St. Petersburg was named as the United State’s very first green city, and has dedicated time and resources to conservation and other ecologically-forward policies. The city has also been a USA Tree City award recipient for more than 20 years.

**Here's a local/tranplant on what St. Pete is like:**
*This area is booming. IMO a great place for a realtor but as almost every where we have plenty of those. Downtown St Pete is awesome, arts, food, hip, established, you name it and with the new pier (not fishing but entertainment) always something to do. The homes aren’t cheap anymore but nothing I’m sure you haven’t already dealt with or researched. You have cool cities in Tampa/StPete/Sarasota all close and offering anything you could want. I think anyone could find it a great place to live. St Pete is not glam like South Beach though, unless you wanna grab one of the downtown st pete condos for a few mill:)*

For more reviews of what living in St. Petersburg is like from locals check out: [**The Buzz**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/st-petersburg?page=buzz)


Green and clean

The Best Thing About St. Petersburg? 

Like many cities in Florida, tourists and snowbirds can crowd into St. Petersburg, making it feel even hotter than usual and more uncomfortable. Locals know how to mitigate the crowds -- and the weather -- and make it work for them.

**Here's a local on managing the heat in St. Pete:** 
*Hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen are you friends! Water bottles that keep your water COLD are your BFF. Honestly it’s very manageable if you’re not outside for long periods of time. This is coming from someone who moved down from the Great Lakes 3 years ago. Embrace the sweat!*


Crowded and Hot

The Worst Thing About St. Petersburg?

St Pete was built as a vacation town and that vibe permeates the city. Tourists flock to the downtown bars and beach areas and residents, typically youngsters do as well, living in downtown condos/apts and appreciating a walk to the nightlife. St. Pete’s family or suburban lifestyle has expanded in recent years with plenty of renovation of the bungalows and new builds expanding the options for families. Regardless you can expect the “action” in town to be driven by beaches and an outdoor activity lifestyle driven by water play.

If you want to see what happens in St Pete check out the calendar of events: https://www.visitstpeteclearwater.com/events-festivals


Lifestyle Of St Petersburg

Tourism is big business in St. Pete. The largest employer base, the biggest revenue generator and certainly the most visible sector in the city. There is also, however, a big base of financial sector companies and if you look closely you’ll notice a booming tech and web scene, in particular in the downtown area. If you’re young and looking to work in tech/web services then expect to find your work in the place you’re likely going to want to live. 


Workstyle Of St Petersburg

St. Petersburg (or St. Pete as the locals call it) is a warm non-coastal town with an open mind and lots to do. The cost of living is about average for the United States and housing is more affordable than the rest of Florida. And there’s plenty of sunshine!


Better than the Rest of Florida

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**The Best Thing About St. Petersburg?** Green and clean

St. Petersburg was named as the United State’s very first green city,  and has dedicated time and resources to conservation and other ecologically-forward policies. The city has also been a USA Tree City award recipient for more than 20 years. 


**The Worst Thing About St. Petersburg?** Crowded and Hot

Like many cities in Florida, tourists and snowbirds can crowd into St. Petersburg, making it feel even hotter than usual and more uncomfortable. Locals know how to mitigate the crowds -- and the weather -- and make it work for them. 


**How You Living?** Not Too Bad

St. Petersburg is easy to get around and offers sunshine and temps in the 80s nearly every single day, garnering the nickname The Sunshine City. It’s inclusive, with a well-supported LBGTQ+ culture and plenty of things to do around town, including the beaches, the Pier, Baywalk and more. 

Downtown St. Pete is where the youngsters are scooping up condos in order to be close to the bars and the beach. 

If Art is your thing you've got to check out Historic Kenwood. The artist community here teaches aspiring artists right out of their homes (and sells art as well). Prices for the bungalows, most of which have been restored to their 1920's beauty, are half the price or less than than the condos downtown. For up-and-comers this is a great spot. 

