Moving to the Tampa area...help!

Updated on August 07, 2008
J.G. asks from Oldsmar, FL
13 answers

Hi ladies!
My husband has just received a job promotion, and my family and I will be moving to the Tampa area the end of the month. I do not know ANYONE in Tampa! Which definetely makes me nervous. Do you ladies have any advice, helpful tips, suggestions about getting our life started in Tampa? I'm not yet sure exactly where we will live, but it will definetely be in the north/northwest part of the city closer to the airport. Do you know of any good neighborhoods around there to consider? Any good real estate agents? good mommy groups? any churches? Anything you can think of that would help is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
J.

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So What Happened?

Thank you ladies so much for all your help and advice. I considered the things you told me as my family and I were in Tampa this past weekend looking for a house. After a grueling 2 days spent mostly in the car, we found a house to rent near the oldsmar area, close to the Westchase side. We love the house, it's in a great little community. After looking around Tampa the first day we realized, it would be better to rent now for a year and get to know the area better, than to get locked into a mortgage possibly in an area we wouldn't want to live in after a while. It will take some time to get used to the area, but I'm excited. Thanks again, and if you have any more advice please let me know!

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J.D.

answers from Tampa on

Congrats on the promo! Try yahoo or cafemom for local groups, I am in pinellas where ive lived all my life at the moment but we are looking to move to riverview in the next few months where my husband was just transferred to so I joined some local online groups to find out about the area over there. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

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T.T.

answers from Tampa on

hey J..my name is T..i have lived here most of my life.so what do you need to know.new tampa is a nice area and so is bloomingdale.they are actually a part of tampa.tampa is made up of several twons,close together.i live in est tampa.near temple terrece.the part of tampa near the airport is the town and country area,not to bad of a place to live,but is a very busy part of town.we have bushgardens.which is a good thing to have.get a pass and go anytime you want.just board nothing to do go to bushgardens or adventure island.they are next to each other.i go all the time.riverhills church is a good church.i go there.it is in east tampa.i don't go to mommy groups,my boys are to old.they are 17 and 11 now.but i am sure there are plenty of them in the area,always hearing about them on here.if you ever need a frind to hang out with or just someone to touch baise with,about things,just drop a line and let me know.i'll be hear.maybe hangout at bushgardens or something.well we have lots of really nice parks too.there is the hillsborough state park on hwy 301 and there are several others on the way there to that one.then there is letuce lake park,it has a real nice board walk.then also a smaller park on the edge of the river is the riverhills park,in temple terrece.it is a smaller one but real nice,has a board walk,dock and boat ramp.we also have hardrock hotel and coseno.on hillsbough ave.near the interstate.,well i think that is alot.there are so many more things here to do.if you need to know more just ask.
-T...

1 mom found this helpful
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B.G.

answers from Tampa on

West Chase is a great area. They have nice schools and plenty of fun things to do with the kids. You will be able to find plenty of churches and groups in this area.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Tampa on

Hi J.

Well, congrats on the job promotion. Tampa is sooo great! We moved here from the midwest and are going on 2 years. We live up in the NEW TAMPA are, a ways from the airport though. It is a beautiful GROWING area, with LOTS to choose from as far has housing, shopping accomodations, and importantly...strong rated school districts for when you need to be concerned about that. Super preschools as well.

Reommendation for realtors...Mike and Debby Wertz with Coldwell Banker. They are honest, hardworking and fun people.

Good Luck!!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.A.

answers from Tampa on

I was born and raised here and I would strongly advise you to steer clear of the Town N'Country area. I grew up there, but it has since gone down hill. Westchase is a nice area close by as well as Odessa. I currently live out in Wesley Chapel and love it. It's a bit of a drive from where you were looking, but it's new and has alot of families and activities for the kids. As far as realtors I would recommend Elaine Myers her number is ###-###-#### my husband and I own a mortgage company so if you need any help getting a loan feel free to contact us ###-###-####. Good Luck! If you have any other questions about the area don't hesitate to ask.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.B.

answers from Tampa on

Hi J.,

I was born and raised in Tampa. There are some wonderful areas here. Westchase and Waterchase are great for SAHM's with community facilities, activities, and excellent public schools. South Tampa offers the same but housing prices are higher. Where will your husband be working? Traffic can be bad in areas so that may be something to consider.

