Young Professional moving to Tampa

[UF_john]

^^^
This guy is right on the money and basically said the same thing. Highway 19 is a disaster full of car wrecks and bums begging for money on the sides of the road. If I were you, I would just stay up there because you will see your quality of life decrease heavily in Tampa. And the Largo dude is right, there are TONS of phonies and fakes in Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota, and Hillsborough Counties. These people are the types that work as servers and if they have Myspace they will act like they are a supermodel. Everyone in the Tampa area says they are something really big that they are not, and there are scammers so beware. There are tons of fake people that claim they are models, or television stars, or doing something big in Orlando. When in fact they are like the rest of them sitting in a traffic jam to get to their little bs job working as a server or in a call center. Lots of low wages, and in Florida, if someone promises you a raise, don't believe them until you actually see it. This is a right to work state and unlike your Massachutsetts, you'll find out that labor is abused in Florida. This whole state is underpaid "sunshine" wages. But Tampa, that's one big joke full of losers, uneducated clowns, traffic jams, celebrity wannabees who are actually servers, and scammers.

And you are young like me, I don't care what people will reply and think I'm talking down their beloved city, but I'm just letting you know whats really going on. If you try to dance with girls at the clubs in Tampa, they will give you this "Do I know you?" "Don't you know who I am?" attitude. And the guys are a bunch of uptights that try to group with as many boys as they can and act hard when none of them are getting any. I guess that's what you call sexual frustration, and Tampa is full of all sorts of frustration so don't fall for the sunny brochure that you are reading up North is all I'm saying.

[bnepler]

You guys have to get out of Tampa to the other cities sometimes. Cities are cities and people are people. Maybe we need more people here to improve the level of people here. Sounds like they need to change their hangouts and life styles.

[tampaguy03]

So many ask...why Tampa, why do you stay? what is it about Tampa?

Well in short, the Water, the Weather, the Progress, the Activies, the History, the People.

Water - everywhere, most of Tampa is situated on a Peninsuila(called Interbay Peninsula), so there is water to the east(Hillsborough Bay) water to the West(Old Tampa Bay), and the South(Tampa Bay). The Main river through Tampa is the Hillsborough River which starts as a Spring 30 miles to the North, and runs through the city ending up in the Hillsborough Bay downtown. 20 miles to the West of Tampa is the prestine aqua blue water and beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout Tampa Bay area are numerous lakes, rivers, streams, estuary's, bays, intracostal waterways to explore. Plain and simple, if you like fresh water, salt water, streams, rivers, oceans, Tampa's got it! In addition 5 of the nations number one beaches are located in the Bay area(Fort DeSoto, Pass-a-Grille, Clearwater, Caledesi Island, Honeymoon Island).

Weather - with an average high temperature of 76 degrees from October to May, how could you not love the weather. While others are huddled up for the winter to the North, we are basking in low humidity, beautiful blue skies, and pleasant temperatures for 75% of the year. This means all outdoor activities, sports, festivals can be enjoyed year round in Tampa. And in the summer months, June through September, although it can get very warm, the average high temps are only 88 degrees, there is a constant breeze due to the coastal winds which trigger mighty Thunderstorms in summer late afternoons/evenings, in time to cool it off a bit, and provide a lightning and thunderous show like clock work most evenings. Since most of us have a pool, beach, and airconditioning nearby, we can handle 3 to 4 months of warmer than usual temps for paradise the the other 9 months of the year.

History - the Bay area has been home to several Indian Tribes for thoasands of years. The Spanish came in the 15 and 16oo's, but the American's did not start to evaluate Florida and the Tampa area until the mid 1800's. We built Fort Brooke in what is now downtown Tampa during the Seminole Indian Wars, and later used it for soldiers being shipped off for the Spanish-American War. Vicente Martinez Ybor purchased 40 acres of land just east of downtown to start his Cigar Factories. Within 10 years and by the late 1800's until the depression in the 1920's, Tampa was known throughout the world as the Cigar Capital of the World. Immigrants came to Tampa from Italy, Spain, and Cuba to prosper in the Cigar Capital. Henry B Plant chose Tampa to expand his railroad from the North, and that led to many tourists to flock to the warm temperatures, and an increase in Trade. Many of the established neighborhoods from the early 20th century still exist(Hyde Park, Tampa Heights, West Tampa, Seminole Heights, Ybor City), and have numerous architectural buildings, homes, and landscapes.

