Seminole Heights??? (Tampa: houses, neighborhoods, buying)

[RME1220]

My husband and I are looking to possibly relocate to Tampa in the next year. We have a 3 year old. We are looking for a fun neighborhood that has some walkability to restaurants, parks and shops. We'd like a safe, family friendly, urban feel area. Our budget is in the low 200's for a house with a small yard.
We live in Raleigh, NC right now and we are in suburbia--we do not want this type of a neighborhood.
I've noticed a couple of nice craftsman style homes in the Seminole Heights area. Would this neighborhood fit the bill? What is a good website to find out more about Tampa areas? Any other suggestions where I can look at homes?

Thanks!

[housingcrashsurvivor]

I totally love the craftsman-styled houses there. I considered it myself but decided on elsewhere.

I'm not intimately familiar with the area (I don't know where every Starbucks might be--there's one on not very pedestrian friendly Hillsborough Blvd) but offhand it does not strike me as an area with lots of downtown-type walkable restaurants. I'm sure someone will correct me if I have that wrong. I often drive to Cappy's for pizza and there's not a whole lot on Florida Ave which runs through it. Also running through it is Nebraska and I'm not familiar with that road down there, but I've been on other stretches of it. Doesn't strike me as a lovely walk.

Walking through the residential areas there is very nice, however. Lots of interesting homes to see. The riverfront has some good public access points. And it is an easy drive to downtown, of course.

I thought I had a bunch of websites saved from my past searches of that area but find only one on my puter. Google the area and I'm sure you'll find more. Here's the one I have of nearby Tampa Heights. Tampa Heights Civic Association Home Page

Lots of luck in your move.

Moderator cut: realtor website not allowed

[gypsychic]

Parts of Seminole Heights are very nice, other parts, not so much - some are on the fringes of some really bad areas. Overall, most of Seminole Heights is pretty good, although it is not really "walkable" to restaurants etc., in the way that the south Tampa neighborhoods are.

Here are some links to some websites:

Seminole Heights

Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association

Seminole Heights, Tampa, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[ferret111]

Seminole Heights is a great historic neighborhood. Generally, you'd want to stay west of Florida Avenue, or at least I-275. There is a Starbucks at Hillsborough and Central, as well as a number of independent restaurants along Florida. The Nebraska side doesn't have much, at least yet, and isn't really walkable. It is definitely far more gritty than the Florida side.

The neighborhood has come a long way, though a few areas are still patchy, especially the blocks bordering 275, as well as the area near Florida and Broad, where there used to be the projects. Once you cross MLK, the closer you get to downtown, the sketchier it gets, though that's more Tampa Heights than Seminole Heights.

The only thing I'm not too sure about is the schools. Elementary would probably be Broward. Middle would definitely be Memorial. High school would definitely be Hillsborough. I don't know anything about Broward, but Memorial and Hillsborough have more of an inner-city element to them, since they have a pretty big zone. Hillsborough has an IB program, though that wouldn't really come into play for a long time.

[Aconite]

Originally Posted by RME1220

My husband and I are looking to possibly relocate to Tampa in the next year. We have a 3 year old. We are looking for a fun neighborhood that has some walkability to restaurants, parks and shops. We'd like a safe, family friendly, urban feel area. Our budget is in the low 200's for a house with a small yard.
We live in Raleigh, NC right now and we are in suburbia--we do not want this type of a neighborhood.
I've noticed a couple of nice craftsman style homes in the Seminole Heights area. Would this neighborhood fit the bill? What is a good website to find out more about Tampa areas? Any other suggestions where I can look at homes?

Thanks!

If I were trying to describe the anti-Cary, it would be Seminole Heights.

Seminole Heights has its good and bad points. (Sometimes those points are righht next to each other.) There are cute houses, some restored, some not. It is indeed very urban, and a good spot from which to commute downtown. Your neighbors may be anything from artists to office commuters to crackheads, and occasionally all three on the same block. Neighborhood schools are...um...best avoided. That having been said, I'd consider buying there, were I planning a move.
Best bet is before you buy, drive through at several different times of night, definitely get an inspection, and check out the availability of private schools (or prepare to homeschool, there are several HS families there).

Seminole Heights

The Official Unofficial Seminole Heights Blog | The Latest Neighborhood Insider Info

[Keeper]

Broward was a good school at least a couple of years ago. My daughter lived in Seminole Heights right near Broward school. They had some really nice neighbors and only once had a problem with someone stealing something out of their garage. You are really close to the river plus it is not in a flood zone which means you won't have to leave if a hurricane is headed that way.