Pros and Cons of living in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area (Miami: amusement parks, home)

[Nellesal]

Single professionals living in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area between the ages of 30-40, what are the pros and cons?

[NewBegginings17]

yeah I need to know too lol . I might be going there very soon....

[LKJ1988]

Pros. if ya like hot weather about year round you will like it.

Con's traffic sucks all over rover, the weather is very hot with lows around 80 in the summer and highs around 88 to 95 and dewpoints around 72 to 80 for about 5 months. Jobs don't pay as well here as well.

[Zambon]

I feel like this has probably been answered dozens of times in dozens of threads already, but I'll give you some pros and cons anyway.

Pros:

-Amazing weather nearly year round. It can get chilly for a couple of weeks in January, or it can get humid as heck for a couple of days in July, but overall, the weather is amazing. It is mid November, and I spent Saturday at the beach.

-Proximity to Ocean. The ocean is a worst a 20 minute drive from almost anywhere in the Tampa Bay area. Lots of us live mere blocks from the ocean. The recreational activities living by the ocean provide are well worth the risk of flooding from a season storm.

- COL. We have almost the same quality of weather and water as Miami, but for a fraction of the cost. Home ownership is attainable for most, and taxes are low.

-Entertainment. Aside from the outdoor activities that are too numerous to mention, nightlife around Tampa Bay is also pretty fun. There are also some good sports teams and no shortage of events that pop up all the time.

Cons:
- Traffic. The traffic here, and really in most of Florida is TERRIBLE. People seem to drive with a death wish or at least without considering the implications of their moronic actions on the road.

- Lack of public transportation. You can't even escape the traffic if you try. There are no trains or any kind of light rail really to take you anywhere. The buses are horrible because you will be stuck in the same traffic as in your car, only stopping at every bus stop and unable to take a detour.

-Schools. More of a con on the Pinellas side because Hillsborough has some decent schools. School choice in Pinellas County is a terrible headache. My local elementary school is so dangerous by the 4th of 5th grade the cops are there almost every day. Fortunately you are single, but if you ever want kids, this will be an issue unless you can afford private school.

[floridarebel]

Pros
Lower cost of living Vs northeast. No state income taxes.
Newer development. More things to do.
Weather for those who like it.
Beaches and proxmitity to amusement parks.

Cons
Populated by northerners and few native Floridians. Overpopulation.
Traffic is bad but that's big cities for ya.
Area is becoming elitst and socially liberal.
Weather for those who hate it. Hot too long.
Pinellas county is all built out. No green space except beaches.
Few highways there for its size. There's only 275, 75, I 4 and veterans expressway.
Most jobs are low paying service oriented jobs. Lack of any real jobs that can be obtained with a hs diploma or ged.

[MAniacTHW]

Pros:
- Tampa's development.
- There's always something going on.
- The weather.

Cons:
- Hillsborough County.

[BucFan]

Pro....Stanley Cup Contender NHL

Con....League Doormats NFL, MLB

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by MAniacTHW

Pros:
- Tampa's development.
- There's always something going on.
- The weather.

Cons:
- Hillsborough County.

What's your beef with Hillsborough County? I realize it's far from perfect, but for the most part, I found it to be incredibly well run and the various staff and officials I've dealt with over the years to be very responsive. Excellent public health system, too.

I'm not sure, but if I recall correctly, you've lived in Hillsborough most of your life, right? If so, you haven't had to experience how mediocre to miserable some other counties are in the US. Even right here in Florida.

I'm not wild about all the development and the way it has been done, though.

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by kmarc

What's your beef with Hillsborough County?

Their continuous screwing of Tampa. Perfect example being on mass transit. The original plan was to have a rail between Orlando, Miami, and Tampa. The grant was denied by the state, however, Orange County found the money to support Orlando. Miami-Dade was able to find money to support Miami's effort. Hillsborough, for some inexplicable reason, has Tampa supporting them.

Then we can talk about the roads that Hillsborough owns in Tampa but struggles to afford. They never get fixed and they refuse to support any form of transit that will take stress off of said roads, thus screwing Tampa again.

Or we can talk about their not wanting to remove confederate monuments out of the center of Downtown Tampa because they're "historical," but they have no problem attempting to put a baseball stadium in Ybor City, arguably the most historical area in Tampa.

I'm sure I can come up with a thousand other examples with a quick Google search, but it essentially breaks down to the fact that they don't support the one city that keeps them afloat.

[RThiede]

PROS:

It's not Detroit
It's not NYC
It's not Oakland
It's not DC
It's not the Left Coast
It's not Jackson MS
It's not Newark
It's not Memphis
It's not International Falls MN


CONS:

Getting too many jerks from NJ/NY like never before