sometimes tampa
A new blog… The name of it is Always Tampa, and the url is http://hatetampa.blogspot.com/. The reason for the contradiction between title and address is apparent in the first sentence of the first post. “This is the thing about Tampa. I love it just as much as I hate it.”
And now a question for everyone: On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being “can’t wait to get out of this place” and 10 being “I love it here and will never leave,” how do you feel about living in Tampa Bay right now? Leave your answer in the comments.
Tags: online, tampa
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July 7th, 2005 at 6:28 pm
A 4. Maybe less…. I don’t care for the sprawl but I know there are things holding me here that I like.
But there is too much backwardsness going on and it never seems to end….
July 7th, 2005 at 6:45 pm
Oh, maybe a 7. The sprawl’s no worse than any other similarly-sized city, the climate isn’t half bad, and I bought a piece of downtown at a ridiculously good price and have a terrific view. I could never live here full time, but I don’t really want to leave permanently either.
July 7th, 2005 at 7:16 pm
I’d be about a 6… Being here for 15 years, it’s definitely gotten too familiar, and some wanderlust has set in. On the other hand — and what keeps it above the mid-way mark — is that there’s always some churn, which keeps it interesting.
I have to say that the overpowering Midwestern vibe is something I’ve never really gotten used to, and I know I never will.
July 7th, 2005 at 9:03 pm
I’d say a 9 or 10. I love it here. There are a lot of challenges, but these challenges make it more interesting and exciting. There is lots to do. Art exhibits, porch parties and neighborhood picnics, civic activism meetings, listening to WMNF and WUSF, home improvement activities, day trips to other places nearby and lots of other things. I have a good group of friends in the neighborhood who are very involved. In 15 - 20 minutes I can get to most places I want to go to. I have a great employer.
I lived in Lutz - booring!
July 7th, 2005 at 9:34 pm
I like it enough to have bought a house here. I think downtown is neat and I like USF. The sprawl isn’t too bad, compared to Orlando.
July 8th, 2005 at 8:56 am
17 years in Tampa and I give it a Big 10. Ive been all over this country and besides San Diego, cant think of a better place to live. Owned my home in South tampa for 5 years and it has more than doubled in value, easy access to everything, and getting everywhere, work in Westshore district, eat and play in SoHo, Downtown, Ybor, beach it on the Bay or St Petes Beaches. Just an overasll confortable feeling living here.
July 8th, 2005 at 11:29 am
9 … the only thing keeping it from 10 is lack of good mass transit.
July 8th, 2005 at 1:38 pm
So conflicted … so maybe I have to give it a 6. Right now.
Big cons for me right now:
The County Commission isn’t making it easier for me to be nicer in my score.
I’ll never like the dog-days heat and hurricane season.
The sprawl is obscene (It’s NOT just as bad as other cities our size - don’t be fooled. Places like Portland have laws against sprawl). The sprawl is also defeating a lot of other things - the vitality of downtown and surroudning neigborhoods, the “arts district,” mass transit etc.
With the # of people that live here, the progressive/grass roots initiatives should be stronger. It’s getting better though.
Pros for me now:
My home in Tampa Heights
My theater company - Jobsite. I feel like I’m making a difference.
In general I feel plugged in and involved, and I’m tenacious enough to stick it out. After all, it’s not Jacksonville (my hometown). I loved it enough here at USF to move back after grad school.
I do feel like progress is being made - downtown, Tampa Heights, the local arts and culture.
Regardless of any cons right now, I plan on staying. I just want it to be what it can be.
July 8th, 2005 at 3:29 pm
Judges score: 7.5
I lived in Tampa in the 90s, then moved away to Atlanta for several years. Since I returned in 2001, I’ve seen Tampa morph into a sorta-city; an awkward adolescence before we become an interesting and attractive adult.
I see so much potential that is just now starting to be realized. I think the downtown of 2010 will eclipse the one we call home today in all categories: culture, architecture, density, skyline. It will be greener and more vibrant, and I look forward to what it can become.
Transportaton is a challenge, as in all growing cities, and we need to do a better job of tackling this with some foresight and courage.
