NYC to Tampa in our mid 20's (St. Petersburg, Tallahassee: sale, condo)

[RaktasticNY]

My wife and I are newlyweds living in the the Queens area and have been NYers our whole life. We don't utilize Manhattan and don't think we will miss the city lifestyle. We definitely won't miss owning a small 700sq ft. coop that cost us the same as owning a 3br with a pool in Tampa!!

We would like some info on what neighborhoods in Tampa would suit us best.
We're both in out mid twenties, she's an RN and I'm in finance, with the possibility of starting law school in the near future. We don't have children but they are on the horizon ( 2-3 years or so ), so schools aren't paramount but are important. However we probably will end up sending them to catholic school.

Our price range is in between 200 -250k. We don't want to feel like we're completely in the sticks but don't want the hustle and bustle of city living either. I know, we're very picky!!!

So what would the board members recommend as far as where in tampa to focus our home search?

Also what could my wife expect her salary to be as an RN. She's earning over 65$ here in LI straight out of school.

[HPfeiffer]

Westchase or Citrus Park Area is great! Across the bridge is Clearwater or Even St Petersburg is good, Hyde park is trendy, little more expensive but its good for young professional set

[jessiesma]

your only option in this area is Stetson which is private. student loans won't cover it all. If that is a serious consideration, I'd suggest Seminole. That's Pinellas Co. just next to st. Pete. It's almost on the beach, about 1.5 mi. very nice homes, good schools when you're ready and probably better growth potential than most places here. It wouldn't be a bad commute to Stetson Law and you wife would have a variety of hospitals here where she could work.
The areas below are nice but if you won't miss Manhattan, you don't need Hyde Park. All of them are a difficult commute to law school or hospitals.
One thing you will have to transition to is the CAR You absolutely will need 2 if you're both working, particularly if you're in different areas and schedules. Sorry about that. If you moved into St. Pete, you might get away with one depending on her shift but the few buses in the areas of Tampa below, won't get you anywhere you need to go. Well, wait, if you work in downtown Tampa there is a bus form Hyde Park bu you'd need the car to drive the 35 mi. to Stetson.
Tehre are finance jobs in Tampa but St. Pete has more; Bank of America, BB&T, SunTrust and various investment firms. Franklin Templeton is in Clearwater and not a bad commute from downtown or Seminole.

Oh, schools We're neither Catholic nor parents of school age kids but my perception is there are more here in Pinellas. The diocese cathedral is right across from where I live. That would cover Tampa proper too. So it's the Diocese of St. Petersburg. I know I've seen a number of Catholic schools over here.
You ought to PM "spainbrit" on this forum. She's a realtor and in Seminole. I don't know her but she sounds knowledgeable and can help with your concerns. Hope this isn't an illegal referral. I'm still a bit unsure of forum rules. Maybe the mod. can putit in legal terms if I goofed

Originally Posted by HPfeiffer

Westchase or Citrus Park Area is great! Across the bridge is Clearwater or Even St Petersburg is good, Hyde park is trendy, little more expensive but its good for young professional set

[jessiesma]

I looked on the web sites of a couple of hospitals here and they didn't post salary ranges. I'd guess they are lower than in NYC maybe very much so. 20% or more but the cost of living is still lower.
In Pinellas, the hospitals you can google are: St. Petersburg General, Bayfront Health Systems, Edward White and St. Anthony's in St. Pete, and Morton Plante Meese in Clearwater/Largo. There is also Palms of Pasadena right on the Intracoastal in St. Pete Beach. the Jewish Community has a very nice nursing home just down the street from me, central st. Pete. They have both full care and assisted living. They are building another facility in Clearwater. Then there are tons of other similar facilities because of the aging population. You can go to Yellow Pages, White Pages, Maps, and more - Switchboard.com
and look up those categories. I suggest your wife write a letter of interest to the ones that appeal to her and ask what the pay ranges are for her level of experience and specialty if any.

Be aware that USF is a major medical university and has a huge nursing program. So does St. Petersburg College and there are some private schools such as Galen. I'm not sure there is as much of a shortage in this area. That will affect salaries and availability.
If law school is a serious consideration, you might also check out Gainsville, U of FL and Tallahassee, FSU. They are not on the water but you can get to beaches in about an hour. The Gulf of Mexico is beautiful and I think you can make it here financially in your fields. It just won't be as many $$$ as in NY so you have to calculate the trade offs like those 2 cars I mentioned in a previous post. Also that you will have to lose an income when you go to law school although Stetson DOES have a fully accredited night program. Just don't go to the Tampa campus, it is not fully accredited yet and you will wind up over here eventually.

