thinking of moving from Indianapolis to Riverview,Fl. and looking for best areas to move to, also looking for a rental h (Tampa: insurance)

[bescobedo47]

hi all, looking to move to riverview fl. from indiana,need to know what areas to aviod and which are good for my family, i have a 14 yr old son who will go to 9th grade next year,also need a 2 bedroom rental home,could anyone tell me what the local papers are for the area?, thanks a lot,be

[mike28]

When house hunting in Riverview about a year ago, nice but I end up buying in Valrico next to Riverview I like Valrico better there was more of a family feeling but overall those areas are family oriented.

[MortonR]

As a native of Indianapolis who now lives in Valrico, I would caution you to have limited expectations.

I am not "trashing" the area, I just want you to understand that the quality of education in this area is not on par with any of the township school districts of Indianapolis or it's surrounds (I graduated from Perry Township schools and have a sibling who has taught in them for some years. I teaching in Hillsborough County, the district that serves this area.)

That being said, Riverview High School is your best bet. Avoid East Bay, which has some serious difficulties with its youngsters and their shenanigans. I would strongly encourage you to consider just slightly north of Riverview, which is Valrico. Durant HS and Bloomingdale HS serve this area, and both of them are very good, too. You'll find homes a little nicer in most of Valrico as well, and with the housing market being what it is, you should have no problem finding a good rental.

And hopefully you have researched housing costs - they will be considerably higher than Indianapolis, as will auto and home insurance (the home insurance not being an issue if you're renting, of course.)

Believe it or not, I would try Craigslist. I never thought about it for rental properties, but I know a couple of folks who have found some nice places on it. If you PM me, I know of a 2BR condo in Valrico that a fellow teacher has up for rent right now.

Good luck - you're coming down at a great time of the year. We have the AC on right now as it's been in the high 70s/low 80s the last few days, and shows little indication of cooling off.

RM

[anymore2]

My family moved from Indianapolis in 2003. We almost moved to Riverview, but opted for Tampa/Carrollwood area instead. Nothing matches the beauty of Indy. But the florida sunshine makes up for it. If you are not working in Riverview I would try to find a place closer to your work. Traffic is horrible everywhere. It is true the schools are not as good here.

[Keeper]

The Tampa Tribune is the newspaper in Tampa. You can find it on TBO.com