Moving to Tampa ?

I have been considering moving to the Tampa area for some time. I have about had it with the cold NY winters, high taxes, crazy traffic, overall congestion, high real estate costs and would love to be able to enjoy my Evo year round.

I have been looking at homes online in Palm Harbor, Clearwater, Oldsmar, Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, and St Petersburg areas. It appears that I could buy a pretty nice home for $250k-$325k with very reasonable real estate taxes.

Are these cities safe, youth based and prosperous communities to move to ?

I have read that their are also no state income taxes ? What is the deal with this ?

Can you guys give me an idea of real estate taxes and auto / homeowners insurance costs ?

I have been in the IT industry for about 2 years, how would my prospects for a new job be in Tampa ? My wife is a RN so I am sure she could land an excellent job in a few days however I am concerned about my prospects.

It seems that many companies are moving to Tampa due to lower overheard. Is this true ?

How is Tampa in a nutshell ? Any input from you guys would greatly be appreciated.

 

The northern end off Pinellas county is a nice section to be in... If I were you, I'ld aim for Palm Harbor or Tarpon Springs! There are parts of all of them that are not so nice, while other parts are phenominal. The biggest problem is that all of that can change by crossing the street. Honestly though, you'ld probably like any of them.

Part of the Florida Constitution has that there is no state income tax.

If you live on the water, homeowners is horrible; if you don't, it's probably the same as anywhere else (i.e. not extremely high, not extremely low).

Your wife should have no problem landing a job at all. For you though, you are going to want to look in Tampa as opposed to Pinellas County.

Low taxes attract companies, so if that answers your question....

Tampa, in a nut shell is great. At any given time, you are no more than a half hour from the beach, movie theater, etc. There are plenty of things for the whole family, from Busch Gardens, Florida Aquarium, etc....

Hope that helps with all of your questions!

 

i would agree with the previous comments...i live in Tampa Palms and this area along with Wesley Chapel is growing....there is a big hospital located within 10 mins on Tampa Palms about 20 Mins from Wesley Chapel....as far as your job I really dont know much about...hope this helps

 

I would have to also agree.. though Ive lived here my whole life and couldnt imagine ever leaving. I would definantly aim for Palm Harbor or Tarpon. Oldsmar is alittle far from civilization so to say. And the other areas are just so busy. Palm Harbor and Tarpon are much more laid back small suburb communities. And if the wife cares Palm Harbor University High is ranked very high among all public schools in the nation.

I dont know much about much else being rather young but everything is relatively close by (15 minutes) and you really need to come down on a vacation to get a feel for the life.

And the wife should have no problem finding a job while I agree yours could be hit or miss.. just know neither of you will be making nearly as much money down here. Sure everythings cheaper but the salaries are smaller

 

There are about 7 states in the union w/o state income tax like TN. The cost of living is pretty low, but your income will be approx 2-3 bucks less than people w/ the same job in cali.

As for IT, it's nearly dead in Tampa. You have to be very specialized or extremely good programmer. AS for RN, tons of opportunities since there is somewhat seasonal shortages.

 

IT is dead in Tampa??? I guess that's why within two hours of posting my resume here, I got emails from four different recruiters...

My wife and I just moved down here from VA and we love it already...we bought a beautiful lakefront home in Riverview for around $200K that would have cost us $500K back in NOVA.

No state income tax, property taxes that are half of what I was paying in NOVA, reasonable speed limits (70 vs. 55), no snow or cold winters, a lot less traffic, and a radio station that plays almost all '80s music (101.5 The Point)...Tampa ROCKS...come on down, dude!

 

Yeah man, Tampa is the place to be! I love it here. I live in the New Tampa area and can't complain even a little bit. Would like to live a little closer to the beach, but it's crazy crouded and expensive over there. Not worth it IMO. I can drive there in no time.

As for the IT industry being dead here, please! You obviously haven't looked here. I left Microsoft for a local IT job here and havn't had any shortage of offers since I've taken this position.

Your wife will love the RN oppertunities here. There are so many retired people that there is allways a need for health care people.

And yes, you are pretty much right on with house value. If you want more info feel free to PM me.

