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Has anyone out there had the experience of living both in Pensacola and Tampa? Which is the best overall for raising a family, nicer people in general, beaches, quality of life, dating scene, heck any input helps. Thank you!
I've only spent a day in Tampa but months at a time in Pensacola. I'd probably go with Tampa. There's a lot more variety in the metro area if you also include Clearwater and St Pete. Pensacola might be good if you prefer a smaller city, but it is a military town with a lot of partying. Also the local culture is more conservative and old style mindset, and is more Alabama than Florida while Tampa is more your average modern mid-size metro.
Do you want a large city in Florida or a small town in Alabama?
Tampa would seem to easily win each category based on your criteria.
Does Tampa really have “friendlier” people on the whole? I’m not sure how you could say it “easily” beats Pensacola, which is one of OP’s categories. Same with quality of life and other subjective factors.
It’s also a bit uncharitable to call Pensacola a small town in Alabama. It’s a (low density) metro of 500k with all the basic amenities you’d expect in most cities of that size. Also has a great downtown and beautiful beaches.
But objectively, yes, Tampa offers more in terms of stuff to do, along with other career/educational opportunities. I’d only pick Pensacola if you prefer (1) a more southern vibe and (2) a smaller city feel with a slower pace of life.
Does Tampa really have “friendlier” people on the whole? I’m not sure how you could say it “easily” beats Pensacola, which is one of OP’s categories. Same with quality of life and other subjective factors.
Actually yes, Tampa Bay and Sarasota are the friendliest metros thanks to midwestern migration.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alabama211
It’s also a bit uncharitable to call Pensacola a small town in Alabama. It’s a (low density) metro of 500k with all the basic amenities you’d expect in most cities of that size. Also has a great downtown and beautiful beaches.
Ok fine, a mid-sized town… in Alabama.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alabama211
But objectively, yes, Tampa offers more in terms of stuff to do, along with other career/educational opportunities. I’d only pick Pensacola if you prefer (1) a more southern vibe and (2) a smaller city feel with a slower pace of life.
Cost of living will be a good bit lower in Pensacola. Also, large parts of Tampa are undesirable. The best parts of Tampa will beat the best parts of Pensacola, but if the OP goes for a more run-of-the-kill area like Riverview it may not be better.
Actually yes, Tampa Bay and Sarasota are the friendliest metros thanks to midwestern migration.
Ok fine, a mid-sized town… in Alabama.
Cost of living will be a good bit lower in Pensacola. Also, large parts of Tampa are undesirable. The best parts of Tampa will beat the best parts of Pensacola, but if the OP goes for a more run-of-the-kill area like Riverview it may not be better.
Personally, I have never been anywhere in Florida that I would personally consider “friendly,” although I acknowledge that (inland) Hillsborough County is generally friendlier than many other heavily populated counties in Florida, especially Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. At least, it was 15-20 years ago; I doubt it is now.
Pensacola is significantly more culturally Southern than Tampa. People from Tampa might as well be from Indiana or Ohio, as you allude to in your post.
Florida is a very oblong state. Pensacola, similar to Jacksonville and Tallahassee, is located near the Florida state line, which means that residents can more easily experience the amenities and attributes of other areas not located in the state of Florida. For example, Downtown Pensacola is ~20 miles from the Alabama-Florida state line, ~85 miles from the Alabama-Mississippi state line and ~163 miles from the Georgia state line, which I think is fairly neat.
On a related note, Pensacola is located in Escambia County, which is the oldest and westernmost county in the state of Florida, which means that its history is unique compared to that of many other Florida counties.
I think the scenery in and around Pensacola is superior to the scenery in and around Tampa. In addition to beautiful white sand beaches, Pensacola also has some rolling hills and heavily wooded neighborhoods. The counties that neighbor Escambia, in both Alabama and Florida, are even hillier and more wooded.
I read somewhere that many of the counties in the respective orbits of Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Pensacola have the best, most highly regarded public school districts in the state of Florida because many of the people who live in or relocate to those counties are families with school-age children, instead of Northern retirees and foreign immigrants, who clearly do not care about public school quality.
Well, because Tampa bay is so much larger, it's going to have more of everything... but maybe that's not what you want. Pensacola is still a great town. There's good nightlife, an arts scene, big military presence, which helps the economy...great beaches close by...etc..
There's really no right or wrong, there's what's right for you.
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