Niche recently ranked the best 25 places to live in Florida for 2018. The top 4 are in Tampa, with Tampa Bay as home to over half of the communities ranked in the top 25. If anyone ever doubted whether Tampa Bay is the best place to live in Florida, there is no reason to doubt any longer.
Best Places to Live in Florida
The 4 communities ranked best places to live in Florida are in Tampa.
#1 Harbour Island
#2 Spanishtown
#3 Courier City/Oscawana
#4 Hyde Park
Other Tampa Bay communities ranked in the top 25 are:
#8 New Suburb Beautiful
#9 Davis Islands
#11 Palma Ceia Pines
#13 Arbor Greene
#14 Palma Ceia
#15 Channel District
#16 Culbreath
#18 Sunset Park
#19 Historic Hyde Park
#22 Beach Park
#25 Grand Hampton
The communities were ranked by Niche using different criteria, including public schools, jobs, amenities, family living, housing, and of course safety. All four of Florida’s best places to live received A ratings in those categories, which is a great representation of Tampa schools.
According to WFTS ABC News, “Niche explored 15,000+ cities, towns, and neighborhoods nationwide based on cost of living, public schools, safety, jobs, and much more.”
Niche’s Best Place to Live Ranking
Niche releases this list yearly, compiling information from the U.S. Census, FBI, BLS, CDC, and other sources as well. This is meant to be a comprehensive guide of housing and communities from all over the country. The different factors considered are then broken down into a percentage of the overall score. For example, the public school grade, which, according to Niche, is “Based on the average Niche K-12 Overall Grade for every public school serving the area, where each school is weighted by the number of students it serves,” made up about 15.0% of the grade, the percent change of the median home value made up 7.5% of the grade, the crime and safety grade made up 5%, and monthly housing cost to income ratio made up 5%.
Niche also included walkability in the scores, taking commuting into account. This is great for people who are looking to live in a community where they aren’t bound to their cars for moving around the community.
Some of Niche’s other lists provided include the “Best Places to Raise a Family,” which also included many cities in Tampa Bay. Here again, Tampa took the top prize with the best 4 communities in Florida to raise a family.
#1 Harbour Island
#2 Hyde Park
#3 New Suburb Beautiful
#4 Spanishtown
#6 Arbor Greene
#7 Palma Ceia
#8 Culbreath
#10 Sunset Park
#12 Courier City/Oscawana
#13 Davis Islands
#20 Golfview
#21 Virginia Park
#23 Beach Park
#24 Parkland Estates
#25 Fish Hawk
Another interesting list created from the information gathered includes the “Best Place to Buy a Home.” The Tampa neighborhoods on this list include the best 4 communities in Florida to buy a home.
#1 Palma Ceia
#2 Harbour Island
#3 Grand Hampton
#4 Arbor Greene
#6 Hyde Park
#7 Easton Park
#8 Virginia Park
#9 Spanishtown
#10 Connerton
#11 K Bar Ranch
#13 New Suburb Beautiful
#14 West Meadows
#15 Sunset Park
#16 Hunters Green
#19 Palma Ceia West
#20 Courier City/Oscawana
#21 Bayshore Beautiful
Buying a Home in the Best Place to Live in Florida
Tampa Bay is the overall best place to live in Florida, which means that buying a home can have a few more challenges compared to less desirable communities to live.
Although home prices in Tampa Bay remain very attractive, and there are a lot of very nice residential communities being developed, home buyers occasionally compete for homes and for locations.
It’s important, therefore, to have a Realtor and mortgage broker who can equip you to compete for the best home, at the best price, and with the best mortgage.
Three things to look for with a mortgage broker in a competitive market include:
- Rigorous mortgage pre-approvals.
- Low interest rates.
- Fast closing.
Having a mortgage broker on your team who can deliver these 3 features, will help you win the home of your dreams at the best price.
To lean more, see our article: Select a Mortgage Broker Who Gives You a Competitive Advantage.
Marimark Mortgage
Marimark Mortgage serves the mortgage needs of homebuyers, homeowners, and investors in Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
We specialize in conventional home mortgages, FHA, VA, and USDA mortgage options, refinance loans, and reverse mortgages. We’ve worked extensively with cash-out refinancing and help clients to lower their monthly mortgage payments.
To get started with a mortgage to buy your next home, please fill out our Quick Mortgage Application, or contact us direct.
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