The Westchase community in Tampa may work for you, too. http://www.westchasewow.com

Please let me know a little more information. What part of FL interests you? How big a home do you need? How many are in your family? What is the ages of your children? I have several nice listings that may interest you and access to many more. Please let me know if we can help you. Thank You , Peg

Please provide your exact criteria. Pinellas County? Pasco County? Hillsboro County? What type of home; What price range; Ages of your children.

Mary Ann Lemon, Agent
mlemon@tampabay.rr.com

Check out the home I have listed for sale at 10733 Harborside Dr. Largo FL 33773 - I am holding open houses every Sunday from 2-4pm until it is SOLD which I am sure wont take long because it is a great value. 3/2/2/ 2400 approx ht sq ft - corner lot- move in ready - NOT A SHORT SALE :) See more photos here on Trulia under 10733 Harborside Dr Largo FL 33773 agressively priced at Z$285,000

God dagen vennen min! Jag har bodd i Skandinavia i mange år men bor i Florida nu. Vennligst besøk oss på http://www.FloridaBolig.net eller http://palacepropertiesonline.com/DinNorsktallendeEiendomsme… Vi kan og vil gjerne hjelpe deg! Med vennlig hilsen, Mark

Forget Lakewood Estates and Pinellas Point - these are not safe neighborhoods to raise a family. If you want safe, look at Gulfport, specifically the Pasadena Yacht and Country Club with guard gated security. There are a few very good public (read FREE) schools namely Bay Vista Fundamental, Pasadena Fundamental and a few others. The private schools are NOT worth the tuition (as I found out). Of course, you can continue looking in Palm Harbor - another nice area.

Hi Swedish Guy- All these answers depend on what you want??? What do you have to spend, how many bedrooms, what local features do you want? I was on here last week asking about a house in the neighborhoods of Lakewood Estates or Pinellas Point Neighborhoods in St. Petersburg just for the same reasons your asking for. I wanted good schools, good neighborhood, close to the bay (which is within 2 minutes or 5 mins to the beaches) I grew up there and went to school there and that's where I wanted to raise my children. It has stores close to you and jobs, it's within 5 minutes to the interstate that runs through the whole city. It's within 5 minutes ride to downtown where all the festivals are and the pier with marina. St. Petersburg is a great place to live. A cleaner city with a lot going on for the people. A lot of these places these people are telling you about are out in the sticks and if u like then that's great, but if you need to work and want things close by to enjoy, then St. Petersburg is awesome! Good luck to you. Thank God I found my house there now.

I agree that the Northeast area is awesome. Close to downtown, 15 minutes from Tampa. Are you looking for waterfront or non waterfront? Do you like historic homes? I have an amazing waterfront home in Northeast St Pete for sale. Pool/Spa 3+ car garage, luxury home. You can see it on my website http://www.jamiesellsstpete.com or http://www.727sold.net

Old NE St. Pete is the way to go.
Great neighbors, block parties and tons of kids. DId I mention we are close to everything with none of the Palm Harbor traffic or Lithia commute. Check ESPN this weekend 4?6?08 to watch the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, or go the New York Times web site and gooogle Old NE St. Pete and see that even they agree!
If you go to US news and World Report you will see I say no to Palm Harbor some of the deadliest intersections in the US are right there! I lived there and hated the traffic. Nice parks though, but it does not beat Old NE where you can walk to everything the beach, stores, church you name it.

Hi Swedish guy, I have a very nice condo in Palm Harbor - great school district - nice place to raise a family. I am looking for a renter - and perhaps rent to own- 2 bedroom/2 bath and it will give you a chance to check out the area and make a decision. HARBOR CLUB IS LOCATED IN PALM HARBOR, A THRIVING SUBURB OF TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG. HARBOR CLUB IS ALSO LOCATED ON THE PINELLAS TRAIL, ALLOWING RESIDENTS TO WALK OR BIKE TO NEARBY RESTAURANTS,MARINAS AND SHOPS. IN ADDITION, HARBOR CLUB IS AN 'A' RATED SCHOOL DISTRICT.THIS COMMUNITY HAS 2 SWIMMING POOLS AND SPA,TENNIS AND BASKETBALL COURT,CLUBHOUSE,PINELLAS TRAIL AND MINUTES FROM THE BEACHES.

