Tampa, FL

[MidwesternAloha]

Hi everyone!

 

I am a Graduate student in my first year.  I currently live in an apartment in New Tampa, which is about 10-15 minutes north of campus and is a much nicer and safer area.  My roommate is moving out, and I am looking for someone to move in at the end of summer.  I would prefer a Graduate student, because graduate life is crazy and I would like a quiet roommate.  I would love to send pictures of my place and provide more information to anyone who is interested.

 

Thanks!

Megan R.

Sending you a pm, Megan!

[Ahlam]

Hi all,

I am a graduate student , my husband and me are both accepted to join the integrated biomedical sciences PhD prgram at Morsani college of medicine at USF.

It is our first time to be in the states. Can anyone help me and give us some information about neighborhood and apartments? we need a family apartment with 2 bedrooms. and also i need to know more about the daycares for my 3-year old son, preferably if it is near the campus.

[TonyB]

'Nother potential transplant from the Midwest (Ohio) here. I have friends and family members who are considering moving to Tampa or Orlando one day, so I'm interested in finding out about the area.

 

Seems I hear a lot about roaches, lizards and assorted creepy-crawlies here and in the southwestern states forums (Arizona, New Mexico, et al). How bad is that issue, really? I have to admit it gives me a bit of pause.

[empress-marmot]

Hello! I'm living somewhere around Tampa right now, and I did a little research into the apartment scene a few months ago. Perhaps I can help. 

 

Seems I hear a lot about roaches, lizards and assorted creepy-crawlies here and in the southwestern states forums (Arizona, New Mexico, et al). How bad is that issue, really? I have to admit it gives me a bit of pause.

 

I'm on the second floor of a condo right now, and I've only seen a teeny spider. Why would I kill a teeny spider? I use common sense, though, and I never leave food out--it's either sealed into an airtight jar or in the fridge/freezer. Dishes get washed immediately. Doors aren't left open, otherwise the geckos like to come in the house. I've heard about problems with roaches/palmetto bugs, but I guess the pesticide control people are doing a good job. Sometimes I see snakes sunbathing on the sidewalk.

Apartments near USF aren't impossible to get, though it's hard to find something on a budget. My personal budget was about $900/month including utilities. That should be enough for a studio/efficiency/one-bedroom near USF. There are tons of apartment complexes within walking distance, and if you want a place, you should go on all the waiting lists immediately. Studios/efficiencies/affordable one-bedrooms are in demand, as you might expect. A graduate student talked to me about USF's affiliated housing once--I was told that it's full of partying undergrads. I guess if you need a backup plan, it's there. I'm sharing a place with some people, and my rent is about half what I budgeted. 

 

I read somewhere not to live south of Fowler or west of Bruce B Downs, and it is generally good advice. Some of the apartments you'll find on Craigslist are sketchy, so always use Google Streetview to check out a place. I hear that a lot of graduate students end up commuting. Be careful about the commute, though. Once it took me two hours to drive twenty miles. (That was during rush hour, though.)

 

If anyone has more specific questions, I will do my best to help out. Welcome to Florida!

[JHIE]

I've lived in Tampa for 8 years and over 3 years at USF. Many students, grad and undergrad, commute to campus from as far as Sarasota/St Pete. I couldn't imagine doing that and wasting so much time in travel but many people I know have taken that route usually because of family or work in the area they live. If you plan to be a full time student only, live near campus and save the time.

 

Someone else suggested to stay east of Bruce B Downs - I second that opinion. Considering this issue, I blocked the areas on the map below that I feel are good and bad to live around campus. This doesn't mean to say stay out of those areas, I simply feel in my experience living here that the best housing is found in the green and the worst in the red. I have found most students (grad & undergrad) I know without cars live in the 42nd street area just north of campus. Traffic and parking sucks so a 1 mile ride can take 10 minutes. First week of classes, expect 30 minutes.

 

[Ahlam]

Thank you very very much.

 

I am searching for 2 bedrooms apartments for me, my husband and our son,, I found them around $1000, is this reasonable??

I want have one near the campus as we are full time students, and we may not be able to get a car in the first few months

[JHIE]

No problem! 

 

$1000 for 2 bedrooms might be a little high, but I always look for a bargain. My first choice is usually to find anywhere nearby campus being rented by the owner; condominiums or houses are often for rent in the area and are usually better equipped for family living than an apartment. Usually the apartment communities (owned by a leasing company, rather than a private owner) are more undergrad focused and are more expensive. I found my current place on tampa.craigslist.org which is a 3bed/2bath condo shared with the owner - my room/bath are $495 per month, utilities included. My partner lives in Cambridge Woods apartments with two other people (3bed/2.5bath) and the rent is $450 for the room and shared bath plus utilities. Since you won't have a car, you'll want to be on the bus route and my best suggestion is the 42nd street area. There are lots of standard apartments as well as condos for rent in that area.

 

Good luck! Let me know if you have other questions

[DLS]

Hey all,

I plan to move to Tampa in August to begin my doctoral program at USF. I've been looking at places to live, and I really like Clearwater and Saint Petersburg. I was just wondering how the commute is from Clearwater/Saint Petersburg to USF everyday. Is there typically a lot of traffic? Approximately how long of a drive is it? Is it worth it? Are there alternative places in Tampa you would recommend living in? Thannkss!

