St Pete, is the state’s fourth largest city. It’s a fast growing center of commerce and is aligned with the fast-growing Tampa Bay metropolitan area, which is currently (2005) the largest market in the state.
St. Petersburg has changed from being primarily a retirement center to Hi tech. This change has brought the median age down to 38 and is reflected in the new revitalized downtown areas both in the architecture and the restaurants and shopping facilities. It still does retain historic quality however.
St Pete is still a great to raise a family.
Some stats:

It has 35 miles of pristine beaches (with 360 days of sunshine),
345 miles of coastline,
102 municipal parks,
37 miles of dedicated trails
(Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area includes the counties of Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas)
Population: 2.6 million
The population is over 250,000
The median age is 38.
The St Pete and Tampa bay area enjoys an average of 361 days of sunshine a year.
Two of the top ten rated beaches in the nation are located here
Employment by industry (Pinellas County)

Construction 5.0%
Education & Health Services 19.1%
Financial Activities 7.4%
Information 2.5%
Leisure & Hospitality 9.9%
Manufacturing 8.6%
Natural Resources & Mining 0.1%
Other Services 3.2%
Professional & Business Services 21.4%
Public administration 4.9% 6.1%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 17.8%
As of Sept 2005, per an MLS search, the least expensive 2/2 was $72,000 in St Pete for a manufactured home. In St Pete Beach, the least expensive home was $374,000

Average Annual Wage (2003)

All Industries $35,000
Cost of Living as of 2004(Pinellas county)

Total 103.74
See comparable Florida statewide CGI’s below:

Monroe 112.43
Dade 106.28
Broward 15.80
Pinellas 103.74
Sarasota 102.90
Palm Beach 102.69
Collier 100.99
Hillsborough 100.86
Seminole 99.48
Manatee 99.22
St. Johns 99.18
Orange 99.04
Brevard 97.92
Lee 97.80
(Population Weighted-State Average=100 National comparisons Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)

New York, NY 364
Long Beach, NY 340
Palo Alto, CA 268
Menlo Park, CA 265
Los Altos, CA 261
Saratoga, CA 261
Boston, MA 240
Malibu, CA 233
San Francisco, CA 217
Greenwich, CT 215
Cambridge, MA 211
Santa Monica, CA 197
Keystone, CO 194
San Rafael, CA 192
Weston, CT 192
Darien, CT 192
Wellesley, MA 192
Fort Lee, NJ 189
Arlington, VA 184
Honolulu, HI 184
Washington, DC 181
Princeton, NJ 180
Vail, CO 178
Chicago, IL 166
Sunnyvale, CA 164
San Mateo, CA 163
Marathon, FL 161
Ridgewood, NJ 159
Mystic, CT 159
For a complete list go to http://verticals.yahoo.com/cities/categories/costofliving.html
Business and employment outlook

St. Petersburg is located at the heart of the most desirable business location in the country. It is ranked second overall among the fastest growing high tech areas in the country.

Employment-search St Pete jobs:http://www.nationjob.com/stpete/
Transportation

Interstate 75 leads from points both north and south in Florida to the Tampa Bay area. From Orlando, I-4 connects in Tampa with I-275 southbound to St. Petersburg.
Tampa International Airport is only 30 minutes from St. Petersburg and the beaches. It is served by all major airlines. The St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport provides additional passenger service and Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St. Petersburg is a base for private aviation.
Amtrak offers passenger train service into Tampa, with bus connections to St. Petersburg, and the Greyhound bus system also links us to many northern cities.
St. Petersburg is also served by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority which provides public transportation throughout the entire county, including the beaches
The areas health and education resources are also first class. Plus you also have the facilities in nearby Tampa.

In conclusion, St Pete and Tampa sometimes see themselves as rivals as St Pete wants to retain its identity. In that it succeeds. There are quiet neighborhoods and also downtown living. The area enjoys a good quality of life with lots of recreational opportunities.

IF you like the outdoors but yet still want big city metro opportunities, this could be the perfect place.

