I first discovered Tampa in my 20s when I met my wife, who was living there, and I instantly fell in love with the city. It's somewhere between a big city and small town, so you get the feeling of both - Michael Connelly
Cigar City has no state tax and high-income job growth. These factors, combined with incredible weather have generated a population with plenty of Millenials and Gen Z residents, defying outsider expectations of Florida. Tampa also has tons of breweries and innovative ways these breweries contribute to the city's cultural scene. This includes fun events like "Yoga Pants & Craft Drafts,” the "Running for Brews" club, The Brew Bus tours, and Nebraska Mart, a new casual concept aimed at younger crowds brought to you by Cigar City Brewing. The key selling point to lure their young guests? Shuffleboard courts.
Water and beaches, warm weather, parks, nightlife, lots of activities and events as well as thriving breweries and a vibrant music scene.
Here's a review from a local on what they love about living in Tampa:
Great city to live in. So many things to do for just about anyone. It's not just Tampa. It's Tampa Bay. Which includes a very large area. Clearwater, St. Pete, Tarpon Springs. Dunedin, Brandon, and much more. To many concert venue's in all sizes to list here. Great restaurants all over Tampa bay. Professional football, baseball, hockey, soccer, rugby. They just had gasparilla which is as much fun and maybe as big as Mardi Gras. Great bike trails that run for miles and miles. Beautiful parks and water everywhere. It's just a great place to live indoors and outdoors. Traffic can be terrible at times but plan ahead and it's worth the wait.
For more reviews of what living in Tampa is like from locals check out: The Buzz
The traffic irritates people and locals aren’t known to be the best drivers. It’s not a headquarters city and the school system can be touch and go. Overall, it offers neither a cozy small town experience or big city life.
Here's a local with a few of the cons of living in Tampa:
- Lots of traffic for a mid-sized city
- Non-existent public transit
- Awful drivers
- Rent is pretty high (although real estate itself doesn’t seem to expensive when purchasing)
Tampa’s lifestyle is in large part driven by water play. Swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, boating, jet skiing, and even canoeing/kayaking. It isn’t a beach town but 30 minutes away are some of the nicest beaches in the country. The city also has great bike/running trails and plenty of beautiful parks for play. In addition to going out to play, Tampa locals love to watch the pros play. Five professional sports teams call Tampa home and they are extremely loyal. Finally, if you’re looking for nighttime play there are plenty of options in Ybor or SOHO/Hyde Park. While people come for the outdoor experiences, many stay for the rest of it.
If you want to see what people do for fun and culture in Tampa check out the calendar of events: https://www.visittampabay.com/tampa-events/
The school district for Tampa is Hillsborough County Public Schools. As with most large city school districts there are huge variations in the quality of the schools. Overall the city rates a B+ on niche.com There are plenty of schools that rate an A and plenty that rate a C. We hesitate to isolate particular neighborhoods for high or low scores as there are diamonds in the rough throughout the city but it is worth paying attention to scores relative to neighborhood if school scores are important to you. Plant High School on the south side of the city and Steinbrenner High School on the north end of the city are notable A+ choices if you want the kiddos aiming for the top of the public school path once they hit high school age.
Tampa is small enough where you can actually make a difference, whether it is through politics, business, or philanthropy and join the ranks of The Tamprenuers.
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Tampa sits on the Tampa Bay rather than directly on the Gulf Of Mexico like its sister city, St Petersburg. This makes it safer from storms than the southeast side of Florida or even the southwest side that sits south of the Tampa Metro area but it also means you aren’t directly on beaches here. You’re pretty much flat dab in the middle of the state along the coastline and so you’ve got a 6 ½ hour drive to hit Atlanta (Florida is a long state). Orlando though is only an hour or so away if you’ve hankering for some Disneyland. Miami is only four hours across the state so a weekend away in Magic City is perfectly reasonable.
