So I'm on my way to Tampa (Orlando, Clearwater: real estate, rental)

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

Originally Posted by Tampa Bay FL

My wife is currently in Tampa so I've been looking at homes up here and having her drive around the streets. We seem to have found a few homes in the area north of Euclid, south of Swan, and west of Dale Mabry. My wife drove by some of these streets and said they looked nice and sent me pics and I like them as well. It seems the schools in this area are highly rated. I checked the Tampa police department website and from what I can tell, it seems there is minimal crime. I had her drive up to Oldsmar and then come into Tampa during rush hour. She said it was a long drive but nothing we aren't used to, however she says she likes South Tampa better.

It seems that in the older neighborhoods like Tampa, the streets have a lot more trees creating almost a canopy. Is this by design to make the area cooler? Tampa seems to be a little less urban than what we are used to, but I think we can make do as we have kind of transitioned out of the "urban" stages of our lives.

Good luck with your move.

It is extremely smart to have her actually spending time in person looking around.

[LCL111]

Originally Posted by Tampa Bay FL

My wife is currently in Tampa so I've been looking at homes up here and having her drive around the streets. We seem to have found a few homes in the area north of Euclid, south of Swan, and west of Dale Mabry. My wife drove by some of these streets and said they looked nice and sent me pics and I like them as well. It seems the schools in this area are highly rated. I checked the Tampa police department website and from what I can tell, it seems there is minimal crime. I had her drive up to Oldsmar and then come into Tampa during rush hour. She said it was a long drive but nothing we aren't used to, however she says she likes South Tampa better.

It seems that in the older neighborhoods like Tampa, the streets have a lot more trees creating almost a canopy. Is this by design to make the area cooler? Tampa seems to be a little less urban than what we are used to, but I think we can make do as we have kind of transitioned out of the "urban" stages of our lives.

That describes Palma Ceia West and/or Virginia Park. Great area - centrally located, a lot of families, great schools and easy to get around. I rarely have to leave south Tampa to get anything done! It takes us 35-40 min to get to the beach (depending on traffic). Minutes to downtown, Hyde Park, great restaurants, etc... We feel relatively safe living here - I think the old adage - trust in God, but lock your doors applies. We have had things stolen out of our cars parked in the driveway or in front of the house. Aside from that the only complaints I have are - no or inconsistent sidewalks, no where for kids to ride bikes, no greenways.

The trees are protected - we had to have a permit to remove a dead Live Oak and had to plant 2 trees to replace it.

Again, good luck!

[Jenniegurl]

Originally Posted by LCL111

That describes Palma Ceia West and/or Virginia Park. Great area - centrally located, a lot of families, great schools and easy to get around. I rarely have to leave south Tampa to get anything done! It takes us 35-40 min to get to the beach (depending on traffic). Minutes to downtown, Hyde Park, great restaurants, etc... We feel relatively safe living here - I think the old adage - trust in God, but lock your doors applies. We have had things stolen out of our cars parked in the driveway or in front of the house. Aside from that the only complaints I have are - no or inconsistent sidewalks, no where for kids to ride bikes, no greenways.

The trees are protected - we had to have a permit to remove a dead Live Oak and had to plant 2 trees to replace it.

Again, good luck!

Hi there! You said the schools there are great, could you tell me if the public schools are great or are you referring to Private? Just curious. Also, could you tell me what the name of the middle school is in the area there?

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by Jenniegurl

Hi there! You said the schools there are great, could you tell me if the public schools are great or are you referring to Private? Just curious. Also, could you tell me what the name of the middle school is in the area there?

They're both good. Coleman is the middle school for most--if not all--of Virginia Park and Palma Ceia West. There's also Wilson and Madison for the bordering neighborhoods.

[Tampa Bay FL]

This Hyde Park shopping area seems to be exactly like what my current downtown area is like. If anyone is familiar with Metro Detroit, I live in Royal Oak and it seems like this Hyde Park area is similar to downtown Royal Oak. I'm really liking South Tampa. I also noticed a boat launch by Gandy Blvd. I assume this would be a good place to launch my jet skis.

[craigm1841]

Originally Posted by Tampa Bay FL

This Hyde Park shopping area seems to be exactly like what my current downtown area is like. If anyone is familiar with Metro Detroit, I live in Royal Oak and it seems like this Hyde Park area is similar to downtown Royal Oak. I'm really liking South Tampa. I also noticed a boat launch by Gandy Blvd. I assume this would be a good place to launch my jet skis.

