Moving to the Tampa area from Europe - Where is a good place to live? (Clearwater: to rent)

[indigogirl1976]

Hi there,

I am moving to the Tampa/Clearwater area from the UK to join my husband. I won't be working as I am a stay at home mom. He works in downtown Clearwater in an 8-5 job. We are looking to rent and then buy fairly quickly and aim to spend between $120,000-$150,000. Schools are a concern as we have a 1 year old and he'll be starting school in a few years so we want to send him to a decent public shcool. My husband is willing to commute around 30-40 minutes to work.

Most importantly to me is pedestrianism. I really want to be able to walk to a nice park and perhaps some shops or restaurants. I don't know if this is possible on our budget.

Any input would be great. We are moving blind to the area and don't know it at all!

[kyle19125]

Welcome to the area!

I'd recommend the Countryside neighborhood of Clearwater. It's in the upper northeast section of the city. Davis Elementary is very highly rated. Leila Davis Elementary School - Clearwater, Florida - FL - School overview Your husband's commute would be well within the 30-40 minutes.

The Countryside area is pretty self-contained (and walkable). Besides Countryside Mall there are a number of grocery/drug stores and restaurants. It's about as walkable as Florida cities can get. There is quite a bit of greenspace/trees and it's a safe area to live in.

There are a number of properties in your price range there. Not many single family homes to choose from (there are a few), but quite a number of attached townhouse or villa properties to check out.

[Pragmaticus]

Countryside is good.

But with 30 to 40 minutes to downtown clearwater, you may want to look Dunedin and Palm Harbor as well as part of Safety harbor too. They are all adjoing countryside of clearwater that you are advised above.

And probably Dunedin fits what you are looking for but I personaly like the schools in Palm Harbor.

Welcome!

[jambo101]

Northwestern areas of St Petersburg should be included in your search.

[housingcrashsurvivor]

Originally Posted by indigogirl1976

Most importantly to me is pedestrianism. I really want to be able to walk to a nice park and perhaps some shops or restaurants. I don't know if this is possible on our budget

Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address

[Profilewriter]

We like Dunedin a lot. It has a lovely downtown, lots of parks, a nice library, a new arts and recreation center, and a few houses toward the upper end of your price range. It is also on the county-wide bike path, very close to the bay, and a 10-15 min drive to the beach. People are friendly, and it definitely has more of a small town vibe than a suburban vibe. It would be possible to do most of your errands without getting onto a busy highway.

[DaveinFL]

We just moved away from the area, but my suggestion would be Bradenton. Specifically west bradenton, near the beach. There are great parks, and bike routes. It's quiet and the crime rate is low in that area. It's about 30-40 min to Clearwater, and can be around 5-10 min to the beach. There is great sunsets and the housing is inexpensive. There is not a lot of jobs there and it's seasonal, with the "snow-birds" that come down during the winter.