Finally, if you're all about the great outdoors then look at Crescent Lake. Between recreating on the lake, hiking, running and biking on the trails, and tons of greenery for walking Fido, this is the gem for staying healthy and happy. 

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 

St. Petersburg (or St. Pete as the locals call it) is a warm non-coastal town with an open mind and lots to do. The cost of living is about average for the United States and housing is more affordable than the rest of Florida. And there’s plenty of sunshine!


Downtown is the spot for young people looking to live amidst the most active social scene. Tons of Condo/Apt units were added in recent years and that living combined with plenty of Downtown tech/web services work make this the ideal starting point for a search for a home. 
- Downtown


Young Professionals

Downtown

If you’re looking for beach energy but without the Downtown party scene check out Historic Uptown. Century-old homes on green streets, alongside apartment options make it desirable as a place to buy or rent. You’re five minutes from the beach and right next to Downtown St Pete so you have pretty much everything nearby. Within neighborhood limits you also get the St. Anthony’s Triathlon, the Uptown Mardi Gras Block Party and tons of other community events throughout the year.
- Historic Uptown
- Historic Roser Park


DINKs/SINKs

Historic Uptown

Historic Kenwood is one of the hotspots of housing for the LGBTQ+ community. It is filled with well-kept bungalows and brick streets. It also includes rental townhomes and apartments for those not ready to buy. Kenwood is the home of the Metro LGBTQ Welcome Center and the neighborhood matches that spirit. Tropical Shores is another great option. It has its own nightlife but is also close to Downtown for greater variety of easy walking nightlife. 
https://www.gayrealestate.com/news/usa/florida/saint-petersburg/saint-petersburg-lgbtq-city-guide.html
- Historic Kenwood
- Broadwater
- Tropical Shores


LGBTQ+

Historic Kenwood

A great neighborhood to start your search for families is Crescent Lake Park. The quiet streets are filled with Cape Cod and Craftsman-style homes but the neighborhood also has plenty of restaurants and pubs lining the border. You also have the beautiful Huggins Stengel Sports Complex for baseball, tennis or just running around with the kiddos. The final topper is of course Crescent Lake and the Park itself. Plenty of room for the doggos to run, playgrounds, hiking trails, and tennis and pickleball courts so you can play to your heart’s desire. 
- Crescent Lake Park
- Historic Old Northeast
- Coquina Key


Families

Crescent Lake Park

There are plenty of neighborhoods in St Pete that retirees choose to make home. Coquina Key is one of the wonderful, but expensive options. It’s on the water, extremely safe, and filled with beautiful homes and at a distance from the noise of Downtown. Beyond the great neighborhoods St Pete also has a number of 55+ active communities to choose from. Golf Club living options exist at places like Pasadena Golf Club Estates. Large gated community options also exist in places like Marina Bay. All of these active communities come with the amenities you would expect: clubhouses, pools, community centers and year-round activities for the residents. 
- Coquina Key
- Historic Old Northeast
- 55+ Active Communities 


Retirees

Coquina Key

St. Petersburg

**Any regrets moving to st Pete?**

Finally moved out in after nearly 10 years of living here. St. Pete is what it is.

Pros:

Nice weather year-round

Pretty cheap place to just show up without a job lined up - I did it, would not recommend it at all, but it is possible

New and interesting developments popping up here and there

Downtown St. Pete is fun...for a bit

You also have access to Tampa, so it's almost like you get two cities for the price of one

Pretty great local arts/music scene

Lots of local breweries

Small town/community vibe

"Old Florida" style neighborhoods like Kenwood, Old Northeast, and others are absolutely beautiful

Below the radar - St. Pete has changed quite a bit since I first started living here, but it still seems like it's below the radar in terms of being a place that people are rushing to move to all across the country.

Cons:

Hurricane season - yes, that speaks for Florida in general, but I feel like Tampa Bay's number is eventually going to come up for a bad hurricane. It's not a matter of "if" but rather just "when" and seeing how densely populated this area is, it's going to be a shit-show

Crackheads everywhere - I feel awful saying this because I genuinely feel bad for these people, but if you're planning on living in St. Pete, be prepared to see junkies and panhandlers as part of the local scenery. It eats away at you for a while and it's flat out depressing.

