Where to Live in Pinellas County? (Pinellas Park, Lake Park: apartment complexes, rental, house)

[jaelynbee]

Hi all,

My fiancé and I have been actively pursuing a move to Florida for the last couple of years. A couple of potential opportunities have come up every now and then, but ultimately fell through.

However, the chances are much greater this time around--and if my fiancé accepts this job, it would be moving us to the Saint Petersburg area. His actual job would be in Pinellas Park, but I have heard iffy things about the area? An easy commute is EXTREMELY important to my fiancé. He doesn't want a drive to work that lasts more than 20 minutes.

My entire family is about an hour away from that area, so I'm THRILLED at the possibility of being close to them again. I was born and raised in VA, and have lived in both NYC and NJ with my fiancé for the past three years. To put it lightly, I've hated it here. I'm not a huge city girl, and I despise winter. My fiancé is growing tired of the north as well, and has been looking forward to moving down to the heat.

I'm 25, he's 30. We have a (very large) dog, no kids. Our rent up here in NJ is $1850/month, and that's a comfortable price for us. But if we could find something cheaper for the same quality, that would be great, too. We will be losing my salary for a while until I can find something else, but his new potential salary will be increasing significantly--so anything between $1500-$1700 would be ideal I think. 1 bedroom is fine, 2 bedroom would be awesome but not necessary.

As for what we like to do--both into fitness. A nice gym is crucial for my fiance, and I love to run (inside or outside). I like yoga, nature, the beach. We like to take our dog out with us on the weekends if possible.

Is it better to live in the middle or near the bay/beach? I've heard conflicting info about whether or not the area is safe/not safe. I've never been, so I can really go off of what other people say about it. Definitely want to stay away from Scientology or any "rough" areas whatever that means to fellow St. Pete people lol.

Does anyone have any specific areas or apartment complexes that they recommend? We're not too picky, but we do like less-crowded areas if that even exists haha.

Any advice is much appreciated!

[NEW2STPETE]

Hi there!

My husband & I just moved to St Pete 2 1/2 weeks ago and we're loving it. We've been exploring quite a bit and I wouldn't really recommend Pinellas Park. Where are you from in NJ? Are you accustomed to walkable neighborhoods, or will you rely on a car? I highly recommend renting a VRBO, airbnb or other temp rental until you get a feel for the area. We are renting a furnished house (we have dogs as well) until we can find a place to buy. This way, your fiance can get a feel for his commute (Pinellas Park is less than 30 minutes from many areas in SP) and you can explore different areas. We love Historic Uptown and Historic Northeast- very walkable and charming- close to downtown and the water. Great for running- you have the trails along the water, Crescent Lake, etc.

I've noticed that many people simply put a rental sign up in the yard vs. advertising online. You'll be happily surprised at the rental prices. I lived in NYC and more recently Seattle & the low prices are a nice change).

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. Welcome from another newbie.

-Rebecca

[jaelynbee]

Originally Posted by NEW2STPETE

Hi there!

My husband & I just moved to St Pete 2 1/2 weeks ago and we're loving it. We've been exploring quite a bit and I wouldn't really recommend Pinellas Park. Where are you from in NJ? Are you accustomed to walkable neighborhoods, or will you rely on a car? I highly recommend renting a VRBO, airbnb or other temp rental until you get a feel for the area. We are renting a furnished house (we have dogs as well) until we can find a place to buy. This way, your fiance can get a feel for his commute (Pinellas Park is less than 30 minutes from many areas in SP) and you can explore different areas. We love Historic Uptown and Historic Northeast- very walkable and charming- close to downtown and the water. Great for running- you have the trails along the water, Crescent Lake, etc.

I've noticed that many people simply put a rental sign up in the yard vs. advertising online. You'll be happily surprised at the rental prices. I lived in NYC and more recently Seattle & the low prices are a nice change).

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. Welcome from another newbie.

-Rebecca

Hi Rebecca!

We are near Totowa, NJ--so we rely heavily on a car. Before NJ, we were in Manhattan, so we walked everywhere--but we do prefer the suburbs to the city after experiencing both. I never thought about maybe doing a temp rental! That's definitely an idea--but we kind of like being able to move all of our stuff right away into a new place. I guess it would depend on the move-in date in FL vs. our move-out date in NJ. Can I ask why you don't suggest Pinellas Park? The complex we're looking at is at the very side of it--right above Sawgrass Lake Park. Is that still not a good area?

We've looked around Historic Uptown, but we're more fans of community complexes--where we can take advantage of all the amenities--gym, dog run, pool, etc.

Thanks for your help!

[lisa4travel55]

Originally Posted by NEW2STPETE

Hi there!

My husband & I just moved to St Pete 2 1/2 weeks ago and we're loving it. We've been exploring quite a bit and I wouldn't really recommend Pinellas Park. Where are you from in NJ? Are you accustomed to walkable neighborhoods, or will you rely on a car? I highly recommend renting a VRBO, airbnb or other temp rental until you get a feel for the area. We are renting a furnished house (we have dogs as well) until we can find a place to buy. This way, your fiance can get a feel for his commute (Pinellas Park is less than 30 minutes from many areas in SP) and you can explore different areas. We love Historic Uptown and Historic Northeast- very walkable and charming- close to downtown and the water. Great for running- you have the trails along the water, Crescent Lake, etc.

I've noticed that many people simply put a rental sign up in the yard vs. advertising online. You'll be happily surprised at the rental prices. I lived in NYC and more recently Seattle & the low prices are a nice change).