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It’s a fact that sunshine makes people feel healthier and improves your outlook on everything. After living in Florida for 10 years, I can tell you that it’s great to wake up to a warm climate and sunshine almost year round. It also makes for a more positive outlook on life.
Statistics for Hillsborough County. As of 2004, there are:

114 assisted living facilities
13 major hospitals
7 adult day care centers
151 health care clinics
6 skilled nursing facilities
Statistics for port Pinellas county (St Pete and Clearwater)

231 assisted living facilities
16 major hospitals
7 adult day care centers
60 health care clinics
73 skilled nursing facilities.
For specific information and address/phone number of health facilities, please go to http://facilitylocator.floridahealthstat.com/

Hillsborough County Health Department message

The client is the most important person in any agency.
Clients are not an interruption of our work.
They are the purpose of it.
Clients are entitled by law to our services.
We are not doing them a favor by serving them.
The client is a part of our agency – not an outsider.
Clients are not just cases. They are human beings
with feelings and emotions like ourselves.
The client is entitled to the most courteous and attentive treatment we can give.
The client is the life-blood of this and every agency.
http://www.hillscountyhealth.org/welcome.htm

For hospital and medical facility names and addresses in Hillsbourough County go to:
http://facilitylocator.floridahealthstat.com/

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13 beaches
61 Marinas
151 Parks,
89 public Golf Courses
64 Campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks
17 public Tennis Courts
121 charter boats
5 major arenas-pro sports-concerts
http://www.tampagov.net/about_Tampa/local_sports/sports_arenas.asp
To see a complete list of parks and recreational opportunities see

the sites below
http://www.tampagov.net/dept_Parks/application_files/parkslis.asp
Things to do outdoors:

Fishing-Ocean, Bay and Freshwater
Boating-Ocean, Bay or river
Camping
Diving
Hiking
Tennis
Golf
Bike riding
Birding
Photography and Wildlife watching
Kayaking—canoes-there are good rental locations and lots of places to launch.
Places to visit.

Busch Gardens & Adventure Island
Children’s Museum of Tampa
Convention Center and Tourism
Florida Aquarium
Henry B. Plant Museum
Lowry Park Zoo
Museum of Art
Museum of Science & Industry
Special Event Calendar
Tampa Bay History Center
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
Tampa Destination and Visitor Guide
Tampa Theatre
Ybor City
Pro Sports

Tampa Bay Buccaneers-NFL
Tampa bay Devil Rays-MLB
Tampa Bay Lightning- NHL
Tampa Bay Storm-AFL
Tampa Yankees-Minor League Baseball

Florida Marlins A 4 hour drive to Miami-118 miles
2269 Dan Marino Blvd, Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL 33056 · 305-626-7400

Miami Dolphins A 4 hour drive to Miami
2269 Dan Marino Blvd, Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL 33056 · 305-620-2578

Miami Heat A 4 hour drive to Miami
601 Biscayne Blvd, American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL 33132-1801 · 786-777-432

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181,000 students
12,000 teachers
198 elementary and secondary schools in Hillsborough county.
For a comparison of schools and school districts on a variety of criteria, view Florida School Indicators Reports at the Florida Department of Education’s Web site. http://www.fldoe.org/
Hillsborough county school specifics:

130 Elementary Schools
42 Middle Schools
26 High Schools
5 College-Universities
2 Community colleges
3 Vocational-technical schools
20 Charter schools
65 private schools
4 Alternative Schools
14 adult schools
21.400 full time staff

Tampa Colleges and Universities:

University of South Florida
Eckerd College
University of Tampa
Florida Metropolitan University
Stetson Law School
Junior/Community Colleges:

Hillsborough Community College
Southwest Florida College- Tampa Campus
Vocational/Technical Schools:

Brewster Technical Center
ITT Technical Institute
Erwin Technical Center
Leary Technical Center
International Academy of Design
Miscelaneous higher education facilities

Argosy University
Florida College
Florida Metropolitan University
Keller Graduate School of Management
National -Louis University
Northwood University
Nova Southeastern University
Stetson University College of Law
Strayer University
St. Leo University
Southwest Florida College
The Art Institute of Tampa
The University of Tampa
University of Phoenix
University of South Florida
University of South Florida College of Business Administration
Webster University
For specific locations and more information-check with either the school district or your REALTOR.