Progress - from the 1950's to present, Tampa has been growing by leaps and bounds. Many from the North came here to escape the brutal winters, and the ability to attain land and homes for far less than it would cost in the North. In addition, Tampa Bay's cost of living was considerably less, and there were far fewer taxes. Most transplants came from the MidWest(Ohio, Michigan, Illinios, Indiana), with the remainder coming from the Northeast(New York, Connecticutt, New Jersey). Things have changed quite a bit over the past 10 years(the 90's to present). The growth has been abundant, and the Tampa Bay areanow has close to 2 million residents, with the city of Tampa having nearly 360,000. A Financial District was created in the 60's and 70's(current downtown), a Services Sector, Westshore Business District, which is now the largest business and services sector in the state, and 5th largest in the Nation. A National Historic Landmark area, Ybor City. Tampa Bay is now the 12th largest media market in the Nation. In the 19 years I have called Tampa home, I have seen more skyscapers built downtown, a national hockey team(Tampa Bay Lightning - Stanley Cup Champions) and Forum built, a professional baseball team(Tampa Bay Devil Rays) and Dome arena established, new Football stadium built for the SuperBowl champion Tampa Bay Bucaneers. Downtown continues to expand its Arts Museums, Cultural Exhibits, and Parks and trails to accomodate the growth. One of the nations largest Aquariums was established in Tampa(Florida Aquarium). Two lane roads transversed into 4 lane highways. And progress just doesn't stop. It nice to live in an area where things change, and most of the progress and changes are for the better and for the people of the city.

[tampaguy03]

Activities - For a small city, Tampa has it all. And its nice to have it all in a small city.
Sports - Football, Baseball, Hockey, Arena Football, College Football, Soccer, Baseball and Basketball - all National teams, nationally recognized, and state of the art arenas and fields to play on.
Theater - Tampa Bay Perforing Arts Center is then largest Center for the arts in the Southeast, along with over a dozen other venues for broadway and local productions(Mahaffey, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Gorilla Theater, many more).
Museums - Dali, Fine Art, Art, Childrens, Holacaust, History, Natural, Fire, Police, Science and Industry, Explorations, International.
Concerts - every major concert act alsways makes a stop through Tampa performing at numerous venues(Forum, Bayfront Arena, Amphitheter, Tampa Stadium, USF Sundome, among the other theaters listed above)
Festivals -ahhh, the numerous festivals year round, some of the biggest in the Nation, and lots of people watching, and of course food and BEER!(Gasparilla - month long celebration, Florida State Fair, Strawberry Festival, International and Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Guavaween, numerous Art Festivals including the Gasparilla and Mainsail). Most of the smaller communities and neighborhoods have monthly festivals like CLearwater Jazz Fest, Hyde Park Music Series, St. Pete's RibFest, John's Pass Seafood Festival, St. Pete's Festival of States.
Attractions - people come from all over the world to visit the area. It's nice to have these in my backyard - Busch Gardens theme park, Adventure Island water park, Lowry Park Zoo, Florida Aquarium, St. Pete Pier, Big Cat Rescue, Suncoast Bird Sanctuary to name a few.
Recreation - what do you want to do today? Well you can do most everything here in Tampa. Biking Trails(on and off road), Kayaking/Canoeing, Wind Surfing, Fishing, Boating, Sunbathing, Skating, Hiking. There is a park almost every few miles throughout the city for the purpose of getting out and keeping active.
Shopping - well, some people consider this an activity, and for those that like it, any name brand store can be found in Tampa, whether its exclusive(International Plaza), outdoors(Hyde park Village, Centro Ybor, BayWalk), Entertaining(BayStreet, Westshore Plaza) or Outlet(Ellenton), its here..from Funky(Ybor City) to mondane(University Square), it's here.
Nightlife - as if the above isn't enough, its great to know that there are many entertainment options. Ybor City is Tampa's French Quarter like area with a bar, club and entertainment venue for anyone. Channelside, SOHO, Hyde Park, Westshore, BayStreet. Downtown St. Pete holds it's own for numerous nightlife options, Central Ave and the waterfront bars and clubs. As far as restaurants, Tampa is known as one of the Nations busiest places to eat our, because so many of us eat out, and this is because there are so many places and options to eat. Its no wonder places like Hooters, Outback, Bonefish Grille, Hops all started here in Tampa. But its more than just the chains, some of my favs are : Berns and Charley's for steaks, Yoko's and Samarai Blue for Sushi, Cappy's and Ed&Sams for Pizza, Royal Palace for Thai, Kojaks and Jimbo's for BBQ, Oystercatchers for seafood, Bernini and Laughing Cat for Italian, Acropolis for Greek.