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. Welcome from another newbie.

-Rebecca

Hi Rebecca

I am plotting my escape from Seattle and am looking at St Petersburg area. I'm happy to hear that you and your hubby are settling in nicely.

The biggest concern I'm having is the logistics. I thought I would do the same as you and do AirBnB until I figure it all out. So that leaves me with trying to figure out what to do with my stuff? I'm moving by myself so I'm probably going to use a moving company. But what to do with it until I find a place to land. How did you work that out?

Also, I'm looking at walkable areas. I don't mind driving to work, but I like to be able to walk to local restaurants, bars and shopping, etc. Do you have any suggestions on areas where I should look and areas I should avoid? I see that you mentioned Historic Uptown and Historic Northeast. Are these the actual neighborhood names? How far is it to an actual beach? I don't need to live on the beach, but I would like to be near the beach.

I'm so excited to be relocating. 👍🏼🌴☀⛱

[NEW2STPETE]

Hi Jaelynbee,

I don't walk to disparage anyone's neighborhood or insult anyone living in the Pinellas Park area. Like any city, I'm sure there are some good areas, it's just not someplace I would choose to live. I've only read a lot online and I've driven through a few times (I had my car serviced by a shop in PP the other day), so I don't feel qualified to give a thorough review. Here are a few links that provide hard facts re: crime, etc.:
Links removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

I'm don't know anything about the Sawgrass Lake area. You know which area is nearby and I've heard great things about is Feather Sound- google and look at this forum as well.

Lisa4travel55,

We are loving it here so far- sooooo happy to be out of Seattle. I don't miss the rain or the "Seattle freeze". People here are so friendly! We used ABF/Upack for our move. We sold most of our furniture and used 2 cubes to relocate. We drove from Seattle to St. Pete (LONG trip but we have pets and didn't want to fly) ~3 weeks ago and had several days to find a storage unit once we arrived. We will keep our belongings in storage until we find a permanent place. It's the perfect solution and allows us to fully explore the area before settling.

Historic Northeast and Historic Uptown are real neighborhoods in St. Pete (like Seattle has Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, etc.). We also like Historic Kenwood, Roser Park and Old Southeast as well. These areas are very walkable and safe. You are ~20-40 minutes to great beaches (depending on traffic). In the city, you can walk along the water - look at Bayshore Drive and Northshore Park (easily walkable from Uptown and NE areas). In the Old Southeast, you have Lansing Park.

Happy to answer additional questions.

-R

[071402]

new2sP are you in, or near the old southeast area? I dont know exactly where it is and was focusing on northeast area in the 40s but supply is limited. doe commute and how far? historic uptown is where? thanks

[lisa4travel55]

Originally Posted by NEW2STPETE

Lisa4travel55,

We are loving it here so far- sooooo happy to be out of Seattle. I don't miss the rain or the "Seattle freeze". People here are so friendly! We used ABF/Upack for our move. We sold most of our furniture and used 2 cubes to relocate. We drove from Seattle to St. Pete (LONG trip but we have pets and didn't want to fly) ~3 weeks ago and had several days to find a storage unit once we arrived. We will keep our belongings in storage until we find a permanent place. It's the perfect solution and allows us to fully explore the area before settling.

Historic Northeast and Historic Uptown are real neighborhoods in St. Pete (like Seattle has Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, etc.). We also like Historic Kenwood, Roser Park and Old Southeast as well. These areas are very walkable and safe. You are ~20-40 minutes to great beaches (depending on traffic). In the city, you can walk along the water - look at Bayshore Drive and Northshore Park (easily walkable from Uptown and NE areas). In the Old Southeast, you have Lansing Park.

Happy to answer additional questions.

-R

I am definitely looking forward to some nice weather and friendly people!

Thanks for the info on the moving company. I'm definitely thinking a pod might be the best bet. does this company store your items for you? I don't want to have to move it twice! 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼

[Irishiis49]

Originally Posted by jaelynbee

Hi Rebecca!

We are near Totowa, NJ--so we rely heavily on a car. Before NJ, we were in Manhattan, so we walked everywhere--but we do prefer the suburbs to the city after experiencing both. I never thought about maybe doing a temp rental! That's definitely an idea--but we kind of like being able to move all of our stuff right away into a new place. I guess it would depend on the move-in date in FL vs. our move-out date in NJ. Can I ask why you don't suggest Pinellas Park? The complex we're looking at is at the very side of it--right above Sawgrass Lake Park. Is that still not a good area?

We've looked around Historic Uptown, but we're more fans of community complexes--where we can take advantage of all the amenities--gym, dog run, pool, etc.

Thanks for your help!

There is a line from a local song " don't go to Pinellas Park after dark"...lol...I agree Feather Sound is a pretty area...I know of one big complex with all amenities I think called the Grand Bellagio(?)...it has bike trails,gym and allows dogs...you might want to try there!

[NEW2STPETE]

lisa4travel55, I'm not sure if Upack will store your belongings. We emptied our pod once it arrived. You should give them a call- I've used them for 3 moves and their customer service is outstanding.

071402, I do not live in the Southeast neighborhood, but I like it very much. It's not very walkable (there aren't many businesses, shops, etc. that you can get to on foot) but it's quiet, seems very safe, etc. Here's a great map- if you zoom in, you can see the different neighborhoods: Google Maps V3

[071402]

Great map. I dont see southeast typed in but I'm assuming it's near.at BOYD Hill. My screen may be too small though. Thanks again.