Tampa - mostly pros; some cons
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4/24/2006
Pros:
Tampa is a great place for to live overall. It has awesome beaches, professional sports (Bucs, Lightening, Devil Rays), wonderful deep-sea fishing and boating, friendly people, good shopping, and a variety of places to live. There are parts of the city for sophisticated city people (South Tampa/Hyde Park), single 20 somethings (Howard Avenue, Channelside), starter families (Brandon), upscale suburban families focused on top schools (New Tampa, Fishhawk), and college students (USF, University of Tampa). You can shop at several great malls (International Mall - very high-end stores, Citrus Park, Westshore, etc.) and there are endless restaurants of every type. You don't need to speak Spanish to live here (unlike Miami), but there are parts of the city where you can speak Spanish if you prefer. The main entertainment districts are Ybor City (historic Cuban cigar district - now endless nightclubs with mainly 20ish crowd), Channelside (more upscale, 25+ crowd), International Mall Courtyard (see and be-seen crowd) and Howard Ave (restaurant row). All in all, cost of living is reasonable, lots to do and many positives about Tampa.
Cons:
Low wages unless you are a business owner or are in sales/technical fields; lower education levels (more blue collar/redneck types); parts of city are rundown; transient population like many parts of FL.
If you are looking for a reasonably priced city with a midwestern feel (most people came down 1-75 from Ohio, Mich, Wis, etc.) with lots of stuff to do and a reasonable cost of living, Tampa is a great fit. If you are looking for a more cultured city try neighboring cities St. Pete or Sarasota which focus more on the arts (Dali, Ringling museums, ballet) and concerts in the park series.
Rick | Tampa, FL