Moving to St. Pete/ Clearwater/ Dunedin/Gulfport or Grand Central incredibly soon and am panicking (Tarpon Springs: 2014, rentals)

[Jojocat]

My husband just accepted a job in Oldsmar, but he only has to be in the office a day or so a week, most days he'll be on various sites, so I can choose where we relocate! But we are a kind of quirky couple, kids grown, in our late 40's....we want to be able to walk to cool independent restaurants, attend unique events, see concerts, sunsets ( apparently mandatory round these parts!) boat, market, find cool stuff, you know- regular stuff. I'd like to get involved in some kind of civic art program...I'd also like to get a golf cart...I have researched EXTENSIVELY: I've kind of narrowed it down to maybe Tarpon Springs, near the sponge docks; downtown Dunedin, walking distance to everything, plus you get to have a golf cart!; Downtown Clearwater condo, with views of harbor and walkable to Capitol Theater, restaurants and park, but am thinking it still may be too small, creepy & crappy(Scientology), and the beach too touristy- I don't know?, ; The Historic Kenwood neighborhood bordering on the Grand Central District in St. Pete also seems super cool and walkable; and finally, Gulfport! Which seems so sweet and quirky and you get to have a golf cart again...I know this is a super long thread, but does anyone know anything about any of these neighborhoods? We need some guidance! Any advice at all will be appreciated! Thank you so much! And I did look into downtown St. Pete and Hyde Park and Historic NE: all too pricey for us....

[071402]

Sounds super exciting to say the least. I've said it a few times now but curious as to what you might think: ::::: the area in NE st pete, 39th Avenue NE 41st Avenue NE and up to 44th Avenue NE.

Quiet, close, affordable and really cute. Do you know it - think the realtors are calling it northeast park. And there are two nice parks near it, Crisp and I forget the other. GL.

[dothetwist]

In Gulfport, you don't need a golfcart....walk or get a bike, it's healthier! BTW, we chose Gulfport after renting houses for a month in each of the downtowns of Dunedin, Safety Harbor and Gulfport. We found Dunedin a tad too conservative and SH more family-oriented. Gulfport has a funkier vibe and we love it here.

When we want to experience a bigger city and what it has to offer, we bop over to DTSP in a 12 minute car ride.

We moved to the Historic Waterfront area of Gulfport in early 2014 and here's what we can walk to in under 10 minutes:

The beach where we see dolphins daily along with huge variety of seabirds
City fishing pier to watch fishermen and mullet netters
Local restaurants (12+ all independent, no chains)
Retail shops
Library
Yoga Studios (2 private) in addition to City classes at Rec Center
Post Office
City-owned Marina
Parks (5 parks, including 2 dedicated dog parks)
City Tennis Courts
Public beach volleyball courts
Dance Ballroom (City Owned, also the venue for art shows, galas and private weddings/parties)
Live Theatre
City Rec Center
City Government Offices
Convenience stores (2, each of which has foods for carryout: one Greek, one Thai)
Weekly Daytime Fresh Market
Twice a month evening Art Walks
Almost weekly events downtown

I wouldn't live anywhere else in Florida!

See picks and info here:
Visit Gulfport Florida | Gulfport

[tanyasellstampa]

I would personally vote for Dunedin or a few parts of Tarpon Springs. It can make a difference since sometimes rentals are a bit challenging in those areas.

[Zambon]

Originally Posted by dothetwist

In Gulfport, you don't need a golfcart....walk or get a bike, it's healthier! BTW, we chose Gulfport after renting houses for a month in each of the downtowns of Dunedin, Safety Harbor and Gulfport. We found Dunedin a tad too conservative and SH more family-oriented. Gulfport has a funkier vibe and we love it here.

When we want to experience a bigger city and what it has to offer, we bop over to DTSP in a 12 minute car ride.

We moved to the Historic Waterfront area of Gulfport in early 2014 and here's what we can walk to in under 10 minutes:

The beach where we see dolphins daily along with huge variety of seabirds
City fishing pier to watch fishermen and mullet netters
Local restaurants (12+ all independent, no chains)
Retail shops
Library
Yoga Studios (2 private) in addition to City classes at Rec Center
Post Office
City-owned Marina
Parks (5 parks, including 2 dedicated dog parks)
City Tennis Courts
Public beach volleyball courts
Dance Ballroom (City Owned, also the venue for art shows, galas and private weddings/parties)
Live Theatre
City Rec Center
City Government Offices
Convenience stores (2, each of which has foods for carryout: one Greek, one Thai)
Weekly Daytime Fresh Market
Twice a month evening Art Walks
Almost weekly events downtown

I wouldn't live anywhere else in Florida!

See picks and info here:
Visit Gulfport Florida | Gulfport

I live near downtown St Pete, and the only other place that I would consider is Gulfport unless I had a house right at Pass-a-Grille beach maybe.

[071402]

Originally Posted by soursop

I live near downtown St Pete, and the only other place that I would consider is Gulfport unless I had a house right at Pass-a-Grille beach maybe.

I cannot imagine the traffic getting in and out of pass a grille daily though - stores, work, etc....

[just_visiting 9]

For that area, Gulfport is good compared to other areas. Depends on your budget as well.

Be careful where you move to, once you look around you'll see a lot of disadvantaged areas. Not sure where you are moving from or what you are accustomed to.

[sunigal99]

I've lived in Dunedin and currently live in Safety Harbor. I'm older than you, so I chose Safety Harbor because it's half the size of Dunedin in population and size. I love it here. Safe and quaint.

But for you I would recommend Dunedin. There are more things happening there. Downtown, marina, Pinellas trail, Dunedin Beach, and interesting shops, restaurants and events.

I know lots of people on this forum love Gulfport. To me, it was a little close to the nastiness of South St Pete.

[MortonR]

Have you checked out Ozona? Small and walkable, not a lot of stuff but a neat little community.

RM

[CTMom23]

We just bought a home in Dunedin. We will be going back and forth between FL and CT. We are also in our late 40's and we love everything about Dunedin. We have been looking for five years in the area. Good luck with your decision!