I forgot to blog about this when it came out, but I have figured out why I have had a hard time learning to love my new home (2+ years). Concerned it has been my Yankee Snobbery or Cultural Elitism, I have attempted to make a home in this place, finding a church, good friends, an organic store, an indy record store, good food, a zoo and a few other essentials.
However, last month Creative Tampa Bay released its commissioned study comparing Tampa to other top metropolitan areas. You can read it here. It is quite depressing, so the organization tried to put on a brave face here. This area needs some culture, not just Yankee culture, but its own. I wish I were smart enough to figure it out. But I would not start a business with my new found knowledge (Tampa ranks in the bottom 5 for entrepreneurship).
Anyway, here are a few of the things we learned (eloquently summarized by the St. Pete Times on May 29)...
45 rank of Tampa Bay are in number of people recently participating in volunteer work (I have a difficult job)
47 rank of Tampa Bay's number of citizens who frequent libraries (that is why I always get good books quickly)
5 rank of TB in number of tattoo and body piercing establishments (when did the tipping point occur from alternative to redneck?)
3 rank of TB in number of adult business establishments
1 are in which parents feel their kids cannot get a good education (AMEN)
39 size of Tampa's "Creative Class"
1 number of homebodies
10 number of people needing a drink or 2 to unwind at the end of the day
14 citizens who believe in God
5 people who feel they have better taste than most people (blind, huh?)
16 couch potatoes
42 people who can play musical instrument
*most of these are per capita in the top 50 most populous metro areas
3 comments:
It's not the place that makes the man but the man who makes the place. I think.?
Why do you think Amber and I love NY so much? While the Tampa stats are depressing for all kinds of reasons your blog reminds me of a Nineveh story I've heard.
I have always thought Florida lacked character. I hate its flat land and culture yet, "here I am send me".
Put it this way, if we get really depressed we won't lack for a drink and a lap dance.
I moved to Tampa in '65 when I was 14. Hated the place then, and don't much care for it now. Though, believe it or not, it is vastly improved. You should have seen the libraries and schools back then. Newcomers seriously compared phone service to a Third World Country. I could go on.
Unfortunately some of my favorite people live in Tampa, so I maintain a residence there and come back 3 or 4 times a year.
I moved to Tampa in '65 when I was 14. Hated the place then, and don't much care for it now. Though, believe it or not, it is vastly improved. You should have seen the libraries and schools back then. Newcomers seriously compared phone service to a Third World Country. I could go on.
Unfortunately some of my favorite people live in Tampa, so I maintain a residence there and come back 3 or 4 times a year.
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