Moving to St. Petersburg August 1st (Largo, Gulfport: apartments, for rent, townhomes)

[Moni74]

We are moving St. Petersburg August 1st and are needing advice on what neighborhood to live in!! We have a 7 year old son so we are looking for a family frienly neighborhood.

I will be working off Gulf Blvd in St. Pete Beach. I want my commute to be no more than 30 minutes WITH TRAFFIC. Looking at the map Largo, Gulfport, Seminole and the west side of St. Petersburg look close. Any advice on those areas and commute time to st. Pete beach?

We want a safe neighborhood (and school) with cultural diversity. We are a racially mixed family ourselves so we welcome diversity!

Does anyone have any suggestions on neighborhoods in that area???

Also besides Realtor.com any websites or companies that help find single family homes or townhomes for rent?

Thanks for any help

[Angler]

West side of St. Pete, where we live, is very nice. Extremely convenient, safe, and good mix of things to do- as well as being very close to downtown. GUlfport is nice, but some areas are a little less safe, mainly closer to US19.

You commute would be about 10 minutes. Seminole is also nice- a little too old and quiet for me, but great homes and convenience to the beaches.

[Moni74]

Thanks Angler. Just curious, do you have children? I'm hoping to find a neighborhood with lots of little ones running around so my son can make some new friends.

Are there a mix of homes for rent and apartments in this area? We prefer to rent a home.

Are there specific zipcodes that you'd recommend?

Thank you for your advice, it's so nice to hear from someone who's actually in the area we want to be!

[miles1228]

schools in the area are based on zones (neighborhood schools) for the most part. In Feb of each year u can apply to magnet and fundamental schools. These are highly sought after schools. Fundamentals require uniforms and are run like a private school with high standards and parental involvement. These schools will not put up with behavioral kids or uninvolved parents. The magnets have focus on arts or science etc. Perkins is a magnet elementary focusing on music, arts, foreign language etc. Gulfport is a cute place, but I dont really like it that much. I prefer the Jungle Terrace are of West St. Pete or Pasadena area (west of Gulfport). The west side of St. Pete has the Tyrone Square Mall. I hope this helps. Seminole is nice. That is probably best bet if you have kids in my opinion.

[Loren.]

If you've secured a job on Gulf Blvd in St. Pete Beach, why not live in one of the beach communities? Can be somewhat more expensive for rent, but you'll spend less money (and time) commuting. Worth considering.

There are schools in the beach area, and it's about as close to a laid back "island" culture as you'll find short of the Keys.

[Moni74]

We've looked into living in St. Pete Beach but my husband will be returning to college and also looking for a part time job so I don't want to limit him and cause himto have to commute too far. Plus the schools in those areas are overwhelmingly predominatly white and it very important to us to send our son to a school that is representitive of diversity. Even like 50-60% white and the other 50% a mix of other ethnicities is ideal.

We've looked into zip codes 33710 & 33713. Azalea, Jungle Prada (or is it just called Jungle??), North Kingwood, Tyrone areas. Any opionions out there on those areas and how bad my commute would be to St. Pete Beach?

[Moni74]

Thank you for all the specific information from all the posters! This really helps!

[ferret111]

I'm poking around on a statewide demographics spreadsheet looking for schools that are 50-60% white. There are a few schools, but remember you're dealing with a county that's 85% white.

Here's the link to the spreadsheet:

http://www.fldoe.org/eias/eiaspubs/x..._Schl_0708.xls

[cubish8441]

We are ultimately leaving St. Pete because of the schools, so do your due diligence about what kind of school you want for your son. There are very few "neighborhood" schools that are acceptable, so magnet and fundamental schools are (in my opinion) the only way to go in St. Pete. My kids have been at a magnet school and, while we are happy enough now, the options for middle school and high school are limited. You may want to consider south St. Pete if you are working in St. Pete Beach. We have lived in Broadwater and Pinellas Point and both neighborhoods are nice. South St. Pete is racially diverse and affordable, and it is also where the bulk of the magnet and fundamental schools are. You can get to St. Pete Beach in less than 10 minutes and getting on 275 is also very easy.

I think Gulfport is a bit dicey, as far as a neighborhood. The Tyrone area is nice (Pasadena Lakes is beautiful) but if I am going to live in St. Pete, I like being close to the beach and the water. From south St. Pete, I can be downtown in 5 minutes, or at Fort DeSoto in 10.

I would stay far from Largo and Seminole...there is no easy way to get up there and it is nothing but strip malls. Not an easy drive to St. Pete Beach, either.

The neighborhoods to look at in south St. Pete are:
Broadwater
Greater Pinellas Point
Lakewood Estates
The Pink Streets
Bahama Shores

You won't be able to get your son into a magnet school for the upcoming school year, but you can apply in February. The whole system is a nightmare anyway you look at it.

Looking back at your post, I think if you want a racially diverse neighborhood, you should definitely look south of downtown. I knew of many racially mixed families in our old neighborhoods and I think you would really love that area.

Good luck!

[Moni74]

Ferret111 that is true

Cubish8441 thank you for those specific neighborhoods. I will definitly look into them. I was under the impression that South St. Pete was just all bad but just like most cities I'm sure there are good areas. So I will look into the neighborhoods and schools in that area. Thanks!