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Thanks for all the info... yup, I am quite surprised to see the difference in insurance and property tax. I read that there is a vote to bring down the taxes on Jan 29th. Hopefully, that will be helpful to guys like me who plan on moving there...
Most of the houses I have seen are still taxed at the rate in the 1990s... and they are a priced almost double now... so, new comers like myself will be hit with larger property taxes..
I have a friend who works in a courthouse here in Florida, just in a different county and she works with politicians. Well, we were talking about this one day and she said to vote against this because this would only drop your tax for one year and then it will sky rocket again after that. Just letting everyone know what she told me when we were discussing this...
We just moved from S. Tampa (military relocated.) We built a house SOG in 2003 and LOVED living there. If we had to do it all over again, we would either try to be in Ballast Point area, or go North of Gandy for school choices.
My kids went to Ballast Point Elementary on school choice (we were in Chiaramonte-and would NOT send our kids there.) BP Elem is one of the best schools around. Small, great teachers, and the principal ROCKS!! Its reputation is so good, that it is now at capacity, and no longer eligible for choice (at least it wasn't last year.) We were about 2 blocks out of the area.
I cannot say enough about how wonderful living in S tampa is. The community is a fun mix of ecletic, almost small town, with the advantages of a big city, too. We kept our house there, and hope to retire in 3 to 4 years.
Yes, taxes and insurance are a bit crazy. Hopefully, they will stabilize, but still it is such a great place to live, it was worth the investment. We have moved to S. Texas where are taxes are MUCH higher, and we do not see the quality of life that we had in Tampa.
Family friendly living in S tampa is possible. I know the neighborhoods you are speaking of on the Port Tampa side (friend of mine was developing these.) I feel that the west side of the Tampa penninsula will continue to develop and get better. Part of the 'charm' of Tampa are the 'mixed' neighborhoods. You will see a million dollar home next to a 800 sq foot 1940's house. Land is limited, and they build where they can find something available. We lived in a very mixed neighborhood. We had the BEST neighbors. Friendly, helpful, and excited that our new house was bringing up the value of the block. We were one of 3 new houses when we built. 3 years later, there were about 30 to 40 new houses within 5 blocks.
One problem we found from a family standpoint were the lack of sidewalks. They are requiring that sidewalks be put in with new construction, however, there are many areas with no sidewalks at all. We never quite understood this phenomenon. Hard to teach a kid how to ride a bike, with no sidewalks! Or take walks for that matter. Many of the smaller streets are VERY quiet, though.
Robinson high is pushing for a big turnaround. They just became an IB school (International Baccalaureate-spelling?) which brings top rated kids into the school. The area had been surrounded by section 8 housing, which was removed 3 years ago. This has really cleaned up the neighborhood, and the school as well. Last I heard, the land from the old housing was going to the school and they were using it for tennis courts, and an aircraft hanger for their aeronautics studies program. Pretty cool. Will be interesting to see what happens over time.
Middle schools are a very different issue. None of the ones SOG have a good reputation. The magnet school program is pretty strong, though, so you may be able to find a suitable magnet for your child. Same with elementary. There are some GREAT magnet schools...Lee, Macfarlane Park. Really top notch, but you have to go through school choice to get to them. Great preschool is Circle C ranch academy. They have VPK, and the kids ride horses every day. My kids went there, and loved it!
We just moved from S. Tampa (military relocated.) We built a house SOG in 2003 and LOVED living there. If we had to do it all over again, we would either try to be in Ballast Point area, or go North of Gandy for school choices.
My kids went to Ballast Point Elementary on school choice (we were in Chiaramonte-and would NOT send our kids there.) BP Elem is one of the best schools around. Small, great teachers, and the principal ROCKS!! Its reputation is so good, that it is now at capacity, and no longer eligible for choice (at least it wasn't last year.) We were about 2 blocks out of the area.
I cannot say enough about how wonderful living in S tampa is. The community is a fun mix of ecletic, almost small town, with the advantages of a big city, too. We kept our house there, and hope to retire in 3 to 4 years.
Yes, taxes and insurance are a bit crazy. Hopefully, they will stabilize, but still it is such a great place to live, it was worth the investment. We have moved to S. Texas where are taxes are MUCH higher, and we do not see the quality of life that we had in Tampa.
Family friendly living in S tampa is possible. I know the neighborhoods you are speaking of on the Port Tampa side (friend of mine was developing these.) I feel that the west side of the Tampa penninsula will continue to develop and get better. Part of the 'charm' of Tampa are the 'mixed' neighborhoods. You will see a million dollar home next to a 800 sq foot 1940's house. Land is limited, and they build where they can find something available. We lived in a very mixed neighborhood. We had the BEST neighbors. Friendly, helpful, and excited that our new house was bringing up the value of the block. We were one of 3 new houses when we built. 3 years later, there were about 30 to 40 new houses within 5 blocks.
One problem we found from a family standpoint were the lack of sidewalks. They are requiring that sidewalks be put in with new construction, however, there are many areas with no sidewalks at all. We never quite understood this phenomenon. Hard to teach a kid how to ride a bike, with no sidewalks! Or take walks for that matter. Many of the smaller streets are VERY quiet, though.
Robinson high is pushing for a big turnaround. They just became an IB school (International Baccalaureate-spelling?) which brings top rated kids into the school. The area had been surrounded by section 8 housing, which was removed 3 years ago. This has really cleaned up the neighborhood, and the school as well. Last I heard, the land from the old housing was going to the school and they were using it for tennis courts, and an aircraft hanger for their aeronautics studies program. Pretty cool. Will be interesting to see what happens over time.
Middle schools are a very different issue. None of the ones SOG have a good reputation. The magnet school program is pretty strong, though, so you may be able to find a suitable magnet for your child. Same with elementary. There are some GREAT magnet schools...Lee, Macfarlane Park. Really top notch, but you have to go through school choice to get to them. Great preschool is Circle C ranch academy. They have VPK, and the kids ride horses every day. My kids went there, and loved it!
Sorry this is so long, but hope it helps!
Wow... that is a very very clear picture of the entire spectrum taylor... Thanks for the info... reps to you..
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Living in S. Tampa