Yes, I hate the crime, the disfunctional relationship between the city and county, and - right now - Hurricane Dennis.
Of course, driving down Bayshore with the top down in the middle of January doesn’t suck!
July 8th, 2005 at 6:35 pm
I’d say about an 8. I’m from a sorta small town in Georgia (pop. 50,000) where there is one Catholic church and one synagogue (all others are Protestant churches); one community theater guild; one mall; one college and one technical school, and so on.
It was in Tampa where I ate my first bagel, where I first saw two people of the same sex holding hands, where I befriended people of different backgrounds, where I first ate hummus, where I can choose between films, theatre, art galleries, concerts and various festivals when going out, and where I got a good job making decent money.
Yes, I find the crime frightening and the traffic annoying, but to me Tampa offers a wealth of opportunities — for education, for employment, for enlightenment, and for entertainment.
July 9th, 2005 at 1:18 pm
i haven’t lived here long enough to know. i just passed the 11th month mark, after 25 years in ohio. i really can’t say either way. it’s better than Zanesville, OH. i know that much.
July 9th, 2005 at 4:04 pm
I’ve lived here a long time but I’ve also lived in many other places. I think living here is easier financially than a few of the other places I’ve been (or it used to be anyway)but it’s harder in other ways. Area drivers are less courteous here and people generally less friendly. I hate to say it but it’s true. Everyone seems to laud the climate but I want to know what’s so great about taking 5 showers a day and going through every teeshirt you have just to stay dry. Also, first thing in the morning you can walk outside and get a nice big lungfull of moldy hot steam. A friend from Colorado was in my car and commented about the faint mildew smell. I told her that after 5 years in Florida, every car smells this way. And the beaches? They are starting to look like Flushing, New York with all the high rise apartments. Sure, there is alot of entertainment here. The many schools in the area keep things alive with youth to counter all the pencil-necks driving around in their boatmobiles. I do love WMNF but I can hear it on the web like I do everytime I’m in Oklahoma City. I love Oklahomans. They’re the friendliest people in the country. The last word…I won’t be retiring here. I actually like snow.
July 10th, 2005 at 1:35 pm
I have never lived outside of Tampa. This looks like it leaves me in the minority here
I was born at St Joseph hospital and grew up in Thonotosassa. My family has been here since the early part of the century. I’ve lived in Tampa, now in Riverview and I am moving to St Pete. I have traveled to other cities often and enjoyed most of them but I always want to come home. Yes it is hot, the traffic is bad, and local government is exasperating. I am from here though, I know that I can walk slow and drink a lot of iced tea and the heat doesn’t feel so bad, I stay off the roads at the worst times, and I always vote against the incumbant. I also know that I can get a good Cuban sandwich here any day of the week, that fresh shrimp on the menu means it really is fresh, and I can count on being able to wear shorts almost all year round.
July 10th, 2005 at 10:30 pm
I’ve lived here 5 years as of yesterday. I’ll give it a 7 out of 10. Mass transit here is awful. I hate the sprawl, the traffic, etc., just as everyone above has mentioned. I like the weather–love the heat. Tampa has always struck me as a city acting like it’s more than it is. A small city with big city dreams. We’ll see
July 11th, 2005 at 11:14 am
8
Nice weather, beaches close by, cheap consumer goods, good nightlife, booming housing, mostly clean parks
People drive like brainless idiots with nowhere to go and there’s no public transportation
July 15th, 2005 at 10:13 am
A fence-sitting 5. Like the “Always Tampa” Blog auther, I love and hate it equally. I’ve always lived in this area, and feel desparate to leave it at times. But my family is here, and I know this place. I’d surely miss it if I left.
July 15th, 2005 at 2:37 pm
I’d give it a 8-9. I’ve had ties to this area since ‘91 and have lived here since ‘96. Before that I lived in several different parts of the country. Tampa is my home and I’m here to stay. Whenever I travel I always feel fortunate that Tampa is my home and not some small town in the middle of nowhere.
The few negetives that I have are the lack of good public transit and the overly conservative government(who keeps electing rhonda storms?).