One thing about Tampa, is it's not a Big Deal. What I mean is, it's not a big deal to do any of the above. Whether it's a sports game, day at the beach, trip to a museum or park, or going out for dinner, it's not a big deal as opposed to going out in a big city. You goota love havin it all in a small city.

One more thing, one of the top International Airports in the World, TIA. Non-stop and least expensive flights to New York, Boston, Chicago, Houston, LA, Denver. Every major city, state of the art airport, as a business traveler, one of the most convenient and clean.

19 years in Tampa, never been caught up in any worse traffic than other major cities, never been involved or seen crime first hand or known anyone to be a victim of crime, native New Yorker who has found MANY friends that are well educated and the natives here are very friendly(Great Neighbors), I have lived near the University of South Florida(during school), suburbs of Northdale and Carrollwood, and South Tampa(the nicest I have found, with lots of Mom and Pop type shops, reaturants, and neghborhoods, historic and new).

[charlesj]

I think of these guys have very bitter scued views of tampa and are feeding some incorrect data. I have lived here for over three years and came from DC. I am moving next year to LA and offer and unbiased opinion. All off this is about TAMPA...not the surrounding cities which are totally different.

First, a couple things that were correct. The drivers are bad as is the traffic violation enforcement....worse drivers than MD or CT combined. Secondly, the average salary for the same job in a northern city is going to be less, but then again so is the cost of living.

Coming from the northeast, you will tend to see the majority of houses as small and crappy looking, however it is very similar to southern california in it's vast amount of single story 2-4 bedroom homes.

The largest age group IN tampa is actually 25-34 I believe which is why the city is a big marketing test area. This does not apply to st pete or clearwater where the average age doubles.

There are quite a few night spots as you would expect of a medium size city. They are not generally as good as the big NE cities, but they are not bad if you know which areas to go to...not Ybor.

South Tampa is generally the prefered place to be both to live and go out. It is a little more expensive, but it is close to everything and surrounded by water with lots to do. I am very against living in the outside suburbs as they are cookie cutter and boring. Plus you would have a harder commute depending on where you live.

Traffic is no worse than any other city and is a joke compared to DC

The beaches arent bad and there are quite a few of them. They are almost all completely developed as mentioned, but thats true of almost all of florida. Having a boat is nice as it is a great boating area with lots of little unihabited islands to hang out at.

The airport is great. Close to most places and very efficient and large enough to get good prices everywhere.

The city is growing and property values still have room to grow

In conclusion, it is a good city to live in on a budget. Lots to do, nice weather most of the year, and cheap. Its close to Orlando, and not too far from Miami. The most important part of enjoying yourself here in my opinion is what part of tampa you live in. Nicest places are Hyde Park, Harbor Island, Davis Island, Soho, and the rest of South Tampa. I have heard Citurs Park is not bad, but its kind of a suburb within the city limits.

[SVT]

This guys who responded is a bit on the streme, but for the most part he is correct!

At this point you realy do not have a choice, you acepted a job and you will be landing here regardless, I would recomend for you to stay find a nice apartment in the New Tampa Area, the North bound edge of Tampa which is being rebuild with gated community.

Be aware that Tampa was once rated one of the most dangerous city in this country, Tampa is no joke, it is in good need of a mayor like Juliani from NYC to put all these wild Latinos under control.

I am Latino myself, I know my people and we are distructive, we are a very charming race that like to smile and have fun but some how as soon we land a food in this country we become the worse, and unfortunately Tampa is full of the worse by this point, between the Latinos and black gettos, Tampa does not have a chance.

Like the other guy said, the whole florida at this point is a $12/hr type of place, that equates to people driving beat up cars with no insurance and for the most part renting appartments in not so nice places, so that is what the City is full of.

