Quote Originally Posted by AgentC View Post
We have hills. Just not in Tampa. Where I live starts the hilly area but the problem is we don't have the same access to major roads as the Tampa and Orlando areas which can add a good 1/2 to your drives when you are stuck on a 2 lane road behind a row of dump trucks. Hernando, Citrus, Sumter, Marion and Lake counties all get you some hills. Not mountains by any means but some nice rolling hills.

For ease if getting to Orlando, the area Melanie lived in was one of the best. Brandon, Town & Country, Carrollwood, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel are all very convenient. My friends in Brandon go to Disney most every weekend in an hour or so.

Traffic wise the Orlando area and Tampa areas are pretty similar except Tampa traffic is more sporadic and commute based. Clearwater traffic (actually a lot of Pinellas country also the Gulf) has ad traffic simply because there are so few access points.
The areas that Cindy listed are great areas. My Mom and the rest of my family live in South Tampa. It is older with beautiful homes, but it is expensive! My Mom lives in a condo on the Bayshore, but the rest of my family have single family homes. Their houses are lovely, but are on little plots of land. The pool area takes up most of the backyard. You can get more house and land for your money in the areas that Cindy mentioned.


Quote Originally Posted by Dsnygirl View Post
Too true on the traffic... we don't have that kind of traffic here, so the idea of adding 30-45 to our commute just for traffic is a mind-bender. We didn't see anything crazy in central FL, just couldn't believe how long it took us to get around Tampa/Clearwater/St Pete. Holy smokes!!

Ditto on the pool/lanei... I figure if I'm going to make the big jump and go somewhere completely new, I want a bit of the fun that comes with it, too, and having a pool to relax in outside my living room is just one thing I so totally look forward to. So we're looking west/northwest of Celebration, too.

And the Spanish moss?? It's my absolute favorite... even more than palm trees. It's what made the SFRTH in MK my favorite "ride" for years... and when we discovered it our last two trips through Georgia, I just fell more in love. Had no idea it was in Florida, too... when we saw it everywhere in Feb that was such a clincher for me!! I'm a total ocean girl, so would LOVE to be closer, but not with the tourist craziness that comes with it.... so, as long as I can get there within an hour or so for the occasional sunset dinner, I'll be good!! Escaping to Disney in 30 min or less is much more necessary for my sanity, I think!!
As was said by others, traffic is relative. Tampa is nothing compared to what I have in the Philly area! If I remember correctly the type of work your husband does, there are many opportunities in the Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater area as well. Also, for your work, All Children's Hospital is in downtown St. Petersburg, which is acclaimed for it's NICU as well as its labor and delivery facilities.