possible relocation to Florida ??
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Triguy98 posted 2 years ago.
Tampa MIGHT be decnt choice if:
You have no kids- the school systems in the area SUCK.
You love your car- You'll be in it a lot, as the cheaper housing available is usually a way from the largest areas of employment.
You love the beach- cause there's nothing else to do
You don't mind getting rear ended or run over by old people- theres been quite a few incidents as of late. (send your parent/ grandparents back to your home states, PLEASE!)
You like being run off the road/ yelled at/ toyed with by rednecks with big trucks... the tolerance for bikes on the streets is low, and the government couldnt care less about us. There are NO cross town bike paths anywhere that i know of.
Good points:
Year round riding weather (but dont throw away your trainer just yet, we get a LOT of rain.
um... good.. riding weather....
OH! WARM water! call me a baby but I LIKE my 90 degree lakes and 87 degree oceans!
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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1327 days
Star posted 2 years ago.
Hey Scout... I agree with some of the things Triguy mentioned like the traffic is horrendous with no public transportation and the roads are bumper to bumper with idiot drivers day and night :rolleyes: That is my biggest complaint about the area. As for school systems.... yes, they suck...I'd consider homeschooling before sending my kid to one of these schools! Otherwise, the weather is the big thing that keeps me around...I'm from Indiana and did my graduate work in PA...and I hope to never return to the midwest....its sooo depressing up there!!! There is lots to offer with beaches, outdoor festivals, concerts, the blue sky, green grass, no snow or ice, parades....etc. Real Estate right now is skyrocketing, but i think its going to calm down soon. There are pros and cons just like anywhere else. And since you're coming from PA...its very flat here....you have to drive north to get into some rolling hills for a good bike ride. There is a great YMCA in Tampa Palms with an olympic sized pool....and there's other decent places to train as well. Hope this helps a little....Good Luck!
"I'm more fun than an iPod!"
My blog: http://star.trifuel.net
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1201 days
rob6118 posted 2 years ago.
Palm Harbor High was ranked as one of the top high schools in the nation as well as St. Petersburg High school, both have the IB program which I am a graduate of. In my experience (as a military brat) the schools are no worse or no better then average for the nation. and if you get your child into some of the advanced curriculum you could say they will definitely get a better then average education. As far as cross town bike paths, no one mentioned the Pinellas Trail ( don't know if that is the name). All I remember is that in High School I could ride from roughly 66th ave or maybe a little further south to New Port Richey on a continous trail (roughly 30-40 miles). But there isn't a lot of bike lanes or things of that nature. Florida in general is bad about that because we have so much traffic congestion. But you can find trails and bike lanes if you look hard enough. If you are thinking of the SE, the only other place I would choose over St. Pete/Tampa would be possibly Corpus Christi area in Texas, or maybe Lakeland/Clermont area in Central Florida. Clermont has a USAT training center for Triathletes...
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Robj3411 posted 2 years ago.
I'm not from tampa, but my parents live in Crystal River and I know the Toll Road (don't know the name) has a bike trail that runs most of the way like 50-60 miles. Once you get up around crystal river there are some nice bike trails to ride, but it's like 90 miles north of tampa and the reason Florida is so crowded is because all the (Bleeping) Yankees that move down there!!!
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1245 days
Triguy98 posted 2 years ago.
Suncoast parkway. It is a nice trail. Only problem is the dang wind is always north/south, so the headwind is AWEFUL one way. It's one of three trails in the whole area. Pinellas (LOTS of traffic crossings), Suncoast, and the Flatwoods 7
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
We are currently researching for a move coming up in a couple of years. We need to narrow the list and start visiting some areas...
I am hoping some Southwestern forumites might make some recommendations...Needless to say, an active triathlon/running (training friendly) community is a high priority...
My husband mentioned Tampa/Bradenton?
Please post your suggestions and experiences...Thanks!