Clearwater/St. Pete - nice areas to live

[phorsenuf]

Looks like we'll be heading down next month so I'm looking into areas to live. We had a place in Palm Harbor that we really liked but we are looking to maybe rent a house this time.
My husbands office is located in the Largo area so I thought I'd look at that area.

But I don't know that area at all. I'm looking for a nice quiet neighborhood. A development would be nice that had a community pool, clubhouse, etc.

What areas would you recommend to look into and what areas to stay away from?

Schools are not an issue (phew).

Thanks!

 

[AshleyW]

Looks like we'll be heading down next month so I'm looking into areas to live. We had a place in Palm Harbor that we really liked but we are looking to maybe rent a house this time.
My husbands office is located in the Largo area so I thought I'd look at that area.

But I don't know that area at all. I'm looking for a nice quiet neighborhood. A development would be nice that had a community pool, clubhouse, etc.

What areas would you recommend to look into and what areas to stay away from?

Schools are not an issue (phew).

Thanks!

I love the Clearwater/St. Pete area.

My parents live in Dunedin, and it's a really great town. It's right outside of Clearwater. They actually have a 3 BR apartment, but their development is super nice -- pool, hot tub, clubhouse w/exercise room, gated, etc.

Here's the link:

http://www.macalpineplaceapartments.com/community348.htm

 

[Disney Doll]

We drove through Dunedin once and I thought it looked like a WONDERFUL town!

 

[phorsenuf]

I love the Clearwater/St. Pete area.

My parents live in Dunedin, and it's a really great town. It's right outside of Clearwater. They actually have a 3 BR apartment, but their development is super nice -- pool, hot tub, clubhouse w/exercise room, gated, etc.

Here's the link:

http://www.macalpineplaceapartments.com/community348.htm

Dunedin is the next town over from Palm Harbor. I checked that link but they don't have any 3 br available.

We are looking to rent a house this time since our son will be moving down with us and usually people don't like to hear drums coming from the apartment next to them. LOL

I've seen a lot of houses available to rent in the Clearwater/St Pete area compared to Palm Harbor but it's tough not knowing the area too much.

I'll be heading down in the next week or so to find a place but I want to start researching now and setting up appointments.

 

[AshleyW]

We drove through Dunedin once and I thought it looked like a WONDERFUL town!

It really is! My parents love it. It's far enough outside of Clearwater so the traffic isn't as bad, but it's close enough to get to the beach in less than 10 minutes.

Dunedin is the next town over from Palm Harbor. I checked that link but they don't have any 3 br available.

We are looking to rent a house this time since our son will be moving down with us and usually people don't like to hear drums coming from the apartment next to them. LOL

I've seen a lot of houses available to rent in the Clearwater/St Pete area compared to Palm Harbor but it's tough not knowing the area too much.

I'll be heading down in the next week or so to find a place but I want to start researching now and setting up appointments.

Gotcha. Well, I'd definitely suggest the Dunedin area. It's about 20-25 minutes to Largo, more depending on traffic.

St Pete is really great, too.. the pier is beautiful. I like St Pete more than Clearwater, mainly because of the pier area. Lots of very cool small shops and restaurants, whereas I feel like Clearwater is more of a typical small city... if that makes any sense.

When you go down next week, you should stop by Mandalay Grill on Clearwater Beach for lunch or dinner. It's nothing real fancy, but the bartenders are super nice and the food is really good - especially the seared ahi tuna. My parents hang out there a lot after work. Another good place is Rumba's - they serve caribbean food and it is AWESOME.

http://www.baystarrestaurantgroup.com/rumbaisland/menu1.html

Sorry, I know that's not really OT with housing, but I looove it down there.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I lived in Holiday(not a great town lol) but it's right near Clearwater. I don't know any of the neighborhoods off the top of my head, but I DID want to warn you...sorry...

There are a LOT of iffy areas in Clearwater and St. Pete. Palm Harbor is nice, and so is Dunedin, but I woud avoid actually residing in most areas of St. Pete or Clearwater. The areas I would stay are pretty expensive(I don't know your budget). But good luck and I'm jealous! I want to go to FL...Stupid Army sent us to central TX! LOL J/K...kinda...

