Worst Places To Live In Florida
The real estate section in “Money Inc.” recently published a list of the 20 worst places to live in Florida, based on crime statistics. It’s not a list you want your city or town to be on, and for those of us living the dream in Tampa Bay, it’s nice to see that for the most part, we didn’t make this particular list.
However, there is one exception: Dade City. Long considered to be a charming little suburb of Tampa known for the Pioneer Days Festival as well as a collection of unique shops and restaurants, Dade City is also, unfortunately, coming to be known due to a high rate of violent crime. That’s right – property crime is bad enough, way above the national average, and now violent crime is really on the rise in Dade City.
Over the past year, aggravated assaults came in at 721 per 100,000, rape statistics registered 97 per 100,000, and robberies pegged 152.5 per 100,000.
According to Neighborhoodscout.com, Dade City has one of the highest crime rates in America for small towns and cities. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime there is one in 22. That’s why Dade City came in at #17 on “Money Inc’s” Top Twenty List of the Worst Places to Live in Forida.
You can see the whole list here, or read on to see the top 5, which are really the worst 5:
- #5: Miami Beach. Your chances of being robbed or having your car stolen is 1 in 20, while the state average is 1 in 40.
- #4: Opa Locka. Fewer than 17,000 people call Opa Locka home, but 1 in 51 have been victims of violent crime, or stand a really good chance of becoming a victim soon. It doesn’t help that the unemployment rate is about 10%, and the poverty rate is over 40%.
- #3: Lake Park. Fewer than 10,000 people call this Palm Beach County city home, but every one of them stands a 12.2% chance of being robbed.
- #2: Lake City. About 60 miles west of Jacksonville, for every 13 people in Lake City, 1 will have their house burgled, their car stolen, or worse yet, their wallet.
- #1: Florida City. This city in Miami-Dade county is a mess, according to the folks at “Money Inc.” who named it the worst place to live in Florida. High crime, high poverty and some of the worst-kept roads in the state combined to land Florida City at the top of the heap.
7 Tampa Bay Area Cities With The Most Affordable Rental Prices
6. Largo
Expect Largo to be another fast growing Florida city. With it’s central location to Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Pete, it makes it a great location for newcomers. Plus, they’ll have the first drive-thru Wawa in Florida! Not that that should be the highest priority on your list, but it is a bonus! The median rent for a one bedroom apartment in Largo is $1,560. Two bedrooms are only about $300 more.
5. Clearwater
That’s right, the home to the best beach in the south is also one of the more affordable Tampa Bay area cities for rental. That is, if you don’t plan on living directly on the beach. The median one bedroom rental price in Clearwater is $1,510. But expect to pay over $600 more for a two bedroom place.
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4. South Bradenton
Same perks as Bradenton, just a little more inland. This means that the one bedroom rental prices are about $200 cheaper. The median price according to Zumper is $1,380.
1. Winter Haven
The number 1 city in the Tampa Bay area with the cheapest rent is Winter Haven. This area has 50 lakes within its borders, including its famous Chain of Lakes. It’s also super close to some other popular fresh-water springs. The median price for a one-bedroom apartment here is $1,250 and is $1,460 for a two bedroom!
