Need guidance on Clearwater area (Dunedin, Trinity: real estate, apartments, to rent)

[Kevin V]

I'm planning to retire and possibly move to the Clearwater area or a little north or south of it.

I'm looking for information on the pros and cons of apartments, crime, good areas, bad areas, you get the idea.

I'm wanting to rent an apartment at first to figure out exactly which area I'd want to buy a house in.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!!

[Wwanderer]

We chose Dunedin, which is partly north, and partly west of Clearwater, which surrounds Dunedin on two sides. Lots of retirees and apartments, but a fairly diverse age demographic too. We like it very much. Very walkable, lovely little downtown, vibrant.

[kyle19125]

I would recommend the Countryside area of NE Clearwater which is north of SR580, east of US19, west of McMullen Booth Road and south of Curlew Road. It's a beautiful area with lots of trees/greenery, low crime and is convenient to shopping, restaurants and services. It's not all retirees and offers some age diversity over most of Dunedin and other parts of Clearwater.

[Wwanderer]

Countryside is very nice, we looked there. But we decided it was too far from the water. We're a 15 minute walk to the Sound, and a 20 minute drive to Honeymoon Island State Park. We also can walk just about everywhere.

[oh2sc]

KEVIN V.....We have a daughter living in the Countryside area, and her husband is from Dunedin. We like both areas. Countryside is good for them since they are a younger couple who need shopping and services close by. Nice people of various ages living in their neighborhood. They seem to have no problem getting over to the beach whenever they want to. I love all the stores (& Countryside Mall) & restaurants in their area. There is traffic congestion in Pinellas County during rush hours, but wouldn't really be a problem for a retiree who can choose times to be on the road. Dunedin is actually just a "suburb" of Clearwater with its own quaint little downtown area--bars, antique shops, boutiques. Very nice town for walking and a pretty park and waterfront area. Most of the affordable housing areas I've seen in Dunedin are "old Florida". There are some apartments, but Countryside has tons more apartments to choose from. I'd say get a real estate agent to help you out. My husband and I (both retirees) are considering the Trinity area off of Eastlake Rd. because the homes are a bit newer than Countryside, and most streets are gated. As a big city northern girl who now lives in a small very pretty S. Carolina town, I think the Eastlake area is attractive--very pretty neighborhoods & convenient to shopping, services, and medical facilities. Try to stay in Pinellas County and avoid Pasco County unless you locate in the area of Pasco that's south of SR54. Only area of Pasco north of SR54 that's decent is Beacon Woods IMO, but even that area is a long way from what it was 35 years ago when it was filled with WWII well-to-do retirees. Good luck to you!