Thank you to all who Invest in St. Petersburg! - 6/20/2021

I grew up here (1968). All the people who have posted how awful it is are not going to be happy anywhere because they see what they see. Thats the evolution of self as you go thru life. The city (as all cities) is evolving and has a beautiful history. There are always people of all types and levels of perception all over the planet no matter where you live. I have left the one star out because its Blazing humid and very uncomfortable unless your in the water or your in the a/c during the summer months but baby when its fall and winter and spring here....i can't count how many times I have thought WOW, the beaches are BEAUTIFUL, every one of them. There is so much to do and so much to explore. This is the reason I say that it depends on YOU. What do you like?! I am sorry that the people who gave the low reviews were so uptight --this is a chill city, come with money or be poor the city doesnt care how you are here, stay as long as you like and be the changes you want to bring to the place(s) where you are. Sure I have said hello when passing someone and they did not say hello back, but plenty of people do and I don't always say it myself. There have been COUNTLESS times I have been with total strangers and they were awesome people to meet. There are tons of groups and meetups. Lots of beautiful art all over the place! Our mayor has let loose with beauty and we have people visiting all the time investing in our city! Its truly a VERY unique and wonderful town with lots of character and I just want to make sure to set the record straight --- snow birds, canadians, freak flag flyers all of it..is Welcome here in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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I'm Bitter Abt St Pete, But You Might Like It - 11/29/2020

I moved here because my fiance was going to school here and two rents didn't make sense. Visiting was always great! However, after living here for a couple years it's just a really grating place to be. I could be described as leftist but find the substanceless and performative liberal nature of this city unpalatable. Politics, like the arts or veganism, are treated like accessories to one up with rather than actual things they care about. What more could you expect of empty, affluent people (or their 35 year old trust fund babies) who come here in troves acting like they've stumbled upon the next Portland. They get one good pizza place and they act like it's NYC. However, their over the top rude attitudes aren't as interesting as they think. I've mostly run into these insufferable types downtown, but never in my life have I met so many rude people in such a small amount of time. I was born and raised in rural, religious towns with contrasting views and was not met with the degree of scorn I get with these "like minded" people in St Pete. I lived in a poorer area and found my neighbors to be kind, similar to where I'm from (a small, poor town). But working downtown quickly reminded me why people spank their kids. A lot of business owners have been kind as well. But there's heaps of "all talk, no walk" folks that really dampen the mood. This entitled attitude leaks into traffic as well, be prepared to get honked at for anything and cut off just bc the other driver feels they should be in front of you. Food is overpriced because yes they do act like it's nyc and it's frankly just embarrassing (and hilarious) to see multitudes of swollen heads bopping around. And maybe I'm just an ex baptist country bumpkin, but it's not entirely about your beliefs or hobbies or skills. It's about being kind and having a warmth about you. Without love there is no substance. I did try and still do try to hold onto that warmth, but St Pete makes it hard. So if you're jaded, boring, and have some sort of brain rot where you think you're the main character amongst plebs, move to St Pete. JK. They have trees and restaurants! I've never heard of a place with those things! And hey maybe I'm just too sensitive for wanting to walk down the street in the city I live without someone openly being a jerk. To be fair, city life isn't for me and I'm not insistent on my neighbor 10 acres over sharing my political views. But if you need the city and the hive mind to stay sane, maybe move here. It's fun for a little bit but it's not worth a lifetime. Overall, it's more of a vacation city. I enjoy it in small amounts but beyond that, I really don't feel at home. If you're working class and from a small town, it's kinda jarring. And as a legitimate German american, I understand people sticking to themselves and being direct. But this in your face rudeness in St Pete is childish. But you might like it here long term. Try things for yourself bc no one here knows your background or needs/wants.

