Reviews & Comments
Seminole, FL
Very pretty but depends on your preferences -
6/15/2018I've lived in Seminole for almost 6 years now. It's a cute small little town that is part of the Tampa/St. Pete area. The Tampa Bay/St. Pete area is quite beautiful with the Gulf beaches and the Bay. Lots of water activities year round. However, I am not a fan of overdevelopment and this area is overdeveloped. I found North Florida more naturally beautiful. I'm not a fan of driving down the coast and not being able to actually see the coast because of condos and hotels. I've been to many Florida beaches and am not impressed with St. Pete Beach other than the pretty sand. It just seems dumpy to me in comparison to other coastal communities I have visited. Clearwater beach is beautiful but crowded which ruins it for me. OMG the summers. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE the summers. The humidity is awful and summer isn't 3 months. It can start getting hot and humid in May and it can continue as late as November. That is way too long for my preferences. You start sweating the moment you step out the door and it literally feels like you are breathing through a hot, wet washcloth. And you had better think about that when the hurricanes come and you have no power for days. Last year, I went without power for 5 days in September and it was a challenge. Even though it cools down in the evening, you cannot sleep because of all the generators and daytime without AC was rough!!! Thank god I have a pool. So, please take this into consideration. The lack of variability with the weather is too much for me and I am looking to relocate. I've noticed the hot days starting earlier and leaving later the last 4 four years with the exception of 2017 winter which was cooler than usual. When the weather is nice, you will fight with the snow birds who take the area over from October to April. So, when you can finally go to the beach, its crowded with tourists. Traffic and parking is especially difficult during season. There is a little window of time after Easter when the weather is still nice and the tourists have left. With that said, the area is gorgeous. I really like all of the parks. There is Lake Seminole as well as many other parks all throughout the Tampa/St. Pete area. If you are a fan of hot, this is the place for you. This area is either Hot or Warm. I don't think climate change will do the area any favors either. You can always take weekend trips to South Florida but trying to take weekend trips to places like Charleston or Savannah is not as easy. This is something I really miss. In North Florida, it was easy to take these sorts of trips to SC, Georgia, New Orleans etc... I do not have children so I cannot speak to the schools in the area. What I do know, is that many of my coworkers send their children to private school because they do not feel the schools are of very good quality here. Consider adding that to your budget, if you have children. Cost of living seems decent. When we bought our home, the price was great (2012). However, I do not believe that is the case now. I believe our home may have gone up $75-100k but this is similar to many areas in the country. I really love our house and our neighborhood though and will surly miss both when I relocate. It really depends what you like. I am more of a cool weather, low population, and natural beauty kind of person so my opinion is biased in that direction. I would encourage people that are interested to visit Florida in August. This area is gorgeous no doubt about it. Just make sure you can tolerate the heat.