Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is full of rednecks---hence the nickname "Redneck Riveria". That's about all I got.

LOL. I never heard of that before!

I heard Pensacola was the Redneck Riviera.

My brother moved down there a year ago and absolutely loves it. The cost of living is pretty low and the was able to purchase a big house in a gated community.

He loves the weather and the consistent shun shine.

I was born in New England but grew up in the sticks of Florida, north of Tampa. Tampa was our big city, and still two hours away.

Culturally you are in for a shock. Very conservative, there are pockets of interesting neighborhoods (Ybor, Dali museum, beaches, Davis island, etc). But extremely diffuse so will drive for the smallest excursion. No town there. No downtown. Lots of suburban chain sprawl. That is the 'good' life there. And other industries:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/23/politics/tampa-gop-strip-clubs

Definitely avoid new Tampa if staying long term. It was a product of the housing bubble. What people don't understand about Florida is that other than some oceanfront property, it is flat huge and empty. There have been several land booms that end in tears and then move 10 miles up the road for the next round of suckers.

So look for established neighborhoods with good schools or good private options, the boomtown schools only have high ratings BC of the influx of wealthy students and high property values, which have now reversed and will not return unlike close in DC. For example I have friend with home in new Tampa bought 2006 for 240k; zillow says now 120k and even that may be high. My hometown 2 hrs north near Ocala, perfectly ok 70s ranches go for 50k. Different world than here so look for lasting quality neighborhoods.

Even if you get into decent public schools, they will not not compare to here. The academic and cultural shock from going from easy but ok schools to NE rigor will be hard. Less opportunity and it is more like 3kids go to duke and Harvard and everyone else goes to UF which is no UVA.

That said you might consider living in Gainesville as it is a prototypical college town, but you husband would be a weekly commuter.

Sorry, central FL is a tough transition from NE. And summer is endless hot and sticky.

I'm a PP and I strongly disagree that shopping is less expensive in Tampa. Sweetbay (like Bloom) and Publix (just like Giant to me but with great bday cakes) were at least 15-20% more expensive than Harris Teeter or Safeway. Think $8 for a pint of non-organic blueberries. You would think that there would be a bunch of fabulous farmer's markets but there's not.
For clothes etc. Dillard's is cheaper than Macy's here but the fancy mall, called International Plaza, is just as costly as the Galleria here.
South Tampa is still hit or miss with housing and schools. You really have to watch it. I don't know anyone who could afford Davis Islands for example in S. Tampa.
If OP got into the Westchase ES district that would be good. Early dismissals every other Wed. were a real nuisance and the lack of bus routes combined with a challenging traffic pattern made commuting to and from school hard. The school itself did a great job considering its large size --1000+ students-- and a nice GT math and science program starting in 1st grade.

15:31 here. I wanted to add that when I talked about Brandon, I was referring to the Brandon/Valrico area. Separate zip codes, but part of the same area.

Tampa is actually a pretty cool city. South Tampa is usually considered the best to live that's also where MacDill is. The gulf is fairly close, they have great sports and a wonderful area called Hyde Park.

I grew up in Brandon. It's a very typical suburb. It has some very nice neighborhoods, lots of chain restaurants, lots of new development. The traffic in and to Tampa is bad. That said, once you get to the crosstown toll road, it's not a bad drive to macdill. And I think you mentioned usf? Also not s bad drive from Brandon. The school pyramid around Bloomingdale high school is very good. If I moved back, I would live in south Tampa, which really has the most going on of anywhere on the hillsborough side of the Tampa area. It is mostly really nice, and no, you're not likely to find a mansion next to the ghetto. People do tear-downs in some of the older neighborhoods, so you might find a McMansion next to 70's style ranch. Plant high school is very good. I don't know anything about Westchase. I would avoid New Tampa as it is all boring new development, chain, etc. like Brandon, but worse in that respect. The farther into the suburbs you go toward the rural areas is where you will find rednecks (like plant city, or amywhere closer to Polk or pasco counties). Not so much in Tampa proper. Lots of tea partiers though. Don't let people scare you into thinking you're going somewhere really backwards. It's not that bad, certainly no worse than any other mid-size city. It really does have a lot to offer - the gulf beaches are amazing (Anna Maria island is my fave), you're close to Disney, and there is some culture and entertainment to be found. Plus your money will go far in buying a house there.

Don't expect to get by on just a sweater in the winter. We visit relatives just south of Tampa every winter and 2 years ago we were the only ones who had the right clothes, it was cold in January. Not typical, but don't throw away all your jackets yet.

