Talk to me about Tampa, FL?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP there are only a few people commenting who have any clue what they are talking about. There are always a number of nitwits who think it's amusing to make comments like "It's the most Florida part of Florida." Trust me, these folks go to FL a week or two each year and drop $10-20K on a Disney vacation, but other than that they don't know what they are talking about.

There are a lot of great things about the Tampa area and that general part of Florida, but you aren't going to learn much about it here.

+1

I live over the bridge in St Petersburg and I don't recognize the Florida that people on DCUM are talking about.

It's really nice here. Tampa is developing a lot. It's only going to get better - and more expensive (at least until there's a crash). Come down and check it out. I would say take a look at St Pete, Dunedin, and Safety Harbor, too, while you're here. No kids so I can't speak to schools, but they are all nice places to live (except in the summer).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friends moved their for 2 years then came right back to DC area for better schools.

Florida is for retirement, not schooling children.

well I wonder what went wrong with me then, because I went to school in south Tampa (florida!! Gasp!) and got a fantastic education.

Yeah, I’m not sure how much OP cares about schools. But it’s very possible to get a great education at Florida public (or private) schools and largely bypass the pressure cooker environment that exists in the DC area. Many in state kids go on to attend University of Florida for free, thanks to the state’s generous scholarship program.

[Anonymous]

South Tampa is beautiful, and the schools are great. It's an easy peasy commute to downtown Tampa. But it is freaking expensive. I would expect to pay at least a million for reasonable size, 'not in need of a gut job, but not turnkey either' home. Besides South Tampa I would say the other nice areas tend to be more of the master-planned/HOA/gated community variety, which is not my thing but may be yours. Depends what you like.

Keep in mind that Tampa is across the bay from the beach. You have to cross the bay to get to the beaches which is a PITA. Expect at least an hour to get to the beach, often much more depending on traffic. Yes, it is closer to the beach than a lot of other places but it's not like you are right there.

[Anonymous]

South Tampa is the best part - super charming and walkable. But the prices are almost on par w DC.

My in-laws live in a Tampa exurb (Riverview) and it has some stuff you seem to be looking for - very family friendly, affordable, convenient. A lot of military families, so some transience, and it's Trump central, if you care about that. They are happy w the public schools. But if you are looking for an urban/walkable lifestyle, that is definitely not it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friends moved their for 2 years then came right back to DC area for better schools.

Florida is for retirement, not schooling children.

Oh please! Such utter bs! I left a very high end Bethesda neighborhood three years ago (made a fortune on our house) and move to Florida. For us, lots of South American business travel so made since geographically. My DC is in a private school at a fraction of the cost of our privates in DC area and thriving. And yes, the publics in our area are pretty incredible, how do I know this? My DC's friends who attend are some of the brightest STEM students I've ever encountered, and that includes those from the DC area. This is a misnomer people like you continue to spread when in fact the influx of families from other parts of the country (especially with COVID) has greatly influenced the schools and their caliber of education. On the rise, which I cannot say for the schools in Montgomery County. My DC are doing better than I could possibly have imagined, best move ever and I hate the heat.

Well said! You bought at a great time. I'm trying to move to FL now and the price increases have far outpaced DC's the last couple years so not sure if it's going to happen.

[Anonymous]

I live in Sarasota but recently visited St. Pete and loved it. The downtown area by the pier has lots to do, great restaurants, some cool museums, and beautiful water views. Fun downtown area! Even St. Pete is a bit of a drive to the beach though, maybe half an hour or more.

I moved to Sarasota late 2020 and my 2/2 condo ten minutes from fantastic beaches has increased in value literally 100% in that time. I don't want to sell it but it's nice to be sitting on that much equity in such a short time after putting 3% down and getting the seller to pay my closing costs. Doesn't look like it's ending soon either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:South Tampa (33629, 33606) can be great. It’s very expensive now, though, and the cost of homeowners insurance is shocking coming from this area. The rest of Tampa is pretty much sprawl. And not “nicer” sprawl you see in the DC area and other more affluent places. Nice beaches are maybe 45 minutes away. Lots of people even in the best school zones choose private school.

PP. Forgot to mention that people are generally friendly, laid back, and more into “fun”/hobbies than their careers. I miss this about FL a lot and would still love to move back despite all the negatives. I’d get a boat if I lived there, though.

