Considering Moving to Tampa Bay?
If you're considering moving to Tampa Bay, and in the process of researching the area, you in the correct place. This page has been put together to help you become more familiar with the Tampa Bay area and to give you a good idea of what the area offers year-round residents in terms of employment, lifestyle, amenities and healthcare. I'm also always available to answer any specific questions you may have about the area, including the Tampa Bay real estate market, housing and living costs.
About Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay, which includes the cities of Tampa, St Petersburg and Clearwater, is one of the fastest growing areas in all of Florida. With a population of just over 3 million people, Tampa Bay offers excellent job opportunities and is home to professional sports teams, museums and attractions, theme parks as well as top-rated beaches. With an average temperature of 73 degrees year-round, Tampa Bay offers residents an outdoor playground for activities including boating, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, golf, bicycling, roller-blading and many more.
Top 10 Reasons to Move to Tampa Bay
- Top Rated Beaches
Tampa Bay is home to popular beaches including Clearwater Beach, St Pete Beach and the state park beaches of Caladesi Island and Fort DeSoto Park. Top-rated Clearwater Beach was named as the #1 Beach in the entire US by TripAdvisor in 2018 and 2016. This beach offers a powder-like sand which stays cool to the touch, even on the hottest of Florida’s summer days.
- Tampa Bay is a Year-Round Outdoor Playground
With 246 sunny days each year and an average temperature of 73 degrees year-round, Tampa Bay is the ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts. If you enjoy a great workout while being in the water, you will love stand-up paddle boarding or kayaking through the natural Florida mangroves to see native wild birds and abundant sea life. The 3.7 mile Riverwalk Trail along Tampa’s waterfront is also a popular destination for walking, jogging, bicycling, roller-blading and dog walking.
- Tampa Bay Offers Affordable Real Estate
The Tampa Bay real estate market offers very attractive housing prices for both young families and retirees alike. In 2020, the median Tampa bay home price is $242,159 and the median Tampa Bay monthly rent price is $1,600 per month. If you prefer to live downtown or on the water, the cost of housing would be more.
- Tampa Bay Has a Strong Job & Employment Market
Tampa Bay's employment and job market has been very robust with an unemployment rate at only 3.7% (well below the nation’s average). Tampa Bay’s top sectors of employment in the include the military, healthcare, education, and various professional services. The largest employers of Tampa Bay, located in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, include local School Districts, USF, MacDill Airforce Base, Advent Health, BayCare Health, Tampa General Hospital, Publix Supermarkets, Bloomin Brands as well as local county governments.
- Tampa Bay Offers Great Local Cuisine & Dining Options
Tampa Bay offers residents a myriad of dining options including casual eateries, open-air sidewalk cafes and elegant five-star restaurants. There are also many new trendy craft breweries and beer gardens to check out. Many are pet-friendly and provide daily live entertainment. The trendy places you’ll definitely want to check out include Downtown Tampa, South Tampa, Riverside Heights, Ybor City, Downtown St Pete, St Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach.
- Tampa Bay Has Top-Rated Hospitals & Healthcare
Residents of Tampa Bay have access to quality hospitals and medical services. The top hospitals in Tampa Bay include Tampa General Hospital (TGH), St Joseph's Hospital, Advent Health and Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater. Tampa General Hospital was recently ranked as the #2 Best Hospital in all of Florida in 2017 by US News & World Report.
- Tampa Bay is a Great Area to Retire In
There are many great reasons to consider Tampa Bay as your retirement destination, including many of the reasons listed on this page. In 2017, Wallet Hub ranked Tampa Bay ranked as the #5 Best Place to Retire in the entire state of Florida. This study was centered upon 28 important factors including housing affordability, the happiness of local residents, local tax rates and accessibility to healthcare quality.
- Tampa Bay Offers Endless Events and Festivals
The Tampa Bay area provides residents year-round outdoor events, festivals and performances to continually check out. There are also many events that take place each year such as the popular Gasparilla boat parade, The Sugar Sand Festival, Havana Nights, The St Petersburg Grand Prix, Clearwater Jazz Holiday, Margarita Fest, Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ and the Off Shore Power Boat Races just to name a few.
- Tampa Bay is Home to Theme Parks and Museums
Many family-oriented theme parks and museums are located in Tampa Bay. Popular theme parks include Busch Gardens, Adventure Island Water Park, The Florida Aquarium, Lowry Park Zoo, Big Cat Rescue and Dinosaur World. The Tampa Bay region also contains top educational museums including MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry), The Tampa Museum of Art, The Glazer Children's Museum, the Salvador Dali Museum and The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.
- Tampa Bay Has an Expanding Millennial Population
Tampa was recently named as the #21 Top City in the entire US where Millennials are moving to according to a study by Time Magazine (2017). Millennials are defined as those born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 22 to 37 in 2018). Top reasons why Tampa Bay is seeing an increase in their Millennial population are the strong employment and job market, an expanding scene of technology startups and incubators such as Tampa Bay Wave as well as the growing local craft beer market including popular brewers such as Cigar City, Coppertail, Florida Avenue Brewing Co and Angry Chair Brewing.
Helpful links to discover more about what Tampa Bay has to offer:
