[seminole24]

im a 22 year old single male moving to lakeland, florida to teach by self. my question is what is the area like? moving into apartments, condo's?? What do you recommend? How is the nightlife? What's the nearest beach to go on a weekend? how can i meet new people? what is there to do????

[HeartofFlorida]

Originally Posted by seminole24

im a 22 year old single male moving to lakeland, florida to teach by self. my question is what is the area like? moving into apartments, condo's?? What do you recommend? How is the nightlife? What's the nearest beach to go on a weekend? how can i meet new people? what is there to do????

Why don't you tell me what kind of nightlife are you looking for and I'll tell you whether or not you should head east/west on I-4. There are a few activities but again it depends on what you're in to. There are numerous festivals, shows and community events in addition to the usual movies, bars and nightclubs. You can meet people the old fashioned way by going out and mingling where there's a gathering or you can meet reach out to the online.

Beach: On the gulf, a straight shot from Lakeland will land you between Indian Rocks Beach and Indian Shores via I-4, I-275, and Ulmerton Rd. Once you hit Gulf Blvd, you can choose to find a spot in the area or head north/south to the many beaches on the west coast. On a good day, could take an hour depending on traffic and how fast you drive. My personal favorite is Ft. DeSoto south of St. Petersburg. If you're into causeways then there are a few choices between Hillsborough and Pinellas county.

I'm sure others with more detailed information can/will chime in as I have not lived in Lakeland since 1994 but I get down there from time to time.

Let me know if you have any additional questions....

[Lakeland Yankee]

Originally Posted by seminole24

im a 22 year old single male moving to lakeland, florida to teach by self.

my question is what is the area like?

drug infested, a lot of thefts, high crime for such a small city, beautiful parks, lots of lakes, backward yankee hating natives, lots of sexism and racism, poverty stricken, run down, some parts are very wealthy and beautiful though, nice downtown,

moving into apartments, condo's??

stick to the area south of Lake Mirror and in between Harden/Sikes Blvd and Bartow Rd and down past the Polk parkway as a general place to start, i.e.- downtown and South Lakeland

What do you recommend?

make sure you have employment lined up ahead of time and plenty of savings for when you are laid off. I'd actually recommend to wait until the economy gets better and then choose Tampa or Orlando instead.

How is the nightlife?

You'll have to go to Tampa or Orlando for that.

What's the nearest beach to go on a weekend?

Gulf beaches are the closest i.e.- Clearwater down to Fort Desoto(1 hour 40 minutes), Siesta Key is a little less than 2 hours away, Cocoa Beach (Atlantic Ocean) about 2 hours

how can i meet new people?

Be very cautious. Many locals here are hooked on drugs i.e.-Meth. Best place to meet people is through your work.

what is there to do????

visit parks, hike, bike, fish

[seminole24]

thanks for some of the input! definitely very helpful...i can see that drugs are widely used in this area? ...as far as some bars or nightclubs...what would you recommend?? what about lakeland weather year round? is there a certain stretch of apartments or condos that you would deem to fit relevant for a 22-year old single male? also...cost of living? does a 35-37,000 $ teaching job fit an active lifestyle and quality apartment/condo living? what about activities around some nearby lakes or things of that sort??? responses are GREATLY appreciated!

[gypsychic]

I lived in Lakeland for a couple years recently. There is not a lot of "night life" per se, depending what you are looking for. Downtown is very beautiful - all renovated, very charming with a central park. There are many free festivals there all year, and a few bars and cafes.

To the southwest a bit is the newish open-air mall, Lakeside Village. There are lots of people milling around all the time, and a beautiful movie theater and many nice restaurants there.

Lakeland has a lot of beautiful lakes and parks, lots of community recreation. One of the main downtown lakes is Lake Hollingsworth, the location of Florida Southern College. There is lots going on around this lake all the time - it has a 3 mile jogging/skating path around it, and a bike lane. People ski on it, too.

Lakeland is a nice place to live, stick to downtown and south of downtown. The area immediately north of downtown is the "ghetto", further north it's all right. Also stay away from the east side (east of Bartow Road) this area not great either.

It is an easy drive to either Tampa or Orlando for more "big city" stuff, but if you don't need all night clubbing it's a nice place to be. And it also tends to cost a bit less to live here than the coastal towns. You are probably an hour and a half away from Gulf or Atlantic beaches.

Hope this helps!

[rogercobb]

Originally Posted by seminole24

im a 22 year old single male moving to lakeland, florida to teach by self. my question is what is the area like? moving into apartments, condo's?? What do you recommend? How is the nightlife? What's the nearest beach to go on a weekend? how can i meet new people? what is there to do????

Why in the world would a 22 year old choose to move to Lakeland? At your age it would be the last place on my radar.

[niceguy19125]

Originally Posted by rogercobb

Why in the world would a 22 year old choose to move to Lakeland? At your age it would be the last place on my radar.

Read entire post first...he's moving there for a teaching job.

[seminole24]

thanks for all the info so far everyone! any other ideas or pointers for me would be super appreciated! also how about the 35-40,000 $ a year income for one person living there. suitable for a good apartment/condo and an active lifestyle?? any other pointers on beaches and nightlife would be awesome!

[rogercobb]

Originally Posted by niceguy19125

Read entire post first...he's moving there for a teaching job.

Got it. He said he's moving to Florida to teach "by self" whatever that's supposed to mean.

[seminole24]

******moving to Florida to teach by MYSELF. AKA moving by myself to teach (as in the occupation of TEACHING) in Florida. Im sorry you had a difficult time distinguishing my slang...