New job in St. Pete - need help finding best area to live (Palm Harbor: hotels)

[Amydyl]

Ok, so currently living in GA and planning a move to FL. New job is in St. Pete, and we need to move fairly quickly. Parts of this question have been asked in other threads, but have some specific requirements about area to live. Would love any and all advice on narrowing down possible areas- hopefully I sm not being naive in hoping for somewhere that fits all . Requirements:

1) most important- good high school. One 8th grader who is an average student, one 6th grader who is academically gifted....good high school is a must.
2) within 15 minutes or less driving distance to the beach.
3) no more than 30-45 min commute to downtown St. Pete
4) safe, kid-friendly neighborhood
5) house under $400k

Thanks for any help given!

[Fl1150]

Check out the Old Northeast area for charters or Magnets since I don't think the schools are that great and also check out Seminole which is located right above St. Pete but has good schools and is family friendly with not too long a commute.

[PhotoProIP]

Originally Posted by Amydyl

Ok, so currently living in GA and planning a move to FL. New job is in St. Pete, and we need to move fairly quickly. Parts of this question have been asked in other threads, but have some specific requirements about area to live. Would love any and all advice on narrowing down possible areas- hopefully I sm not being naive in hoping for somewhere that fits all . Requirements:

1) most important- good high school. One 8th grader who is an average student, one 6th grader who is academically gifted....good high school is a must.
2) within 15 minutes or less driving distance to the beach.
3) no more than 30-45 min commute to downtown St. Pete
4) safe, kid-friendly neighborhood
5) house under $400k

Thanks for any help given!

Probably Palm Harbor will be best as far as schools are concerned, and with that budget you could find something nice in there. There is NOWHERE that will take you to the beach in 15 minutes or less unless you add more money to that budget. Then again, being closer to the beach means you're OUT of the school boundary.

Most people looking to live here really need to understand that the good schools are nowhere nears the beaches. The beaches are filled with hotels, motels, million dollar homes, small businesses, and a TWO lane road that is VERY slow to drive on. There are a lot of tourists making traffic around the beaches awful 5mph an hour ride awful, and that the "beach areas" are full of retires too. Unfortunately, the way society works in America you first need to get old, retire, and hopefully you made enough money to see the water! Families, good schools, etc. have been pushed far, far outside the cities. If you don't like this, change it.

OP You must come down and see for yourself.

[InGateway]

Originally Posted by PhotoProIP

Probably Palm Harbor will be best as far as schools are concerned, and with that budget you could find something nice in there. There is NOWHERE that will take you to the beach in 15 minutes or less unless you add more money to that budget. Then again, being closer to the beach means you're OUT of the school boundary.

Most people looking to live here really need to understand that the good schools are nowhere nears the beaches. The beaches are filled with hotels, motels, million dollar homes, small businesses, and a TWO lane road that is VERY slow to drive on. There are a lot of tourists making traffic around the beaches awful 5mph an hour ride awful, and that the "beach areas" are full of retires too. Unfortunately, the way society works in America you first need to get old, retire, and hopefully you made enough money to see the water! Families, good schools, etc. have been pushed far, far outside the cities. If you don't like this, change it.

OP You must come down and see for yourself.

Who cares about schools anyhow.. HOMESCHOOL!

I would if I was stuck here for good and had kids. I'll take the April Gaede route, homeschool, in my case marry a swede, have passable blonde daughters and help them form the next Prussian Blue, get them to sing wholesome pride songs, then they'll alienate me and become hippies when they get older.

[Amydyl]

Thank you all for the advice! Very helpful...except the homeschooling. Because...did I mention I'm moving for a JOB opportunity?

Palm Harbor, Seminole, and also Safety Harbor were the areas I read about in other threads as being family-friendly areas. We do plan to visit the areas prior to deciding...and of course you can get a feel for the areas when visiting...but I always find that you get more info from people that actually live in an area that you can't necessarily get from a visit. Particularly in regard to schools, I find that you don't always get the whole story from greatschools ratings.

What, in your opinions, are the pros and cons of each of the areas of Seminole, Palm Harbor and Safety Harbor?