St. Pete Vs. Dunedin - Single 29yrFm - help! (St. Petersburg: apartment complexes, to rent) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - City-Data Forum

LadyWray12 · 05-10-2016, 09:02 AM

Hello!!

I am a 29 year old female and I have decided to relocate to the SP area. I lived there for a little while when I was in high school but it was so long ago and for such a short time, I'm sure much has changed.

My friend is coming with me, she will only be staying for a few months but in that time we are both going to be looking for serving jobs, to get us started in the area.

I'm curious to know what is a good area to live in that has a lot of busy bars/restaurants to work at and is safe.

I really liked what I have seen / read about the Dunedin area, seems like a beautiful, fun and safe place to live but I'm worried with it being so small, we will have trouble finding work or will be stuck commuting - which would be ok with me but the only catch is that I have a car and she doesn't. So we need to find an area that she can either bike to work, take a bus or a trolley to, as I doubt we will always be working the same hours... Is there any public transportation options? ir lyft/uber?

So I guess the next place I was considering is Downtown St. Petersburg - but I'm worried about it being safe.. 12 years ago, I remember a lot of the areas near downtown being a bit sketchy..

any suggestions or information about either place - or any other in this area - is helpful!!

Zambon · 05-10-2016, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyWray12

Hello!!

I am a 29 year old female and I have decided to relocate to the SP area. I lived there for a little while when I was in high school but it was so long ago and for such a short time, I'm sure much has changed.

My friend is coming with me, she will only be staying for a few months but in that time we are both going to be looking for serving jobs, to get us started in the area.

I'm curious to know what is a good area to live in that has a lot of busy bars/restaurants to work at and is safe.

I really liked what I have seen / read about the Dunedin area, seems like a beautiful, fun and safe place to live but I'm worried with it being so small, we will have trouble finding work or will be stuck commuting - which would be ok with me but the only catch is that I have a car and she doesn't. So we need to find an area that she can either bike to work, take a bus or a trolley to, as I doubt we will always be working the same hours... Is there any public transportation options? ir lyft/uber?

So I guess the next place I was considering is Downtown St. Petersburg - but I'm worried about it being safe.. 12 years ago, I remember a lot of the areas near downtown being a bit sketchy..

any suggestions or information about either place - or any other in this area - is helpful!!

Downtown St Petersburg has changed a lot in the last 10-12 years. It is now definitely safe and relatively clean. It is full of younger people and has a lot of great things going on. There are lots of restaurants, cafes, bars, and nightclubs as well as a nice waterfront area with a cool farmers market on Saturday. Plus, you will be walking distance to a major league ballpark. The riff raff have mostly been pushed farther west to a small area along I375. Downtown or Grand Central district are probably the best places for you to start looking. You could try St Pete Beach or Gulfport too.

GoodBeer · 05-11-2016, 06:55 AM

Uber is big here, not sure about Lyft. Public transportation isn't bad, but it's nothing close to what large cities offer. Commuting can be simple or extremely difficult, it's completely dependent on where you work and live and what time(s) you travel.

Dunedin is cool, but comparatively is a small slice of what St. Pete has to offer. You can go out on a Saturday night in Downtown St. Pete and not see everything, while you can cover the entirety of what Dunedin has to offer in the same amount of time. There is less riff-raff in Dunedin but there are still nice, safe, clean neighborhoods around St. Pete. I second what Soursop said, check out Gulfport and St. Pete beach also. Most of Gulfport is pretty sketchy, but small and doesn't offer much nightlife, especially for your age range. I'm around your age and have frequented all of these places. If I had to choose one, it would be St. Pete.

LadyWray12 · 05-11-2016, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodBeer

Uber is big here, not sure about Lyft. Public transportation isn't bad, but it's nothing close to what large cities offer. Commuting can be simple or extremely difficult, it's completely dependent on where you work and live and what time(s) you travel.