+1

[Anonymous]

Confucius Institutes have been banned in Florida. I agree that Communist governments with slaves should not be promoted in America.

[Anonymous]

My parents have had a house in St. Pete’s for 2O years and just moved down full time 3 years ago. My best friend with school age kids has lived in South Tampa since 2013.

Pros: more laidback work culture, closer to beaches, more space for your money, becoming more interesting and diverse than it was even 5 years ago, the weather is pleasant 5 months of the year, if your child is academically gifted, they can get a lot of money to go to University of Florida

Cons: the traffic is horrendous and people drive crazy (you are not actually legally required to use your turn signal in FL- I think that is why they are a lot of bad wrecks on a daily basis), food scene is pretty mediocre, there isn’t really a deep arts scene other than the few established museums, it often feels like a huge suburb that can be anywhere. If you care about politics, it is very Trump Republican, not even regular Republican and there is a lot of weird evangelical/QAnon undercurrent. A “normal” conversation with a parent at a soccer game can turn to “Have you heard that the Chinese are building a lab in Area 51 and they want to make everyone gay?” If you live near any water, alligators make it not so safe to go running/walking at night/dawn when it is cooler or just let your dog out (they can climb fences BTW). Hurricane evacuations and wildfires are an annual occurrence and not fun at all.

I like visiting Florida for 1-2 weeks at a time. Personally, I think there are better places to live plus with climate change the storms and heat are going to get worse in FL. My best friend is going to move back up North once her kids are out of college. She can’t wait to get out of FL. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We moved to Florida (Windermere), last year and just moved back to the DMV. For us, it was the people and the culture. Having lived in the DMV area for 10+ years, it felt like a third world country from every aspect. OP - do your homework before deciding to move. Spend a few weeks there if you can. Many people love it, but it is not for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved to Florida (Windermere), last year and just moved back to the DMV. For us, it was the people and the culture. Having lived in the DMV area for 10+ years, it felt like a third world country from every aspect. OP - do your homework before deciding to move. Spend a few weeks there if you can. Many people love it, but it is not for everyone.

I’m from around there and am wondering how you found a bland upscale suburb to be “third world.” Personally, I find DMV people so insufferable that I dream of leaving every day. Different strokes, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved to Florida (Windermere), last year and just moved back to the DMV. For us, it was the people and the culture. Having lived in the DMV area for 10+ years, it felt like a third world country from every aspect. OP - do your homework before deciding to move. Spend a few weeks there if you can. Many people love it, but it is not for everyone.

I’m from around there and am wondering how you found a bland upscale suburb to be “third world.” Personally, I find DMV people so insufferable that I dream of leaving every day. Different strokes, I guess.

DP.

Of course it's different strokes.

I grew up here in NoVA and I strongly dislike FL for a multitude of reasons, if I never set foot in FL again it would be too soon. To each his own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved to Florida (Windermere), last year and just moved back to the DMV. For us, it was the people and the culture. Having lived in the DMV area for 10+ years, it felt like a third world country from every aspect. OP - do your homework before deciding to move. Spend a few weeks there if you can. Many people love it, but it is not for everyone.

Sorry but I have a hard time believing this. I work in so-called third world countries in South America and southeast Asia. Windermere does not feel like a third world country in any aspect. And I've lived in DMV for 20+ years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved to Florida (Windermere), last year and just moved back to the DMV. For us, it was the people and the culture. Having lived in the DMV area for 10+ years, it felt like a third world country from every aspect. OP - do your homework before deciding to move. Spend a few weeks there if you can. Many people love it, but it is not for everyone.

Sorry but I have a hard time believing this. I work in so-called third world countries in South America and southeast Asia. Windermere does not feel like a third world country in any aspect. And I've lived in DMV for 20+ years.

+1, NP here. Windermere is a relatively new UMC community akin to newer, pricier parts of Loudon County. I don't understand how someone could have such strong feelings about it. It's like HATING water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved to Florida (Windermere), last year and just moved back to the DMV. For us, it was the people and the culture. Having lived in the DMV area for 10+ years, it felt like a third world country from every aspect. OP - do your homework before deciding to move. Spend a few weeks there if you can. Many people love it, but it is not for everyone.

That is pretty dramatic. Can you give examples?