Port Richey: schools, jobs, housing rentals, shopping, sidewalks, a master planned community

Peshe78 · 05-31-2007, 08:03 AM

Hi , I live in Pa right now. To make a long story short, I have the opportunity to relocate to Port Richey if I want. My in-laws are moving down there and think we should follow along. The area we live in is in the Suburbs of Philly, its getting bad with crime and drugs. Its not yet in my area but I know its only a matter of time. I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of a move. They tell me the area is nice and all but they only visited and the reason they are moving there is to help out a friend by taking over the mortgage on the friends home. I want to know about Schools in the area, Jobs, housing rentals, etc. I have a 10 year old girl. I work in Insurance right now. If I move I will have to find a home, a job and a school. If anyone wants to give me some input on life down in Port Richey please do so. I am one of those people that has to investigate everything, I just dont have the ability to up and move on the spot. I do adjust to change rather well though. Thanks for reading this.

Kelly

debidibly · 05-31-2007, 09:08 AM

I too am from the suburbs of Philly. I would think long and hard about the move. Life here on the whole is quite different and it depends what you are accustomed to and what you will tolerate. I moved from the NW suburbs of Philly, 30 minutes to King of Prussia Plaza but a good 10 minutes from everyday things like grocery stores, other shopping, etc. Some people here expect a grocery store on every corner and to be able to walk for things and have sidewalks - that isn't the case.

I can't give you a personal opinion on the pubic schools here since we postponed moving here ourselves until our child was in college- because I was worried about the schools and the horror stories I had heard. I can only go by what I've read and it hasn't been too great for schools in that area. School Accountability Report (Pasco county) There are some very good schools in Hillsborough county which is the next county down.

One huge plus would be finding a master planned community, which in many cases has it's own school. Those schools tend to have more parental involvement and are more like bedroom communities in themselves. Your daughter would probably have better luck making friends close by than in other communities.

As far as housing that can go either way. We sold for a lot more up north and paid MUCH less for a home with comparable square footage. There is no state income tax here, or earned income tax (1% or more up north). I think property taxes are a little higher than where I was up north. The killer here is homeowner's insurance which can run into the thousands for basic coverage.

Jobs are always a determining factor. Salaries are a lot less here and it can be quite a commute to Tampa for work other than in one of the service industries. Many folks here aren't willing to travel more than 10 minutes to work. Where I'm from I'm used to being stuck on 422 or the Schyulkill for hours on end. The commutes here are nothing.

Would I do it again, YES. Would I have done it sooner, YES. I would have put my son in Catholic school here instead of waiting to move. I'm happy not to have to make the trek to the Jersey shore every weekend for two months out of the year when I can drive less than a half hour to get to a handful of beaches and I can do it 9 months out of the year here!

Why not rent and see if you like it?

Peshe78 · 05-31-2007, 10:37 AM

Thanks for the information and the link to the schools. My daughter is in Catholic school now up here in PA and I am concerned about the schooling down there so I think i would have to put her in Catholic School down there as well. I most likely would rent a place for a while, Im just scared to make such a big move. I afraid I wont find a job fast enough and be struggling for a while. The move wouldnt happen until next spring/ summer if it did happen at all. How is the weather on an average day? How about all year long? I always wanted to live near a beach instead of driving to Wildwood every summer. Its a hassle at times. I sit on the Blue Rt everyday of my life for about 45mins. Sometimes more if there is an accident. I just really need to think about things before I made such a big decision. Thanks for your help

Songbird42 · 05-31-2007, 02:52 PM

Catholic schools cost several hundred dollars a month, and I believe there is a catholic HS in Hudson and one in Clearwater, I know that the kids from Spring Hill travel 2 hrs each way to go to Clearwater, I read somewhere that the HS in Hudson was closing for lack of students.

Port Richey is a nice town, if you can stand the traffic, the mall is there (not much of one for that matter). Housing is cheaper than in PA. Jobs? If you want a decent job you'll have to travel I'm sure.

Weather is HOT HOT HOT........June 1st starts Hurricane season, till Nov. 1st
there are at least 5 major storms predicted for this year.
Daily temperatures are usually 89/90-68/70 and humid. The A/C runs quite a bit, from the A/C house to the A/C car to the A/C store.

Word of advise.........rent to see if this is the place for you, don't burn the bridges behind you, you may need them if things don't work out.

Good Luck in whatever you decide to do

debidibly · 05-31-2007, 04:47 PM

Peshe78, if you are already familiar with Catholic school tuition in PA I don't believe that you will find it much different here. A lot depends on your parish subsidy, etc. which I'm sure you are familiar with having sent your daughter there in the past. Catholic institutions here are harder to find and from what I see the Catholic populous is closer to the coast lines.

Look at the Diocese of St. Pete website (Diocese of St. Petersburg) and you can find the schools. I have no info of any school closings but I do know that Bishop McLaughlin High School in Spring Hill is still accepting students next year. If you visit the diocese web site it will give you telephone numbers and locations to help you figure out which school would be closest to you. You should definitely call them and ask them of any potential closings. There are also private Catholic schools here, like Lasalle High School up there which are also much more expensive.

As far as traffic, if you can handle the Blue Route or the Conshohocken Curve you're golden here!