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Automobile Interstates

I-4
I-75
I-275
Federal and state highways

US 19
U.S. 41,
S.R. 301
S.R. 60
Airports Closest to Tampa

Tampa International Airport 4.7
Clearwater/St Petersburg International Airport 13.9
Sarasota Bradenton Airport 38.2
Orlando International Airport76.9
Orlando / Sanford Central Florida Regional Airport 93.5
Commuter Airports

Vandenberg Airport (Tampa)
Peter O’Knight Airport (Tampa)
Albert Whitted Airport (St Petersburg)
Tampa Executive Airport (Pasco County)
Ocean

Port of Tampa
Cruise ships- Holland-Carnival-Celebrity-Royal Caribbean
http://www.awesomeflorida.com/cruiselines.htm
Mass Transit

HARTline – Regional Transit Authority
http://www.hartline.org/
* Serves the Tampa Area and Hillsborough County with Bus service. Site provides route and far information, plus service news.

Bus

Greyhound Bus Lines
813 229-8588
610 E Polk St
Tampa, FL http://www.greyhound.com/
Rail

Amtrak – Tampa
813 221-7601
601 N Nebraska Ave
Tampa, FL http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage
For complete listings and addresses etc, go to http://floridabusiness.org/transportation.ht

In conclusion Hillsborough county’s transportation network makes it easy to get around and connect to anywhere in the US and Florida.

Orlando is just a few hours away at most and Miami is only a four hour drive.

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The cost of living index is based on the composite price of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, clothing and entertainment.

Cost of living indexes will generally be higher in areas that offer access to beaches, culture, arts and recreation. In addition areas, that offer a wider variety of services such as health and education will run higher due to higher wages, and increased quality of living.

Cost of living indexing explanation
A figure of 100 points is used as an average both for the USA and Florida. For example:
Boise Idaho is ranked at a 99
Boston Mass is rated at 240
San Francisco at 217
Statewide, Florida cities come in from a low of 90 and up.
One way to compare Florida areas to salary requirements

For example-If you were relocating from Portland Oregon (whose rate 1s 94.0) to Orlando, and you currently make $50,000 per year, the formula is as follows
Take the destination index, in this case Orlando-94.0 and divide by Portland’s index-120, then multiply by a salary of $50,000. This will give you a figure of $39,166 which would be required to make in Orlando to have the same quality of life.
See comparable Florida statewide
* Re cost of living–in some areas Real Estate has went up dramatically however costs that factor in such as food, transportation, rents etc have not increased at the same rate-so in some areas, even though housing is expensive, the overall rating may still be low
2007 stats per Sperlings best Places http://www.bestplaces.net/

Boca Raton-154.74
Bradenton-114
Cape Coral-Ft Myers-108.0
Ft Lauderdale-132.0
Fort Walton-Destin-120
Jacksonville metro-94.0
Big Pine Key fl-132.46
Key Largo-146.0
Key West-168.0
Marathon fl-162.06
Miami metro-138.0
Melbourne-92.72
Naples Fl-250.59
Orlando metro-94.0
Palm Bay-84.56
Palm Coast-Flagler-125.01
Panama City-86.35
Pensacola metro-82.0
Sarasota-108.75
Tampa 94.60
Stuart 146.63
St Pete-Clearwater-91.58
Vero-Beach Indian River-122.87
West Palm Beach metro-112.05
(Population Weighted-State Average=100
See national comparisons
Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)

* New York, NY -164.50
* Long Beach, CA -135.71
* Palo Alto, CA -234.42
* Boston, MA -127.60
* Malibu, CA -492.80
* San Francisco, -187.23
* Greenwich, CT 215
* Chicago, IL -126.45
* Dallas Tx -92,94
* Atlanta Ga -112.21
For more information about cost of living go to either
Sperlings best Places http://www.bestplaces.net/
or Accra’s site at http://www.coli.org

The cost of living across the Tampa area averaged only 94.60% of the national average as of the 4th quarter 2007.
With housing prices substantially below the national average, the Tampa, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are a great place to live,work and play.
Hillsborough County

Ad Valorem Millage Rates (2004):
Government 7.3120
Schools 8.3609
Special 5.7173
Total 21.3902
Ad Valorem Tax Exemption: No
Retail Sales Tax (Local Option) 1.0
Local Communications Service Tax 2.4
Federal Enterprise Zone Yes
As of 2004, the total Cost of living index was 99.82
Total 98.08
Food 101.07
Health Care 97.70
Housing 94.10
Personal Goods and Services 100.41
Transportation 100.73
Above stats from http://www.eflorida.com/profiles/CountyReport.asp?CountyID=54&Display=al

Housing. Minimum two bedroom (1500 sq ft) single family homes in Tampa, Hillsborough county.
As of August 2005, the median sold price is $215,600.
A typical home insurance policy based on the price of the property?(wind, Flood, Homeowners) A $250,000 home is about $1,400 per year. If in a Flood Zone then add another $700
Utilities.

