What is the best city to live in the Tampa bay aera, and why?

Question

Hi,

I'm going to move in the Tampa bay area, and I'd like to know which city would be the best for me:

Tampa
St. Petersburg
Clearwater
Bradenton
Largo
or Sarasota
... or another city?

I'm looking for a city where the housing is affordable, and the unemployment rate low.

Thank you in advance! :-)

Answer 1

St. Petersburg. It is near the water, so it doesn't get quite as hot during the day as other locations. There is a lot of shopping and a few malls. A lot of large companies have moved into the Gateway area of St. Pete, leading to job opportunities. St. Pete also has a pretty good road system and traffic usually flows pretty well for a city of 250,000.

Also worth mentioning are the numerous Gulf beaches, fishing in either the Gulf or Tampa Bay, and the Pinellas Trail which is 30-some miles long (from the north end of the Skyway to the Pasco county line).

Housing costs are more reasonable than in Tampa, and St. Pete's neighborhoods are nice as long as you stay north of downtown. Tampa and most of Hillsborough County do not feature a lot of good places to live without living in the hood or paying $1,000 a month in rent.

Answer 2

This all depends on if you are going to live and work in the area. If you will be working in Tampa then you should plan on living in Tampa. The commute from Pinellas County (Clearwtaer, St. Pete, Largo) is no fun at all. Traffic continues to get worse in the area due to overcrowding and road construction. Regarding Tampa your best bet is to move to the city of Brandon (zip code 33511). Brandon is just 15 minutes from the city of Tampa via the brand-new Crosstown Expressway commuter overpass. Brandon is growing, specifically within the Bloomingdale area however all the new growth seems to be well-planned and housing is still pretty affordable.

If you will be working in southern Pinellas County you should consider St. Petersburg. Check out the Gulfport area (zip code 33711 and 33707). If you will be working in northern Pinellas check out Oldsmar and Safety Harbor (zip code 34695). Clearwater is too crowded and too expensive so I would stay away from there. Also beware of the West Pasco area as it has very high insurance rates. A very nice and growing area of Pasco County on the other hand is the Wesley Chapel area (zip code 33544).

Hope this helps....good luck!

Answer 3

It depends on what type of job you're looking for, but for many jobs all areas are equal, except Largo which is just a part of Clearwater. Sarasota is the most expensive area to live and many people who work there live 50 miles away in Tampa, which is probably the least expensive to live. Cheap to expensive I would say, Tampa, St Pete, Clearwater, Bradenton, Sarasota. Good Luck.

Answer 4

I like Bradenton & Sarasota. Also Ft Myers a little further down.

Bradenton is very laid back, has affordable housing and is also close to the beach as well as Tampa & the airport.

Sarasota has it's own airport but more upscale living. Same with Ft Myers. Both cities are close to the beaches.

Good luck with your move.

Answer 5

We live right outside Largo, off Indian Rocks Beach, nice. Affordable, right off beach. Easy access to Tpa, St Pete, Sarasota, relaxed atmosphere. Not a retirement, area.. Very important, happening eateries, Jazz Festival, going on now, free. Look into, before making a choice.

Answer 6

Pasco County (Tampa's northern suburb) is very popular now due to this county's lower housing prices and lower property taxes.

Brandon/Valrico (Tampa's eastern suburb) is also growing rapidly. It's a nice area, but housing prices have already adjusted upward.

Answer 7

Pasco county has affordable housing - more so than Tampa, but I would try Bradenton - they haven't totally spoiled it yet.

Heck - try Ocala in Marion County....

Answer 8

St Petersburg, FL!! Lots of things going on and things to do and see, Unemplyment rate is low, housing is affordable.