Moving to Clearwater, St. Pete, Bradenton need help! (Tampa, Plantation: homes, neighborhoods)

[nitsujk1]

My family and I are going to be relocating for a job to the Clearwater, St Pete, Bradenton area. We are unfamiliar with the area and are looking for a family friendly place to live. We want parks, safe, and good schools. I would be working in Clear water area and would like to stay under a 45 minute drive. My hours would be 630 - 2:30 so rush hour is not much of a concern. We have a son who is 2 and we are in our early 30's .

Does anyone have suggestions for area to look for housing with a budget of 250-275k 1800 -2300 square feet? Looking for newer home built within the last 15 years or so.

Thanks in advance for help you can give us.

[SoFLGal]

Manatee county Schools

Elementary Schools
Robert Willis Elementary(34201, 34202)-Carlyle at the Villages of Palm Aire, Country Club East at Lakewood Ranch, Edgewater Village, Lake Club, Lakewood Ranch, Lakewood Ranch Country Club, Long Pond at Mote Ranch, Mote Ranch, Panther Ridge, Preserve at Panther Ridge, River Park at Mote Ranch, Riverwalk Ridge Cypress Banks, University Park

Gene Witt Elementary(34212)-Country Creek, Country Meadows, Foxbrook, Greyhawk Landing, Hidden Oaks, Mill Creek, Rye Wilderness,

Gilbert W McNeal Elementary(34202)-Concession, Greenbrook Village, Lakewood Ranch, Summerfield Village

Braden River Elementary(34202, 34211)-Braden Pines, Braden Woods, Oakbrooke at River Club, River Club North & South, Rosedale, Summerfield Village

BD Gullett Elementary(34211, 34212)-Central Park at Lakewood Ranch, Greyhawk Landing, Panther Ridge

Ida M Stewart Elementary(34209)-Perico Isles, Pinehurst, Riverview Landings, Shaws Point, Wisteria Park, Woodlands Park on Palma Sola Bay

Anna Maria Elementary(34216, 34217, 34228)-Anna Maria Island, Bay Palms, Bimini Bay Estates, Cortez, Emerald Harbor, Holmes Beach, Ilexhurst, Key Royale, Long Beach, Longboat Key, Shore Acres, Sleepy Lagoon, Wells Bay Harbor

Virgil Mills Elementary(34219, 34221, 34222)-Ancient Oaks, Copperstone, Covered Bridge, Fairways at Imperial Lakewoods, Fosters Creek, Heather Glen, Kingsfield Lakes, Lexington, Waterford, Whitney Meadows, Woodlawn Lakes

Kinnan Elementary(34243)-Carlyle at the Villages of Palm Aire, Country Oaks, Desoto Lakes Country Club, Glenbrooke, Mote Ranch, Palm Aire, Palm Lakes, Quail Run, University Groves, Rio Mar, Trails, Treymore at Village of Palm Aire, Vintage Creek

Freedom Elementary(34212)-Gates Creek, Greenfield Plantation, Heritage Harbour, Lighthouse Cove at Heritage Harbor, Old Grove at Greenfield, Planters Manor at Greenfield, River Strand, Stoneybrook at Heritage Harbor, Waterlefe Golf & River Club

Tara Elementary(34212)-Barrington Ridge, Braden Crossing, Creekwood, Manatee Oaks, Mandalay, River Landings Bluffs, River Place, Rivers Edge, Silver Lake, Tailfeather Way at Tara, Tara, Tara Preserve, Wallingford, Water Oak

Middle School
Carlos E Halie Middle(34208-34212)

Braden River Middle(32401-34243)

Nolan Middle(34202, 34211, 34251)

King Middle(34209, 34216, 34217, 34228)

High School
Lakewood Ranch High(34202, 34211, 34212, 34251)

Manatee High(34205-34209, 34216, 34217, 34228)

Alternative School
Manatee School for Arts and Sciences

[nitsujk1]

Thanks for the info on the schools. Do you know the "good" areas of Pinellas County? Thanks

[Sunshine Rules]

Commute time from Bradenton to Clearwater is going to be about 45 minutes, maybe a little more, depending on where in Clearwater you're planning to commute to, even if it's not rush hour. I know because we've made that trip multiple times to visit a friend that used to live there.

If you looked in the Ellenton - Parrish area of Manatee county near the I-275 & I-75 intersection, you may be able to make the Skyway Bridge route work for you. These areas would be in zip codes 34219, 34221 and 34222. There are a lot of new and almost new communities in this area, such as South Oak, Forest Creek, Oakleaf Hammock, Harrison Ranch, Woods of Moccasin Wallow, Copperstone and Country Meadows to name a few. You might even want to look into Heritage Harbour at I-75 and SR64, it's a master planned community with lots of amenities for families and good schools. Stoneybrook at Heritage Harbour or River Strand may meet your needs. River Strand is a country club community and membership is required, there is still some new construction going on in 2 sections. Stoneybrook is also a country club community with not only a fantastic clubhouse (membership in the country club is required for access) but also a great recreation center with lots of amenities and activities geared towards active families. Their community website is: www.heritageharbourcommunity.com

Another option on the south end would be Lakewood Ranch's community, Central Park at Lakewood Ranch. From Central Park you can go north on Lakewood Ranch Blvd to SR64 for easy access to I-75. Central Park is a gated community with good schools, a 10 acre central park area (hence the name) with basball & soccer fields, a large playground, doggie parks, walkways with benches and pavillions. The homes were built between 2008 and now, there are still some new construction homes being built in some of the neighborhoods. The only neighborhood with a community pool in Central Park is Claremont Park.

Here is the link to the FL Dept of Education ratings and rankings for Manatee county schools that was just released the first part of February:
https://app2.fldoe.org/Ranking/Schools/RankDetailDist.aspx?dist=41


There are a lot of nice neighborhoods in both Clearwater and northern Pinellas Park. I would also suggest checking into the Oldsmar - Safety Harbor area. As to schools, you can look up their ratings and how all of the schools ranked in the state at the FDOE website. Here's a link to the page: School Accountability Report

There is a Tampa area forum on c-d, I would suggest trying it to get more specific information on the Pinellas - Clearwater area.

Good luck with your move.

[davery5872]

Originally Posted by nitsujk1

Thanks for the info on the schools. Do you know the "good" areas of Pinellas County? Thanks

Generally, the further north you get in the county, the better. Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor, Tarpon Springs are all good bets. There are a couple of areas south of US 60 (Gulf to Bay) that are decent, such as Seminole and Tiera Verde. Good luck.

[sware2cod]

Bradenton to Clearwater could put lots of miles on your car. Check the commute distance because it could be too far for many people.

You would need to take the Sunshine Skyway Bridge each way unless you want to add time and miles to your trip and go the long way through Tampa. You should drive over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge before looking at property. It is very high and very long and for some people, very scary to drive over( even folks that are OK with other bridges).

Here's a recent post on this site about the bridge.
//www.city-data.com/forum/saras...ay-bridge.html