Is Tampa the right place for us? (Seminole: 2013, car insurance)

[gurutogo]

Hey everyone thanks for taking the the time to respond. I have been reading through the forums trying to get a feel for the area. My wife and I are looking to relocate to improve our career prospects and lifestyle. We currently live just outside of Iowa City, IA, a university town with 75k population. It's just too quiet here and the weather sucks. We make frequent trips to Chicago just to get a feel for the urban because we grow tired of walking the same areas in our little downtown. My wife is from a huge city (Moscow) and dislikes Iowa because its too rural. I have been working in IT for 15 years and will be looking for an IT Director type position. Thankfully my current temporary job I can do from home so I will be arriving with an income of just above 50k but I hope that will increase once my wife is employed and once I transition to a higher level job. My wife will be fresh from a programming school and looking for a career with very little real life programming experience. Any thoughts or suggestions of what areas might meet our needs would be greatly appreciated. Also I'm curious if we would have enough income to live comfortably (for example by comparison outside of Houston one can get a 2200sq ft new construction home for $170k). School district is not an issue for us, more so I would be interested in areas that are more unique and interesting but with low crime.

Is there enough IT jobs in the Tampa area?

Is there enough to do in the area - outdoor activities, urban environments/shopping, exploration and adventures of unique restaurants, beaches, etc.

Is there a cafe culture in Tampa, outdoor seating at cafes for people watching etc and is it year round?

Our needs

Housing below 180k
access to IT jobs within 30 minutes
walkable neighborhood



Current expenses
Full coverage insurance on 2 2013 vehicles $160 with perfect driving record
Mortgage $730 (140k house including prop tax and insurance)
Water/elec/gas/internet run about $300 per month

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

[SeaSpur]

There aren't many walkable neighborhoods in the Boston/NYC/Chicago sense here, but you have places like Hyde Park and Seminole Heights that offer a smaller scale of that where you have a few restaurants/cafes/breweries/shops that you can walk or bike to from your home depending on how far you are willing to walk/bike.

180k is going to price you out of Hyde Park. You may find something in Seminole Heights that is decent for that price, but it will be older (1950s) and need some updating to your liking. Also, it appears to be "spotty" from an outsiders view but I have friends who live there and don't have issues at all. It's a cool area that is under revitalization and probably 10-15 years out from taking solid form.

The weather is pretty great here year round if you can stand the heat (not that bad to me, but I'm originally from SC). We get a few cold weeks to maybe a month in late January or February...last year was the coldest I've experienced. My first year here, I was fishing without a shirt on in early January. The weather provides a lot of opportunity for outdoor recreation and events...there are so many it is impossible to take advantage of them all, pick your passion.

Not sure about IT jobs, maybe someone else can chime in there.

[MortonR]

I can tell you that your wife should be able to find a job, but you may not, at least not at the level you're at now. Also, the salaries will be lower. Entry level programmers can be as low as $35k here depending on the subject area and employer. Being entry level will make it even harder, as things are pretty competitive right now, so those with experience of any kind will get picked up before her.

The IT sector here isn't bad, but without a specialization you'll be one face in a very big pool. Also, there are a lot of IT related contractors working with MacDill AFB, and Federal funding is getting cut for many of these contracts. As a result there is starting to be an increase of these folks showing up in the applicant pools.

I say that as I am currently screening for an IT position and nearly all of the applicants are current or former DoD contractors who are losing or have lost their contracts.

I'm not saying it's all doom and gloom, but without some sort of specialization it's going to be tough.

Housing below 180k
access to IT jobs within 30 minutes
walkable neighborhood

You're unlikely to get this as a package deal. $180k isn't going to get you into an area with street cafe' stuff or walkable.

Expenses wil be significantly higher, especially car insurance, which will easily be double, if not more. A typical suburban home of maybe 2500 SF will cost more than $300/month in expenses. For that matter, I have the "triple play" package with Verizon FIOS, and it's approaching $200/month with a DVR and a couple of extra boxes without any premium channels. With water and electricity (not many areas around here with gas, as it's not really necessary) you're easily looking at a $500 bill or more for monthly expenses in a typical modern suburban home. If you go into one of the little 1400 SF bungalows near Seminole Heights, probably slightly less, but you're still going to drop $180k or more depending on where it is.

I came here from the Midwest and still have family there. Don't fall for the fallacy of a lower cost of living because you don't have to buy winter clothes. Insurance here will eat you alive, both car and homeowner's. Housing costs are definitely higher, as are housing expenses. Professional salaries, such as IT, are lower by as much as 30% than the Midwest, depending on the area.

You really need to do your due diligence before considering a move here. While the snow and winter does suck, there are some advantages to living north of the Mason-Dixon Line, and most of them are financial.

RM

[mquintana]

I agree with this...

Originally Posted by SeaSpur

There aren't many walkable neighborhoods in the Boston/NYC/Chicago sense here, but you have
places like Hyde Park and Seminole Heights that offer a smaller scale of that where you have a few restaurants/cafes/breweries/shops that you can walk or bike to from your home depending on how far you are willing to walk/bike.

180k is going to price you out of Hyde Park. You may find something in Seminole Heights that is decent for that price, but it will be older (1950s) and need some updating to your liking. Also, it appears to be "spotty" from an outsiders view but I have friends who live there and don't have issues at all. It's a cool area that is under revitalization and probably 10-15 years out from taking solid form.

The weather is pretty great here year round if you can stand the heat (not that bad to me, but I'm originally from SC). We get a few cold weeks to maybe a month in late January or February...last year was the coldest I've experienced. My first year here, I was fishing without a shirt on in early January. The weather provides a lot of opportunity for outdoor recreation and events...there are so many it is impossible to take advantage of them all, pick your passion.

Not sure about IT jobs, maybe someone else can chime in there.