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Crime is up - 9/12/2020

True the location is good, and during the Winters, it's really nice in St. Pete, but the Summers and brutally steaming HOT, and the St. Pete Police don't do their job very well here. We've lived here for over 10 years; and both of us wish we could reverse our decision. The Police and the Mayor have decided not to accurately submit the right number of crimes in the City, so the city data is incorrect; in our neighborhood we've had Car Burglaries, home break-ins, bums riding around our neighborhood on their bikes, unchecked, etc, etc. Our home value should be double what it is now, but because SPPD is lackadaisical in their job; we will lose about 100k on selling our home.

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Crime Stats are under-recorded. - 3/30/2020

I don't like downgrading any City, but I need to make everyone aware of what this place is Really like. First of all; the Crime Stats are not accurate; the Mayor has given the St. Pete Police Chief marching orders to downgrade the real Stats. I moved here 14 years ago; and NEVER had a single problem, over the last 8 years; I've had to file multiple Restraining Orders to keep the Criminals off my property. Homeless, Vagrants are allowed to ride around your neighborhood, without checks and balances. When you catch someone in a Crime, St. Pete Police looks the other way??? Parks are full of loose Dogs without any repercussion from the City or the Police; we've been charged by loose Dogs at least 5 times in the last 5 years. One of my Neighbors got her small dog attached and killed, and Animal Control didn't do a thing, not a thing. Here it's "look the other way", because if you want the Law to help, you're out of luck.

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Amazing, beautiful, progressive, growing city! - 12/28/2019

2 star review? Unbelievable. St Pete is exponentially changing. I moved here 2 years ago from San Francisco and LOVE everything about Saint Pete. Low unemployment, affordable houses, excellent job market in Tampa Bay( I work in Tampa and it’s an easy commute) and 0% state income tax. Property tax is LOW as well as job growth projected higher than the national average. When it comes to daily living, downtown is CLEAN. I never have any problems with crime and there are hardly any homeless people hanging around. Central ave has an amazing liberal, hipster, artistic, trendy, vibe you wouldn’t expect in a city in the “south”. People are simply kind here. I was shocked to realize my gym had no lockers, just cubbies, because people just don’t steal anything from there. People actually leave their wallets in plain sight and nobody touches anything. Meanwhile, everything was stolen from me in Cali, even when I locked it all up. :( I work in the medical field and got a pretty high wage for my profession and it goes pretty far in Saint Pete with homes averaging around 200k. House is a 10 minute bike ride from the beach downtown or to central ave with tons of cool Kava shops, tattoo artists, local businesses, and a progressive mayor and city council. The growth downtown with a 3 million dollar pier and beautiful waterfront that can’t be beat. Businesses have made plans to invest a total of 8 BILLION dollars in Saint Pete. Downtown is going crazy. So, my advice, buy a home here now before housing goes through the roof in the best underpriced little liberal mecca in Florida! Peace

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A nice place to move....from. - 10/12/2019

I lived in St Pete for 2 years, and it was a mixed bag. Visually, the place has a very beautiful downtown. It's a really pretty city, and I felt safe walking in most parts of it, even alone at night. But many of the problems you encounter in other parts of Florida are there as well. Rampant development is ruining things. Everywhere you turn the developers are tearing down two perfectly good homes in nice neighborhoods, then building three McMansions for multiple families that stretch all the way out to the street. The yard itself is gone, the parking is gone (so people park on the streets), and worst of all, you get a lot of these yuppie snowbird types who walk around with big dogs because they are afraid. Mind you, these are perfectly safe neighborhoods. They don't fit in and are arrogant, self centered jerks. Speaking of arrogant, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Quebec snowbird retirees. These are the most unpleasant people on earth. Rude, unpleasant, etc. Just read the reviews of ANY city on the planet that has to deal with these "people". 99% of them just want them to leave and never come back. I had it made in St Pete. Owned my own neat mobile home in a well located senior park, and the owner, who was a local, was a wonderful person. Straight up guy. All of my bills including phone, lot rental, elect, internet and credit cards came to much less than $600 a month. But I had to leave because it was impossible to make friends there. Like someone said, if you move there you better bring your own friends. The mid west retirees stick to themselves, same w/ the east coasters, and none of them are exactly what I would call polite or friendly. The city likes to pretend that it's this oh so cool, liberal place....as if. It's more like 51% Democrat and 49% Republican. In the last election Pinellas county voted for Donald Trump! It's extremely transient, so no one wants to be friends because you, or them, will soon be moving on. The music scene is really lame no matter what type of music you like. I did enjoy biking there, but you better find a shady street in the summer or you will die of the heat and humidity. Housing prices, especially downtown, are way more than anyone working in that area can afford. This goes for rentals or purchasing. Wages are low, and there is absolutely no Southern hospitality, which makes sense since Florida is a place full of Yankees. They finally cleaned up Williams park, but it's still a waste of a great resource. You can have the homeless everywhere bothering people, or you can have the cops riding around on ATV's running them out. Either way, it's not exactly where one would want to be.

