My husband and I are thinking seriously about relocating to St. Pete and we are making an "investigative" trip there for two days. We will be visting in-laws in Naples so we were going to drive up in late March to check things out. We live in the Northeast and have lived in Southern California and New Mexico, so we are search of a sunny place to raise our 2 small children. My question is...what can we see in St. Pete during those 2 days that will give us a real sense of the place...in other words...where do the young families live, where do the locals eat, where are the best shopping malls, where are the quietest beaches? I want to avoid the tourist traps as much as possible, especially when it comes to eating out. Any suggestions will help us out greatly!

I've only been a visitor to this area, but if I were thinking of moving with children still at home, I would check on the schools. Talk to someone in education. We had conversations with residents who were not happy about the education their children were receiving. Could be a one sided opinion, but I would check it out.

Are you looking at St. Petersburg proper or the surrounding area as well? The city is in the Pinellas County school district which recently went to a choice program for schools. You will want to check out the website: www.pinellas.k12.fl.us. There are also some good private schools if you are interested in those.

I live in Tampa so I can't help much with St. Petersburg. I will say that Baywalk in the downtown area is a popular shopping/entertainment area.

Good luck in your investigation. If you are interested in Tampa, I can give you more assistance.

Try Harvey's 4th Street Grill for Grouper; either as a meal or sandwich. Fried, of course. It' on 4th Street North at about 30th Avenue. Fairly close to downtown. Maderia beach is just one of the many beaches in Pinellas County but I've enjoyed it. Enjoy

Schools are not a priority now...my kids are still very young, but my main concern is finding neighborhoods in the St. Petersburg area where there are young families. My husband would be working downtown, so we don't want to stray to far from the center of town. Any thoughts on that?

If your husband will be working downtown, look at the 'Old Northeast' section. That is close to downtown and has lovely homes with lots of trees and many are younger families. There can be some pockets of 'not so nice' areas within that general area but more really nice areas.

Excuse me, chili_girl, but aren't you being a little short-sighted and, maybe, hasty, saying that because your children are so young, schools are not an issue? Aside from the fact that time passes remarkably quickly and that unforeseen circumstances could put you in a place for longer than you think (are you actually planning to move again in a year or two?), consider that OTHER families with children will have scoped out schools and moved there. Even if some of their kids are older than yours, they may well have younger sibs just your kids' ages.

Schools in Florida are extremely variable, so you may well find that where a school is considered desirable, the neighborhood and real estate is also very desirable. Therefore, finding out about schools might be a shortcut to finding the areas you want.

Otherwise, my experience with any coastal area is that some of the most genuinely local areas are those away from the beaches -- somewhat inland. And where St. Pete is concerned, I'd be willing to bet that further north is more likely for your purposes than further south, although I'd like to hear from natives on that one.

Couldn't have said it better myself, soccr. You are right on.

How old are your kids? I live in Bradenton (south of St. Pete), but I have some friends there who might be able to recommend kid-oriented things to do. The Florida Aquarium is there - you might want to check that out.

Do you only want to live in St. Petersburg, or would you consider Clearwater, Largo, Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, Countryside, East Lake or Seminole? You don't say what your budget is, so it's pretty hard to recommend a specific area. The only area I would feel safe raising my kids in St. Pete would be in the Snell Isle area or in old Northeast. Otherwise, no way. If you want a place for upwardly mobile young families, check out the East Lake area in northern Pinellas County. The better public schools are all north county, Palm Harbor, Countryside and East Lake all have the best public schools according to the FCAT numbers and parent involvement. If you can afford a private school, Shorecrest prep in St. Petersburg would be ideal.

My suggestion is to plan on spending your two days not just in St. Pete, but in Pinellas County driving around and seeing what best fits your needs. I love living in Clearwater, you couldn't pay me to live in St. Pete.

The best shopping malls? Countryside Mall (580 and US19) and International Plaza (tampa). St. Pete has Tyrone Square Mall, please go visit this mall because that will give you a pretty good idea of the people you will be living with in St. Pete. Look at the kids at Tyrone and see if that's who you want your kids to hang out with when they grow up. Go to a Taco Bell or McDonalds in St. Pete and note the customer service you get, then go to a fast food place in Countryside or East Lake and see if you notice a difference. Same with the grocery stores and convenience stores. That's how you'll get a feel for the area. North county or south county will be more your speed, in two days you should be able to get a general sense of what you like better.

Quietest beach? Indian Rocks and Redington beaches are pretty mellow, those are mid-county beaches and both have a large public parking area with bathrooms.

