Buy a house in Sulphur Springs? (Tampa, Seminole: crime, felony, houses)

[New2Tampa100]

Hi all,

I'm newly moving to Tampa, & found a place in Sulphur Springs off Waters Ave. Is this an okay area to live? Any feedback is appreciated, thanks!

[JacquesMeihaufer]

Get an online crime map but I've never liked the whole area, don't rely on feedback alone.

[FL_Expert]

I wouldn’t consider it a desirable area.

[fajitajamboree]

That is definitely NOT a desirable area. I think that eventually it will get better, but right now there is still a lot of crime, homelessness, and decrepit/ desolate areas. I wouldn't consider it.

[castlechurch]

Desirable? Not at all.

Will it get better over time, probably. But it has a lot of issues to overcome before that happens. There are areas that are currently better than other parts, but overall the whole area is pretty dicey.

Just looking at the crime map for October 2 - today one can see:
(5) Theft
(7) Aggravated Assault (5 with deadly weapon, 2 felony serious battery)
(3) Motor vehicle theft (car stolen)
(1) Personal Robbery
That is in the bounds of Florida Ave to the West, Busch Blvd to the North, and the river to the south, and east to 22nd st, which about covers all of Sulpher Springs. If you can stay West of I275 it improves a lot.

[gypsychic]

Sulphur Springs is notoriously one of the most crime infested areas of Tampa, and it has been very slow to improve. It's too bad, because much of the area has a very attractive landscape, with the river, some hills and dense tropical vegetation. Some improvements have been made but it has a long, long way to go.

You should definitely consult a crime map, some parts are likely to be safer than others.

[New2Tampa100]

Thanks everyone! The house is east of I275, north of Waters, & south of Yukon. With the crime maps, do you just base it off of whether crimes are happening in the immediate vicinity? Thanks!

[LKJ1988]

Ruff and tuff. No place i would ever live.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by New2Tampa100

Thanks everyone! The house is east of I275, north of Waters, & south of Yukon. With the crime maps, do you just base it off of whether crimes are happening in the immediate vicinity? Thanks!

Nasty area north of Ybor. Trying to gentrify for a long time, but not being very successful.

RM

[fajitajamboree]

Originally Posted by MortonR

Nasty area north of Ybor. Trying to gentrify for a long time, but not being very successful.

RM

That's true. I think the main reason it is having a tough time gentrifying is due to the size and quality of the homes. Even though Seminole Heights used to be very rough, the houses were well made, have lots of character, and are mostly 3 bedroom. In Sulpher Springs, they were not constructed well, are on the whole quite a built smaller, and have been rented for cheap for decades. Additionally, the old dog track is a real drag on the area. If that could be torn down and redeveloped into something to attract people and then the Water Tower Park upgraded with some nice features to actually keep people engaged, the area might have a chance.