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Don’t move to st.pete - 4/6/2018

I’ve been raised in st.pete all my life An I finally moved out of st.pete

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Not Quite What It Seems - 2/2/2018

St. Pete wants to present itself as a cool, hip liberal town that is 'open for business.' it might be open for business but none of the rest is true. It is deceptive, because if you just visit downtown you see all of these restaurants and nightclubs and it seems pretty cool. And I will admit, that part of it isn't bad. The waterfront area on the bay is really nice and riding my bike from the pools at North Shore to work every day south of the university was awesome. The truth is, it is a lot more backward than it seems at first. It is actually a lot more racist than the Atlantic side of Florida. A lot more small-town and not in a good way. It wants to be a real place and attract talent, but it doesn't want any riff-raff, and regards all thinking people as riff-raff. The schools are really bad so you must send your kids to private school. The restaurants seem great at first, then they seem all the same. Interesting food is non-existent. It is dog friendly, and that is nice, but not very people friendly. It also bills itself as a 'walkable' city, but the downtown apartments generally run over $2k per month, and the wages are low so they don't support it. I rode my bike to work, but with the exception of one other person at my company, I was the only person who lived in biking distance, let alone walking distance of the office, because no one could afford to live close by. I worked in a large building, and my bike was all alone in the bike racks for an entire year. And that affects social life, because none of the workers live in town, you can't get together after work, because everyone has an hour drive to get home. But the real problem with St. Pete is that the C-Suite talent pool is so shallow, the pebble would break the surface when thrown into the pond. Therein lies the problem, there are capable working people all over town. But 'top' management can't recognize them. They never ever promote from within. And their Florida offices are generally set up to do mundane work, while relying on expertise from New York. In other words, St. Pete is just a stateside version of outsourcing. That means no growth track and no respect. It is a place where B-level TV sports stars and reality TV losers are treated like heroes. It is one of the places that O.J. Simpson was going to move to when he got out of prison, but decided not to. Take O.J.'s advice, don't. There is really nothing here. I know this sounds harsh, but it is my experience. For people who grow up here, there are opportunities. If you can afford to retire here, go for it, it is great. They have a wonderful Kiwanis Club. They try. But, I have known dozens of people who moved here and found it a black hole for their careers. If you cannot position yourself as C-Suite, and I mean C-Suite, not a manager, forget it. Move on.

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Something for everyone - 1/28/2017

This website is saying every town I look at has a decline in Real Estate value. That is not true. I'm a Realtor and homes are rapidly rising in price. Even foreclosures are sky rocketing in price and also declining in quantity. This used to be a high foreclosure area but there are hardly any left. The South side of St Pete still needs some work but downtown is thriving with restaurants, parks, shopping and museums. It is very lively and great for the younger crowd. The West side has the beach and great private schools, including the Admiral Farragut Academy that 2 of our astronauts attended. The weather is incredible (yes it's very hot in the summer) but winters are the best! So many events and restaurants to attend. Great area to retire to.

