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Hey I just wanted to get your opinions on this move we might make. My family and I moved to Tampa less than a year ago. We now are looking at an option of moving to ft myers and working in Naples. Here's some background: the reason we moved to Tampa is that we have 3 toddlers and previously we lived in a mostly retirement town. The husband and I are all about the kids; we really don't go out to restaurants or do night life or other entertainment. The only thing we are looking for is stuff for the kids to do. We thought a big metro like Tampa would have so much more to offer. We go to the children's museum, splash parks, nature parks, festivals, mosi, and the zoo among other things. We like going to the beach. We traveled from New Tampa to go for the cultural center, park and mini trains in Largo and to Dunnedin for the splash park and playground, and for lots of other things that aren't close to new tampa. We go to Carrollwood fairly frequently for the bounce house and gator freds. We go to botanical gardens and the children's museum in st pete too and we go to the aquarium rarely. We have season passes to busch gardens but we don't get there all that much. We've been to a lot of parades and festivals since we've been here. We chose our home because it was in the Clark school district which is rated as a 9 on great schools. We also like the home because it's newer and the yard has room for our massive play set and backs up to the preserve and they have a little room to run around back there. We can't even take them to a mall play area, cicis, or pizza hut buffet in new tampa, or golden corrall... not great eating of course but that's what they like. There is none of that here. Wiregrass is OK but with all the cars we can't even let them walk by themselves without gripping their hands.
What we find is that we are driving a lot to do all this stuff. We are on the go with the kids a lot for activities, although we have some home time too of course.
New Tampa has great homes and great yards. Our place is a couple miles from 75 so it's easy access, but we have to keep driving and driving to do stuff. There just isn't that much here except for a lot of hellacious traffic. Even running to the convenience store around a mile down the road for milk is a 20-25 minute proposition due to the traffic and the positioning of the store. The preschools weren't that good and what we thought was good wasn't in New Tampa, but in other more distant areas of the city. There aren't that many dance studios and the Y doesn't have toddler classes like some. There are no Gymboree classes. Even the pediatrician and the Toys R us is a bit inconvenient and time consuming to get to in Wesley. The shopping and everything is here but the secondary amenities aren't.
So it's a bit of a trade off; nice home and yard but driving, driving, driving for everything else. Other than the home we don't need to be here.
We originally thought that maybe Naples was too elderly (nothing against elderly but we wanted stuff for the kids to do and more focus on kids). But we have found that Ft Myers is younger and has some outstanding schools, there is a museum which wouldn't be any further distance than the Glazer children's museum, there are better splash parks at closer proximity (there are a total of none in new tampa), and there is a lot of other stuff that Tampa also has. We figure we could come up for weekends to go to the state fair or busch. And when the little ones get older we may want to come up for sporting events. So we lose a few things but we gain better access to the beach and we eliminate some of the long drive times and stressful traffic.
The next stop will hopefully be for a long time so they can grow up in the place. So as they get older their needs will of course change, and maybe ft myers would be a less desirable fit. So we are trying to do the best thing for the future now while we can and before they get into a school and we really become integrated into a community.
What input can you give me and what would you recommend when comparing these two areas?
Hey I just wanted to get your opinions on this move we might make. My family and I moved to Tampa less than a year ago. We now are looking at an option of moving to ft myers and working in Naples. Here's some background: the reason we moved to Tampa is that we have 3 toddlers and previously we lived in a mostly retirement town. The husband and I are all about the kids; we really don't go out to restaurants or do night life or other entertainment. The only thing we are looking for is stuff for the kids to do. We thought a big metro like Tampa would have so much more to offer. We go to the children's museum, splash parks, nature parks, festivals, mosi, and the zoo among other things. We like going to the beach. We traveled from New Tampa to go for the cultural center, park and mini trains in Largo and to Dunnedin for the splash park and playground, and for lots of other things that aren't close to new tampa. We go to Carrollwood fairly frequently for the bounce house and gator freds. We go to botanical gardens and the children's museum in st pete too and we go to the aquarium rarely. We have season passes to busch gardens but we don't get there all that much. We've been to a lot of parades and festivals since we've been here. We chose our home because it was in the Clark school district which is rated as a 9 on great schools. We also like the home because it's newer and the yard has room for our massive play set and backs up to the preserve and they have a little room to run around back there. We can't even take them to a mall play area, cicis, or pizza hut buffet in new tampa, or golden corrall... not great eating of course but that's what they like. There is none of that here. Wiregrass is OK but with all the cars we can't even let them walk by themselves without gripping their hands.
What we find is that we are driving a lot to do all this stuff. We are on the go with the kids a lot for activities, although we have some home time too of course.
New Tampa has great homes and great yards. Our place is a couple miles from 75 so it's easy access, but we have to keep driving and driving to do stuff. There just isn't that much here except for a lot of hellacious traffic. Even running to the convenience store around a mile down the road for milk is a 20-25 minute proposition due to the traffic and the positioning of the store. The preschools weren't that good and what we thought was good wasn't in New Tampa, but in other more distant areas of the city. There aren't that many dance studios and the Y doesn't have toddler classes like some. There are no Gymboree classes. Even the pediatrician and the Toys R us is a bit inconvenient and time consuming to get to in Wesley. The shopping and everything is here but the secondary amenities aren't.
So it's a bit of a trade off; nice home and yard but driving, driving, driving for everything else. Other than the home we don't need to be here.
We originally thought that maybe Naples was too elderly (nothing against elderly but we wanted stuff for the kids to do and more focus on kids). But we have found that Ft Myers is younger and has some outstanding schools, there is a museum which wouldn't be any further distance than the Glazer children's museum, there are better splash parks at closer proximity (there are a total of none in new tampa), and there is a lot of other stuff that Tampa also has. We figure we could come up for weekends to go to the state fair or busch. And when the little ones get older we may want to come up for sporting events. So we lose a few things but we gain better access to the beach and we eliminate some of the long drive times and stressful traffic.
The next stop will hopefully be for a long time so they can grow up in the place. So as they get older their needs will of course change, and maybe ft myers would be a less desirable fit. So we are trying to do the best thing for the future now while we can and before they get into a school and we really become integrated into a community.
What input can you give me and what would you recommend when comparing these two areas?
Not quite following your logic, from naples to Ft Myers is over 30 mi certainly further than new tampa to anywhere. I am assuming you work in the New Tampa area, thats why you wouldn't just move to a more centrally located area in Tampa?. It just seems like you would be trading bad for worse.
Thanks for the input people!! So the upshot is we may be better off staying here?
I don't actually work in New Tampa... work involves driving and I have been mostly Downtown or in Brandon, Valrico, Riverview, sun city center. The company didn't know where they were going to place me when they moved us down and told us to get a place near the highway, and we were desperate to get into a house with very little available back in September. I thought there would be more in new tampa but I guess it's still developing and there isn't all that much here given the number of people. That's why I keep finding myself going way across town to Carrollwood and Westchase and going over to the beach or north or south for stuff to do with the little ones. Getting a place closer to those amenities would involve an older, smaller home with a worse yard and probably no pool. I just thought there seem to be just as many good activities down in ft myers with less of the city type aggravations you put up with when maybe I really don't need a bigger metro to get the stuff I want. If we lived in the south of ft myers and worked in the north of naples it wouldn't be a terrible commute and you could take advantage of the stuff that both places have to offer. Fortunately I can work almost anywhere.
Thanks for the input people!! So the upshot is we may be better off staying here?
I don't actually work in New Tampa... work involves driving and I have been mostly Downtown or in Brandon, Valrico, Riverview, sun city center. The company didn't know where they were going to place me when they moved us down and told us to get a place near the highway, and we were desperate to get into a house with very little available back in September. I thought there would be more in new tampa but I guess it's still developing and there isn't all that much here given the number of people. That's why I keep finding myself going way across town to Carrollwood and Westchase and going over to the beach or north or south for stuff to do with the little ones. Getting a place closer to those amenities would involve an older, smaller home with a worse yard and probably no pool. I just thought there seem to be just as many good activities down in ft myers with less of the city type aggravations you put up with when maybe I really don't need a bigger metro to get the stuff I want. If we lived in the south of ft myers and worked in the north of naples it wouldn't be a terrible commute and you could take advantage of the stuff that both places have to offer. Fortunately I can work almost anywhere.
Sounds like you want what most people want, but because of supply and demand it doesn't exist. If your budget was 900k+ then you could find a new construction on a double lot in South Tampa, which will give you a 10 rated school k-12 an easy access to downtown, and the crosstown (valrico, brandon riverview etc). If it is then look into that, but if its not like most people we have to make compromises, if you really want the big new house in a oversized lot for 200k then you going to have to drive a little and because thats is a popular choice you are going to have lots of company on the roads. You can move to Carrollwood/Northdale/Citrus Park and be on the epicenter of soccer momdom, probably don;t have to downsize that much then your commute to Brandon/Valrico/Downtown is going to be challenging. You can move to Valrico/Lithia again you wouldnt have to downsize, you would have easier access to orlando for weekend trips, you would have the crossstown nearby so you could cut across to the amenities your daily commute would be easier. You can downsize and look in South Tampa, or you can look in St pete (but find some magnet schools).
The point is that you will be "driving" everywhere regardless of where you live in FL.
Westchase has some older homes but most are newer, large, and with pools! So is a good portion of Citrus Park which is next door. In FL you will find the same chains everywhere...did you look at housing distance in respect to those places down in Ft Myers? I doubt anything is anymore walkable than it is here.
Just curious, where did you move from? and how did you re-search FL before moving down?
Aside from NYC, San Francisco, DC, I am not aware of many places in US where you can walk to anything or have minimal drives.
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