Tarpon Springs ok to raise a family ?? (Palm Harbor, Holiday: sex offenders, crime rates)

[sarah0116]

Hello, we are needing to move to Pinellas Co. (coming from Zephyrhills), and are looking at Tarpon Springs, we're on a budget and needing to find something affordable and have recently found a place there that we're looking at. Originally after looking around online at Tarpon Springs I thought it looked like a neat little city, seems to have parks, cute downtown, and not too far from beaches. But after checking crime rates and reading further, I'm hearing the crime is huge in Tarpon and there's a lot of drugs and I even heard that beaches lock down at night because of crime and drug dealing.
Looking for opinions from anyone who's lived there or currently lives there, we have two young children and need to know if this information is true or if it's a family friendly and safe place to live.

[TheSearchAngel]

Hi Sarah,
I live in Pasco just up the highway from Tarpon Springs. I will say I hear more about that area than the current area you live in. Here is a link to see the crime rates. Pinellas County Crime Viewer
Also go to patch.com and find Tarpon Springs. You will start getting emails with Tarpon Springs news. That might give you a look at what goes on. And of course since you have children...before moving into any neighborhood search for sexual predators on Florida Sex Offenders and Predators In Zip Code 34689
Best of luck on your move where ever you land and call home.

[MortonR]

While I don't know Tarpon Springs in detail, my experience suggests that it's fine.

I suspect that you're seeing some "bleed over" from Holiday, which is immediately to the north of TS and pretty crime ridden with drug and property crimes. I would be surprised if Tarpon Springs was considered a haven of crime and drug dealing. Everything I had e seen while living in the area for a short time would suggest otherwise.

RM

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by MortonR

While I don't know Tarpon Springs in detail, my experience suggests that it's fine.

I suspect that you're seeing some "bleed over" from Holiday, which is immediately to the north of TS and pretty crime ridden with drug and property crimes. I would be surprised if Tarpon Springs was considered a haven of crime and drug dealing. Everything I had e seen while living in the area for a short time would suggest otherwise.

RM

I agree. Total trashy area in Holiday. Homes go from 350k inTarpon on avg to around 40k in Holiday.

[OzarkChickenLover]

Like any place in the USA, you're gonna have good and bad. You can always find crime, drugs, and violence, even in the upscale neighborhoods. I raised my kids in less-than-desirable areas because that was what I could afford as a single mom and they came out fine. I think a lot of it has to do with your attitude and how attentive you are as a parent. Tarpon Springs is a nice town....it will be what you make of it.

[Zambon]

Tarpon is a great little town. My parents live there. There are a couple of small iffy parts of Tarpon Springs, just east of alt 19 and north of the Anclote River, but overall the town is really nice. It has a cool little downtown, the famous sponge docks, and it has great schools, particularly Tarpon High School. I would recommend the neighborhood(s) around Howard Park, Sunset Beach Park, and Piney Point and Sponge Harbor Point.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by soursop

Tarpon is a great little town. My parents live there. There are a couple of small iffy parts of Tarpon Springs, just east of alt 19 and north of the Anclote River, but overall the town is really nice. It has a cool little downtown, the famous sponge docks, and it has great schools, particularly Tarpon High School. I would recommend the neighborhood(s) around Howard Park, Sunset Beach Park, and Piney Point and Sponge Harbor Point.

I would consider that part of Tarpon "Holiday South". It's sort of detached from Tarpon. I never really thought of it being part of Tarpon, but I guess it is...

RM

[The Villages Guy]

Tarpon proper, east and south are great. Anything near the Holiday border is best left alone.

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by North_Pinellas_Guy

Tarpon proper, east and south are great. Anything near the Holiday border is best left alone.

True. It just changes nite and day were Alt 19 meets US19.

[Irishiis49]

You can definitely find some lovely subdivisions such as Grassy Point...my only hesitation in recommending Tarpon for a young family are the schools...now granted my last child graduated in 2012 from Palm Harbor so I'm really going by old information when I say the schools were at that time very poor...but I really would look into them not just online but go to each school speak to staff watch the kids that get on and off school bus that stops in areas you are looking at homes in...Good luck!