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Question! - 2/19/2016

Hi, I'm moving from the NYC area to Pinellas county shortly and would like to rent a trailer. Unfortunately I now have bad credit, and have been unable to work for the past year due to a disability. I don't yet receive disability benefits (still working on that) and will begin working once I get established again in a new location (I work from home and make about $35K a year..not enough to get by in NYC on your own, but I do what I love). But I do have money saved. Further, my rental history is spotty and outdated, due to having mostly lived with either roommates or family. My question is, if I am willing to pay 3 months in cash up front + deposit, how easy might it be to rent a mobile home anywhere in Pinellas County? I would pay 6 months up front except I don't plan on being there long-term, just until I get my credit and proof of income straightened out and my boyfriend finds a new job. Do I have a shot at someone renting to me? Not looking for anything too special, just a place where I likely won't be harassed or attacked. I'm a young female. Thanks

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St. Petersburg area remains a great place for acti - 7/30/2015

Towards the end of my career, I began searching for a good retirement location in the U.S, albeit one that offered a lower cost of living, consistently warmer weather, and close proximity to beautiful beaches. None of that pertains to cool, expensive coastal central and northern California where I used to live! I wanted all the above but not in an isolated setting. My quest was for a relatively urban and cosmopolitan environment, albeit one with a less frenetic pace of life (and again less expensive!) than much of California. A lot of research and some on-the-ground travel suggested that the Tampa Bay area, and greater St. Petersburg in particular, seemed most nearly to fulfill all these requirements. Eight years after moving into a very pleasant townhome community located between St. Petersburg and Madeira Beach, it still seems like a very sound decision! St. Petersburg and the remainder of Pinellas County has several hundred varied and well-established over-55 communities of condominiums, townhomes, and villas. They typically offer great amenities and relatively care free living. Unlike most of the newer ones located in more isolated inland areas of Florida, these active senior complexes are generally an integral part of the urban and suburban communities in which they are located. You can go to my blog at: retirementlivinginstpetersburg@blogspot.com

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Depends... - 7/12/2015

There are three sides to St. Petersburg. There is the wealthy part with people who can afford nice homes and all of the great amenities the downtown area has. There is the southside which is pure ghetto. Then there is the rest of St. Petersburg, mixed neighborhoods with nice houses next to shacks, nice people stuck in neighborhoods where there are occasional prostitutes, crime, mouthy thugs,etc. When a house in the neighborhood sells you never know if the people who move in will be quiet and respectful or play their heavy bass music loud enough to vibrate your windows. I've been teaching here for 25 years and am truly hoping to move to the north when I retire. And... make no mistake all of you tourists who come in the winter and think it would be great to live here all year, summer is unbearable!!! Your a/c cannot keep up with the heat and your electric bills will be through the roof! So you will have to decide if St. Pete is right for you. Base your decision on the income you expect. It could be great or you could just feel stuck.

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St. Petersburg rocks. Ignore old posts. It has ch - 12/17/2014

I moved to the Tampa Bay area 13 years ago to begin my practice as a plaintiff personal injury attorney. I found myself drawn more and more to St. Petersburg those first few years until I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Over the years I have seen the city clean up so much!. It is now almost 2015. Building everywhere, jobs are up, crime is down, people are polite. We still have insurance denying personal injury claims, which keeps me busy; (www.flinjuryattorney.com)but that happens everywhere. There are great beaches with warm water, booming down town with events all the time. If you are moving here, make sure to rent for a year to see which neighborhood you like... there are areas that have crime like every other city in the world so avoid them unless you want to be one of those people writing bad reviews here.

