St. petersburg HELP!!!!!!!! (Tampa, Clearwater, Largo: apartments, how much, motel)

[sunshine here I come]

I have been doing some house hunting and saw alot of new builds being built in the 33711 zip code. Does anyone have any info about this area?? Is it the ghetto??

[willbo1]

May want to be a bit careful down there. It is a transitional area and still has a ways to go. I would be hesitant to live anywhere too much south of Central Ave as it is either still a bad area or you will probably have to drive through a rough area to get to it.

How much were houses going in that area?

[sunshine here I come]

New builds were going for around 150-170

[willbo1]

I would avoid the area.

[SunKrist]

I would say that if you were to live south of Central Avenue, it would have to be way south, past 22th Avenue S. Anything inbetween is still kind of shakey, unless it's east near the water and downtown.

[Floridasunshine]

I lived in St Pete years ago , not much new development there, I would stay in North of Central Avenue area of City. and not near town.
I loved the Northeast Area of St Pete, but it is prone to flooding sometimes.
I would look on outskirts of St Pete , Like Largo, Tyrone, Seminole areas.

[FleeingFloridaForever]

The other posters are correct.

I lived on 2nd Street and 4th Avenue SOUTH for 15 years with my family and it went down hill terribly..no more green benches (those were the days..the green benches and everything was so clean and safe) in downtown area.

I remember back in the 1970's when we could walk from 4th Avenue South to Webb's department store to get a 25 cent icecream from Webbs and take the elevator upstairs (they actually had an elevator man that operated the elevator and it smelled like moth balls) to see the "live mermaid" show - (they were manniquins dressed up like mermaids and someone behind a curtain would say "hello" with a microphone to scare you) and they had real live chickens on a turntable behind a glass booth that if you put a nickle in the slot food would spill out for the chicken to eat and the chickens made the turntable spin...(animal rights weren't around in those days).

Anything SOUTH of Central Avenue you want to avoid!!! It really is a bad area.

Seminole area is nice.

[FleeingFloridaForever]

Originally Posted by SunshineBaby

I would say that if you were to live south of Central Avenue, it would have to be way south, past 22th Avenue S. Anything inbetween is still kind of shakey, unless it's east near the water and downtown.

That just reminded me...22nd Street South area.

I was a part of "reverse bussing" back in the 70's and there were a couple of bus loads of white students having to attend an all black school (Southside Junior High School - home of the Bulldogs Red/Black) down in the 22nd Ave area. My brother had to go to 16th Steet Elementary in the southside, too.

If I missed the bus I had to walk home from school. I know those streets in that neighbourhood. Very bad back then,,, worse now.

I heard that the school changed into a reform school. The reverse bussing never worked. Worse year of school I ever had. All there was was fights and fights and more fights. My brother used to be chased blocks from school almost every day.

I ended up going to St. Pete. High School ...for me, it was the best. Go Green Devils!

Our current Governor of Florida attended the same school.

[Pigeonracer]

I lived in Saint Petersburg for about 14 years and I would have to echo the sentiments of the other posters that recommend you stay north of Central Ave.

[wally-dow]

This is really sad.

I lived in Pinellas County for most of my younger years. I went to Clearwater Jr and Sr High Schools, and lived in St Pete until about 1977 when I moved to Tennessee.

While living in St Pete I was a musician and played at many of the clubs in the St Pete, Clearwater, Largo, Tampa, north US 19, and the beaches areas.

I worked for a time at a place on St Pete Beach called the "Out Of Sight Shop".

I was a member (Guitarist) of a band called "The Train Robbers". We backed a singing group called the "Childs of Friendship". We were based at a club over a motel on Tangerine Avenue called The Three Oaks. It was a "Soul" band and I was the only white member of the group. I replaced a white guitarist named, Kenny (I believe that was his name). I even recorded a 45 with them after I left the band. We played a concert in Williams Park in 1973 and had the biggest turnout of any band ever to appear in the summer concert series.

I was a member of the band "Ronnie Lowe and the Dominoes" and we played at the Tyrone Inn on Tyrone Blvd, right where it intersects with Park (Blvd? - Street?). Jim Stafford replaced me as the guitarist in that band when I left to play in Naples, FL with a band called "The Imperials". I heard that Dicky Betts was a member after I left also. IU ran into a girl in Nashville who had been a member of that band after I left named Barbara (Don't recall her last name)

I also had a band called "Magic Mirror". The St Petersburg Times/Independent did a center spread on us in The Scene Magazine in either '72 or '73

I also worked with several black groups in St Pete, amongst which were "G H Franklin", "Buddy Green" and many more. I used to make regular appearances at the "Tangebar" which was owned by a fellow named Scotty. Names like Eddie Boyd, Wilbur (Phil) Hill, Tyrone Johnson, Wayne Hilliard, and many others are fond memories to me. I visited with a group of old timers who remembered me at a convenient store parking lot on 16th street when I made my trip over there. Wayne Hilliard called me, but I have lost contact with him.

I was the guitarist in a band called "The Wintergreen Rock and Roll Band" which played at a club called "The Tavern on the Green" at 16th Street North and 30th Avenue.

I recently drove over to St Pete, and Clearwater and drove around looking at places I remembered. Many of them were gone. It is sick what people do in the name of progress.

My daughters lived in a house on 21st Avenue South at 8th Street for quite a few years with her grandma. when my oldest daughter was a baby we lived in a cottage on Jackson Street in between 4th and 5th Avenues North. It is now an exit ramp.

My mom moved into a house on 30th Avenue after 21st Ave So, and was living there when I was playing at the Tavern On The Green. That house was a block and a half from the club. She moved to Sabrill Square Apartments on 4th Street North after I moved to Tennessee. They have changed the name on those apartments, but they are still there.

I remember Preston Music, Bringe and Wilsey Music, and many other good memories of my life in St Pete. It is crushingly sad to see that they are all gone now. A friend of mine, Louie Barrows had a music store on Central Avenue, I believe at 46th street for a time.

I really hope some of my old friends who knew me will recall me and contact me. I miss those good old days and times more than I can say.

And ... I still play and have my own gear. I am looking for a good band who wants a good guitarist. Contact me if you want.