarasota) has some of the most BEAUTIFUL beaches and waterfront you will ever see?
Hope this helps!
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Midwester
Ruskin is a little rural
