Fishhawk or South Tampa? (St. Petersburg, Brandon: insurance, houses, neighborhoods)

[BuffaloMD]

I am a physician looking into relocating to Tampa Bay Area. I would be working/commuting to Brandon Regional Hospital. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Brandon Schools are "A" graded. So, I have been considering Fishhawk and South Tampa. Although South Tampa is double the distance (~14 vs 7 miles) according to google maps (regardless of rush hour), the commute time difference between Fishhawk <--> Brandon vs. South Tampa <---> Brandon averages an extra 6 minutes. I have two kids in elementary school. My wife and I are flirting with a more urban living but the family appeals/amenities/safety of Fishhawk are hard to ignore. Please help. Not haters please! Thank you in advance for your time. Cheers!

[BucFan]

I think you'd be going against rush hour traffic from S. Tampa to BRH - a good thing.

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by BuffaloMD

My wife and I are flirting with a more urban living but the family appeals/amenities/safety of Fishhawk are hard to ignore.

Enlighten us... What does Fishhawk offer that South Tampa doesn't?

[KPB]

You might wanna consider S.Tampa. There is nothing "urban" about Fishhawk.
You might want to look into the Mitchell Elem., Wilson Middle School, and Plant H.S. if you want all A rated schools.

[MortonR]

No question here - Fishhawk Ranch would be far better than South Tampa in many aspects.

RM

[Thundarr457]

Fishhawk is a new planned community and South Tampa is supposed to be the "up and coming" area. We looked at houses in South Tampa and there were severe flooding issues when we were there. We had a shorter time frame so we couldn't wait it out till the area becomes what they say it will. It depends if you want a new or older home. If you like the idea of a new planned community thats great, but resales there can be problematic until the project is built out.

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by Thundarr457

South Tampa is supposed to be the "up and coming" area.

Nothing about South Tampa is "up and coming." It has been and will continue to be one of the nicest areas of Tampa for quite some time.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by Thundarr457

Fishhawk is a new planned community and South Tampa is supposed to be the "up and coming" area. We looked at houses in South Tampa and there were severe flooding issues when we were there. We had a shorter time frame so we couldn't wait it out till the area becomes what they say it will. It depends if you want a new or older home. If you like the idea of a new planned community thats great, but resales there can be problematic until the project is built out.

I understand why you think South Tampa is "up and coming." It's not UNIFORMLY manicured as are other affluent areas in other cities. Certainly not as manicured as Fishhawk is. In South Tampa you can have a $3 million house where everything is designed to perfection next to a shack that looks like it belongs in the ghetto. This is pretty unusual compared to most affluent parts of the country. However this is how South Tampa has always been. And South Tampa is considered the crown jewel of Tampa neighborhoods.

South Tampa is considered by many Tampa residents to be the affluent and hip epicenter of Tampa. The neighborhoods of SoHo, Hyde Park, Bayshore, Davis Island, Palma Ceia, Beach Park and others make up the South Tampa area. Bayshore Boulevard is perhaps the most prominent and well-known landmark in South Tampa as it features the longest continuous sidewalk in the world. Peninsular South Tampa is seemingly in the middle of it all; its just a short drive west to St. Petersburg and the beaches, is minutes from Downtown Tampa and the Tampa International Airport and MacDill Airforce base is located at the very south tip of the South Tampa peninsula. Anywhere in South Tampa is 5-10 minutes to all the best shopping and entertainment. Also if you live in South Tampa and commute to the burbs, you will have a reverse commute (no traffic).

Yes South Tampa does have flooding issues, and if you buy in a flood zone you will be paying through the nose for insurance and storm damage when a storm comes.

That said, I love South Tampa for its uniqueness and would never live in a cookie cutter exurb like Fishhawk. South Tampa property values are rock solid and always surging. I get one letter a week in my mailbox from a developer asking if I am interested in selling my home. They wanna just tear it down and build a new $3 million monster.

[cjairo191]

Maybe he is referring to South of Euclid or Gandy. They claim South Tampa too.

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by cjairo191

Maybe he is referring to South of Euclid or Gandy. They claim South Tampa too.

In that case, what part of that is "up and coming?"