tampa in a nutshell
Donna Selle has a simple request for Ask A Tampan:
Can you sum up Tampa in a nutshell? What is the city like politically, socially, etc.? Is it forward thinking? What’s the housing situation like? City planning? Public transportation? Traffic? If you were explaining Tampa to someone who you wanted to move there, what would you tell them?
My family lives in Lithia; I live in Seattle and have been a lifelong Northwesterner. I have an impression of the Tampa area, but I believe there is much more to it than what I’ve seen. All I’ve seen is from my family’s point of view. (I’ve seen urban sprawl, McMansions, gated communities, teens driving Hummers, and lots and lots of shopping malls.) But out of the corner of my eye, I’ve seen some things that lead me to believe Tampa might be a great city. Do Tell!!!
Give us your nutshell description of Tampa in the comments.
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December 11th, 2007 at 9:46 am
I see a bunch of snowbirds coming here and causing traffic, sprawl, and rudeness. Go home.
December 11th, 2007 at 10:39 am
a ‘great city’ would be a big stretch. actually, there is no city here. tampa is an overgrown town w/o a downtown, despite the tallish buildings.
that said, i think it’s probably the most livable of what collectively amount to florida’s ‘cities.’
traffic congestion, despite what many locals think, is relatively light. real estate, despite the downturn, is relatively cheap. crime, despite the occasional police shooting, is relatively low.
it’s a place forever on the cusp of being something better. if you must live in florida, then you could do much worse than tampa.
December 11th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
What’s your motivation for moving? I grew up in Tampa but I have been living in Washington, D.C. for five years now. I still read the local papers and keep up with what’s going on down there so I’m happy to offer my two cents worth.
Politically: Tampa Bay has an interesting political dynamic that probably leans a little to the right. Having said that, there are many left-leaning tendencies the area espouses, particularly its environmental arm. In general, the area is not politically active in the way Seattle is. There’s a strange sentiment in Florida whereby it seems folks have moved here to “get away” from the doldrums of life outside fun-n-sun.
Socially: In my experience I have found the area to seem somewhat homogenous, but that’s only an appearance. In truth, Tampa Bay is highly mixed, representing several minority groups and religions. Age-wise there are many elderly, but there are a decent number of children and middle-aged people. Where there may be a shortage is the young-adult (22-30), particularly those considered young professionals.
Forward thinking: I think this is an area Tampa Bay could improve on, whether it’s city development or social issues affecting the area. Both Tampa and St. Pete had rather poor leadership for years, with little, none, or poorly conceived foresight. Now, with Mayor Iorio and Baker, both cities have made marked improvement in their planning and capacities to think ahead (i.e. developing mass transit, improving urban development, gentrification, etc.). Also, when I lived there I always felt most were rather apathetic. Again, I go back to the idea of “fun-n-sun” but I also think there’s a correlation here with having a high number of transplants (i.e. loyalties lying elsewhere). Still, I honestly believe the area is improving as it matures. First, you’ve got more folks staying and creating a home-base and consequently there’s more civic pride for the area. Also—and this has always been the case but it too, is improving—there are many strong, grass-root forums for the various issues affecting the area, like the environmental issues I mentioned earlier.
Housing: I don’t know enough to say anything about this.
City Planning: City planning was mostly an elusive concept for city leaders for years. It is just now beginning to take shape with decent leadership at the helm. Efforts are underway to continue developing both cities’ downtowns to make them more livable. Additionally, the cities are working to create more green space. Other improvements are being made as well. In general, planning is making more sense but still has a battle to fight with urban sprawl and greedy developers.
Public Transportation: A true conundrum for the area. There is currently no viable public transportation option working or on the table. The area is about 15-20 years behind the clock on developing mass transit, and is going to continue having difficulty developing such a system with little to no density and multi-purpose development. To give you an example, of cities in the top twenty for population in the US, only Detroit and Tampa do not currently have some type of mass transit system.
Traffic: Can’t say much about this anymore either… but I hear it’s not getting better.
December 11th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Here’s the impression people I know from “Beyond the Bay” have of Tampa: It’s on the water but not the beach, every new or innovative idea that ever gets brought up (light rail, for instance) either is shot down immediately or ridiculed long term, and you literally can’t get a taxi in this town to save your life. Oh yeah, and strip clubs.
Here’s your new slogan: “Come to Tampa. Don’t forget your car. Bring plenty of quarters for the meters. And some single bills for the, um, adult entertainers.”
December 11th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Tampa in a nutshell:
A small to medium sized Florida city, located on Tampa Bay, with a unique history and culture unlike most cities in Florida. Mixed blue and white collar town, many regional corporate centers. Faces of most walks of life are represented in Tampa, True Tampans, Hispanics, Cubans, Italians, and then the transplants from the midwest and northeast. The West Coast of Florida’s main hub, most major sports, concerts, theater, and arts are in Tampa. A progressive city that tends to be somewhat conservative but leans way to the left on many issues, and very open. Cars are the main mode of transportation, but there is an aggresive plan to bring in rail, BRT to the region.
December 11th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
There are a lot of rednecks and a lot of racists and you’re not really as close to the beach as you think you’re gonna be. The nightclubs are really good, though, and so is International Mall, although the shopping is nowhere near what you’d find in a real city (or even New Jersey).
People are very, very friendly, but the payscale is embarrassing. There are some great schools, but you’ll have to pay for them. There are a LOT of swingers around here and a LOT of recreational drugs.
The creative scene is pretty tight. The housing is sick-ass cheap compared to anywhere else, but please do not come down here and contribute to more disgusting, uninspired suburban sprawl.