My family has a real estate business, my mom has been selling in Tampa Bay for almost 30 years. They do a lot of relocation and have a lot of resources they could help as far as churches, schools, mommy groups. A lot of it just depends on which neighborhood you end up in. South Tampa Fellowship is a wonderful church for young families but could end up being a long drive depending on which area you bought in.

If you seriously are looking for a real estate agent then of course I would recommend my family. They are the top selling team in my office. They could give you an overview of Tampa and go from there. Feel free to contact me with further questions: ###-###-####

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C.C.

answers from Tampa on

Hi J.,

We moved here 3 years ago, so I'm not really an expert, esp since I work in St Pete and don't have as much time as I would like to explore Tampa's mommy resources. We live in (old) Carrollwood, which is not far from the airport. Someone mentioned Al Lopez park, which is a very nice green space south of Carrollwood, near the stadium. They used to have a great playground, but I think they are redoing it right now.

As far as churches, I don't know what denomination you are interested in, but my mom loves St Lawrence Catholic Church, which happens to be across the street from Al Lopez Park. She says they really make an effort to involve the kids, and they also have a private school. I, personally, am a complete heathen, so I don't really have much to add to that!

Good luck with the move!

1 mom found this helpful
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T.W.

answers from Tampa on

Welcome to the neighborhood! There are some great deals on housing in the St. Pete area. I live in the Brighton Bay community off Gandy Blvd, and some of the homes in the community have been drastically reduced because the housing market is so bad. There are some great mom groups in the area - one at Bayfront Hospital (they meet every Tuesday at 10:00 at the Family Center). Not sure about the schools (my son is 17 months) but we are planning private schools anyway.

Good luck in finding a place and starting a new life for your family!

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L.G.

answers from Tampa on

Welcome to Tampa!!!!

I'm sure you'll adjust quickly. There is a neighborhood called countryplace, on Erlich that has GREAT SCHOOLS and it's really quite. They also have 2 parks inside the neighborhood. It's close to everything and has lots of real estate deals going right now. Good Luck

If you need anything else feel free to ask.
L.

1 mom found this helpful

L.L.

answers from Tampa on

Welcome to town and congratulations on your certification! When I moved to the area (South Tampa) a few years ago, I found the MOMS Club of South Tampa (www.momsclub.org) and the local MOPS chapter (meetings held at Bayshore Baptist Church) quite helpful (www.mops.org). Each group offers monthly meetings, playgroups, moms night out events as well as many other opportunities to meet other moms in your new community. Also, I highly recommend the programs at Baby Bungalow (www.babybungalow.org) and Parents as Teachers (http://childabusecouncil.com/programs.html). These wonderful nonprofit organizations help get you and your children involved in lots of high quality educational and fun programs. All best wishes.

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E.G.

answers from Tampa on

Welcome to Tampa. I haven't been involved in the young child scene for a while (mine are 13 and 16). But I recall there were active playgroups and mother's groups in the area, and I hope someone closer to that can direct you.

Carrollwood is nice, maybe a bit north of where you were thinking. One thing about Tampa is it's full of small parks (google Al Lopez, Roy Haynes, Northdale, Lake Park, Lettuce Lake Park, Mc Farland Park) once it cools off you'll meet people just by getting out. Good luck!
E.

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R.P.

answers from Tampa on

Hi J.,

I am a Florida Realtor and I can help you if you are looking for a house to buy. I have sold over $30 Million in Real Estate and own several rentals of my own. Let me know if you still need some help.

Sincerely,

R. Paredes, REALTOR(R)
Charles Rutenberg Realty
###-###-####
____@____.com

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