Originally Posted by RaktasticNY

My wife and I are newlyweds living in the the Queens area and have been NYers our whole life. We don't utilize Manhattan and don't think we will miss the city lifestyle. We definitely won't miss owning a small 700sq ft. coop that cost us the same as owning a 3br with a pool in Tampa!!

We would like some info on what neighborhoods in Tampa would suit us best.
We're both in out mid twenties, she's an RN and I'm in finance, with the possibility of starting law school in the near future. We don't have children but they are on the horizon ( 2-3 years or so ), so schools aren't paramount but are important. However we probably will end up sending them to catholic school.

Our price range is in between 200 -250k. We don't want to feel like we're completely in the sticks but don't want the hustle and bustle of city living either. I know, we're very picky!!!

So what would the board members recommend as far as where in tampa to focus our home search?

Also what could my wife expect her salary to be as an RN. She's earning over 65$ here in LI straight out of school.

[RaktasticNY]

thank you both for the replies! I've gone through these forums in detail and the same areas seem to be repeated - westchase, citrus and hyde park.
are these neighborhoods within my price range?

the car situation is actually fine as we both currently drive everywhere we need to go... i've heard the commute from areas north of tampa can be brutal if your going into the city. how is the traffic situation from westchase and seminole?

thanks again for all your help!!!!!

[jessiesma]

I don't think 250-300K will get you much in Hyde Park. But if you work in downtown, both of you, you'll make it up almost in not using the car. There are buses. If you're determined to live in Tampa itself, You wife can try Tampa General. She could walk it from Hyde Park. Maybe a condo and it is urban. Not great for little kids but could be worse. Westchase could get you maybe a townhome or if you hit it right, a distressed sale home. Seminole definitely.
Commute for WC or Seminole to Where? Tampa? Westchase is a part of Tampa and you will hit airport traffic going downtown or you'd be getting into a 3 year construction project on I-275. Same for North Tampa. North Tampa is a brutal commute to anywhere anyway at any time. Actually Seminole is longish to the Howard Frankland bridge, city streets, but once across, it's not too bad to downtown because you're already on I -275 and if you take the Crosstown a couple of exits it's not too terrible. Less than an hour. I've gotta ask again, where are you two going to work? I can give you a better answer if I know that. You will not want to commute from either West Chase or definitely not North Tampa to Stetson Law. The best place for your wife to work from North Tampa however, is the USF area. Univ. Hosp is there as is a VA hosp. and Shriners Childrens.
I forgot to mention All Children's in both Tampa and St. Pete.

Originally Posted by RaktasticNY

thank you both for the replies! I've gone through these forums in detail and the same areas seem to be repeated - westchase, citrus and hyde park.
are these neighborhoods within my price range?

the car situation is actually fine as we both currently drive everywhere we need to go... i've heard the commute from areas north of tampa can be brutal if your going into the city. how is the traffic situation from westchase and seminole?

thanks again for all your help!!!!!

[RaktasticNY]

sort of off topic..however does anyone know if the Tampa Police Department or HCSO is hiring? Also how hard would it be to come from another state into either dept.


_________________________________________________
AltEnergyForum - Invest in a greener tomorrow!
AltEnergyForum.Com - Gain insight into the companies leading the world in renewable energy.

[jessiesma]

is anything to go by half the awfasahs tawk like us

Originally Posted by RaktasticNY

sort of off topic..however does anyone know if the Tampa Police Department or HCSO is hiring? Also how hard would it be to come from another state into either dept.


_________________________________________________
AltEnergyForum - Invest in a greener tomorrow!
AltEnergyForum.Com - Gain insight into the companies leading the world in renewable energy.

[bjonczy]

Another area, especially if you're working downtown, is Seminole Heights - it's about 4 miles outside of downtown. It's one of our historic areas in Tampa. I'm sure you can find a house in the $200 - $250k range. Many residents walk it in the evenings with the families/pets.

[RaktasticNY]

Could you offer some pics of the neighborhood? neighbors houses, whatever you might have. dont know the area from a hole in the wall so any info i can get would be great

thnx