wandrlst

Moving to central FL for job, not retirement (yet!)....Where does someone single 40s active (cultural, sailing, biking, restaurants, nightlife) fit in??

Need your opinions even if you've only vacationed in FL as I'm a perpetual vacationer even at home:
St. Petersburg?
Sarasota?
Vero Beach?
Other?

Thanks!

Orlando_Vic

Are you saying that you are free to go anywhere in Central FL?

Gekko

Tampa or St. Pete are what you're looking for, with many more young professionals than the "retirement" areas to the south.

Check out "Soho," the area of South Tampa south of Howard.

wandrlst

Actually, Orlando Vic, I can choose where to live but don't know the area well right now.

Gekko, thanks for the advice. I hear there is a difference between St. Pete and St. Petersburg?
Beaches in Sarasota, Siesta Key area sound wonderful....would like to be near a "walking length" beach easy to get to by foot, bike, or car with easy parking. Would St. Pete have this?

Gekko

St Pete is St Petersburg.

St Pete beach is beautiful and east of St Pete downtown.

If you want to be in walking distance of the beach, also check out Sunset Beach at the southern end of Treasure Island, and Pass-a-Grille.

joan

St. Pete is without beaches, but has a great walkable downtown and is growing. My 20 something daughter loves living in the thick of things, in her tiny garage apartment. Lots of concerts and nightlife, all within walking distance. If you do choose this area, be careful of the address - safety comes first, and there are some baaad areas.

St. Pete Beach is a separate city, west of St. Pete, on the Gulf Coast. Rather busy and with lots of hotels. Not real liveable IMHO, except for the Pass A Grille area that Gekko mentioned.

Treasure Island (I live on Sunset Beach! lucky me!) is a small beach town with low rise hotels, think mom and pop for the most part. Very walkable/bikeable. A few great beach bars.

Will you be renting? There is a tiny one bedroom apt across the street from me (two houses from the beach) going for $850/month. I have a very nice stilt home - 2 BR 2 1/2 BA, which goes for $1400/month. (not available but just wanted to give you idea of rents).

My daughter lives in Orlando and really does not like it too much. Not walkable, and traffic is a nightmare. Takes 45 minutes to go 15 miles etc.

Best wishes, and welcome to sunny Florida!

NewbE

Tampa, for sure. It's a young city with a hopping nightlife, walkable neighborhoods, good restaurant scene, and it's only a short drive to some of the prettiest beaches in the state. Oh, yeah, and sports and concerts: The Bucs, the Rays, the Lightning, and plenty of concert venues both large and small. A new art museum is under construction, and there are performing arts venues in Tampa and in St. Pete, which is only 20 or so minutes away. Around Tampa Bay, St. Pete has the reputation of being older and stodgier than Tampa; it's very very nice, I'm not bashing, but that's the rep, and I think a single person in their 40's would be better off in Tampa. As Gekko said, concentrate on South Tampa: Hyde Park, Soho, Channelside. There are also many leafy, established neighborhoods offering condos, townhomes and houses that are still within walking distance of shops and restaurants. Post again if you have questions, and good luck!

joan

"Around Tampa Bay, St. Pete has the reputation of being older and stodgier than Tampa; it's very very nice, I'm not bashing, but that's the rep, and I think a single person in their 40's would be better off in Tampa."

I disagree with NewbE. Things have changed here, and downtown St. Pete is absolutely thriving. The rep really has changed in the past five years or so.

NewbE

I don't meant to split hairs, but I didn't say St. Pete isn't thriving. I said its population is older, and having Googled it, it turns out St. Pete's median age is about 40, while Tampa's is about 34. Not a huge difference, but significant, since it's a median.

wandrlst

Thanks, again, Gekko. I'll look into those neighborhoods as I do want to be closer to the water. Joan and NewbE, it's interesting how I get quite disparate opinions about which areas are "too old" for me. From people at work, St. Petersburg is the place to be, and Sarasota too old for me....then I get just the opposite from someone else!!

I've always lived by water but never where there could be hurricane evacuations. I wonder how organized...or not...is an evacuation to safer inland areas?

By the way, I found an excellent site for anyone considering relocations: www.city-data.com. As with the Fodors forum, you get quite candid advice and opinions on the towns you're considering moving to.

joan

Wandrlst, something you said really hit home with me - the fact that you "want to be closer to the water". That is what we decided many years ago when we moved here - and it was the best part of our decision - to live near (walking distance at least) to the water.

It makes those summers all worthwhile when you know you can walk (in my case) a very short distance and jump in the Gulf to cool off. I could not stand living inland, but that's just me and my DH, we're "water babies" fer sure.

And I guess you have to make your own decision by the "feel" of the neighborhoods. One always tends to believe their own area is the best!

Happy hunting!

NewbE

Proximity to the water would definitely rule out Tampa, at least THAT kind of proximity--stroll over and jump in! Sounds great! We can drive to a so-so beach in 10 minutes flat, a gorgeous beach in 20-30 minutes.

The good news is, wandrlst, whatever city or town you choose, the Tampa Bay area is a great place to live, and I hope you enjoy it.

cbs7801

I am familar with the Destin area. If you want to email me, I can recommend houses,condos, and restaurants in the area.

Dana_M

cbs7801--Destin is nowhere near central Florida! Moreover, you've put this statement and included your email address on several posts.

If you have something to share, do so, and share with all of us. But please abide by the forum rules of not advertising.

NeoPatrick

I know things are bad right now in real estate and even rentals in Florida, but cbs, your 6 posts on Fodor's have all been solicitations. Why not just go somewhere else to advertise?

NewbE

Realtors are scrambling, in FL and elsewhere. Isn't it a bit naive to ask why s/he is soliciting here? Because it takes 5 seconds, and might just pan out, and if it doesn't, all it cost was the 5 seconds.

It would be well if Fodor's could just delete the solicitations without deleting the thread. (Can't they?)