Tell me about Tampa Bay? What do you know?

[BigRedChief]

I told the company in Phoenix thanks but no thanks. Now, I've got a job in Tampa Bay that I've interviewed for, past the tech screen and HR wants to talk. What do I need to know about the area? Which ones are nice? Avoid? etc. Looks like you get beachfront property for 1/2 of what it was worth a year ago. Has the area real estate reached bottom yet?

The job would be at a military base in the area on the bay.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Stevie.Wonder

Sorry...How old are you/do you think you are?

Tampa is vastly different between being 22 and single, 40 and single, 30 and married, in between.

horizontally challenged middle aged white guy. Happily married, 20th anniversary is today. One son who just turned 18.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

past or passed?

Grammar and spelling is not a required skill set for my position. And its a good thing. I'd never work if it was.

[burt]

We loved St. Petes beach. But alas...the Mrs. had a position in West Palm Beach...so here we are.

[CosmicPal]

Well, I've been here a year now and I have yet to find a job. The unemployment rate is the highest in the country = 12 percent.

If you have a job then you should make the trek. I do like Tampa, but I love its' location better. It is centrally located, so you're not very far from Orlando, Daytona, Sarasota, or even Ft. Myers/Naples.

The summer weather is nearly intolerable, but the fall/winter seasons are remarkable.

Let me know if you make it this way, BRC. Best of luck to you.

P.S. Help me get a job!!!!!

[vailpass]

You were wise to pass on the Phoenix move.

Tampa? Ybor City is outstanding to visit, don't know about living there. Raymond James is one of my very favorite stadiums.
This isn't very helpful is it?

[Spott]

If you have children, I wouldn't move to Pinellas county(St Petersburg, Pasadena,Treasure Island, etc) unless you plan on sending them to private schools. The public school system made an agreement with the NAACP a few years back to start the "choice" program. The whole thing is based on the percentage of African American children in a school district. Where your child goes to school there has nothing to do with where you live. If your child is non-African American, they will place them in the school with the highest percentage of African American students.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by CosmicPal

Well, I've been here a year now and I have yet to find a job. The unemployment rate is the highest in the country = 12 percent.

If you have a job then you should make the trek. P.S. Help me get a job!!!!!

Yeah, I have a skill set that very few people do, so it makes for a much smaller pool of possible candidates. I know they are hiring for more positions but you have to have government clearance.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Spott

If you have children, I wouldn't move to Pinellas county(St Petersburg, Pasadena,Treasure Island, etc) unless you plan on sending them to private schools. The public school system made an agreement with the NAACP a few years back to start the "choice" program. The whole thing is based on the percentage of African American children in a school district. Where your child goes to school there has nothing to do with where you live. If your child is non-African American, they will place them in the school with the highest percentage of African American students.

WTF? How is this sort of race-based treatment of the education system legal?

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Spott

If you have children, I wouldn't move to Pinellas county(St Petersburg, Pasadena,Treasure Island, etc) unless you plan on sending them to private schools. The public school system made an agreement with the NAACP a few years back to start the "choice" program. The whole thing is based on the percentage of African American children in a school district. Where your child goes to school there has nothing to do with where you live. If your child is non-African American, they will place them in the school with the highest percentage of African American students.

Thanks for the heads up but he will be starting freshman year in college this fall.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Thanks for the heads up but he will be starting freshman year in college this fall.

In that case you should have moved to Scottsdale and sent him to ASU with a video camera and permission to film his female classmates in your backyard pool.

[MOhillbilly]

BRC if you have a FB i can put you in touch w/ my mother. Shes about your age and has lived down there for 12 years and her oldman was in the army and has lived in the tampa area for the majority of his life.
She will help you out and is alot more interesting than i am.

[locomoulds]

Tampa is great, I live in St. Petersburg and couldn't be happier with the area. If you get a chance at a decent paying job in the area then I would jump on it. The traffic isn't too bad and the night life is great. Avoid YBOR city that place has gone downhill. I highly recommend Hyde Park very cool part of town. Channel side is a great place to go out and have a drink. As mentioned before it is centrally located so your close to the whole state. Miami is 3 hours away, Orlando is 1 hour away.

St. Petersburg is very cool town. The big drawback is the amount of homeless that live downtown. I mean they are every where. The art scene is very cool in St. Pete tons of museums. It is a giant melting pot alot of everything lives in St. Pete. If you decide to live in St. Pete check out old northeast. The NY Times wrote an article about it a couple years back.

[Spott]

Originally Posted by vailpass

WTF? How is this sort of race-based treatment of the education system legal?

I really don't know. i don't see how it is legal for the NAACP to be able to decide where my child goes to school. When I lived there, we lived in Treasure Island which is right on the beach but they forced my son to go to school way down in South St Pete in the red light district. I ended up moving back to Jacksonville a few months later primarily to get away from that school system.

[Spott]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Thanks for the heads up but he will be starting freshman year in college this fall.

Good deal. Is your job actually in Tampa or is just in the Tampa area? I know that the North Tampa area is growing quite a bit and I have heard that Wesley Chapel is a good place to live which is just a little bit north of tampa.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Spott

I really don't know. i don't see how it is legal for the NAACP to be able to decide where my child goes to school. When I lived there, we lived in Treasure Island which is right on the beach but they forced my son to go to school way down in South St Pete in the red light district. I ended up moving back to Jacksonville a few months later primarily to get away from that school system.

What could possibly be the legal basis for forcing your child to attend school outside of his district based on the color of his skin?
NAACP my ass.