Tampa advice...please respond :) (Orlando, Clearwater: transplants, rent, hotel)

[soontob]

Hey everyone!
I am a single mom of two girls, one in high school and one in elementary school. I am moving out of Colorado Springs to have the chance to go to grad school and am in the process of deciding where I will go so I need everyone to contribute and help me out
I am well aware that the economy has tanked everywhere but I am unable to stay here to go to grad school as Colorado College is a private school and it is way out of my price range.
I am currently obtaining my BA in Psychology and will be going after my MSW. I have thought about Phoenix and Orlando and someone suggested I also look into Tampa. If any of you have other thoughts or suggestions, please let me know!
I will be getting financial aid through school, I will also be receiving unemployment from Colorado, as I was just laid off due to lack of work, I have about 15K in savings and will be looking for part time admin/legal or customer service work to supplement my income. I will be looking for a house in a safe area with good schools and I think that may put me in the Clearwater or St. Petersberg area.
I would be moving this Summer so I have a year to gain Florida residency, so I don't have to pay out of state tuition.
Let me also say that I was not raised in Colorado, I love the sunshine and the beach and am ok with the humidity. I am not a fan of the snow, lol
Please don't ignore my post and please be gentle with your positive/negative responses as in order to continue my education I will have to move no matter what.
Thank you all in advance and if I can provide more information just let me know!

[JUJYFRUIT0]

i can reply only with what i know....and what i know are the 2 areas that i have lived and loved...first one was the feather sound area, of clearwater. it is north st. pete actually, i always felt very safe there and walked at night alone, and it's beautiful, upscale and near beaches, tampa and jobs and schools. the other area is riverview/brandon area, also i feel very safe and housing is reasonably priced and close to town, jobs and schools, hope this helps. i've lived in tampa bay for 10 years.

[soontob]

Originally Posted by JUJYFRUIT0

i can reply only with what i know....and what i know are the 2 areas that i have lived and loved...first one was the feather sound area, of clearwater. it is north st. pete actually, i always felt very safe there and walked at night alone, and it's beautiful, upscale and near beaches, tampa and jobs and schools. the other area is riverview/brandon area, also i feel very safe and housing is reasonably priced and close to town, jobs and schools, hope this helps. i've lived in tampa bay for 10 years.

Thank you so much for your response. Being that you have been there through this economic downturn, do you think it is possible o find a job like i mentioned in my post, I do understand that it may not be right away but I was hoping maybe within six months? Just trying to get a feel to make the right decision on location for my family.
Thanks again for your response!

[MarvinStarvin]

Hi,
I read your thread and felt why not reply to your post since you seem like you want a response soon.
I've give some of my experience on Tampa.
I lived here 3 times .the first was from 1990-1994.(moved here from Los Angeles,Ca)
and the second I returned again in 1997.then again from 2008-present.
My mother lives down here in the Tampa bay area and Im now 37 years old.(Im also a truck driver big rigs)try getting a decent trucking job here.
you wont for any truckers reading this.anyways....
Tampa is what most say it is, hot and humid, old [mod] snip [/mod],transplants from all the cold parts of states east of the rockies, and full of annoying tourists and inland is pretty much rednecks and all kinds of disrespectful [mod].. [/mod]who dont care about throwing parties til 3 am at your apt complex if you are living at a cheap apt etc..But personally (And Im trying to not be rude here with my opinion)but I see many women running from the cold northern states or whatever divorces,dragging thier kids and maybe even a ***** whipped boyfriend to come here in hope of a new life.
Im not only going to pick on the women but Im tryin to make a point on the fact that there are more women who I noticed who "LOVE' it here VS.Men who come here then leave here due to the fact Men want better paying jobs and women dont care if they only "get by"or have to stay with their mother or have a family member or sugar daddy help get them by.
Ok Again Im going to drop the sexist opinions and just say.This area isnt a place to make great money and Living In Houston Texas myself.for 5 years prior to moving here recently(which Is where ill be returning to soon)is way better for your situation as far as having kids and cheaper living and better paying jobs.(My opinion)
I just feel that this area is a haven for people who are running from the cold and only end up finding jobs at the Publix super market.Walgreens,or what ever hotel or restaurant at the resort vacation areas here unless they are getting money from out of state from some relative etc...Oh and the rent here isnt cheap.if you do find a cheap 1-2 bedroom apt.itll be some mexican filled place(fill in the ethnic group).unless you are lucky enough to find a duplex house like my mother did in a decent pocket near everything.Ok I wish you well in what ever decision you make for you and your family.Others who read this and want to splice my post, go ahead.if you ever lived down here, you will know there is some truth in what Ive noticed here.thats if you really cared to notice and didnt just stay here for a week during vacation and claim you know this area already.Good luck ,god bless.

