Dunedin-Treasure Island..Where is best place to live? (Clearwater, Palm Harbor: real estate, estate)

[Sunyone47]

Let me re-phrase. Pinnellas, Tampa Bay Area where would be the most desirable places to live? For walking the dog, riding bikes, shopping, sailing and safety?

[nucat78]

Suny, your best answers will be found if you go down and look around so you can see for yourself. Everybody has a different idea of what is their "most desirable place". I would vote for South Pasadena or Gulfport but I'm a single male in his fifties with a big dog - kids are grown, etc, etc.

[SunsetBeachFL]

Obviously, no question here given your existing condition... no kids. North Pin. less beachy, South Pin. is quite beachy.

Treasure Island, yes. Dunedin... well although it does have some lovely pedestrian venues, I'd vote for TI. Just found that TI is more laid back and this is from someone who grew up in North Pin. (Countryside area). Sure, you're close to the beach and water activities if you're in that area - not the same as being in a beach community, and alas, I have no words to explain the differences except that the 2 areas are very different and will depend on your likes/dislikes.

[stpeteguy]

Originally Posted by Sunyone47

My husband just got a job in Clearwater... not sure where to move??
I wasn't comparing... I was asking between Treasure Island and Dunedin where is the best place to live, I am not from the area. I need good info on shopping, walking streets, biking, sailing access, etc. Thanks for your help in advance!

The best place to live is on the beach in a million dollar beachfront house.

[marcopolo]

Sunnyone, we are also young empty-nesters, looked around and recently chose Dunedin. It has the activities you mentioned in abundance. We love Honeymoon Island State Park, the hike/bike trail goes there, you can get an affordable place close to the water and to the trails. But like others said, you have to go and see. We like the small-town feel of Dunedin, the local restaurants and shops all over the place (not just in Dunedin, of course) and yet still be close (10-15 minutes) to any national chain or big-box store you need to get to.

[taooftea]

marcopolo-
Can you describe Dunedin? How's the population, does it feel overly=populated? It sounds beautiful. Is it a health-conscious place would you say? I have one child going away to college, and another young child so I'll be looking for the best place to raise her. Dunedin has been an area of interest. Why did you choose Dunedin?
Thanks a bunch

[marcopolo]

Dunedin felt less densely populated. More green space, few high-rise developments, small town feel. Not as touristy as places further south near the water, yet there is an abundance of local restaurants and small shops. Arts are big, major festivals. We could get in a condo development on the water, very close to the Pinellas (hike/bike) trail, close to the causeway out to Honeymoon Island which is fantastic, for a really decent price. Lots of people biking, walking, skating make it seem healthy. And yet, the big national chain stores in every line are just 10-15 minutes away when you need them. We grew up in a midwest city, lived most of our adult lives in a small town 20 miles away from the city, and Dunedin's small-town feel and close access to big-city amenities is ideal for us now. The water is a huge, huge plus for us--its magic. The chamber of commerce website and delightfuldunedin.com have good pictures.

[fmccarthy]

If one has a job in Clearwater, you've selected the most practical range of areas. Some in this thread have suggested some others but if you have to get to a job you have to consider the commute. Pinellas is quite populated. However, I'd say it is populated for a reason - it is very desirable from all standpoints.

TI is nice but touristy (anything near the beaches will be that way but to varying degrees); they cater to tourists. It is a reasonable commute to Clearwater. I would avoid the next one up - Madeira Beach as it has a higher percentage of less desirable areas. The Redingtons (Redington Beach, Redington Shores, North Redington beach) are upscale though getting more crowded with high rise. Have some lesser areas but not bad. Next up are Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach. Indian shores has a high percentage of condos (high rise) and is in itself quite small. Terrific beach access, though. Indian Rocks Beach is a beach town, quite "small-community" and I mean that in a good sense. It's almost hard to say it's nice because I would rather say it's terrible, run away! stay away! as would many residents. It's a nice town. There are condos but only a couple high ones which were grandfathered; the city council limits the height and that's a good thing. Next town is Belleair BEach. Upscale and Expensive. Nice place to live. Next is Clearwater Beach. Fuhgeddaboudit. North Clearwater Beach is nice but expensive but you are still trapped in a tourist town. And, during holidays and Spring Break, it'll take a half hour to get over the bridge. Dunedin is north of Clearwater. Nice, artsy (if you like that) Main St. Good marina. Some condos. How much will someone pay me not to tell your wife that Countryside mall is an easy, straight shot from the middle of Dunedin.

A lot depends on where in Clearwater you will work and what sort of activities you like on a day to day basis. That last phrase is important. Will you go to the beach every day? Will you be boating a lot. If so, how much more is having the boat in back of your house vs. in a marina worth: there will be a premium for a waterfront home.

If you want an overall life, you might look at towns on the inland side of the intracoastal waterway. All the towns I mentioned above, encompassed by the range in the original post, are on barrier islands, separated from the mainland by the intracoastal. One has towns like Seminole, Largo, Belleair just south of Clearwater. The advantages there are closer proximity to stores such as supermarkets, which one does need regularly. Sure, you can drive to one (have to drive everywhere here) but these towns are closer. An equivalent home is less expensive as it does not have water behind it (there are some waterfront homes in LArgo, though I feel they are overpriced compared to the beaches). The importance of that is driven by how big a home you need. Another consideration is insurance: inland is less expensive than island, sometimes by 1-2 thousand a year. The reason for that is risk of flooding and higher wind possibility on the islands. I live in Largo at the moment (will be selling this house, use the house my wife had before we were married and she rented out, we refurbed and will get a larger boat to live on for the weekends in Indian Rocks), I can get to the beach in 7 minutes from 2 miles inland BUT am 50 feet above sea level. One of your big risks in a hurricane is storm surge - the increase in sea height before the storm. Usually it's just some minor flooding on the beaches but, if the storm comes ashore just right, can fill a living room. So, it's a consideration - I'll just watch it on TV.

Don't be frightened by my storm comments - it's simple reality. There are natural problems everywhere in the country. Can't escape by going to the Midwest - tornadoes; California? - earthquakes. The trouble with those last two is the unpredictability. The earthquake just happens and you find yourself being thrown out of bed. Tornadoes come up on a few minutes notice. The weather service in FL gives you path advisories 5 days out so you can prepare.

[nucat78]

Originally Posted by fmccarthy

Can't escape by going to the Midwest - tornadoes; California? - earthquakes. The trouble with those last two is the unpredictability. The earthquake just happens and you find yourself being thrown out of bed.

We just had an earthquake epicentered about 40 miles from Chicago. I slept through it but it woke my son up. Also, the prophets of doom tell us that if the New Madrid Fault lets go in Missouri, Chicago could get a good wallop.

My other son lives in LA - he was under a table during an earthquake while taking his California bar exam and a year later his condo in Pasadena was threatened by wildfires. He now lives in OC and said there were cars flipped over on the 5 by the tornadoes that came through a few weeks ago.

[jovaz65]

We just spent two weeks in Treasure Island, it was wonderful. Very laid back. The weather was a little too cold but can't blame Treasure Island for that... I thought it had a small home town feel. I ate at several good restaurants, went to John's Pass. One of the locals suggested dinner at The Pearl Restaurant, excellent food. Found a cigar bar next door, beleive it was called the Cigar Republic or something like that. The Publix was unique, parking on the first floor, had to take an elevator upstairs. Wish we had better weather, jsut a little too cold for my liking. But I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a relaxing vacation.