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Old 10-02-2009, 04:34 PM
 
134 posts, read 398,232 times
Reputation: 33

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Some of you on the south florida forum have seen my posts...up until recently, my husband and I were supposed to be moving to south florida to be closer to my family due to my medical issue..we are now across the country...Well..to make a long story short...i have a rare disease and BTW..there are only a dozen or so drs in the country who treat my illness and take insurance at all..but there is one in florida and my family lives in south florida so up till now. we were planning to move to s florida and commuting to the dr....

well......we just found out that the only dr in the state that treats it, in tampa, is not accepting patients outside the tampa area....i am crushed about this but it is also a blessing in disguise because some of the issues we were having about moving there were the distance to the dr, my families' inability to help as much as they originally said, etc etc.....and more so we we are now considering moving either to tampa or justs another state that has a dr that treats my disease, but unless it is on the east coast and easier for family to get to and unless this state has a mild clmate, lower,cost of living, we cannot consider. So. we have VERY few options where we can live ;( We have already considered NC/ SC/ atlanta and non have drs so we are forced to look into tampa. Anywayjust wanted to give you a bit of background info.

Ok so...What I do know: I know tampa is somewhat less expensive than SF, I also know tampa is more humid than south florida and gets cold-er. which can be a problrm itself but it is the only city on the east coast that is not freezing cold and has a dr for me so i will have to put up with it (i am originsally from NY from cannot consider moving there due to longer winters, high cost of living and no dr that takes insurance) but at least in tampa would coud drive a few hrs and see family in s florida)

So..lots of questions about tampa:

How long does the cold last?? Are the winters long like in NY??

Is the cost of living much less than in south florida?? This was a major problem for us relocating to south florida, which is MUCH more expensive than where we are in AZ

How is the traffic? Is it a nightmare to get anywhere and like NY, do you have to add about 20mins onto your commute time?

-How close is tampa to the beach?? I don't want to move to florida and be far from a beach

- Are there jewish people there? There were many in south florida.

- Is there a live music scene?? I go out at night which is my only time i function and i cannot do much in the way of paid enjoyment..so live music and karaoke is what we do when we can get out (I am homebound so not much to look forward to...there dont have to be 10000 clus like miami, but at least some music scene.

- what are the best areas for safety, promxity to beach, shopping, etc

Are there any walkable neighborhoods??? I am homebound and this is very important since I cannot drive and takemy wheelchairor walker if there is a downtown,etc

Is there a downtown or a true city?

****I know public tranp in florida is horrible all around, but is tampa better at least???? I was reading about some kind of trolley, buses, etc....is it realistic to think someone can get around wth the bus system? Or is it like everywhere in florida, which is you are screwed without a car or driving

- Are there any good hospitals and drs?

- Are there young people in tampa?? and do you have to pay more to be in those neighborhoods? In south florida, every area that had more young people and weren't surrounded by retirement 55 plus complexes were beyond our reach financially

-Are there families without kids? We cannot have kids and live in a conservative area where everyone has kids and you cannot make friends as a couple if you don't have kids as most activities in our town are child friendly and revolve around kids.

- Are there things to do during the weekends there? When my disease goes into remission, we love to boat, husband cayaks and hikes, love scene drives, the beach....and love day trips when I am well enough..i kno we will be closer to orlando in ta'mpa but that's all I know.

- How far is tampa from orlando area? I have an aunt there.

-What is the "new tampa" i keep hearing about

- I hear people are frendlier in tampa than in south fl but is is a fake friendlinsss?? And is it easy for people in their late 30's to 40's to make friendships???

What can you get for around $1000 a month renting? Right now we live in a safe area and we pay $1050 for 1300 sq ft 2 br older townhome (Apartment living is very hard for me (not saying that to be lazy...because of some limitations from my disease..i am noise sesnitive, cannot walk far to car so parking an issue, and need to be downstairs with noone upstairs whichi is hard to find...also have 3 cats and most comlplexes won't take more than 1 animal and we might have to get a service dog for me eventually and the apartments dont allow dogs, period.)

-Thx so much for your help!! I know I am asking alot of questions and don't expect one person to answer all of them but maybe a few people combined have knowldege. Can't believe I have to research a whole new area now ;(
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Old 10-02-2009, 05:00 PM
 
Location: South Tampa - Bayside West Neighborhood
1,824 posts, read 8,357,690 times
Reputation: 1035
Quote:
Originally Posted by nankjay View Post
So..lots of questions about tampa:

How long does the cold last?? Are the winters long like in NY??
Really? temps is Tampa are in the mostly in the 70s during the winter, ocassionally it may be in the 60s for a few days in Janaury, night generally in the upper 50's, may get a freeze a night or tow in January...NOTHING like NY, Tampa is Semi-Tropical.

Is the cost of living much less than in south florida?? Depends where you are looking, but id say it is less expensive.

How is the traffic? Is it a nightmare to get anywhere and like NY, do you have to add about 20mins onto your commute time? Tampa traffic is NOTHING compared to NY/Long Island. Depends where you live and where you are going.