 

man, i almost moved down there last year b/c i wanted to go to the Academy of Design in Tampa, wish i had gone through with it now, damn it!!!!

when i looked at it that city looked so good, something for everyone, lots of cultural stuff, museums, family fun stuff, good schools, plenty of IT stuff, etc, etc...

course i am almost done now with my degree in Graphic Design here in NC and i know as soon as i am done i am leaving NC and never comming back to this hellhole

 

Recruiters are a bit different. I mean dead as mean straight up that a private company wanting you.

Ex-Microsoft employee . . . what company in the right mind doesn't want to employ one?

 

I am readaing all your posts pretty carefully and have noticed one trend ... everyone seems to absolutely love it in and around Tampa.

I work for Micros which is a Restaurant / Hospitality IT company. I might be lucky enough to get a job with one of the local dealers in Tampa.

Is Tampa a city with tall building like Manhattan ?

Really is the traffic that bad ?

Any other info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Downtown Tampa has all of the tall buildings (even then they are no skyscrapers), but other than that there really aren't too many. Definately not comparable to Manhattan is that manner.

Traffic CAN be horrible at times, escpecially rush hour. The biggest problem is when there is an accident, traffic comes to a complete stop. Everyone feels the need to stop and stare at it. But the is probably the case everywhere. Having lived in Vegas for a few years, there are times when this is worse (daily rush hour) and their are times when Vegas was worse (30 minutes with no traffic movement). Either way, I wouldn't call the traffic THAT bad, you've just have to know when to avoid what roads and which roads to take instead.

Other info.... Tampa area is the lightning capitol of the world (more lightning strikes here than anywhere else). During the summer it rains almost daily (at 4 pm). You could set your watch by it (well almost). Usually the 4 oclock storm isn't to bad, but if it decides to wait until 7 it can get pretty nasty. Orlando is 1.5 hours away, whatever you can't find here is within reach in Orlando. The greater Tampa area is unique in a sense that there is really no division between the cities, only a sign that says "now entering ..."

Well, not sure what else you want to know, but figured that you would enjoy some interesting info....

 

Palm Harbor all the way. I grew up there and there is almost no crime.

 

There are tall buildings in downtown, as stated above, but there are other areas. No skyscrapers though; mostly under 50 stories. But they look very majestic because there is a harbor all around downtown; so it's like water meeting high rises.

The traffic can get as bad as any major city, so it's curcial that you plan where you live by where you work. If you really need me help you out a little with finding a job feel free to PM me.

But by far the most impressive thing around is the access to just about anything (city, beach, anything). There is no end of things to do and see; very turist oriented. Plus we have Busch Gardens and Adventure Island local!

 

I have lived in the Tampa area all of my 26 years of existence, and I love Tampa. We have a very diverse demographic and lots of culture. The schools are good too. I just got married and I am very comfortable knowing I will be raising my family here. Tampa is nothing like Manhattan at all. Tampa is very spread -out. Which is good. Tampa/St Pete has a very large population, but since everything is so spread out, it's not so congested. I mean you can drive around downtown all day long and not get frustrated (except for the damn one way streets). In tampa you have access to the best beaches on the west coast of FL, Indian Rocks beach, Clearwater, etc... There is alot of things to do here as well, museums, theatre, arts, beaches, golfing and since the market is big enough you get the majority of the big sports franchises, except for B-Ball (the Magic) gotta go to Orlando for that, which by the way is just an hour drive away.

Tampa is the biggest small town. And by that I mean, no matter how deep you get Tampa, you are only 20 minutes away from the subs or just plain country. I myself chose to buy my home in the Wesley Chapel area. I am about 5 miles outside of Hillsborough county into Pasco county. I am 5-10 minutes away from New Tampa,(the name says it all), and 20-25 mins from downtown. But I am still far enough away so that there is no congestion! And I pay lower taxes in Pasco!

As far as jobs you won't have a problem. RN, no problem! IT, no problem. There is alot of major company call centers opening up in Tampa because of the Florida state laws which favor buinesses and the fact that the city is recruting these companies here by offering huge tax benefits. I highly reccomend this area, but please don't choose your new home online. Try and get away for a week and just drive around. Or at least when you move, if you can find a decent apartment, take a short term lease, and then find your dream home. Tampa has so many beautiful areas to live that you would be doing yourself an injustice to just drive to one little area and plop down! Good Luck, and keep in touch if you come down!

And it's true no state income tax, just the normal fed income tax! Tax percentage for purchases is 7% in Hillsborough and 6.75% in Pasco

 

Is their anything negative or something you would change about Tampa ?