Weather is hot, hot, hot. It seems to start in late March and last year ran off and on into December. We were at the beach the day after Christmas

But up north we had more 100 degree days than we have here. Humidity is a problem of course so you run your AC. I am outside just as much if not more. We have a pool so that helps. There is no real winter or ice storms

But there is hurricane season to deal with which is more frightening but is short lived thankfully.

As for the beaches, you're not in Jersey anymore Dorothy

There are no boardwalks here - it is VERY different. But I like it. The sand is more floury than the grit at the Jersey shore and the Gulf has very few waves compared to the Atlantic beaches. Even facing the sun on the Gulf coast is different - you'll need your backto the water. There are still great shops at the bigger beaches, it's just different. I'm an OCNJ girl most of my life and I miss it but I'm so happy to be able to go to the beach so often in comparison. We've gone back to OCNJ for long weekends since.

As for jobs, yes they can be difficult to find. My hubby works from home and I'm taking some time off. But depending on what you do for insurance I would think you might find something locally. One thing for certain to look into is any state licensing that is necessary. I kept my Cosmetology License in PA and am jumping through hoops to get it transferred here.

Think long and hard about it. And like Songbird said, don't burn any bridges. Rent if you can, it's probably less expensive anyway and housing prices are still on the down turn. If you do come, give it time. Things are slower here compared to what I'm used to. It's just different and depends what you are willing to tolerate and trade off. I'm not saying I absolutely love it here but I didn't absolutely love it up north - it was just all I knew.

Remember, there's no place like home....but home is where you make it.

Songbird42 · 05-31-2007, 05:25 PM

Couldn't have said it any better

njgirl07731 · 06-12-2007, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peshe78

Thanks for the information and the link to the schools. My daughter is in Catholic school now up here in PA and I am concerned about the schooling down there so I think i would have to put her in Catholic School down there as well. I most likely would rent a place for a while, Im just scared to make such a big move. I afraid I wont find a job fast enough and be struggling for a while. The move wouldnt happen until next spring/ summer if it did happen at all. How is the weather on an average day? How about all year long? I always wanted to live near a beach instead of driving to Wildwood every summer. Its a hassle at times. I sit on the Blue Rt everyday of my life for about 45mins. Sometimes more if there is an accident. I just really need to think about things before I made such a big decision. Thanks for your help

I would really think about it, we moved to spring hill about 3 yrs ago and we hate it. it's very different from up north. the people are very different and the way of life. you will live by the beach but to go to a good beach with normal people you have to travel to clearwater. were in the process of moving back to nj, we could not make enough to even get by, my husband is in nj now working until we sell our house. i would come and spend some time and really check out the area, and also go to the local stores like walmart and grocery stores. you'll see the type of people you'll live around.

LKJ1988 · 06-12-2007, 04:22 PM

I live in Port Richey, homes were selling for $40,000 for a 2/2 in 1999 then went up to about $150,000 in 05, soon homes will be back around $75,000.

Its pretty rough here, drugs, gangs , roughnecks, heavy traffic, very little rain in the summer and very hot! But homes prices are falling and taxes are cheaper than Tampa, but HOI is thru the roof.
Thank God i paid cash for my home, i dont get raped by the high cost of insurance.

nprbabydoll18 · 06-12-2007, 08:59 PM

when people are talking about new port richey and port richey, i am really wondering if im in a totally different place than them??

I have lived in both npr and port richey for the past 4 years. I am 20 and used to live in NY brooklyn. I got used to partying and clubbing every weekend than was forced to move down here because of my parents. I DO NOT, repeat I DO NOT regret it AT ALL!!!!! In New port richey, My neighbors are the nicest and kindest people I have ever met in my life! We look out for each other and are there for each in times of need. The houses and landscaping in this neighborhood is GORGEOUS! Alhtough the houses arent like from 2007 they are well kept and up to date homes.
BUT for port richey, the neighborhood is a little less nice, not all of the houses, but like one house in the block kills the view for the rest of the house. Everybody there was really nice as well.
Now at the store, there are some rude people that ruin how the rest of us are percieved, Wall mart is ALWAYS busy, ALWAYS!!!! Publix is not as busy but has a few people in there.
For high school, probably 98% of the students are white. when i moved i was the only "colored" in almost all of my classes and was NEVER treated badly in any way shape or form. The students and teachers were all very helpful and made my move from wild party girl to calm family oriented woman. I remember one time I had trouble with math, and my math teacher came in to school an hour earlier so she could help me and stayed back a few afternoons to help me.
All i can say is that I prefer NPR and my experience in npr has been extremly wonderful. I wouldnt move back to Brklyn for a million bucks!!!*actually I would move to brklyn and collect my money than move back to New Port Richey all over again!!!!*

Good Luck!

Jamalbi1 · 04-07-2013, 07:56 PM

I know this question was posted years ago. However if someone is considering moving to Port Richey... Here is what I have to say...
I have lived in Pasco County since 1996 and Port Richey since 2005. If I could move I would. I hate the area more each day but am stuck here for the time being. There is nothing good to say about this area. Absolutely nothing. I would stay in Pennsylvania or choose some other area. Port Richey is a dump. Sorry to say. The crime is way up and I never feel safe. Not even with 6 dogs. A lot of the people come here and regret it. Trust me. Don't move to this dump.