moving to st pete/tampa from NYC (buying a house, LGBT, quality of life) (Orlando: rent, condo)

[boytanical]

hello all!

So i have decided that it is time for me to GTFO of new york city after going back and forth about it for a while. I'm ready for better weather, more space, lower cost of living and being closer to family. With that being said, I have been considering moving to st pete/tampa area, and have some questions!

1. What is the economy like in the tampa bay area? i have heard its good, but want to know what current residents think. I currently work in HR as a payroll manager, and I plan to stay in the same field. Are there a lot of young professionals in the area?

2. I am 24, male and single, and was wondering about what kind of gay scene is in the st. pete/tampa areas. Is it hard to meet people? Is the gay dating scene better in other FL cities?

3. My plan is to move down for a year and rent a place, and if I like the area, I will buy a house. Curious to hear anyone's experience with buying a place, or also building one. I have been dreaming of building a small greenish house, and it seems like there aren't too many restrictions with that kind of thing in FL.

4. Kind of an opinion based question I guess, but is it in general a happy/uplifting place to live? I want to be sure to move somewhere that isn't too boring or "depressing". For example, I have considered New Orleans, but I have heard bad things about the economy. But if you have ever been, you know the kind of "happy" energy I am referring to and looking for in my move.

Thanks for any insight! Please feel free to mention anything else you think a young professional might like to know about the area.

[Thundarr457]

Tampa's economy is thriving. The gay community in St Pete is also thriving and is one of the factors in the rebirth of the city according to a realtor we used. Renting is an excellent idea. You would be most happy in downtown St Pete which is the center of activities that would most likely appeal to you. We loved St Pete but we couldn't find a house we liked in our price range. For a millennial like you its an excellent choice IMHO.

[071402]

IMHO. Sp is very gay friendly as well as a great place to call home. GL to you!

[mph101]

Yeah you'll like tampa area. St Petersburg is a mark higher than Tampa but nightlife is good. No cold fronts to give any relief between May and mid Oct. You might not make the money or benes you have in NYC. Pay is poor. Check out auto insurace before moving it will shock ya. Its good place for a young gay guy, lots of typical drama or not dating in your peer group. Not just all 70 yr old guys, as often reported. Thats more of a souh Florida thing. Tampa to Orlando is a good area for you to check out. The beaches are excellent too. Research st petersburg, check out "watermark" tampa its the local LBGT rag.

[mph101]

Oh your last point. Its not a dull or depressing area. New orleans is nice to visit, the french quarter and then leave. Its a very depressing place, at least for me. Also it gets dark early there. In the central time zone even now the peak of summer long days sunset is at 8 PM! Here we are at 830 PM . They get sunrise early and here its about 45 minutes later, after 630 AM. HEY these things add to depression in winter when daylight shrinks.

[boytanical]

Originally Posted by mph101

Yeah you'll like tampa area. St Petersburg is a mark higher than Tampa but nightlife is good. No cold fronts to give any relief between May and mid Oct. You might not make the money or benes you have in NYC. Pay is poor. Check out auto insurace before moving it will shock ya. Its good place for a young gay guy, lots of typical drama or not dating in your peer group. Not just all 70 yr old guys, as often reported. Thats more of a souh Florida thing. Tampa to Orlando is a good area for you to check out. The beaches are excellent too. Research st petersburg, check out "watermark" tampa its the local LBGT rag.

thanks for the responses! so if i were to live in st pete and commute to tampa for work, is that a terrible idea? is the traffic bad?

[sportsterjohn]

If you work during normal bus hours, the drive could be a bit of a headache, not nearly though as bad as other places I lived. I think you would like DTSP. I am in the opposite demo then you middle aged and straight. What I observed living downtown is that you see all types of people down there. There are also clubs / places that cater to almost every group. It's quite common to see a group of young people at a place then a group of tourist or older people right next store. People are out and about 7nights a week and there is always some type of fest / event going on. Also the beaches are 15min away, the bay is right downtown. I was able to walk to it from my condo.
As far as HR jobs, I have no idea. I am in a very niched IT field. For me, the pay was about the same as other locations but finding a job here in my field is tough.

[MAniacTHW]

Yes, St. Pete. Stick to that area.

[BucFan]

I see that homophobia continues to prevail in the good old USA.......Trump's Nation.

[071402]

Originally Posted by BucFan

I see that homophobia continues to prevail in the good old USA.......Trump's Nation.

And they post it too. Do they get to keep on posting like that here on CD? ((