You can still survive in the city and avoid minimal interaction with such people, but you will be missing out in good spanish foods from small mom and pop shops and also to isolate yourself it would require that you would be making lots of money so that you can have reliable transportation and hide yourself far north in a very expensive gated community.

Traffic it is about the worse you can find and public transportation is non existant when copared to Boston or NYC. The City is just not pretty. I am from Mass as well and I have been here since 2000 and I can tell you that Florida is not as pretty as it sound. The pretty Florida is the well green areas full of palm trees, with mansions and BMWs on the gated roads. The Florida Big City view is not as romantic as the City view of Boston or NYC, the Florida city view is a view of deserted dirty cities with no one tree to cover people from the sun and full of poverty.

Tampa is close to the Beach but it is not like you can walk out to the beach from your house. To get to the city it requires a couple of heart burns while stock in traffic, then you can't find parking and then the beach is dirty and over crawded. If you are looking for a good nice looking beach, then go to St. Augustine in the North east coast.

Note that Florida has two coast, the east coast and the west coast. The east coast has the man fixed beaches with fine sand and kept well to please the tourist, it is the coast full of hotels and that kind of night life. The west coast is the Nature coast, the real poverty Florida feel where the beaches are as they come full of hard rocks and not really fine sand...

All I can say, be ready for a shock, bring down lots of money and be ready to be multicultural because Latinos are taking over of the whole Florida and the whole madness from Miami is already here.

I have now moved to Gainesville FL and I am much happier here...

Originally Posted by UF_john

Dont listen to these older folks trying to talk Tampa up, it is a DUMP. Believe me when I say this. This place is loaded with older/retiree types. The jobs don't pay anything over 12 bucks here and are mostly service type jobs. Traffic is horrible. It's starting to see a large influx of Spanish-speaking people (probably moving northward from South Florida). It's a "Keep Up With The Jones" type area. The area is also VERY uneducated. They have a third-tier school called University of South Florida (which is a big joke, ask any prof at UF), and is basically a school that houses all the dumb people that come out of FLorida's school system that weren't smart enough to go to UF. Tons of people are living check to check in Tampa and are losers that move from other areas (especially the northeast) and bring their baggage and problems down. The drivers are amongst the worst in the country. The beaches are now being overbuilt with highrise condos. I have friends that live in Tampa, and I stayed there for 2 months and that was plenty enough for me. There are a bunch of people that look forward to going to these "upscale" clubs where everyone just fights, the guys are very cliquey and the girls are not very open to meeting people. It's a very edgy, boring, keep to yourself area. You will also be surprised at all the weirdos and child molesters that live there too. Minus a few upscale areas, and gated communities, Tampa is one big dump full of uneducated people or few people with educations from third-tier schools. You will find yourself having to dust off your brain from not using it and feel yourself becoming dumber if you live there. Trust me, it's garbage.

[newmover99]

Originally Posted by UF_john

Dont listen to these older folks trying to talk Tampa up, it is a DUMP. Believe me when I say this. This place is loaded with older/retiree types. The jobs don't pay anything over 12 bucks here and are mostly service type jobs. Traffic is horrible. It's starting to see a large influx of Spanish-speaking people (probably moving northward from South Florida). It's a "Keep Up With The Jones" type area. The area is also VERY uneducated. They have a third-tier school called University of South Florida (which is a big joke, ask any prof at UF), and is basically a school that houses all the dumb people that come out of FLorida's school system that weren't smart enough to go to UF. Tons of people are living check to check in Tampa and are losers that move from other areas (especially the northeast) and bring their baggage and problems down. The drivers are amongst the worst in the country. The beaches are now being overbuilt with highrise condos. I have friends that live in Tampa, and I stayed there for 2 months and that was plenty enough for me. There are a bunch of people that look forward to going to these "upscale" clubs where everyone just fights, the guys are very cliquey and the girls are not very open to meeting people. It's a very edgy, boring, keep to yourself area. You will also be surprised at all the weirdos and child molesters that live there too. Minus a few upscale areas, and gated communities, Tampa is one big dump full of uneducated people or few people with educations from third-tier schools. You will find yourself having to dust off your brain from not using it and feel yourself becoming dumber if you live there. Trust me, it's garbage.

Exactly. Sad but very true.