Dunedin is cool, but comparatively is a small slice of what St. Pete has to offer. You can go out on a Saturday night in Downtown St. Pete and not see everything, while you can cover the entirety of what Dunedin has to offer in the same amount of time. There is less riff-raff in Dunedin but there are still nice, safe, clean neighborhoods around St. Pete. I second what Soursop said, check out Gulfport and St. Pete beach also. Most of Gulfport is pretty sketchy, but small and doesn't offer much nightlife, especially for your age range. I'm around your age and have frequented all of these places. If I had to choose one, it would be St. Pete.

Thanks GoodBeer - That is very helpful... Although Dunedin looks GORGEOUS and looks like it has a lot to offer, I'm worried about not being able to find busy waitressing jobs, as there are only a few places. Sounds like St. Pete has changed a lot, and with the ball park, it might be good money.

Are there any apartment complexes that you'd suggest near downtown st. pete? Everything I have seen is really expensive... Renting a house would be fine too, like I said, just want to make sure it's in a safe area.

Thanks again!

GoodBeer · 05-11-2016, 11:54 AM

I can't really suggest any specific apartments as I haven't lived in the downtown area for several years. There are alot of management companies that rent apartments down there so that may be your best bet to find something. Also check craigslist. The prices have gone up since I lived there, as the gentrification of downtown is just a few years old. The prices go down the further away from downtown you go. You could be 20-30 blocks away from downtown, find something more affordable, and still be within a 5-10 minute Uber ride. There are alot of restaurants downtown, and alot more within 5 miles of downtown. There's a few big ones in the Tyrone Mall area (66th/Tyrone Blvd.) also if you want to commute that far. I would suggest staying North of Central Ave. There's lots of places to rent between Central Ave. and 38th Ave N., and 34th St. to downtown. That's quite a large area (see map), and you could even go further West if you wanted. In any of those areas, you will be within a short drive to downtown, and close to shopping, groceries, and restaurants. You may just need to drive the area and figure out what neighborhoods/areas appeal to you.

LadyWray12 · 05-11-2016, 12:35 PM

Good Beer - This is great!! Thank you for that information - I'm going to keep checking craigslist... I don't think I'll be able to go down before the move, I have been there before but its been like 12 years - so I'm kind of rolling the dice haha - thank god for google maps and street views

GoodBeer · 05-11-2016, 12:45 PM

No problem. ALOT has changed in the area, especially in St. Pete, in the last 12 years. If you find an area you like, go check it out at night and make sure you feel comfortable there. Alot of neighborhoods appear nice during the day but are very different at night.

C-Siren · 05-11-2016, 02:19 PM

I enjoyed this thread if only for the use of the word riff raff.

Good luck on your move LadyWray!

Irishiis49 · 05-12-2016, 10:26 AM

I think St Pete would be great there are tons of restaurants so getting a job wouldn't be difficult...or even bar tending/cocktail waitress...I think the restaurants along Beach drive would bring in higher tips but I really don't know that from personal experience...Then you also have Don Cesar or Vinoy which might be worth looking into...there is a homeless presence in DTSP with the current mayor being unwilling to crack down on quality of life crimes such as public urination,intoxication and pan handling( Williams Park and Unity Park) but you will be able to very easily avoid the worst areas...Good luck to you and your friend!!!

LadyWray12 · 05-13-2016, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irishiis49

I think St Pete would be great there are tons of restaurants so getting a job wouldn't be difficult...or even bar tending/cocktail waitress...I think the restaurants along Beach drive would bring in higher tips but I really don't know that from personal experience...Then you also have Don Cesar or Vinoy which might be worth looking into...there is a homeless presence in DTSP with the current mayor being unwilling to crack down on quality of life crimes such as public urination,intoxication and pan handling( Williams Park and Unity Park) but you will be able to very easily avoid the worst areas...Good luck to you and your friend!!!

Thanks so much for your help!! I live in Austin, TX now and there is a large homeless community - there are also multiple shelters right around the corner from the biggest tourist area in town, so we have a bit of the same problem. They are harmless though - just ignore them and they ignore you, is that the case there or are they aggressive?

Now the next part - finding a place to rent! but we have time for that - unfortunately she can't go earlier than the fall.. Do you know, or anyone reading this, know if there are certain months that are harder to find places or more expesnive than others?