Anyone out there live on Florida Gulf Coast?

[oceanluvn]

We really want to relocate to Florida's Gulf Coast....somewhere around the Clearwater or Tampa area. We are in VA. now and I am from St. Augustine Florida, but want to live on the gulf coast. Problem is......I am not very familiar with the area.
If anyone on this board lives in the area, I would love to know where and how it is to live there.
Any suggestions would be so appreciated.
We just got back from the Disney Magic cruise (7day) to the western carribean....it was great. I learned so much from this forum and all the tips from everyone!
If anyone has any questions about it, I will gladly try to help.

 

[Galahad]

We lived in the Tampa area until about 10 months ago. Have mixed feelings about it. But if you are going to move to Florida, I'd definitely recommend the Tampa to Sarasota area. What do you all do for a living? The Florida economy is a bit dicey and kind of limited. bsnyder, who is on these boards a lot lives in the Tampa area and could give some good insight. Do you have kids who will be in school? If so, you might want to consider private school.

 

[cheeringmom]

I own a home in Ft Walton Beach and love the area-just hate the humidity and bugs UGH. And I, too, live in VA-for the moment!! Anyway, the panhandle is a great place. Not a lot of crowds but still beautiful beaches in Destin. Schools are ok. We may retire there. Who knows. But give a look into the Destin aea. Not too much money for a home either!

 

[luvstiggertoo]

I've lived in the Tampa/St. Pete area for 34 years and I wouldn't live anywhere else.
I wouldn't necessarily say the economy is dicey....I guess that depends on what line of work you do.
I work in the financial industry and I can tell you that my company has fared quite nicely, despite recent market trends. My DH is in the retail sector and his store is about to post a record month in sales.
Public schools aren't the greatest but private is not really necessary. There are many high quality public schools, you just have to pick the right area to live.
Now, put all the economy and "important" stuff aside.
This is just a great place to live. The weather is warm (maybe too warm for some, but I like it just fine). You are always within driving distance of some of the most beautiful beaches. There is no better way to relax after a hectic week than to drive out to the beach, grab a cocktail and watch the sun set.
Best of all....its 90 minutes away from the WORLD!!!!!!

 

[oceanluvn]

Thanks so much for your replies.
My husband is an electrician and I own my own Hair Salon here in Richmond. I have never liked living here but couldn't talk my DH into moving until now. We have a married DD and 2 grandkids not in school yet who want to relocate to Florida as well.
It's just hard because we don't know what area to start looking at.
We would like to be just outside of a big city....not in it....and in a nice family community.
Like you, luvstiggertoo. I love the warm weather and the beaches so much! I never really feel alive unless I am near one.
Are there many homes to be found in that area that have a few acres of land and not in a "subdivision"?
That's what we have here and I love having my privacy.
Being closer to WDW is a nice bonus too!
I appreciate any input.....thanks!

 

[Mouseteacher]

My father lives in Indian Rocks Beach. I have visited him and truly love the area. It is right on the Gulf --about 20 minutes to Tampa and 2 hours to WDW!

 

[Galahad]

My husband is an electrician and I own my own Hair Salon

You'll probably do fine in the Tampa area in those fields.

 

[TEENEE]

To find land at a reasonable price you'll want to look in the Bradenton area or Spring Hill area. St Pete and it's surrounding beaches really don't have the land that you want but we do have the convience of a lot to do. As far as the schools go, I believe that as long as there is parental involvement kids can thrive in public school.

 

[oceanluvn]

Galahad....where do you live now?
What a coincidence that we both have that in common!
I don't think I want to own a salon again unless it is a booth rental type situation. That's what I do now and I love it, but starting over again and building up a clientelle takes so long that I'm not sure I want to go through that again.
Who did your husband work for in Tampa?

TEENEE.....thanks for the great tips...that's exactly the kind of info I need to know to start narrowing down my search!

 

[Micca]

DW and I lived in Brandon for just a few months in the mid 80's. We absolutely loved it, but the job didn't work out, so we came back to the midwest. We would love to get back to that area again someday. It's agreed that being 90 minutes from WDW didn't suck at all

 

[LadyAurora]

DH and I live in Pasco County, north of Tampa. Plenty of land around here, if you are willing to go a little north. This immediate area, called "New Tampa," is really getting built up, though.
Sorry I can't help with the school info, we don't have any children.
We love it here, though!

 

[FOJMO]

I live in Oldsmar, FL, which is at the top of Tampa Bay between Tampa and Clearwater. It is a great, newly-rising area in Tampa Bay. Lots of new housing and reasonable prices.

Our DD18 will be graduating from Palm Harbor University High School, which is one of the newest high schools and is very state-of-the-art. She's in the medical magnet program and will be attending USF (Univ. of South FL) in Tampa in August, pursuing nursing.

My DH and I both work for Eckerd Drug Corporation, but things with Eckerd are a little "iffy" right now because JCPenney owns us and wants to sell us. We're not sure what's going to happen, but there are several major corporations in the area, including Nielsen Media Research, Honeywell, and several major hospitals.

We love it here and have been here for 8 years (prior to this in Orlando area for 7 years).

Good luck! VAL

 

[ca859093]

I agree with ladyaurora right now if you want some land and a decent house and a decent price, the place to be is Pasco county. It is north of Clearwater.
The nice thing about Pinellas county and Hillsborough county this year, you can choose the school your child attends. Now that doesn't mean that you will get into your first choice but there is a chance. Everyone I personally know got their first choice.
I personally like north of Clearwater, but everyone has their preferences.
If you lived in Oldsmar or even some areas of Pasco you are just outside Tampa. So that is a plus if you work in Tampa.
Dunedin, Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs are nice but not alot of houses with alot of property with it.
Sorry to rant, but I have to go back to Pasco county that sounds like it would be right up your path, and it is growing also.
Good Luck

 

[floridafam]

Another vote for Pasco County.

We used to live in Holiday. We enjoyed it. People were friendly and made ourselves at home very fast. It was always nice to take a short drive to the beach after work or on the weekends and relax.

There are a lot of nice developments springing up in the area.

I would go back in a minute!

 

[Poohnatic]

My mom lives in that area, S. Pasadena/St.Pete Beach. We love visiting there. I'm moving to Florida this summer, but to Clermont. If jobs for me weren't an issue, I'd probably move over that way, too. I want to stay with my present employer, lol.

I don't think it's especially expensive, but then, I've lived in the NY metro area, and Maryland/Northern VA area, so I guess it's all relative.

Suzanne

 

[oceanluvn]

This board is the Best!
You guys are so nice to take the time to respond to my question.
It has helped a lot and given me an idea where to concentrate on.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[msdis]

How far is the travel to get the most afforable housing from the Tampa/St Pete area? TIA!

 

[RedNeckChik13]

I live in Valrico which is right outside Tampa and I like it. There are places...more towards Plant City where you can get nice areas of land. It's a great place to live...it only takes me about an hour to get to Disney or to the beaches.