-How close is tampa to the beach?? I don't want to move to florida and be far from a beach
Downtown Tampa is about 30 minutes from the Gulf beaches(Tampa is situated on a Bay-the beaches on the Bay are NOTHING like the beaches on the Gulf).

- Are there jewish people there? There were many in south florida.
Yes

- Is there a live music scene?? Yes, large live music scene, I LOVE live music..conerts...local...any kind of music. There is plenty of live music venues in the Tampa area.

- what are the best areas for safety, promxity to beach, shopping, etc
How close to you want to be to the beach? Places like Dunedin, Safety Harbour are nice little towns close to the beaches, Seminole is a bigger area close to the beaches(within 15 min). In Tampa, I prefer South Tampa areas(the section of land south of Kennedy Blvd).

Are there any walkable neighborhoods???
walkable areas in Tampa would be neighborhoods in South Tampa like Hyde Park, Davis ISlands, Palma Ceia, etc.

Is there a downtown or a true city?
Downtown Tampa(where the tall buildings are) is mostly a Fiancial District, over 60,000 work there, but about 2000 actually live there. The areas adjacent to downtown(the neighborhoods like Hyde Park, Harbour Island, Channelside) are where most people live closest to downtown(within a mile to city center)..but downtown does have lots going on..the Forum where the Lightning play hockey and lots of concerts and events, Florida Aquarium, Convention Center, Tampa Theater, Museum of Art, Photography, Fire and Policy, Childrens Museums, Riverwalk, and lots of events. But most action happens in the outlaying neighbotrhoods adjacent to downtown,

****I know public tranp in florida is horrible all around, but is tampa better at least???? Hartline.org will show you Tampas bus system. South Tampa has the most predictable lines...its not a very good system, but its gotten alot better..now the bus comes by my area every 30 min instead once an hour and runs from 530am to 10pm.

- Are there any good hospitals and drs? Many - Tampa General, University, Memorial, St. Josephs for example.

- Are there young people in tampa?? and do you have to pay more to be in those neighborhoods? In south florida, every area that had more young people and weren't surrounded by retirement 55 plus complexes were beyond our reach financially IM not sure what you can afford, but in Tampa, most of the younger professionals live in South Tampa. What age are you inquiring about? South Tampa, since it is desirable area, tends to be the most expensive, but its a large area(over 100,000 people).

-Are there families without kids? We cannot have kids and live in a conservative area where everyone has kids and you cannot make friends as a couple if you don't have kids as most activities in our town are child friendly and revolve around kids. Yes

- Are there things to do during the weekends there? When my disease goes into remission, we love to boat, husband cayaks and hikes, love scene drives, the beach....and love day trips when I am well enough..i kno we will be closer to orlando in ta'mpa but that's all I know. So much to do, just name it(besides winter sports of course) I own tow kayaks, and mountain bikes....weekly rags like Creativeloafing.com and tbt.com will give you an example of all there is to see an do in the area, check out the calendar sections.

- How far is tampa from orlando area? I have an aunt there. about 90 minutes from downtown Tampa to Downtown Orlando, straight shot on I-4.

-What is the "new tampa" i keep hearing about. Just one of Tampa's neighborhoods, in the most northeastern part of the city limits..its very new, just built up from the 90s, gated suburbs, chain retail and restaurants..about 15 miles from downtown Tampa, but traffic can be bad if going from there to downtown and vice versa in peak hours.

- I hear people are frendlier in tampa than in south fl but is is a fake friendlinsss?? And is it easy for people in their late 30's to 40's to make friendships??? It is what you make it, I made friends in Ft Lauderdale and in Tampa, I jus think people in Tampa are a bit more down to earth, but thats me(im originally from NY)

What can you get for around $1000 a month renting? My friend just got a 3/2 bath HOUSE with a garage, fenced backyard in a great neighborhood in Clearwater ..check out Craigslist.com or contact a realtor who specializes in rentals.

-Thx so much for your help!! I know I am asking alot of questions and don't expect one person to answer all of them but maybe a few people combined have knowldege. Can't believe I have to research a whole new area now ;(
I hope this helps.
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Old 10-05-2009, 07:11 AM
 
Location: Beautiful Pinellas County
1,466 posts, read 3,066,355 times
Reputation: 1116
How long does the cold last?? Are the winters long like in NY??
Really? temps is Tampa are in the mostly in the 70s during the winter, ocassionally it may be in the 60s for a few days in Janaury, night generally in the upper 50's, may get a freeze a night or tow in January...NOTHING like NY, Tampa is Semi-Tropical.

Is the cost of living much less than in south florida?? Depends where you are looking, but id say it is less expensive.

How is the traffic? Is it a nightmare to get anywhere and like NY, do you have to add about 20mins onto your commute time? Tampa traffic is NOTHING compared to NY/Long Island. Depends where you live and where you are going. Not like NY

-How close is tampa to the beach?? I don't want to move to florida and be far from a beach
Downtown Tampa is about 30 minutes from the Gulf beaches(Tampa is situated on a Bay-the beaches on the Bay are NOTHING like the beaches on the Gulf).