Thanks for all the advice posted! It should be a busy 2 days of exploring.

As for the school comment, I am a teacher and of course schools are important to me, but my 3 month old and 2 year old have a few more years until it really matters where they are enrolled. Plus, I am a stay-at-home mom right now, so living on one income puts a cap on what we can afford in housing. Having moved around the country a few times, I find that it takes a year or two to really get to know a city and find the "perfect" neighborhood and school district. So this next house in St. Pete will be maybe a 3-5 year house until I go back to teaching and we can move up "escalator" of the housing market.

Thanks again for the advice!

Hi chili girl
Also consider that Real Estate is an investment and when investing you need to buy location. For resale, you need to buy in a neighborhood that has decent schools, fire, police, etc in order to made the most on your resale when the time comes. It is always best to buy the worst looking house in a good neighborhood then the best looking house in a questionable neighborhood.

chili_girl, your history mirrors mine with California and New Mexico pasts. After years in both (though years ago), I'm very happy in Tampa. And I think you will like St. Pete, including the schools (after all, yours aren't too hot in CA, so I hear, since Prop. 13). There is one quirky thing going on now with the schools in Pinellas County in response to efforts to stop forced integration which will affect how you "choose" the public school you would "apply" to, but this is unpopular and might change by the time your kids are in line for school.

Depending on what you can afford (beaches are most expensive, older cottages in Sunset start at $270,000, if you can afford them), and what sort of neighborhood you want to be in, there are many opportunities in St. Petersburg's downtown, which is going through rapid change right now. If you want to live in an urban city situation, then check out downtowns new condos. For houses, head north along the waterfront (Bayshore?) into Coffee Pot Bayou and into Snell Isle. And along 1st Street heading north from downtown. This is the old Northeast (north of Central Ave. East of 4th Street). Allendale is also hot but only in pockets.

For beaches, take Central Ave. all the way to Treasure Island, then head south to Sunset Beach. a little peninsula off busy Gulf Blvd. that has no through roads so very little traffic. Check out Passe-a-grille, south of the Don CeSar Hotel in St. Pete Beach. For a more natural setting, head to Ft. Desoto State Park, bring your lunch, there's no restaurants there.

Take the kids to Caddy's on Sunset Beach, for a casual place on the beach. For a grocery delight, stop at Mazarro's Italian grocery. Good for kids -- try Coney Island Hot Dogs in downtown, just the way it was in the 1950s, or the Chattaway for burgers (outdoors).

For a fun trip, go to Sunken Gardens, which now houses the Great Explorations Childrens museum -- a good place for that three year old to run off some energy, beautiful gardens for you.

Also, keep in mind that Tampa is a younger city though property values are steeper. It is 30 minutes to the beach. Check out Hyde Park, an older more upscale neighborhood, in trendy South Tampa, or Seminole Heights (west of I-275, north of Hillsborough in particular), Tampa Heights, or Riverside for urban pioneers.

Two days is a whistle-stop, hard to see it all. Have fun.

try TBO.com and type in "relocation guide" in the search part under "keyword"...there is a ton of info...did you mean your husband would be working in St Petersburg's downtown or Tampa...you would probably want to live where the traffic for his commute wouldn't be too bad..and good(safe) area too..

I've lived and worked in the St. Pete area for 20 years, relocated from NJ before having two children here, and it's the best thing we ever did. However, my husband and I are beach bums, and so our search for a home centered on the beaches. We picked the aforementioned Sunset Beach, which is now almost unaffordable, but to answer your questions:

- many young families live in the western edge of St. Petersburg, north of Central Ave and around the Park Street area. Very beautiful.

- also check out Seminole, just north of St. Pete and still inside Pinellas county. Lots of starter homes and family friendly neighborhoods here. (Not the same Seminole as Tgirl mentions above)

- the locals love the 4th Street corridor for eating, as LarryT mentioned. There are lots of good independent (and chains too) along here. For more discussion, visit chowhound.com. Let us know where you'll be staying and we can recommend more.

- I take issue with mclaught's diatribe against St. Pete and Tyrone Mall. My teen daughters worked at that mall, as well as McDonald's, sir. You never met more well-mannered employees! (or they'd have to contend with ME!) I will say that there is more $$$$ in "north county"...newer too. It only makes sense, as Pinellas is a peninsula, and the southern waterfront was the first area to be settled. So you will have that mix of older homes...and a nice smalltown flavor IMHO. Not much in gated communities etc in the St. Pete area!

- quietest beach is Fort DeSoto. I've been to lots of picnics there over the years, but I do love "my own" beach just up the street.

Best wishes!