WHERE TO LIVE - Working Downtown St. Pete and Tampa Airport (Gulfport: for sale, apartment complexes)

[Rayinhawaii]

Considering a move to Tampa / St. Pete area. I would be working a few blocks south of downtown St. Pete, my other half would be working at Int'l Shopping Mall by Tampa Airport. Only I drive for now. What would be the best area to live for new comers? No kids, both in our early 50's, young at heart so getting out and about is important, looking at apartments / condo's in the $1200 range convenient to both St. Pete and Tampa airport area. Is public transportation safe in general? Would being a inter-racial couple be an issue in the metro area?

[MortonR]

Interracial couple is a non-issue here.

Public transportation is pretty much a joke compared to major cities, although it is safe.

I'll leave it to others to suggest a good place to live, although I think it would be better to live in St. Pete based on your lifestyle. However, the commute to the airport won't be fun unless it's outside of peak commute times.

RM

[sportsterjohn]

DTSP, Old NE wouldn't be bad. Only issue is that most of the places for rent don't advertise on the main rental / apt. 1200 will get you a 1 or 2 bed room without a problem. I am downtown, 3 blocks to the bay, a 5 min walk to everything on central ave etc.

[MAniacTHW]

If it's only you who is driving currently, you want to look around the South Tampa area as it will be close to International Plaza. This will put you roughly 20-30 minutes to St. Pete. It will also put you close to Downtown Tampa, where Channelside is about to undergo a HUGE renovation, Seminole Heights with it's breweries and locally owned restaurants, Ybor with, well... Ybor, and you'll be a quick drive over to DTSP.

[dothetwist]

I live in the historic area of Gulfport. We drive to DTSP restaurants and doctor offices in 12 to 14 minutes. We are frequent flyers and we can get from house to TPA in 25 minutes, at lawful speeds. I did have one slow-go to TPA in a rush-hour with crash on the Howard Frankland (still made my flight).

In Gulfport, $1200 might cover a small house, though they are rarely advertised. People put up signs for rentals and they're rented in a few days. Many of the cottages are now seasonal rentals fetching 4K a month so it's harder and harder to find a year-round reasonable rental, per friends of ours.

I would stick with the historic downtown, which is basically a rectangle that is south of 22nd Ave to Boca Ciega Bay, bounded by 50th Street South to the east, and by 59th St. South to the west.

The area near Stetson Law School is also nice, but not walkable to the 12+ eateries on Beach Blvd. in the downtown. But I run into people/students there who bike over to Beach Blvd from Stetson. While normally I would not recommend South of 22nd and east of 50th, I do recommend the Marina District of Gulfport which is quite nice...it's a little harder to define....on or near Clam Bayou. Like many neighborhoods in Gulfport there has been a lot of gentrification in the Marina District.

Here's a link to zillow for rentals, BUT you won't often get a good buy there.
Rental Listings - 42 Rentals | Zillow

[Rayinhawaii]

Thanks everyone for the info so far.....

[ITGuru]

Since your partner is not going to drive, its better to live close to airport/Int'l mall area. There are some new apartment complexes that have come up rt across the mall. They are little expensive, you may get a single bedroom apt for $1200 - 1300. Check for "The Millennium Westshore", "Novus Westshore", "Visconti at International Drive", "Varela Westshore Apartments".
All these are in a walking distance from the mall.

[Rayinhawaii]

Thanks....good to know.

[071402]

Just saw a great home for sale and a nice rental (affordable) both in Northeast Park - 43rd Avenue NE and 42nd Avenue NE. That AREA IS super great. Quite, safe, close to everything. SO CLOSE.

[BobFalfa]

Originally Posted by Rayinhawaii

Thanks everyone for the info so far.....

Agreed, subscribing.