I’m thinking of moving to the Tampa area this summer. I currently am living in Albuquerque which is the only town other than Miami to have a full season of “COPS” filmed there (with new “guest episodes” about every other week this season–the trucker in the leopard leotard was filmed here).
Looking up crime stats, I have some concerns, but since it’s the spring break destination of the country, I don’t know how skewed those stats are.
So if any dopers live in that area, can you tell me a)how’s the crime, b) where are the best schools–I have two middle school age kids and c), based on a) and b), where is the best place ffor me to live.
I’d like to rent a house and make a pretty good living so I can afford about 12-1500/month.
The best schools are private, with a few exceptions. If you are making a decent living, I would suggest going private.
Where to live is tough to say, because I have no idea where you would be working. For $1,500 a month, you can rent a NICE house in a very good neighborhood. Take my wife and I, for example. We found a nice rental, 2,000 SF house with terazzo floors, fenced back yard, etc. right across the street from the Hillsborough river for $800. It is built into the side of a hill, and the owner rents out the garage apartment underneath, as well.
If you have any firm details, we can go over them, if you like.
In general, I love Tampa. It is a decent city, plenty to do, and not far from the beaches. My wife plays piano and sings at a wonderful bar called “Howl at the Moon”, a dueling piano bar. There is a lot of night life in the Channelside Complex where Howl is, and Ybor City is very much like Bourbon Street in N’Awlins, without the interesting smells. There is a lot of things to do with your kids in town, Busch Gardens, the Lowery Park Zoo, MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry, aimed at kids), and a ton of other things.
It’s bound to be just a tad more humid than Alberquerque. And if you find out where the good schools are, let me know. As far as I ever knew there weren’t any, although the parochial schools were probably serviceable.