Hi Swedish Guy,
Pinellas County is a great place to live and raise a family. Palm Harbor has lots to offer and when you're considering places to live don't overlook where you'll be working - today with the cost of gas and time involved away from your family many buyers we work with appreciate our help in showing them neighborhoods that meet their requirements while also giving them insight into what their daily commutes can be like. - 10 miles could equal 10 minutes or 40 minutes depending on where it is.:-)
As far as schools go - we have for the last 6 years had a program called "School Choice" in place where in effect all schools in the county could be open to you without regard to where you chose to live. Now that they are discussing changing it there is talk of going back to "neighborhood schools" - this is a topic that you will want to stay on top of and working with a knowledgable local real estate agent will be a huge help to you. You can get Pinellas County School info on my website http://www.ClearwaterHomeConnection.com.
Now back to your question - I believe you will find Pinellas County as a whole VERY friendly. Great Schools - I forgot to mention all schools are graded annually on an alphabet scale so you can easily see the A, B C...etc schools. Also just like commutes can take parents away from your family - the school you choose along with the neighborhood you choose can make for a wide variety of bus rides - you'll want to learn more as you narrow down where it is that you want to live. On a final note I'd love for you to know that Pinellas County which is St Petersburg to Clearwater to Palm Harbor to Tarpon Springs has so much to offer in the quality of life department - we have bike trails that run the full length of the county (over 26 miles), we have some of the best beaches in the US, we have amazing parks, nature preserves, public golf courses, boating opportunities and in Clearwater the City even offers sailing to kids at the Sailing Center on Sand Key. We have lots of public pools, skate parks, dog parks, free outdoor concerts, you name it - we've done a great job of perserving it. What we don't have is much new construction - we are a built out county - but I'm happy to trade off a solid concrete block home that's 30 years old to live 10 minutes fromt the beach or be within 30 minutes commute to downtown Tampa, St Petersburg or Tarpon Springs. We also have a program to freeze your property taxes on your homestead (primary residence) but when you move it recalibrates - when I sold my home and bought one 1/2 the cost my taxes doubled because they recalibrated - so until things change - you want to purchase a home wisely so you don't suffer unnecessary tax increases. Just so you know Palm Harbor and Clearwater are right next to each other in places along with Dunedin and East Lake Woodlands / Oldsmar so you may find some good choices in those towns as well. Wishing you all the best - it's a great place to live - been here over 20 years and am a native Floridian

Palm Harbor, Florida, of course! I've been a resident of Pinellas County and mainly Palm Harbor for over thirty years, and everything you could want or need is within a short drive--including beautiful Gulf beaches, Tampa Bay, and the progressive-oriented St. Petersburg. The Choice program has opened up the entire counties schools and created a number of innovative magnet programs, and Palm Harbor has some of the top-rated schools in the district. For more information, check my blog (http://activerain.com/blogs/sailcat22) and website!

Okaloosa County in the Panhandle of Florida, halfway between Pensacola and Panama City has the top ranked school system in the state of Florida. We have a local college, resort level restaurants, world class shopping, and we are not called the "emerald coast" of Florida for nothing--turquoise water and white quartz sand. We are surrounded by natural land which is part of the reserve for Eglin Air Force Base, the largest base in the free world. I welcome you to visit us in the panhandle to see for yourself the "best" that Florida has to offer!! Visit my website for much more information on Okaloosa and Walton County! I also have a toll free number on my website--feel free to make use of it!

Hi Sweedish Guy:

I would like to recommend Fishhawk Ranch in Lithia Florida. Top rated schools. 20 + miles of hiking/biking trails and a variety of home styles and price ranges. Please take a look at the link below and feel free to contact me with any other questions. Of course, I live there, so I think it is the BEST!