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housing varies from block to block - 7/1/2014

Overal and all things considered,St.Petersburg,Florida is a good place to live. We have a great EMS and heatlthcare service in our area. Certain neighborhoods are nice one block,not so nice the nect kind of thing,but we have some nice areas for the most part. Stay away from the southern side of the city as crime is high. It's a shame that the people south of Central Avenue don't seem to want to take care of their nieghborhood. You can have a 500k house on the next blocxk and a near condemned shack the block behind you in some parts of the city. Research before you move here,and you will be happy.

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Property Crime - A THIEVES PARADISE - 6/24/2014

Weekly thefts from property located at 7300 Central Avenue St. Petersburg,Florida 33707 Another theft last night. Sometimes I don't know why I bother. I am just growing plants for the thieves. I should probably just shut down the business. Then they will only steal my other things. No sales to speak of , only THEFT. Yesterday , I cut down all the flowering plumeria around the property to prevent more thefts and butchering of the plants. So instead of beautiful flowering plumeria blossoms to share with neighbors and friends , there are only stems and sticks. Nothing is safe in your yard or commercial property. Thieves will take whatever they like, whenever they want to. I have lost tools, plants, a truck, wood, metal railings, you name it, if they want it, it is theirs. No relief, and no satisfaction from the police. I would bet that theft insurance wouldn't be available here. If so , too expensive. Come on down tourists !!! and get your stuff stolen. Or better yet, come on down to Florida and steal our stuff, don't worry, it's ok, you won't get in any trouble

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Why are all the cops up here in the North side? - 1/31/2014

The cops In St Pete all hang out In the North end of town and avoid the South. I guess they might have to get out of their cars and do some sort of work If they go where the crime Is This town Is such a mess If you want service any place you go you have to out rude theses people. I have stopped going to any fast food place because they tend to have the worst service and a manager that just crawled off of a raft made out of inner tubes.

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What's Not To Like? - 1/1/2014

Beautiful weather, walkable/livable/vibrant downtown, water/water/water, beaches/beaches/beaches, craft breweries, restaurants, arts/museums, Tampa Bay Rays, affordable housing, low taxes, nearby colleges, charm.

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St. Pete and Tampa Bay Area - 7/21/2012

Great weather, low cost of living and lots to do.

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eehh...it's okay. - 4/22/2011

I was born and raised in St Pete. The city USE to be very much divided. I'm black and I grew up on the south side. Crime was a regular to me...way higher than stats can show because more than half of the crime I personally experienced went unreported & was "handled" by the actual victim or victim's family. I actually did not even deal with white people on a daily basis until I started school at about 5 yrs old. The police and the civilian citizens do not have that great of a relationship between them. Meaning, if you called 911 you are lucky if anything gets done about the crime committed against you (no matter your race). And the people have no problem firing back at police. I thought I lived in a pretty decent place until I joined the military after high school and came back home. Now being home after getting out of the military, I'm no longer THAT use to the sirens, gunshots, and all of the crime infesting the city. There are better parts of the city to live in though. But, I think the beaches are nice but the cost of living is expensive. Unless you're an RN or a mortician it will be hard to find a decent job. It is more southern than most people think, but not too "red-neckish". And no matter where you go, or what neighborhood you live in within the state of Florida, you might end up a victim of theft or robbery.

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St. Petersburg, FL Superior to Tampa, FL! - 1/25/2011

I lived in Tampa, Florida and traveled to St. Pete three times and discovered that they are night and day. I definitely loved St. Petersburg, the clean and landscaped streets, sidewalks, nice and varied stores and restaurants etc downtown, museums and arts, and of course the beautiful beaches. There are great colleges nearby and climate is wonderful, but of couse it is hotter in the summer. No place is perfect. I enjoyed it much more than Tampa, as Tampa had nothing but trailers, traffic, strip clubs, tattoo shops and streets with litter and neighborhoods without sidewalks. It also had horrible ratty sprawl. Of course St. Pete has some of that, but its downtown and beach areas are great. I enjoyed the cultural things it had to offer and the laid back atmosphere.

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