[TWD2016]

congrats! I got accepted to USF as well and I'm heading to Tampa next week to check it out  so I can make a final  decision. I can let you know what I find out!

[DLS]

On 2/24/2016 at 1:03 PM, TWD2016 said:

congrats! I got accepted to USF as well and I'm heading to Tampa next week to check it out  so I can make a final  decision. I can let you know what I find out!

Thank you!!

[mk-8]

Hi guys!

I'm currently apartment searching in Tampa. I'm not 100% sure if I'll be attending USF, but it's looking that way. Are there any apartments to avoid/any to definitely look at? I've been told Temple Terrace is a nice place to live. Any advice would be very much appreciated, as looking at apartments from 1,000 miles away is difficult.  Thanks!

[DLS]

@mk-8 I have also heard that "New Tampa" is a nice area to live. There are so many options!

[mk-8]

20 minutes ago, DestinyS said:

@mk-8 I have also heard that "New Tampa" is a nice area to live. There are so many options!

Yup! That's what my program recommended to me- New Tampa or Temple Terrace. There are SO many options that it's kind of overwhelming!

[DLS]

@mk-8 I also heard that Clearwater and St Petersburg are nice, but I'm not sure what the commute would be like everyday. 

[mk-8]

@DestinyS Yeah, I can imagine living in St. Pete would be nice, but I don't really want that kind of commute.

[DLS]

@mk-8 I went online and saw some really nice apartments in downtown tampa. They start at around $1,300 a month. 

[Shay825]

The commute coming over the Howard Franklin from St. Pete can be brutal during rush hours, plus you have to drive past the airport and there's always some kind of construction happening. Traffic can be a nightmare. You'd be better off staying in one of the apartment complexes near the campus. There are quite a few of them. Temple Terrace is the community that surrounds USF. New Tampa is on the boarder with Pasco County - trip can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes to get down Bruce B. Downs from there.

Avalon Heights is literally across the street from Campus Center - it's your typical student apartment. You rent a room/bathroom and have shared kitchen and living room with 1-2 housemates. Last I saw the units there, they were pretty modern and nice. Eagles Point and Willow Brooke are also pretty decent and a short distance from campus.

 

*Attended USF for my undergrad*

Edited March 9, 2016 by Shay825

[DLS]

@Shay825 thank you for the information!!

[empress-marmot]

On 2/28/2016 at 11:15 AM, DestinyS said:

@mk-8 I also heard that Clearwater and St Petersburg are nice, but I'm not sure what the commute would be like everyday. 

Some friends of mine live in Clearwater, and it takes about 45 minutes from campus to get to their place. Once during Friday rush hour (6:30 PM), it took an hour and 45 minutes. I know some (undergrad) commuters who dropped out of classes rather than keep fighting traffic. 

Maybe if you were able to line up all your classes on one or two days a week, it might be feasible. Anymore than that, and you'll spend way too much time in your car.

[DLS]

4 hours ago, empress-marmot said:

Some friends of mine live in Clearwater, and it takes about 45 minutes from campus to get to their place. Once during Friday rush hour (6:30 PM), it took an hour and 45 minutes. I know some (undergrad) commuters who dropped out of classes rather than keep fighting traffic. 

Maybe if you were able to line up all your classes on one or two days a week, it might be feasible. Anymore than that, and you'll spend way too much time in your car.

@empress-marmot I knew commute would be bad, but that sounds absolutely horrible. I'm now considering living in downtown Tampa, preferably at the Element. 

[empress-marmot]

3 hours ago, DestinyS said:

@empress-marmot I knew commute would be bad, but that sounds absolutely horrible. I'm now considering living in downtown Tampa, preferably at the Element. 

I've only been here for a year or so; I don't know anything about downtown Tampa. Somewhere earlier on this thread I wrote that rush hour can be as bad as 10 minutes/mile on the streets around USF. I live about a mile away from campus, and sometimes it's taken me over 20 minutes to get back. (I'm from the middle of nowhere in the midwest, so this past year has been an exercise in city driving.) 

Of course, as long as you schedule your classes at non-rush hour times, you're totally fine. 

[Ilikekitties]

Anyone live in Tampa? How is the crime rate?

Edited December 9, 2017 by GameofLoans16

[BanjoBeulah]

I used to live in Tampa. It's like any big city...there are areas you aren't gonna want to go to. It's a pretty good city over, imho. I didn't like Tampa all that much myself (I prefer seasons), but it's close to Bradenton, Sarasota, and St. Pete, which are amazing. 

[gaattc]

I'm from Tampa and I enjoy it. It doesn't have all the things you might have in like SF, NYC, DC, etc, but there is plenty to do. The weather is great as well. I agree, there are places you don't want to go for safety reasons, but there isn't any reason to go those places either. 

[DJ3Sigma]

Hello I may be going to Tampa for graduate school in the Fall and I was wondering if anyone  could provide me with an updated list of places to live and places to avoid? Also, any information on places with great food, and great all around vibes would be nice. I know some of the information is biased because everyone has different tastes but as my knowledge of Tampa is entirely based on one trip to Busch Gardens I would like any additional advice based on your experiences. If you need any help with some of your own things I have also lived in Miami and Gainesville so I know a bit about each region.