Low pay and high rent - There really isn't any "industry" here besides tourism and hospitality. If you do find a company, chances are it's going to pay lower than the national average. Then, you've got giant yuppie hives popping up here and there raising the cost of living. That's not a good combination.

**How different is St Pete area from South Florida? Thinking about making a move.**

SoFlo transplant here. I think it depends where you’re from in south Florida, honestly, but I like st pete a lot more. The amount of money I’d need to be paid to move back south would be ludicrous.

The RE market is currently insane. Not just St. Pete, but Tampa Bay in general. We could use a better highway structure to help getting around town, but overall the congestion is nothing like south Florida.

I’ve managed to make friends here (primarily through work) and I think a lot of people here in the area are transplants too. Somehow a lot of my friends are from the Midwest so they’re all pretty nice people. Honestly, this is the first place I lived where people waved to me, it took me a bit to get used to it.

General cost of living is lower. Rent is still expensive IMO compared to areas like Orlando but if you’re willing to be flexible on where you are in st pete /Tampa you can find deals.

I think there’s more petty crime here (bikes stolen, unlocked cars getting broken into, etc) than south Florida, but I also lived in a nice area of Broward so it’s subjective. I’ve never felt unsafe here, even at night. Just like anywhere else, you learn what areas to avoid.

The biggest difference to me about st pete compared to south Florida is that with the exception of old NE, south Florida’s nicer neighborhoods are manicured much better. A lot of St pete kind of looks like old Miramar (think just south of Perry airport). Homes are built in the 50s and there are little pocket neighborhoods; I think it’s part of the charm, but it’s not as aesthetically beautiful (not as many palm trees everywhere). Oh, and places aren’t open as late. There are places in soflo where you can drink till like 5am, I haven’t found that here, though honestly I never looked that late.

**How different is St Pete area from South Florida? Thinking about making a move.**

Real estate market - great. I’ve always rented for very reasonable prices (currently $1325 between myself and a partner, we live right off the main street here and are 7 mins from downtown, 1200 sqft condo). I’ve never bought, but I have friends who got their first home this past year and both are in good neighborhoods with decent prices & mortgages for their homes.

Job market is okay. Honestly, Tampa has more opportunities for corporate jobs, and it’s only a 25-45 minute drive over the bridge. Finding a good job in St. Pete is absolutely do-able, but may take you 8 weeks versus 4 in Tampa’s market (But I promise, you want to live in St. Pete).

Only “dangerous” neighborhoods would be sprinkled in “Southside” St. Pete, from like 9th Ave S to around the skyway. It’s mostly low income POC families, & even pretty checkerboard over there (for instance, everything to the left of 4th street is “Old Southeast”, nicer homes and lower crime - whereas everything to the right of 4th can be a little sketchy). I lived in that area in college and while yes, I couldn’t walk around at night and saw many drug deals in the alley next to me, I still never felt unsafe. And I paid $325 in rent when I shared a 3/1, 1300 sqft with two other people... can’t beat that.

Super easy to make friends!!! This city is incredibly friendly :) you can go just about anywhere and strike up a conversation with someone. Very big art & LGBTQ scene as well.

Hope this helps! If you have any more questions dm me.

**How different is St Pete area from South Florida? Thinking about making a move.**

This area is booming. IMO a great place for a realtor but as almost every where we have plenty of those. Downtown St Pete is awesome, arts, food, hip, established, you name it and with the new pier (not fishing but entertainment) always something to do. The homes aren’t cheap anymore but nothing I’m sure you haven’t already dealt with or researched. You have cool cities in Tampa/StPete/Sarasota all close and offering anything you could want. I think anyone could find it a great place to live. St Pete is not glam like South Beach though, unless you wanna grab one of the downtown st pete condos for a few mill :)

St. Petersburg, Florida

Easy Being Green

Looklyloo Score: 91