Tell me about Tampa and Florida
- Thread starter alsih2o
- Start date
Sado
First Post
alsih2o said:
Lakeland is a nice little town about 30 minutes east of Tampa. It has a decent shopping mall, good restaurants, and is convenient to both Tampa and Orlando (about halfway between). I-4 (east-west interstate running through Lakeland and really the only way to get anywhere else) can be a nightmare at times, especially with recent construction projects. I-4 is what you would take into Tampa as well, and it gets worse the closer you get, until you get to what we call malfunction junction, where I-4 with its east-west traffic meets I-275 and its north-south traffic and everyone going into Tampa merges onto I-275 southbound. Expect long delays.
Tampa itself is a pretty ugly city, except for areas on the west and south sides and Davis Island (where you need to have uber-wealth to think about living), and an area north of Tampa called New Tampa. If you are actually going to be working/doing most of your stuff in Tampa, I would recommend looking at New Tampa, or better yet one of several unincorporated areas east and southeast of Tampa-areas like Brandon, Seffner, Valrico, and Riverview. Real Estate is fairly inexpensive in these places, and the city is sort of migrating in those directions, making property there a good investment. And a quick jump on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway gets you right into downtown Tampa with little trouble (though it is a toll road-you could take SR 60 if you are cheap like me).
You may even consider western Pasco County. Land there is still pretty cheap and its a straight shot south on I-75.
Stay out of Pinellas County. It is one big slummy overgrown overcrowded traffic-jammed construction area. That's where I live, and I hate it here. Pinellas County (St Petersburg and Clearwater) is a long peninsula connected to Tampa by three bridges, which are all veery badly backed up during rush hour. There are a few nice places, but its mostly trashy houses on $100,000+ lots (land being expensive due to major overcrowding)-either that or half million $ beachfront properties.
So in short, the Brandon/Seffner/Valrico area would be my first choice, and New Tampa would be my second, with Lakeland a close third. If you do decide on Lakeland, it's a nice place. You get small-town charm while still being convenient to two major metropolitan areas.
EDIT-Plant City is about halfway between Lakeland and Tampa, and it is also right on I-4. They don't have as many local ammenities and shopping themselves, though-you would need to go into Tampa more often.
If you have any specific questions, like about shopping, attractions, restaurants, etc, ask away.
Last edited:
Stone Angel
First Post
All I know is that the weather is much better there than it is in Indiana right now.
The Seraph of Earth and Stone
The Seraph of Earth and Stone
Sado
First Post
alsih2o said:Wow, great stuff! Just dead on!
Here is the tough one- How is the gallery scene in Tampa proper? And what about the Tampa Bay area? I am looking at a business there.
Thanks!
Gallery as in Art Gallery?
Afraid I don't know much about that. I know that sort of thing is emphasized around here, I suspect in an effort to make Tampa and St Pete look classier than they are. But I don't know how many there are or where they are, except I think there's a big one at Baywalk in St Pete. The downtown areas of both cities are probably where you would find that type of thing.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
I think there's at least some presence of a gallery scene in Tampa, but I can't be so sure on that...haven't been there in a while. I do know that on the other coast, St. Augustine is huge when it comes to art, etc.
der_kluge
Adventurer
We looked at the Tampa area several years ago when we were thinking about moving (willingly, as opposed to more or less unwillingly, which is what brought me to Richmond).
We stayed with Meg Hal at his place in Valrico, and went to a game convention there - Necronomicon. It's actually a decent game convention.
The cost of living strikes me as being quite a bit lower, and there's no state income tax. I think Florida is one of those few states that can easily support themselves on tourism dollars, so they don't rely on their citizens quite as much.
Tampa, on the whole, struck us as being "nice", but exceedingly bland. And I think that's putting it mildly. There just wasn't anything about it that was exciting, or interesting. I'm sure if I lived there, I would be happy, but it seemed like the average age of the citizens kind of influenced the entire town. And they drive like crazy there! It was unbelievable.
Well, those are my two cents worth. Of course, I think Memphis is a dive, too. So, it's a leg up, in my opinion.
We stayed with Meg Hal at his place in Valrico, and went to a game convention there - Necronomicon. It's actually a decent game convention.
The cost of living strikes me as being quite a bit lower, and there's no state income tax. I think Florida is one of those few states that can easily support themselves on tourism dollars, so they don't rely on their citizens quite as much.
Tampa, on the whole, struck us as being "nice", but exceedingly bland. And I think that's putting it mildly. There just wasn't anything about it that was exciting, or interesting. I'm sure if I lived there, I would be happy, but it seemed like the average age of the citizens kind of influenced the entire town. And they drive like crazy there! It was unbelievable.
Well, those are my two cents worth. Of course, I think Memphis is a dive, too. So, it's a leg up, in my opinion.
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