[soontob]

Originally Posted by MarvinStarvin

Hi,
I read your thread and felt why not reply to your post since you seem like you want a response soon.
I've give some of my experience on Tampa.
I lived here 3 times .the first was from 1990-1994.(moved here from Los Angeles,Ca)
and the second I returned again in 1997.then again from 2008-present.
My mother lives down here in the Tampa bay area and Im now 37 years old.(Im also a truck driver big rigs)try getting a decent trucking job here.
you wont for any truckers reading this.anyways....
Tampa is what most say it is, hot and humid, old mofo's and full of annoying tourists and inland is pretty much rednecks and all kinds of disrespectful mexican indians and latinos who dont care about throwing parties til 3 am apt your apt complex if you are living at a cheap apt etc..But personally (And Im trying to not be rude here with my opinion)but I see many women running from the cold northern states or whatever divorces,dragging thier kids and maybe even a ***** whipped boyfriend to come here in hope of a new life.
Im not only going to pick on the women but Im tryin to make a point on the fact that there are more women who I noticed who "LOVE' it here VS.Men who come here then leave here due to the Fact Men want better paying jobs and women dont care if they only "get by"or have to stay with their mother or have a family member or sugar daddy help get them by.
Ok Again Im going to drop the sexist opinions and just say.This area isnt a place to make great money and Living In Houston Texas myself.for 5 years prior to moving here recently(which Is where ill be returning to soon)is way better for your situation as far as having kids and cheaper living and better paying jobs.(My opinion)
I just feel that this area is a haven for people who are running from the cold and only end up finding jobs at the Publix super market.Walgreens,or what ever hotel or restaurant at the resort vacation areas here unless they are getting money from out of state from some relative etc...Oh and the rent here isnt cheap.if you do find a cheap 1-2 bedroom apt.itll be some mexican filled place(fill in the ethnic group).unless you are lucky enough to find a duplex house like my mother did in a decent pocket near everything.Ok I wish you well in what ever decision you make for you and your family.Others who read this and want to splice my post, go ahead.if you ever lived down here, you will know there is some truth in what Ive noticed here.thats if you really cared to notice and didnt just stay here for a week during vacation and claim you know this area already.Good luck ,god bless.

I appreciate your response. Let me clear something up-I am moving to go to grad school, I never said that I was moving to change my life and find a great paying job. I will need a part time job so that I can still go to school. I am not moving because I got divorced nor do I care to have to have boyfriend follow me where ever I go.
My grad school options in Florida are great on tuition and at most I would only be there three years. This is a temp fix for me and I was just wanting to know if with the scenario I provided, if it was doable.
If Houston is where you want to be, why are you in Tampa? Just curious, thanks for your post!

[MarvinStarvin]

hi again.
Yeah,I was just trying to state an opinion on what i have seen around here.Being that I discovered that trucking is ****y here in florida.I will be returning to houston soon where it is better.I have an elderly mother who I have to be close to once in a while due to the fact I am the only relative who can visit her here as my other brothers are further away.
So we rotate on visits here to this freakin state.I wish she would of never chose florida but florida is for the old folks so it seems.(not my opinion but fact for many who choose florida as a place to retire and die.)
again goodluck on your endeavors here.you'll be able to form your opinion about florida soon (read more on florida on city data you'll see im not alone)it may take a couple of years,or it'll be as soon as you open the newspaper/whatever classifieds section for a job, that you'll see that florida pays less then most areas in the US or up north.so enjoy the sun and heat because thats is whats on the menu here and nothing else.Goodluck.

[soontob]

Anyone else who has some thoughts I would be grateful to hear them!
Thank you

[Keeper]

A lot depends on what you like to do. If you want to be around young professionals, then S. Tampa is the place. If you are more family oriented then there are many safe places. Why Clearwater or St. Pete?

If you are going to USF then you might want to check out Lutz, New Tampa or Wesley Chapel. There are some sketchy areas around USF so you may want to check with the good folks here to verify the area. We had a moderator here on CD that was going for her PHD, she lived in New Tampa, IIRC. She has since moved back to her home state. As mentioned above Feather Sound and Riverview are nice areas but it is a drive to USF.

I would recommend Tampa over Orlando mainly because Orlando is more tourist oriented where Tampa has call centers (customer service) that do hire although the pay is around $10 an hour.

[MAniacTHW]

The single worst problem right now in Tampa is unemployment. You will be looking for a WHILE with nothing hooked up in advance. Moderator cut: ..

[soontob]

Originally Posted by Keeper

A lot depends on what you like to do. If you want to be around young professionals, then S. Tampa is the place. If you are more family oriented then there are many safe places. Why Clearwater or St. Pete?

If you are going to USF then you might want to check out Lutz, New Tampa or Wesley Chapel. There are some sketchy areas around USF so you may want to check with the good folks here to verify the area. We had a moderator here on CD that was going for her PHD, she lived in New Tampa, IIRC. She has since moved back to her home state. As mentioned above Feather Sound and Riverview are nice areas but it is a drive to USF.

I would recommend Tampa over Orlando mainly because Orlando is more tourist oriented where Tampa has call centers (customer service) that do hire although the pay is around $10 an hour.

The campus at St. Pete I believe is the one that has the MSW program. That is why I was thinking of that area.
But; thank you so much for your area ideas. So, does Orlando and the surrounding areas not have Call Centers and companies like Tampa does?
Thanks again