5 Reasons Why People Keep Moving To Tampa

Relocating cities is never an easy thing to do and it might be even harder if you’re not sure on where you want to go. If you’ve recently visited the Tampa Bay area on a vacation or are just thinking of making your stay in Florida a permanent one, you’re definitely not alone. Maybe you just graduated college and are looking to land your first job or recently retired and are looking to live in sunshine year round, but why move to Tampa? Well, we put together a list of 5 reasons why you should move to Tampa to help make the decision easier for you. If you're wondering about pros and cons of living in Tampa from a locals perspective, click here.

The Tampa Bay area is home to some of the best beaches in the country. Within a 30 minute drive you have the beautiful white sand beaches that run up and down Pinellas County. USA Today recently asked their readers to vote on the 20 best beaches in the southern United States in 10BEST 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards and Clearwater Beach claimed the title of the “Best Beach in the South”. Clearwater isn’t the only option for beaches, but St. Pete Beach as well as Fort Desoto and Caladesi. The sand is unlike anything you'll find anywhere else in the country.

Finding a great first job is important to jumpstart your career or maybe you just want a fresh start in a new city. Florida has 6 of the top 10 cities in the country for the best job market. Tampa ranks number four on the list with a score of 87.8 out of 100! Not only does Tampa have a large number of job openings, but the wage growth has been huge over the past few years as many employers are needing more and more employees.

Not only is Tampa within a two hour drive to Disney World and Universal Studios, but it is home to many theme parks and attractions within Tampa Bay including ZooTampa, Busch Gardens, Concerts and professional sports teams. Busch Gardens is truly a one of a kind experience as it is home to one of the largest zoos in the country while also having a full amusement park with rides, games, restaurants and more. Over the past few years, Tampa sports have been very competitive. From the Tampa Pay Lightning winning two Stanley Cups to Tom Brady leading the Buccaneers to win the super bowl in 2021.

Now this one might seem pretty obvious, but another great reason to move to Tampa is for the year round summertime feeling. Florida averages around 250 sunny days a year with an average temperature of 72 degrees. Whether you want to spend the day offshore fishing or relaxing on the intercoastal floating in a boat, there is no shortage of outdoor activities. 

Tampa Bay offers endless options for all types of dining experiences. Whether you want to spend the evening overlooking the sunset dining at a beach bar or find a five star restaurant for a special occasion, there is something for everyone. Many places offer live entertainment on the weekends and are pet friendly so you can bring your best friend with you anywhere.

Have you ever sat there thinking about your favorite restaurant? What if it closed down? There are so many good restaurants around the Tampa area, but sometimes nothing hits like your favorite spot. We asked you on social media to help us with Tampa restaurants that closed down we wish we could bring back from the dead. You sent us hundreds of comments and we found the same names pop up over and over of fan favorite Tampa restaurants that closed down over the years.

We were thinking and wondering what made some of the closed down restaurants so special? For some places it was the food (obviously), some was just the environment and service.

When we look back, we remember the past as easier times and remind us of younger versions of ourselves. Maybe, a random Wednesday dinner with a friend or a family member that has now passed away. For some of us, it could be memories of our childhood and for others it might be memories of watching your kids grow up.

There is no shortage of restaurants in the Tampa Bay area with something new popping up every week. Just in the first 4 months of 2023, there were 20 different restaurants that opened. Only 3 months are left in the year and there are many more with opening dates coming in the next few weeks. Here, we told you 3 new restaurants coming this Fall that you need to try. From the Yard House with over 100 beers on tap to The Beacon located in the JW Marriott downtown Tampa there are so many different options to choose from. But, the question is will they be as good as our favorites of the past?

Before putting together the list of Tampa restaurants that closed down, we shared a moment of silence for everyone that lost their favorite ones along the way. We know that if we lost our favorite pizza place, we would feel incomplete. It isn’t easy losing something you love, but that’s why we’re here to look back on the long-lost favorites of Tampa Bay. 

Miami Subs was one of the most popular comments you all posted on our socials. I love crushing sandos as much as the next guy so if anyone knows of a place like Miami Subs, I'll need that spot. Miami Subs brought that BSE (Big Sandwich Energy) to Tampa Bay.  You can catch the old menu right here.

The Ponderosa Steakhouse in Largo closed up shop in February 1999 after 23 years in business. It was replaced by a new restaurants and a few fast food chains. Century 21 Mills First real estate agent James Schaller Sr said, "In the case of the Ponderosa, the restaurant was unable to compete with newer steakhouses that offer a higher grade of meat for a little more money".

Bennigan's was one of Tampa's favorite place to get traditional American cuisine. Regulars always came back for their favorite waiters and the fan favorite bar.

The Colonnade Restaurant was one of Tampa's oldest restaurants dating back to World War II. It was known for its authentic seafood and was located on Bayshore Boulevard. It was family owned and operated for generations and when it came time to close it's doors, was sold to a developer for a new project.

Sweet Tomatoes was a fan favorite for it's buffet style dining. They had all types of food to choose from and unfortunately had to close up shop after shutting down during COVID-19 shutdowns.

Spaghetti Warehouse was a vintage style Italian restaurant known for it's wide variety of custom spaghetti dishes. The inside had a vintage trolley car to eat at and white/red checkered table clothes to add to the vintage style brick throughout the restaurant0. This is a restaurant chain so if you're looking to fill that void, you can still find them located in Texas!

Morrison's Cafeteria started out in Alabama where they eventually opened up shops across the United States. It was another buffet style restaurant that was favored by so many Tampa locals.

Don Pablo's was one of Tampa's best places to get Tex-Mex style food. There were several locations throughout Florida. If you want to take a trip down memory lane, checkout the menu here.

This is a big "if you know, you know". Hops had the best sweet croissant rolls and root beer in frozen mugs... Take us back!!