- Are there jewish people there? There were many in south florida.
Yes

- Is there a live music scene?? Yes, large live music scene, I LOVE live music..conerts...local...any kind of music. There is plenty of live music venues in the Tampa area. And tons in St Petersburg too, st Pete is about 20-25 mins commute to downtown Tampa if you are seeing a doctor near to USF then it's a bit longer.
- what are the best areas for safety, promxity to beach, shopping, etc
How close to you want to be to the beach? Places like Dunedin, Safety Harbour are nice little towns close to the beaches, Seminole is a bigger area close to the beaches(within 15 min). In Tampa, I prefer South Tampa areas(the section of land south of Kennedy Blvd). Seminole is less than one minute to beach in areas. As is Largo(careful on some areas but Largo/Seminle is nice) and Belleair. Also Countryside/EastLake/parts of Oldsmar

Are there any walkable neighborhoods???
walkable areas in Tampa would be neighborhoods in South Tampa like Hyde Park, Davis ISlands, Palma Ceia, etc. Lots of walkable areas including beaches in Pinellas, West Chase areas of Hillsborough
Is there a downtown or a true city?
Downtown Tampa(where the tall buildings are) is mostly a Fiancial District, over 60,000 work there, but about 2000 actually live there. The areas adjacent to downtown(the neighborhoods like Hyde Park, Harbour Island, Channelside) are where most people live closest to downtown(within a mile to city center)..but downtown does have lots going on..the Forum where the Lightning play hockey and lots of concerts and events, Florida Aquarium, Convention Center, Tampa Theater, Museum of Art, Photography, Fire and Policy, Childrens Museums, Riverwalk, and lots of events. But most action happens in the outlaying neighbotrhoods adjacent to downtown, shouting out for St Pete, Museum of Fine Arts, Florida Museum, soon coming Gilooly Glass Collection, Holocaust Museum, Salvador Dali Musuem, African American Museum, that's not all, just all I can think of just now. The Pier (nice bit of kitch!) Mahaffey Theatre, Colliseum - different events, American Stage, State Theatre,Palladium Theatre, also see Gulfport for art/theatre events. Year round outdoor concerts, festivals, art shows every month outdoor, street markets, Very large waterfront with parks all along, waterfront walks along Beach Drive, pavement cafes/restaurants, lots of galleries and antiques.

****I know public tranp in florida is horrible all around, but is tampa better at least???? Hartline.org will show you Tampas bus system. South Tampa has the most predictable lines...its not a very good system, but its gotten alot better..now the bus comes by my area every 30 min instead once an hour and runs from 530am to 10pm.

- Are there any good hospitals and drs? Many - Tampa General, University, Memorial, St. Josephs for example. bayfront/All Childrens is very good and growing in downtown St Pete

- Are there young people in tampa?? and do you have to pay more to be in those neighborhoods? In south florida, every area that had more young people and weren't surrounded by retirement 55 plus complexes were beyond our reach financially IM not sure what you can afford, but in Tampa, most of the younger professionals live in South Tampa. What age are you inquiring about? South Tampa, since it is desirable area, tends to be the most expensive, but its a large area(over 100,000 people).

-Are there families without kids? We cannot have kids and live in a conservative area where everyone has kids and you cannot make friends as a couple if you don't have kids as most activities in our town are child friendly and revolve around kids. Yes Lots in particular areas as Tampa Guy says, but also again downtown St Pete

- Are there things to do during the weekends there? When my disease goes into remission, we love to boat, husband cayaks and hikes, love scene drives, the beach....and love day trips when I am well enough..i kno we will be closer to orlando in ta'mpa but that's all I know. So much to do, just name it(besides winter sports of course) I own tow kayaks, and mountain bikes....weekly rags like Creativeloafing.com and tbt.com will give you an example of all there is to see an do in the area, check out the calendar sections. Tons to do particularly on bikes and water.

- How far is tampa from orlando area? I have an aunt there. about 90 minutes from downtown Tampa to Downtown Orlando, straight shot on I-4.

-What is the "new tampa" i keep hearing about. Just one of Tampa's neighborhoods, in the most northeastern part of the city limits..its very new, just built up from the 90s, gated suburbs, chain retail and restaurants..about 15 miles from downtown Tampa, but traffic can be bad if going from there to downtown and vice versa in peak hours.

also I think its a lot more family orientated, there are younger people there but I have no clue what they do socially sorry- I hear people are frendlier in tampa than in south fl but is is a fake friendlinsss?? And is it easy for people in their late 30's to 40's to make friendships??? It is what you make it, I made friends in Ft Lauderdale and in Tampa, I jus think people in Tampa are a bit more down to earth, but thats me(im originally from NY) I agree and I'm from Europe

What can you get for around $1000 a month renting? My friend just got a 3/2 bath HOUSE with a garage, fenced backyard in a great neighborhood in Clearwater ..check out Craigslist.com or contact a realtor who specializes in rentals. Lots available to rent just now, be careful you dont rent a foreclosure or preforeclosure, best to try and check on that before you rent.

-Thx so much for your help!! I know I am asking alot of questions and don't expect one person to answer all of them but maybe a few people combined have knowldege. Can't believe I have to research a whole new area now best of luck to you with your treatments
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