Relocation Questions (Tampa, Clearwater, Brandon: insurance, condo, violent crime)

[Cade'sMommy]

My husband has the opportunity for transfer from our current home in Southern California. We live in Valencia, CA. North of Los Angeles. Our city has consistently received a rating of one of the safest in the nation. That being said we are only 20 minutes from "the valley," which is such a hole. We see it as only a matter of time before our city too is overrun with all of the bad things that we see there. (Graffiti, horrible schools, crime and no one speaking English).

My Husband would be working near the airport in Tampa and I would also find a job (hopefully as an Assistant Principal at an Elementary school) Pay seems to be way less, but homes also seem WAY cheap.

Now some questions...

1) We need a safe "family" area with good schools. We are used to living in a "master-planned" city. Lots of recreation for kids, great schools, all new homes... (read expensive).
We have looked at Land O'Lakes (commute seems long), Riverview (is it safe- close to Gibsonton which sounds shady (I may be wrong- I saw a City Confidential that said it was the home of circus side show freaks??? ), New Port Richey (probably too far), Clearwater (everything seems a little old for us- we like newer construction), Carrolwood/ Westchase (seemed like you get less for your money), and a few other areas... Don't know anything about Brandon??

2) Safety and a "Good AREA" are critical, everything else is negotiable. My Husband will drive further if it means a better life for our 16 month old. We would like friendly people, and a community feel... we don't have that much here!

3) We have the option to stay here too, but are excited about the opportunity to get out of So Cal, as it is falling apart. We have wanted out for a long time, but I need to know about crime. I have read it is a lot higher, I am just not sure what that means... what areas are safe and family friendly??

Help if you can!!

[HolidayFL]

All very nice areas and not too far from Tampa. Depending on traffic you can be in Tampa in about 40-45 minutes, so really they aren't too far. Taxes are much lower in Pasco county, as are home prices. You get way more house in Pasco County for your money than in Hillsborough county, too.
Mary

[ck819]

I would stick with Westchase or Carrollwood. They are very nice areas..most of Carrollwood. Also, taxes may be less in Pasco than Hillsborough, but make sure you look at insurance. Pasco is a big sinkhole county and insurance is currently higher.

Westchase is very safe and family oriented. The home prices may be a little higher but the benefits outweigh the prices!

[Shores9]

I would definitely recommend Westchase or Waterchase. Both are master planned communities. Both have plenty of activities. Westchase is by far larger with over 3300 homes in various communities (some gated) and was built over a greater period of time late 80’s to early 2000’s.

Waterchase is smaller and newer about 750 homes the entire community is gated and has great amenities. Built in 2001 to 2006 many of the homes were built to the most recent wind codes and enjoy a reduced insurance premium as a result

Both areas have a variety of homes at various price points Waterchase will not buy as much for the money but is a nicer more exclusive area.

I lived in Waterchase and am moving back soon. I commuted to the airport area every day for 1.5 yrs and it was a consistent 20-30 minutes with several alt routes in case of traffic. This particular area is extremely convenient for just about everything!!!

Below is a map of the area with Westchase as a center point. Waterchase is only a few miles to the north (less than 5 min drive). The circle shows about a 7 mile line of sight distance to the airport area and the blue zone represents areas that can be reached IN 30 minutes normal driving.

Good luck

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o263/Shores9/Weatchase-1.jpg (broken link)

[Cade'sMommy]

Dear Shores 9,

Thank you for the great advice! All the info you included is SUPER HELPFUL. I appreciate the map and all the great details. Your advice has helped us so MUCH. Thanks for your time.

[truth Hurts]

To "Jades Mommy"


Ummm if you think that Grafitti and people who speak only Spanish are considered "bad neighborhoods" then I suggest you don't come to Tampa. You are going to have crime no matter where you live. The people getting robbed are the people who have money so the criminals gonna find you! If you are that paranoid then stay put right where you are in your so called safe neighborhood. Sure you might think I am attacking you but I did get offended by your comments. I also am just trying to give you some real advice. Yu could move into the new condo's downtown, even the "Trump Towers Tampa" but just know there's the projects 2 blocks down.
Good Luck!

[truth Hurts]

Yea, ummmm, here are the zip codes fore Carrollwood and Westchase areas. 33625 33624

Go ahead and do a crime tracker on those and let me know if those areas are still considered "safe" I think your insane for feeling that theses areas are any safer than the rest. It's allan illoision. bottom line if you want "safety" hire a security team

[ChrisJ]

Originally Posted by truth Hurts

Yea, ummmm, here are the zip codes fore Carrollwood and Westchase areas. 33625 33624

Go ahead and do a crime tracker on those and let me know if those areas are still considered "safe" I think your insane for feeling that theses areas are any safer than the rest. It's allan illoision. bottom line if you want "safety" hire a security team

I think your way off base. Relativlely speaking, Westchase is a safer area than say South St. Pete or the Ybor City area. Especially when you look at violent crimes, which is what most people are worried about.

[Margel]

I am building in the Grey Hawk community in Odessa. The homes there are beautiful and there are still lots available. Because its a buyers market, they are offering a lot of incentives. Just another option...