I have never lived there, but we did go to Clearwater last year for 4 days and I was amazed/horrified by how bad the traffic was at almost any time of day! We drove one day from Clearwater to Sarasota because my husband had a meeting there and he almost missed it because of the traffic. There didn't seem to be any highways that connected the two places - at least not the whole way, and the roads were clogged with cars. Driving from Tampa airport to Clearwater was also a mess. I do agree that the beach was nice and so was the Tampa Zoo. We also went to the Mote Aquarium with my kids which was fun. Sarasota/Longboat Key seemed really nice, but that is probably too far from Tampa.

I'm so sorry, OP.

I am originally from Florida and you are lucky to be moving there! The people on here who only have bad things to say are nuts! There any many wonderful things about Florida.

1. The cost of living is SO much better than this area.
2. You'll only need one season of clothing and some light sweaters to get you through "winter"
3. Tampa International Airport will fly you anywhere you need to go.
4. There is gorgeous weather and spectacular sunsets.
5. The beach is FREE entertainment for you and your family.
6. Publix grocery stores- you will be believe me when you go. Makes Safeway and Giant look like the ghetto.
7. ALL shopping is much less expensive there.

With regard to schools, the truth is, is that most of the schools are good. As long as you don't live in a run-down neighborhood, you will likely be in a good school district. It's nothing like up here where one second you're driving by Sidwell Friends and and the next public school over has metal detectors and drug sniffing dogs. That just doesn't exist in Florida. Check out greatschools.org to help you find a school district that you like. Florida has "no child left behind" rules in effect and children must pass a standardized test before they can graduate high school. That's probably the biggest grief with Florida schools that people have.

South Tampa is great- like the Hyde Park area. There are also a lot of great neighborhoods in St. Petersburg, which is just South of Tampa and close to Macdill AFB. Brandon is not that bad either and the cost of living might be even better there. Also check out Largo and Clearwater. Avoid Plant City- that IS where the rednecks are

You should talk with families who live on base and see what areas they like.

Anonymous wrote:Okay, OP, I am going to try my best to be helpful. Schools in Hillsborough Co. are considered among the best in the state plus they received a Gates grant in 2008.
Bevis ES in Lithia (near Brandon, an eastern suburb) is #1 in FL. The prob. with Brandon/Lithia/FishHawk Creek is that it's kinda far even when you're not commuting. The rental market is still EXTREMELY tight b/c of the real estate meltdown. You might be able to find something on militarybyowner.com

I would suggest looking into the Westchase area (NW Hillsborough Co.), with a relatively quick commute to MacDill AFB as long as your hubby goes at off-peak hours. Otherwise the traffic is a NIGHTMARE.
South Tampa is near to the base but you may find a mansion next to a ghetto and crap schools while paying $$$$ for a house.

I would not consider St. Pete to be part of the equation. Pinellas Co. towns like Palm Harbor are nice and might be doable plus the schools there are pretty good. Shorecrest is a well-regarded private and so is Berkeley Prep in Tampa but pricey.

I think Hillsbrough is very good. I have three sisters that attended school there. They did very well - Duke, Harvard and Barnard for college. I don't think it gets that much hotter down there in the summer, it just lasts a lot longer. When looking at propertys to rent or buy keep hurricanes in mind. You want to know what your flood zone is. What order you would be in for an evacuation and if it's an older property what retrofits have been done. Traffic is bad, but nothing compared to dc.

Hey op try this link

http://www.city-data.com/forum/tampa-bay/

City Data is usually a good internet resource for gathering info on a place that you might move to.

My mother lives in Tampa and my sister works for Hillsborough schools. I will ask her about which neighborhood to settle in. I think you can make the best of where-ever you plant yourself. There is a lot of things to do there for example: busch gardens, fantastic zoo, children's museum, dali museum, great aquarium, etc. I took my kids there last year over spring break and we had more things to do than we had time to do it so I had to promise them a return trip to grandma this year. Good luck!

OP here - thank you to the two prior PP's who attempted to help. Believe me, it's not my choice to head down there but I will make the best of it. PP is the second person to recommend Westchase, so I'll use that as a starting point. Anyone else have anything worthwhile to say about the Tampa area?

I was born in Tampa and my mom lives there now. Can't imagine having to live there. Hillsborough probably your best bet for school. That is where my grandparents settled when my grandfather retired from the Air Force and wanted to be reasonably close to MacDill.