New Tampa suggestion for young family with kids

[FLKitties]

Originally Posted by Keychee

In my search, the Sarasota/Bradenton area had much higher crime rates than my level of comfort. I grew up in Baltimore, MD so I know its not as bad compared to the overall city where I grew up, but the F rating Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site & crimes per square mile (via neighborhood scout) was an automatic disqualification for us.

Am I missing a pocket or someplace more specific within those areas I should consider?

I'm attaching a side-by-side of maps for Tampa & Bradenton/Sarasota area with the crime overlay. As you can see, Bradenton proper is not the greatest. The area I'm talking about in East Manatee county still is considered Bradenton for post office designation purposes only and is serviced by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, not the Bradenton Police Dept. Things east of I-75 (Heritage Harbour, GreyHawk Landing, Eagle Trace, etc., along with any of the neighborhoods in Lakewood Ranch), and also much of Sarasota are very low crime. The benefit of living in the area I'm talking about is that you don't really have any need to go into Bradenton proper as most everything can be found towards I-75 with areas like University Town Center (mall and shops, dining, etc.) and the schools are much better east of I-75 in this area, too.

[Sunshinegirl19]

re: activities - If you mean the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area, many of the neighborhoods are HOA communities with amenities like big (often resort-sized) pools, playgrounds, and clubhouses that have their own set of kid-friendly events. Wiregrass Mall has a farmer's market of sorts some weekends, though its selection of fresh foods is smaller than you may be used to. (It tends to be more crafts-based/local biz's). There's a Whole Foods in Carrollwood and a new green grocer on SR 56 (Earth Fare).

Many of the kids' attractions are in the city - like the kids museum, aquarium, zoo. (Get annual passes!)

re: access to shops, etc - New Tampa/WC has plenty of that. Malls, outlets, strip malls, big box stores abound.

No worries about fast-paced city life. If you just want to slow down and raise kids, it's a good area for that. But don't expect to find as much diversity/culture as you would in a city. It's full on suburbia.

[Sunshinegirl19]

Originally Posted by MortonR

Fishhawk Ranch. Hands down better schools, not quite as close to major retail, but far less congested.

Same issues as far as rental costs, $2k/month will be near bottom end of rentals, I suspect.

RM

Personal opinion here, but I feel NT/WC area is a better pick than Fishhawk which is much more remote. Seems more like a pocket of suburbia in a more rural area.

In FH, your closest 'big city' is Brandon, whereas in WC you can hop on SR 56 and be in Tampa in about 20-25 mins (except during rush hour...which is a whole other story. But the commute is not an issue here, they said). Tampa is where more of the action is.

Brandon is...not great. Traffic there is not great either. Meanwhile, the SR 56 exit is getting a new butterfly interchange which will help the traffic in years to come.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by Sunshinegirl19

Personal opinion here, but I feel NT/WC area is a better pick than Fishhawk which is much more remote. Seems more like a pocket of suburbia in a more rural area.

In FH, your closest 'big city' is Brandon, whereas in WC you can hop on SR 56 and be in Tampa in about 20-25 mins (except during rush hour...which is a whole other story. But the commute is not an issue here, they said). Tampa is where more of the action is.

Brandon is...not great. Traffic there is not great either. Meanwhile, the SR 56 exit is getting a new butterfly interchange which will help the traffic in years to come.

Granted, Fishhawk is a bit farther out, but that comes with some advantages, too.

So you’re saying that traffic on Bruce B. Downs isn’t congested or heavy? I think not. And Brandon is not the closest place to go as far as retail or restaurants. There’s a large amount of such things in the Riverview area due to the rapid growth that’s taking place around it. It’s as close or closer than Brandon from FHR.

Fishhawk Ranch also has a town center and community center with pool and other amenities. Many trails in the community, a sports complex, etc., etc., none of which New Tampa has. And downtown Tampa I s only 40 minutes away, an insignificant difference compared to New Tampa.

RM

[mrviking]

Originally Posted by Sunshinegirl19

Brandon is...not great. Traffic there is not great either. Meanwhile, the SR 56 exit is getting a new butterfly interchange which will help the traffic in years to come.

Ya while your stuck trying to get out of your "master planned community" just trying to get onto 56/54 to get to the nearest 7/11. Out here in Brandon I can WALK to restaurants, mall, big box stores, post office, banks, hospitals, walking trial etc.