Palm River-Clair Mel

Great Palm River Point balances bayside living with city energy. Hillsborough Bay forms the neighborhood’s western border and acts as a playground for outdoor enthusiasts. Industrial parks line the waterfront, so most homes are located further inland. “The neighborhood is centrally located and provides easy access to the Selmon Expressway toll road and Interstate 75, so you can hop on and go east to Orlando, west to Tampa, or to Riverview and Brandon,” says Julia Hernandez, who has been a Realtor with LPT Realty, LLC for over two years. From playing rounds of tennis to soccer matches in the shaded green fields, Mosaic Park has a wealth of outdoor recreation opportunities. The park borders the Alafia River, where there are endless opportunities for fishing, kayaking and riverbank picnics. Larry Sanders Sports Complex offers 120 acres of recreation with baseball fields and football fields next to the Emanuel P. Johnson Recreation Center, which has basketball courts and a playground. Showmen’s Disc Golf Course is set up around the Showmen’s Museum, with courses designed to highlight vintage rides and preserved circus attractions. Adrenaline seekers ride their motorbikes around Tampa MX’s track, which sits beside East Bay Raceway Park, where crowds line the bleachers to watch motocross late model car racing. When wanting to get out on the water, Williams Park Boat Ramp provides easy access to the Alafia River and Tampa Bay. Houses come in many forms, from 1980s ranch-styles to early 2020s contemporary traditionals with stucco exteriors, carports and two-car garages. The list price for homes in the Great Palm River Point area ranges between $375,000 to $660,000, depending on size. Million-dollar waterfront properties are less common here than in other bayside neighborhoods since the area closest to the water is more industrial. “The more expensive homes are usually found on above average sized lots compared to newer suburban locations, which is something that really distinguishes the neighborhood from nearby areas,” says Realtor Denise Tucker, with LPT Realty and licensed in the Tampa Bay area since 2018. “People are always moving to the Tampa area, and Palm River is the next best thing. They love that there’s no state income tax.” With water access spread from Hillsborough Bay westward through the neighborhood via canals, wind and flooding potentials are elevated. To combat these risks, homes are placed further back from the waterfront, and Florida building codes require homes within a mile of the shore to have reinforced windows. Since 1904, crowds have gathered for the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival to celebrate the legendary invasion of a mythical pirate. The event features a pirate parade with floats, marching band tunes down Bayshore Boulevard, and live music both before and after the parade at Curtis Hixon Waterfront and MacDill parks. The neighborhood offers a blend of national retail names and local staples. “You’re only a ten-minute drive from Sam’s Club, Costco and the Westfield Brandon Shopping Center, but there are so many mom-and-pop places nearby that are worth exploring, especially the restaurants,” Tucker says. For hand-crafted bread and sweets, Ricopan Bakehouse satisfies tastebuds with its famous pandebonos. Meanwhile, The River’s Edge Bar & Grill boasts river views alongside live music and fresh oysters. Hillsborough County Public Schools serves the neighborhood, including Frost Elementary School, which Niche gives a B-minus grade and Giunta Middle School, which earns a C. At Spoto High School, which Niche gives a C-plus grade, students may choose from 12 Advanced Placement (AP) and over ten honors level courses. “Hillsborough County has a program called School Choice that residents really enjoy because you can apply on certain periods of the year for schools that are outside of your zoned area,” Tucker says. Offering over 200 programs of study, including its renowned forensic science program, the University of Tampa provides an opportunity for students to stay in the Tampa Bay area for college. Interstate 75 and U.S. Route 301, primary north- and south-bound thoroughfares, run through the neighborhood’s eastern side and intersect Interstate 4 in the north, creating a direct route between Tampa 8 miles west of the neighborhood and Orlando 85 miles northeast. Causeway Boulevard cuts across the neighborhood’s middle, connecting U.S. Route 41 in the west with U.S. Route 301 in the east. Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) bus stops line 78th Street, which runs parallel to US-41, and Palm River Road runs perpendicular to it and connects the two roads. Tampa International Airport is a 16-mile drive west when following U.S. Route 41 north to the Selmon Expressway.