Travelling from St. Augustine to Tampa area
 

Hello! We are traveling from St. Augustine to Tampa St. Pete area 6/30-7/16. We are on a house hunting mission and really not sure of the area(s) that we would like to live. I'm hoping to get some feedback of cities/towns that are safe with lots of things to do. Also, if anyone has feedback of places to stay that are clean and reasonable for 3-4 nights at a time. Thanks in advance for your feedback everyone!
Dina

I don't really have any advice for you; but, a friend from my small midwest town moved to FLA. She was first thinking about St Augustine, but ended up in Clearwater (Tampa StPete) and is happy there. She is single, a working mom.

Well, Tampa/St. Pete is an unmanageably large area on which to focus. Can you narrow down your needs and desires a bit, e.g., do you want to be near the water, in a large suburban home, a city condo?? I live in South Tampa and absolutely love it.

Same useless advice on hotels, I'm afraid, as "clean and reasonable" describes hundreds, if not thousands, of properties. I think you should do a bit of research, focus on 2-3 neighborhoods, and stay in those. If it were my house-hunting trip, I'd do South Tampa, St. Pete and the beaches, and maybe Clearwater.

Thanks! After I posted my message I started leaning more toward Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater. Would like a home. Looking for the small town community feel but not sure if that's possible. My home does not have to be beach front either. Does this help? I'm really clueless about the area. Thanks :)

Great minds think alike, LOL! Yes, it helps a lot, and how funny that those are the communities you are thinking about after al!

Small town community feeling is very possible around here! People in general are friendly, and I can tell you that Tampa is a city of neighborhoods, in which the longtime residents do not discriminate against newcomers. (I am less familiar with St. Pete.) Also, saying "no" to beachfront is smart, as waterfront property brings insurance headaches.

So, in Tampa, I highly recommend South Tampa. You could stay in downtown Tampa (high-rises and such, but well-located for your trip), on Harbour Island (the Westin is very nice), or in the Westshore area to explore the neighborhoods of S. Tampa and the surrounding area. Davis Islands, Hyde Park, Palma Ceia, New Suburb, Parkland Estates, Beach Park, Virginia Park, Sunset Park are just a few of the many little name-designated neighborhoods in this part of town. These are mature neighborhoods, with beautiful trees and gardens, very little new construction (but some). In North Tampa there is Seminole Heights, which borders a scruffy area but features loads of gorgeous Craftsman bungalows, many fully restored.

I do not know specific communities in the Clearwater area very well, although Dunedin always gets mentioned as a great little town. Clearwater is suburban, with communities built off of gigantic multilane arteries.

St. Pete always strikes me as a funny mix of retirees and young people (I mean, college-age young), and no one in between; I know that sounds odd, but that's my observation. I guess I favor Tampa because of its Cuban American history and flavor, and its diversity.

Both St. Pete and Tampa feature museums, concert halls, good restaurants, and sports teams. Tampa might have better mall shopping; both have many locally owned boutiques and galleries. St. Pete might have a better farmer's market than Tampa's (which is held in a neighborhood called Ybor City).

And lastly, I think you need a realtor :-) But perhaps you'd prefer to explore first and then see about choosing one.

Sorry this is so rambly, if you have questions I would be happy to try to answer them!

Oh, and here is a link to the St. Pete Times, which despite its name covers Tampa, too. The Home section regularly profiles neighborhoods around the area.
http://www.tampabay.com/publication/

Come visit St Pete, we have some wonderful houses for sale at great prices. It is close to the beaches but not tourist centered. I live in St Pete and trust me, we do have a very large population between 25 and 60. Tampa feels more like a city and St Pete at first glance may appear a little sleepy but we have museums (the Dali museum's new building just opened), the Florida Orchestra performs here and of course we have the Rays. We are closer to the Gulf than Tampa and as a result it tends to be warmer in winter and cooler in summer. It is just a really nice place to live. Hope you find a place in the sun that makes you happy.

I've been there a couple times on business. really a lovely area

NewbE thank you so much for your help! Can you recommend a realtor in Tampa/So Tampa?

Also Sid_Vic can you recommend a realtor in St Pete? I like the fact that the summers are cooler in St Pete I can handle that :o)
Dina

Sure, here are two very good ones:
Ed Gunning
http://pondgunning.smithandassociates.com/
DeDe Ross
http://www.kw.com/kw/GetAgent.action?personId=123298

Good luck--let us know how it goes!