 

[princesshannahsmom]

We lived in that area for 5 years. We started out in Largo (didn't like ANY of the neighborhoods we looked at there), moved to Clearwater (wonderful neighborhood, but no community pool or anything like that), and ended up in New Port Richey (LOVED the neighborhood, gated, deed restricted, beautiful!). Said all of that to say this, since I am sure you DH does not want to drive all the way from New Port Richey, I would second the idea of Dunedin, there are some lovely neighborhoods there! I also love Palm Harbor and Safety Harbor as well, there are some truly top notch neighborhoods in both of those areas. There are some really nice subdivisions in the area of McMullen Booth and Main Street in Safety Harbor, and the drive wouldn't be all that awful. In Dunedin there are some lovely neighborhoods in the area of Belcher and Curlew, just to give you an idea of locations to look for.

 

[phorsenuf]

We lived in that area for 5 years. We started out in Largo (didn't like ANY of the neighborhoods we looked at there), moved to Clearwater (wonderful neighborhood, but no community pool or anything like that), and ended up in New Port Richey (LOVED the neighborhood, gated, deed restricted, beautiful!). Said all of that to say this, since I am sure you DH does not want to drive all the way from New Port Richey, I would second the idea of Dunedin, there are some lovely neighborhoods there! I also love Palm Harbor and Safety Harbor as well, there are some truly top notch neighborhoods in both of those areas. There are some really nice subdivisions in the area of McMullen Booth and Main Street in Safety Harbor, and the drive wouldn't be all that awful. In Dunedin there are some lovely neighborhoods in the area of Belcher and Curlew, just to give you an idea of locations to look for.

We lived right off McMullen Booth in Palm Harbor before. I really did love it there and truthfully is where I'll probably go back too. I just thought maybe I'd look a little closer to the office to make it easier for my husband. Although driving from that area down to Belcher/Umberton area isn't that bad.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

We lived in that area for 5 years. We started out in Largo (didn't like ANY of the neighborhoods we looked at there), moved to Clearwater (wonderful neighborhood, but no community pool or anything like that), and ended up in New Port Richey (LOVED the neighborhood, gated, deed restricted, beautiful!). Said all of that to say this, since I am sure you DH does not want to drive all the way from New Port Richey, I would second the idea of Dunedin, there are some lovely neighborhoods there! I also love Palm Harbor and Safety Harbor as well, there are some truly top notch neighborhoods in both of those areas. There are some really nice subdivisions in the area of McMullen Booth and Main Street in Safety Harbor, and the drive wouldn't be all that awful. In Dunedin there are some lovely neighborhoods in the area of Belcher and Curlew, just to give you an idea of locations to look for.

OMG!!! I grew up in New Port Richey! (moved to Holiday when I was 18) Right off of Old 54 and Little Rd!!! How cool! Where did you stay?

 

[Pig Pen]

I graduated from Dunedin High School way back! If you want to live in the Clearwater area, stay east of highway 19...maybe in the Countryside area. Dunedin is very quaint however most of the apartment complexes I was familiar with are now condo conversions. Safety Harbor is another option. I think I see on another thread that you have settled on Palm Harbor. That was a sleepy little spot when we lived in Dunedin so can't comment on it!

Good luck with your move. We have sold our house and are marking time until DH's retirement in December...then we are on our way down too! We always planned on going to the Orlando area, but DH has been perusing the real estate listings in Dunedin as well.

 

[Mouseteacher]

Have you considered the Gulf Blvd area? In particular Indian Rocks Beach. It is a lovely area between Clearwater Beach and St Pete Beach. I saw some pretty neighborhoods on the intercoastal.

 

[Erik_in_TN]

I had an uncle who used to live between Tampa and St. Pete. He really loved the area. Don't expect the four seasons though. If you like the St.Pete/Clearwater area, you might also want to look into Sarasota as a 3rd option. Very beautiful.