Anyone live in St. Petersburg, Fl??

[oakraiderz2]

Im thinking about moving down there during the summer and im looking at apartments but i just wanna know what areas to stay away from and what areas are kinda nice. So if anyone can help...high 5.

 

[KarmaSutra]

I live in Lakeland which is about an hour from St. Pete. My question to you is, what are you looking for in St. Pete? A job, women sunshine? I can give you a better idea once I know what angle you're looking at.

 

[oakraiderz2]

Some friends and i moved down to Clearwater last year but it didnt work out. Im basically just gonna be going to school and working. Im only 19 so im looking for something not so important. Something relatively close to the beach would be nice also. If you know of any places in tampa im interested in that also.

 

[KarmaSutra]

St. Pete is retirement valhalla 9 months of the year. June-August you get the younger people on vacation but that's about it. You may want to check out Anna Maria island or Johns pass area. Real close to the beach and not so geriatric. Hope it helps brother.

 

[Bible_Belt]

Generally, the closer to the water, the nicer the place. The streets are numbered, and they start in the middle of town. So 1st ave North and 1st ave South are both ghetto. Downtown and the area near Tropicana Field are a big crack ghetto. Think bars on windows and a Title Loan place and pawn shop on every corner.

There are plenty of nice places, though. If you are going to get an apartment, I would get one within walking distance of St. Pete or Clearwater Beach, and then you will always have a constant supply of new female tourists. The "club scene" is across the bay in Ybor City. I prefer 2nd floor apartments, because the likelihood of Tropical storm/flood/hurricane damage is smaller.

 

[oakraiderz2]

Generally, the closer to the water, the nicer the place. The streets are numbered, and they start in the middle of town. So 1st ave North and 1st ave South are both ghetto. Downtown and the area near Tropicana Field are a big crack ghetto. Think bars on windows and a Title Loan place and pawn shop on every corner.

There are plenty of nice places, though. If you are going to get an apartment, I would get one within walking distance of St. Pete or Clearwater Beach, and then you will always have a constant supply of new female tourists. The "club scene" is across the bay in Ybor City. I prefer 2nd floor apartments, because the likelihood of Tropical storm/flood/hurricane damage is smaller.

Thanks dude. I was down in Clearwater last year and it seemed like a nice place. Any areas there you suggest to stay away from? Do you know anything about Tampa? I know its huge but id prefer to live there if i can find a decent place.

 

[Bible_Belt]

It is a little harder to find a decent apartment on the Tampa side, but still possible. Tampa is mostly a giant ghetto in the middle part, but there are some very wealthy neighborhoods on the water. I lived in South Tampa, near MacDill Air Force Base for a while, and from Gandy to Interbay is not so bad. People commute to downtown and Westshore mostly from either North Tampa or across the bay. Kennedy Ave is the main street e/w through Tampa; it's all ghetto. Also, don't be fooled by "Busch Gardens Area" in an ad. Unless you are North of Busch Boulevard, it's ghetto. I owned part of an investment property one block south of Busch Gardens, and I know that area well. Fowler Ave, Fletcher Ave, and the USF area are where you will find many decent apartments catering to student housing. But if you have to work at Westshore or Downtown, or you spend a lot of time at the beach, the drive is a pain. People all party at Ybor City, but that is another place that you don't want to live anywhere near. It's the roughest neighborhood in town.

If you plan on working, find your job before you find your apartment so that you can live nearby, or at least plan a commute against traffic. Rush hour more than doubles drive time on I-275.

 

[RedPill]

I used to live in Tampa. Had a place in Ybor City. Bible_Belt's advice is right on the money. If you live anywhere in Tampa, you've really gotta plan well for traffic, among other things. Be careful where you move, some places that are nice in the daytime turn into cracktown after the sun sets. If there's one thing I don't miss about the Tampa Bay area, it's the crime and shady characters. With so many transient people in the area (seniors, students, tourists, military, people mooching off other people, etc) it can be much harder to meet trustworthy people than it is in other parts of the country. Just my opinion. Perhaps if I had a bit of cash to my name when I moved there it would be a different story.

I'm always running into people who want to move down there for the weather, women, party scene, etc, but they don't really consider the big picture. After you get over the thrill of moving there, it's life like anywhere else. The novelty of the weather wears off. Before you know it, 45 degrees in the winter at night doesn't feel as warm as it used to. That and the hurricane panics and flooding summer rains are as disruptive to life down there as a snowstorm is up north. The facade of paradise fades quickly. As with most of coastal FL, there's lots of wealth, but also a lot of poorness and desperation, and usually they aren't separated by much distance.

People think Ybor is like a year-round Mardi Gras the first few times they go there, but be careful there. Aside from the crime that happens because the surrounding neighborhood is extremely ghetto, you've got a real good chance of bringing home a chick that has some STDs and a drug problem. The same thing applies to all the other non-exclusive party scene places.

My advice to you oakraiderz, as is to everyone else I talk to that wants to migrate down that way, is to seriously consider your motivations for moving there, and to have a well-thought out plan for what you want your life to be like there. Are you looking to spend five years of hardcore partying? How does this move fit into your career path? Do you want to be there for a couple years just 'having fun' or are you looking to stay there forever? You're young so things will likely change for you a lot over the next few years, but if you're going to move there, don't get blinded by the illusion of utopia as so many people do.

RedPill

 

[LT1]

I live in Tampa (I go to school here) and I love it. You would be a lot better off finding a place in/around the city because out towards St. Pete/Clearwater there is much less for a younger person to do (most older people places). If you are worried about finding a cheap but good place to live, Tampa has a lot of options and places (apartment communities) geared toward the 'college-aged' crowd. Plus, as mentioned above, Ybor IS the place to go on weekends and if you are in the city its only a 4 min. drive.

 

[oakraiderz2]

Ok, ive narrowed down my search. How about Dale Mabry Hwy? By the airport or a little more north by Gunn Hwy?

 

[Bible_Belt]

Both places are probably ok neighborhoods. I would live closer to where you work. If you are a fan of strip clubs, most of them are on the southeast side of the airport, many on DM from Kennedy to MLK. The farther north you go on DM, the more suburban it gets. There are nice places, but it turns into more of a drive to get anywhere.

Another moving-to-FL tip: if you plan on staying in FL, go and get your FL driver's license to establish residency asap. In-staters get preferential treatment for taxes and for theme park discounts. Busch Gardens will frequently give a one-year pass for the price of a one day admission if you have a FL license.

 

[RedPill]

Anywhere off Dale Mabry north of Waters is decent. Just like Bible_Belt says, it gets more suburban the farther north you go. The traffic though on Dale Mabry is horrendous if you use it to get into town. Do you know where you're going to work?

 

[oakraiderz2]

Anywhere off Dale Mabry north of Waters is decent. Just like Bible_Belt says, it gets more suburban the farther north you go. The traffic though on Dale Mabry is horrendous if you use it to get into town. Do you know where you're going to work?

Most likely the Ruby Tuesday in Citrus Park. Most of the apartments i was looking at were around Waters and Dale Mabry, some were south of Waters. Im probably gonna go to school at hcc so im trying to find a place relativly close to there also.