Readers Share Their Favorite Things About Where They Live
Whether you’re new to the area or have had an historic bungalow in your family for generations, everyone falls in love with our little corner of St. Petersburg sooner or later. In honor of 20 years delivering stories about our community to our community, we asked readers to share their very favorite things about the greater Old Northeast neighborhoods.
Year-round gardening. With an ever-growing tree canopy and beautiful weather (most of the year), there’s never a bad time to play in the yard. Unless you don’t enjoy that sort of thing, and then you can always admire the work of others. Keep an eye out for rhinoceros.
Escape from the daily hubbub. Drifting into the Old Northeast, Snell Isle, or Crescent Heights can feel like a step back in time – one where traffic slows, and you can hear the birds chirping as you wave to your neighbors. They might even be gardening.
Wide variety of older homes. Speaking of a trip back in time, there are few places in Pinellas where you can find so many well-preserved historic homes – from 100-year-old airplane bungalows to mid-century masterpieces. Often boasting lush landscapes or Florida-friendly yards, NEJ neighborhoods are a feast for the eyes. Delivering the paper may be hard, sweaty work, but it’s never boring!
Brick streets, hexblock sidewalks. “Historic” is right there in the name of several NEJ neighborhoods, and it shows in the details. They may not make for the smoothest bike ride, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a prettier combination than the original, red Augusta Block streets and multicolored hexblock sidewalks.
Engaged residents, active associations. Neighborhoods this charming don’t happen by accident. The Old Northeast and surrounding communities boast some of the most active neighborhood associations and involved residents in St. Pete. They keep things “moving and improving,” and make it easy to borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbors.
Events, events, events. Whether it’s a city-sponsored festival in the park or the bonkers extravaganza that is Halloween in ONE, there’s always something going on in the NEJ neighborhoods. HONNA alone sponsors dozens of events each year where you can bring your kids, your dogs, your cousins from California, and help raise money for things like the tree canopy program.
Proximity to Parks. St. Pete has some gorgeous parks. And the NEJ neighborhoods border many of the best: Crescent Lake, North Shore, Flora Wylie, not to mention charming pocket parks like Crisp, Coffee Pot, and Granada Terrace. Add to that the outstanding, historic Sunken Gardens and residents and visitors alike are spoiled for choice. Can you have too many parks? Our sources say no.
Getting out and about. Obviously with neighborhoods like these, you may never want to leave – but if you do, you don’t even need to get in the car. It’s steps or a quick bike trip to get a bite, shop local, see fine art or catch an indie flick. Boredom is not an option. Plus, every night of the week, you’ve got a free ticket to one of the most spectacular shows in town: sunset on the water. (Weather permitting; rainchecks subject to approval.)
Simply the Best. Lots of folks love where they live, but it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t love these Northeast Journal neighborhoods. At least one reader also told us what they love most is “Being better than Tampa’s Hyde Park.” We’ll leave that here without comment.