The weather is truly spectacular.
December 11th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
In a nutshell — politically, environmentally, socially, intellectually/academically… Tampa is cheap and afraid to strive. A tourist area but backwater the rest of the year with no aptitude to be more or try to be more.
Everything comes down to costs and everything is developed with drivers. This applies for a lot fo the TB region in general, where getting drunk at Guavaween, Gasparilla, on the 4th of July and every other holiday under the sun is more appealing to residents than getting stuff done, improving things, or taking part in local government and preventing stupidity that reigns supreme from local elected officials.
December 11th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
If the impacts of sea level rise and poorly distributed hurricane insurance costs can be handled somehow, I believe Tampa will continue to mature into a respectable regional capital. Tampa avoids many of the downsides of south Florida, and is less sprawling than Orlando. The beach and historic communities of St. Pete and much of the rest of Pinellas County are also pretty cool. Much of the area has great residential architecture that provides a lot of character. It’s very much a sweet spot for the state.
Unfortunately, unlike Atlanta or Chicago, it’s simply not a very self-promotional or boosterish area. Aside from enthusiasm for the Bucs, Tampa residents haven’t quite cultivated that same sense of civic pride, triumphing over the odds, and doing what it takes to attract the best business relocations. This results in low wages, which is a big problem. There is still very much a hangover from the fact that many residents moved to the area from up North, and for them it may never be “home,” so they are unwilling to tolerate tax increases to pay for schools, roads, services, transit, and civic improvements that a high value workforce demands. So businesses continue to be reluctant to relocate there, even though Tampa has every possible natural advantage over competitors like Charlotte, Jacksonville, and maybe even Atlanta. In the next few decades, a larger percentage of area residents are likely to be natives (as children of those transplants) and may be willing to make the too-long-deferred sacrifices and investments for the long term betterment of their hometown. Perhaps the next generation will stay for good, instead of (as I and many of my peers have done) struggling between the lure of better job opportunities up North and the draw of “blooming where you’re planted,” especially if you had the good fortune of being from a nice area like Tampa. That workforce may invest in creating a Tampa that is increasingly more attractive to business relocation.
Even though Tampa too-often rests on its laurels, it’s nicer than most places, and is improving year by year.
December 11th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Thank you, everyone, for your insights and opinions. I have no plans on moving to or living in Tampa, I just want to get to know and understand the area a bit better. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for locals to deal with the attitudes (some) transplants to the area come with, like lack of commitment to improvement of the area, etc.
Since I only visit rarely to see family, it is hard to get a pulse on the town itself, aside from what is published wildly for tourists, and the gorgeous beaches of course. My family and I are in two very different camps when it comes to what we value in the way of quality of life, so what I see from their end isn’t so appealing to me. Most anywhere I visit I can find the “local” pulse, but in Florida, it’s been very difficult. Please continue to comment…I’ll pass on what I learn from you to my young-adult aged nieces who are the next generation that BC talks about.
I’ve learned one thing in the past 24 hours: if Tampa has a website such as this with intelligent, articulate people such as yourselves contributing, it certainly has something good. Thanks again!
December 12th, 2007 at 8:42 am
In a nutshell, Tampa “is” a nutshell ;-).
But seriously, I was born here and moved back for work a few years ago. After 3 years, I am making every effort to move back to the PacNW and will be there by sommer. Tampa is mired in the Good-old-boy system with a monumental resistance to progress of any kind. The metropolitan area lacks any sort of common vision with the county government and its suburban focus trumping any positive development efforts by the municipality. I suppose it says something when I mention Tampa and folks from nearly every corner of the country say something to the effect, “isn’t that place with all the strip joints?”
December 12th, 2007 at 11:52 am
As someone who is irrationally smitten with Tampa, I am inclined to nominate John’s quote as the most painfully honest: “Tampa is cheap and afraid to strive.” Doesn’t mean Tampa *can’t* strive, if sufficiently motivated. But from whence cometh the motivation? That’s the question.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
if tampa is so cheap - and i agree that it is, in a sense - then where are all my taxes going? one thing tampa is not is cheap when it comes to levying rather absurd taxes on homeowners.
the place has a lot of catching up to do with its infrastructure. so i guess thats where all the money is going.
still, for a place thats been a sort of major hub now for a century or more, it sure is undefined and immature in so many ways.
btw, rachel, where are all these ’swingers’?
and wp, dont forget to pack your raincoat.
December 12th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
dreaming,
The myth is alive and well. Average annual rainfall is higher in Tampa than Seattle and there it usually falls in the Winter months when the days are short anyway. Of course that’s an oversimplification that might be misleading, Tampa rain tends to come in isolated short-lived downpours where Seattle rain can last all week, but a Seattle summer is like heaven on earth imho, and well worth the winters.
December 12th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
I was very intrigued about your questions. What did you think about Tampa Bay. Your first question was about Politcs .This is a red state governed by Charlie Crist. We have DFA DEC GBLTA and the Divas which are only women interested in all forms of politics regardless of party. Sports are the Bolts Hockey,Buccaneers football,Devil Rays Baseball Magic basketball in Orlando plus Disney world,we have Tampa performing arts,Ruth Eckerd arts,Mahffey arts,MOSI,Tampa arts,Dahli museum,Port of Tampa BAY,Plenty of different priced houses of your priced. Plenty of transportation. No falling leaves,no spring or fall. No snow.
December 12th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
You’re so TAMPA if you go to a Hank Williams Jr. concert and pass out before Hank does.
December 14th, 2007 at 11:09 am
dreaming - Try ‘everywhere.’