Our visit and update (Clearwater, Dunedin: spring break, condo, townhome)

[thefishes540]

Hello all,
Just wanted to give an update on our move and experiences as you all have been so helpful to us. As i have mentioned in a previous post, we purchased a townhome sight unseen in the Baytown addition of Safety Harbor ( I realize its not the smartest thing in the world to have done but after two years of visits and research we knew Safety Harbor was where we wanted to be and wanted to act on the lower housing prices and lower interest rate environment). We were on spring break in Indiana last week so it was a perfect opportunity to see what we bought. As you might imagine, it was a little nerve racking driving the 15 hours not knowing (other than pictures) what we would be walking into for our new home. I am happy to say it was great and we were very well pleased! The Baytown community is great and seems to be very peaceful. We spent much of our time at Phillipe Park which is about a two minute walk from Baytown. We also spent a lot of time at the Safety Harbor Marina where we spotted several dolphins and manatees. I tried fishing at the marina but it doesnt seem to be a fishing hotspot unfortunately. We loved the Safety Harbor downtown and in just a short drive to McMullen Booth or Gulf to Bay we had all the shopping we would need.
Traffic wasn't as bad as we were expecting but we also did not see any accidents so no doubt that would have slowed things down a bit. The drivers do unfortunately seem to be as advertised.
We had about a 20 minute drive to the beaches we visited, Honeymoon Island and Pier 60 in Clearwater. Both were very nice areas with Pier 60 getting the edge because of the fishing pier.
We attended Harborside Christian Church on Sunday morning which we loved!
Overall we had a great trip and really confirmed what we had initially liked about Safety Harbor. We cannot wait until our home in Indiana sells and we can officially move down! Once again, thank you to all for your help and advice! Your comments have been so helpful throughout this process!!!

[dystopian]

Originally Posted by thefishes540

Traffic wasn't as bad as we were expecting but we also did not see any accidents so no doubt that would have slowed things down a bit.

Congrats on your purchase and pending move.

Glad you saw for yourself that traffic isnt that bad which it isnt. You would think some of the posters here have never left their zip code!

[Sunscape]

Thanks for the update.
I'm glad this forum was able to help you and that you are happy with your TH!!

[ColtsFan1978]

Congrats! We moved here from Indy just over a year ago and love it. Enjoy!

[gulfporter]

Glad you found Your Spot. We just bought in Gulfport; we liked Dunedin, Safety Harbor, too.

It's surprising to us that there are still Old Florida small towns, and they are making a come-back in popularity. I think younger (and more good-looking, ha!) retirees are seeking places like these so they can walk more, bicycle more, have a better sense of community...things that the 'burbs don't always offer.

The tree canopies in Gulfport, Dunedin and Safety Harbor are fabulous! It doesn't look like what many think of as FLA.

[thefishes540]

Originally Posted by gulfporter

Glad you found Your Spot. We just bought in Gulfport; we liked Dunedin, Safety Harbor, too.

It's surprising to us that there are still Old Florida small towns, and they are making a come-back in popularity. I think younger (and more good-looking, ha!) retirees are seeking places like these so they can walk more, bicycle more, have a better sense of community...things that the 'burbs don't always offer.

The tree canopies in Gulfport, Dunedin and Safety Harbor are fabulous! It doesn't look like what many think of as FLA.

Thank you all for the kind responses and well wishes.

Gulfport- We were amazed at how Safety Harbor seems so tucked away by itself but so close to everything we would need as far as shopping and services go. We are in our early 30's with two little ones and that sense of community and walkability is what really sealed the deal for us!

[Wwanderer]

Glad to hear it worked out--we love Philippe Park and drive over there from Dunedin several times each winter. And Gulfport we love--make the trek down there at least once a year. If we'd discovered Gulfport first, who knows? Although we're retired, and wanted a condo that was walking distance to downtown, and we got that in Dunedin.

[gulfporter]

Indeed, these three small cities (Gulfport, Dunedin and Safety Harbor) are true gems....lots of Old Florida charm and each with a distinct personality. And most importantly, each with a strong sense of community.

We felt that SH is best for families with children. We're young-ish and active retirees who wanted a SFH (with a pool or room for one and a large gardening area), Being within walking distance of the water and of eateries ('nice' bars, too) were mandatory for us. The weekly Fresh Market and twice monthly evening Art Walks in Gulfport sealed the deal for us. Though Dunedin was a close second....it too has many charming brick streets (who even knew they existed!).

Downtown St. Pete, especially Old North East was on our radar but we are past the Urban Pioneer stage of our lives, but I can see its attraction to others who want to rehab an classic home. The prices on the already-rehabbed homes there are rapidly rising.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by gulfporter

Old North East was on our radar but we are past the Urban Pioneer stage of our lives, but I can see its attraction to others who want to rehab an classic home.

Old Northeast (and surrounding neighborhoods for the most part) is well past "urban pioneer" status and has been for quite some time. Even though this article is from 2007 it's pretty much the same except possibly for somewhat lower home prices.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/11/re...vens.html?_r=0