Topretirements Tours Clearwater/Tampa/St.Pete for Retirement
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
July 17 — In this article we will highlight our experiences and impressions from a recent trip to the Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater area. We hope you find it useful.
All 3 cities on gigantic Tampa Bay are located on Florida’s West Coast, about half way down from FL’s northern border. For comparison, Orlando is located inland to the northeast, while Melbourne is parallel on the East coast. There are also a number of smaller towns in the area, a few of which we will talk about here. The area has a warm Florida climate influenced by its proximity to the Gulf, although it is not quite as warm in winter as towns further south like Naples or Miami. The area is densely populated. Traffic, particularly in the winter season and summer, can be quite intense.

St. Petersburg has, in our opinion, the best opportunities for retirement in this group. There is a compact urban center that is attractive and walkable. All






Comments on "Topretirements Tours Clearwater/Tampa/St.Pete for Retirement"
mary11 says:
After living in Buffalo NY for 25 yrs the family retired to the Clearwater area in the 80s. We loved living there for the first 8 yrs.....so much available to do with the best beaches in the world. Alas, the thunderstorms, bugs and mostly the humidity got to be unbearable so after 10 yrs moved to San Diego ca....with the best weather you can find anywhere. Only very expensive, so the next move is to coastal Oregon! ! If you can handle the humidity of Florida it is a very nice place to live....
Lynn says:
We have lived in the Clearwater area (unincorporated Pinellas County actually) for the last six years, and owned a condo for thirty that we rented to my parents. A couple of issues that weren't mentioned.: check out the flooding issues with whatever property, as flood insurance and flooding, for that matter, can or will be an issue. It already is in parts of Tampa and St. Pete. The city of Clearwater is in an ongoing battle with the Church of Scientology over downtown Clearwater. It impacts quite a bit on that area; Clearwater has a lot of small dated rundown houses; St. Petersburg also has problems with infrastructure (sewers and schools that have many problems) and in some areas high crime rates; public transit is nearly non-existent here for political reasons; some beach communities allow property owners to limit beach access (some communities are better than others).
If you are interested in living here, also consider looking at smaller towns such as Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs.
Finally the Pinellas Trail that is mentioned will soon be 79 miles and circle all of Pinellas County. Connections are in the works to add this trail with a cross Florida Trail. Trails are a great asset to this area and the rest of the State.
Mike says:
I have visited all 3 towns above during my visits to the Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte areas. Agree with the comments about Tampa being more of a young and growing city, but retirees should explore all areas south of Tampa down to Naples and also north of Tampa on the coast. As I plan to retire, I chose Port Charlotte for the canals, waterways and access to the beaches (even though it could take 30-45 minutes to the nicer beaches in the area Siesta Key being the best !)
Raman Patel says:
Been there many times in last 15 years. The comments are valid, place is very humid, crowded, and traffic is unbearable for a retiree. We decided to settled down in Westtown Township of Chester County, PA. Great place to live, no traffic hassle, open space living, pleasant environment. Greatest health care facilities all around, very peaceful living for a retiree. I invite the Magazine Publisher to explore this part of Pennsylvania.
Clyde says:
I've visited the area quite a few times. As a large metro area, there is an overall feeling of sprawl. Pass-a-Grille is charming and historic, but tiny. The Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater provides a venue for major musical and theatrical entertainment. Downtown St. Pete has been built up, but I wouldn't call it charming. The Dali museum is fascinating, but how often do you want to go there? There is a somewhat funky area just west of downtown on Central where you'll find the fascinating and sprawling Haslam's new and used bookstore.
There's a large Sun City retirement development southeast of Tampa, but it could be anywhere in Florida. Sarasota, an hour or so south, retains some charm with a bit less sprawl and population. It's definitely worth checking out, but probably more costly overall than Tampa Bay.
says:
We moved these comments from a different blog to continue the discussion on St. Petersburg:
Edith, consider St. Petersburg, it’s lovely and beaches are 20 minutes away.
by Ed D. — January 6, 2019
Ed d , can you suggest particular areas or communities to check out in St Petersburg? I’ll be heading there in the next month, Thank you
by Virginia — January 9, 2019