Which is the BEST place to live for a couple in their late twenties?..St Pertersburg, Sarasota,Clearwater...?

Question

My girlfriend and I can afford rent ranging out at about $550 to $950 a month, but would like to get as much of a bargin as possible..

We currently live in the northeast and are being crushed by its INSANE rental prices ($1100-2000+)... taxes... and utilities

for small ill repared closets they call apartments...(on top of the gas price issue)

I used to live in Venice FL about 6 years ago and moved back north to be with her...4 years later I convinced her its time to stop struggling here in NY and move to Florida..

We narrowed down the place we are interested in but can't decide between them..

1)St Petersburg?

2)Sarasota?

3)Clearwater?

4) ..... or someplace else??? please tell....

we are looking for :

reasonable prices

great clean area

fun and activities

low crime

close to beaches

an art community maybe?

so any thoughts?

SARASOTA.....ST PETERSBURG... or somewhere else on the west coast of Florida?

THANKS!!!!

Answer 1

I'm from Tampa originally; I would say Tampa is a great place to live, if you're close to Ybor city and only a half hour drive to Clearwater and St. Pete, about an hour from Sarasota.  But if I was to move back, I'd go to Clearwater, I believe that for the area Clearwater is the best beach, but it can be expensive, so Tampa is a good alternative.  I also lived in Sarasota for a short time, I found it very dirty and really poor economy...although all these areas are pretty poor.  But if you want a beach, I'd go with Clearwater (it gets packed at times, but it's FL) also maybe an alternative you might consider is Bradenton, it's between Tampa and Sarasota, great beaches there too, Anna Maria is fabulous!!  Good luck with whatever you do, but if you are looking for cheaper rent, then a beach front might not be the way to go, the rent is expensive and the cost of living is just as high as the NorthEast and the economy is very weak in central FL right now...

Answer 2

Try the coastline between St. Pete and Clearwater, although it's probably as expensive as the northeast.  For less $ try the east coast of Florida, in particular the Fort Lauderdale area.

Answer 3

move to boston

Answer 4

west texas yall

Answer 5

i love those areas soo much!!!

we just went to a nice beach just i little north of st. petes beach where there are alot of new condos going up.

its madeira beach, and its amazing. its also just 20 minutes away from clearwater (which is probably more expensive since its a larger city!)

oh...and i think st. petersberg (not st. pete's beach) is like filled with only old people...at least thats what my aunt said!! ha.

Answer 6

Well, certain parts of St. Petersburg have gone down hill in the last ten years or so, so just make sure you know where you're looking. I myself love Sarasota. I think it's a beautiful area filled with families of all ages.