Yes- A lot of people launch their jetskis in the Tampa bay @ Gandy. I think the ramp is on the north side (westbound lanes) and you can just go under the Gandy Bay Bridge to get to the bay. A lot of people take their jetskis and boats over to Hula Bay on the weekends for lunch, you can tie up right outside the bar. There is also a little island just southwest of hula bay (you can see it from the resturant) that has some trees and a beach. I never see anyone on it, but I would imagine it is a cool spot to hang out.

[Tampa Bay FL]

I keeping hearing and reading on this forum about the high cost of living in Florida but I'm not seeing it.

I have found the milage rate in the city of Tampa is about 21 vs. the 42 I pay here. I know Florida has a lot of HOA whereas HOA's are rare in Michigan. Being South Tampa is a bit older, is there HOA's in Tampa?

Homeowners insurance is definitely higher. Being that property taxes are half, that negates the increase in homeowners insurance. Between property taxes and home owners insurance, it's looking like I'll probably pay a little less in Florida.

I hear car insurance is high in Florida but I just read an article that said Michigan had the second highest vehicle insurance in the country behind Hawaii. I had my wife stop in Tampa and get a quote and it seems auto insurance is even. From what I can tell Florida does their vehicle registration pricing by weight. In Michigan it's done by the value of the vehicle so newer vehicles may cost less to plate in Florida but older ones cost less in Michigan. Seems to be a wash.

Utilities bills I'm feeling maybe slightly higher in Florida. Electricity will be higher in Florida but gas will be a lot lower in Florida. Water appears to be higher.

Gasoline should be lower in Florida. Michigan has some of the highest gas tax and my wife says gas is running about 5 cents a gallon less in Tampa than in Michigan.

I plan to hire a pest control service for scheduled bug spraying. That will be an extra expense but I figure that expense is worth it since I don't have to clear snow from my driveway and roof.

Am I missing any other expenses I would pay living in Florida vs Michigan? Also what do people in Florida do to control bugs and snakes? Is there any advice to prevent snakes from coming in my yard? I have two small kids so I would like to know what not to do to attract them.

[ferret111]

Gas can vary across the state, even outside city lines. It seems to be almost or exactly ten cents cheaper in the Tampa than it is in the Panhandle.

I wouldn't worry about snakes too much. In most urban and even suburban areas, you'll only ever run into black racers, which are harmless and scared of humans, but they help keep the pest population down.

[tilli]

Just make sure that you and your kids learn what our poisonous snakes look like - in the Tampa area I've encountered pygmy rattlers, but every other snake I've met has been harmless.

As for cost of living versus Michigan specifically - no idea. However, lots of little things are more expensive here than many other parts of the country - groceries, lightbulbs, whatever. This is because it is expensive to truck freight down the long dead-end that is Florida. It can add up. Gas, we get somewhat lucky in Tampa because I think most of it comes in through the port. As for car insurance, I wouldn't put too much weight into the quote your wife got unless she was able to provide the actual address that you would live at, rates vary a lot depending on zip code and probably other address factors.

[Tampa Bay FL]

Just to update. We are now living in Florida. My sister lives in Plant City which I thought was a suburb of Orlando but is much closer to Tampa than I thought. We are currently living with her till we find something. I saved up all my vacation time and decided to use a good chunk of it now. My wife however is making the commute from Plant City to Tampa. Anyways, decided to take a look at Oldsmar and Safety Harbor. I was set on South Tampa before I came down, but wanted to check these cities out first. Both are nice but I like South Tampa better. I like the tree line streets of South Tampa versus the newer subdivisions. South Tampa is a lot like Michigan except with palm trees mixed in.

I'm starting to find the areas near Dale Mabry seem less desirable than the areas towards each shore. I'm meeting with a real estate agent to look at a house in Sunset Park. It's suppose to be near the intersection of Manhattan and Bay to Bay Blvd. It seems this area has a lot of newer construction but also lots of older construction. I'm thinking I'd like this area better than over by Hyde Park because it seems more residential and the lots seem bigger. I anticipate eating out maybe 2-4 times a month. It's not a long drive from Sunset Park to the SoHo area so I can always drive there. My kids are toddlers so I don't have time to go to bars very often. When my wife and I go out, it's usually one or two Saturdays a month. I plan to spend most of my weekends on my boat or jet ski. Anyways, how is Sunset Park? I believe this neighborhood is zoned to Mabry which seems to get good reviews. I want to buy something by September since my oldest will be starting her first year of school. In terms of shopping, with two kids we primarily just shop at Walmart and Target now. If I'm not mistaken, I saw a mall at West Shore Blvd and Kennedy?

I also like to golf so where are some good courses? I'm an amateur so I'm not looking for something too difficult.