Tampa/Pinellas Park (Clearwater, Seminole: real estate, renting, buying)

[smb_minipins]

Hey guys, im hoping to come to a decision on where abouts this move is taking place i think we have narrowed it down drastically. So, my husbands job itself will either be in Pinellas Park or Tampa (downtown) So... with that said what would be a good smart area that we can live in which is not to far from either (depending on which one he takes) job... I mean I think PP is like a good 25-30 minute ride from Tampa but we are hoping to pick somewhere in between. That has good schools (or for the most part i have a pre-k'er this yr) a good area that is not hugely overpopulated. (Sounds like im asking for my own state lol) Anyway, anyone with any ideas or thoughts that would help alot. Thanks
Stef


I wanted to add that we are renting to start so it will be easier to move if we dont like the spot we end up, but i kinda wanted to try and aviod that as much as possible by using this forum and all your ideas.

[indraman]

Originally Posted by smb_minipins

Hey guys, im hoping to come to a decision on where abouts this move is taking place i think we have narrowed it down drastically. So, my husbands job itself will either be in Pinellas Park or Tampa (downtown) So... with that said what would be a good smart area that we can live in which is not to far from either (depending on which one he takes) job... I mean I think PP is like a good 25-30 minute ride from Tampa but we are hoping to pick somewhere in between. That has good schools (or for the most part i have a pre-k'er this yr) a good area that is not hugely overpopulated. (Sounds like im asking for my own state lol) Anyway, anyone with any ideas or thoughts that would help alot. Thanks
Stef


I wanted to add that we are renting to start so it will be easier to move if we dont like the spot we end up, but i kinda wanted to try and aviod that as much as possible by using this forum and all your ideas.

Hey there. We just spent a year in Pinellas Park. I will tell you that in hindsight, we wish we had chosen Tampa over PP. You will have a tough time finding a great public school in that area of St. Pete. Most people (ourselves included) opted for private school. There are some great public schools in the Seminole area and in the Westlake Tampa area. I would concentrate your search there if you decide to go to Florida (By the way...we're gone after a year. Not great for kids unless you have a tremendous amount of money). If you choose PP, Keswick is a wonderful private school that we liked very much. Their Pre-K is amazing. Good luck.
I urge you to visit all of the schools before buying real estate based on test scores in that area. If you are flexible with geography, go to Clearwater and buy in the Leila Davis district. By far the best public school in Pinellas Co. If we had stayed, that's where we would have re-located.