For water and sewer go to
Water/Sewer (Hillsborough County . . . 813 272-6680
Tampa Bay Water District
Southwest Florida Water Management District
For electric go to
Tampa Electric Company . . . 813 223-0800
Gas Companies:
Peoples Gas (Natural/Propane) . . . 813 275-3892
Telephone Companies
Verizon (Residential) . . . 800 483-4000
In conclusion, the cost of living is really good, especially given the costs of heating in the colder northern states, let alone the change in lifestyle that the Tampa bay area has to offer.

What if you never had to go back from your vacation? You can! You can live the vacation.

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Healthcare Facilities:

• Hospitals, 10
• Assisted living, 62
• Adult Day care, 11
• Health Care clinics, 50
• Skilled Nursing facility, 30

For more information (other facilities and their address) seehttp://facilitylocator.floridahealthstat.com/
http://www.dchd.net/aboutus.htm

Jacksonville is serious about their Health. See the message below from the Duval County health department Web site

Duval County Health Department : a message from the Director
There is nothing more important to all of us than our health and the health of our children and families. Your Health Department is part of the team of professionals that is committed to make you and the community the healthiest we can be. We are here, because we care about you and your family, with the services, resources and support you need to grow and remain well throughout your life.
Need a doctor or dentist for your children, immunizations, prenatal care, family planning, special health care for your teenager-our physicians and dentists are available in locations throughout the City to meet your needs. Thinking about traveling? We have an entire travel medicine program to provide you the vaccines and information to keep you healthy when traveling abroad. How about a bike helmet, car seat or gun lock, or need help with stopping smoking, or perhaps a mammogram-we’re available to you when you need us and where you are.

These are just a few of the many services we provide to you, your family and the community. We are always available-for everyone who needs our services. If you have a question, any question about your health needs-call us. If we can’t help you, we’ll find someone who can.

We need your help to make Jacksonville the healthiest community it can be. Together we can.

Sincerely, Jeff Goldhagen, M.D. Director, Duval County Health Department
Our Mission – To continually improve the health and environment of people and the community.

Our Vision – We envision to be the Standard for Excelence in Public Health and attain levels of health in this community, previously thought unattainable.

In conclusion, Jacksonville has health facilities on par with any in the country. Foe more specific information, follow the links above.

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Four area schools made the list of “America’s Best High Schools” and Duval County was the only school
district to have two schools ranked in the Top Ten.

There are more than 200,500 students, 11,600 teachers, 8,600 support staff and 291 schools in
the six counties that make up Northeast Florida. All have earned accreditation from the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools. More information on each of the counties’ public schools can be
obtained by phone or from their Web sites. For a comparison of schools and school districts on a variety
of criteria, view Florida School Indicators Reports at the Florida Department of Education’s Web site.
http://www.fldoe.org/

Jacksonville school specifics:

• 105 Elementary Schools
• 27 Middle Schools
• 20 High Schools
• 16 Private Schools
• 3 Exceptional Student Centers
• 5 Alternative Schools

• 5 Charter Schools.  For more specifics on what a Charter schools is and enrollment details etc go to http://www.educationcentral.org/schools/schchart.asp
• Higher Education-Colleges and trade Schools
• 24 in all, teaching everything from Law, Health care to Business.

Two year facilities

• Florida Community College
• St. Johns River Community College
• Lake City Community College
• Santa Fe Community College

Four-year facilities

• Bethune-Cookman
• the University of North Florida
• Jacksonville University
• Webster University
• Jones College
• Edward Waters College
• University of St. Augustine

In the Entire Northeastern section of the state, there are 90 educational facilities offering over
700 programs.

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