Your Florida Dream Life- Westchase

This Weeks Community: 
Westchase is a master planned deed restricted community in Hillsborough County. The city had a population of 21,747 in the 2010 census. It is one of the wealthiest areas of Hillsborough County. Many residents enjoy the location and proximity to Florida 589 which you can take north, almost to the Crystal River, or South to I-275 (and into Tampa or over to Saint Pete). Or you can take 589 south to Interstate 4 and head into Orlando in under 2 hours. Westchase residents enjoy the feeling of a close knit community inside an urban area. You can learn a great deal about Westchase from the Westchase Community Association website and the World of Westchase (WOW) newsletter. In addition to having a number of parks and recreation areas (with recreational options including golf, tennis, swimming, soccer, basketball) there is a walkable center (Westpark Village Town Center) that includes numerous shops and restaurants, with apartment living above these businesses. The streets are brick to add to the charm of the area. A popular hangout in this area is World of Beer which has over 550 beers from around the world. Many like to sit outside here with friends and enjoy a brew after an active day. Repeal 18 is a fun bar that has been described as a prohibition era handcrafted cocktail bar. Try a modern twist on some of the old favorites. If you love sweets, Bakery Melange is for you. They have the usual yummy desserts, along with breakfast sandwiches and lunch sandwiches (including paninis and wraps). You are even able to build your own sandwich. If you are really adventurous you have to try their CakeShake, yes, just like it sounds, it is a shake with a cupcake inside. You choose a shake flavor and a cupcake, and you end up with a shake with ice cream and giant globs of cake and icing, decadent! If you need a caffeine fix, The Grind Coffee Bar is for you. It's an independant coffee bar and cafe that also serves tea. My first visit to the Grind was in the evening for one of the Wine Wednesdays @ Westchase events, supporting Because of Jason. They were providing tea taste and I casually asked if they had a taste that was low in caffeine because it was later in the evening. The owner Richard was fabulous and took me inside the closed store to make me an Iced White Ambrosia Tea that was lovely. I would highly recommend the Grind for coffee, tea, and breakfast sandwiches. The popular Tampa Bay Brewing Company now has a Westchase Location that includes a restaurant. There is a large patio with lounge seating and a walkup bar where you can enjoy conversation and your favorite craft beer, wine, or spirits. The inside of the restaurant includes a community table which is a nice option for people who enjoy making new friends, want another option besides sitting at the bar, or may otherwise have had to dine alone. If you enjoy shopping, Westchase has a lot of small quaint shops to find wonderful unique gifts. One of which would be Simply Elegant, which carries jewelry, apparel, and gifts, and features a nice selection of merchandise from local designers. If you enjoy designer resale stores check out Couture Resale Designer Boutique. These are just a few of the restaurants and businesses to enjoy in Westchase. If you currently live in Westchase please share with me some of your favorites for another post. If you live in a neighboring community make a visit and discover your own favorites. 

A Favorite Place in Westchase:
A favorite place in Westchase is Catch Twenty Three They have an extensive menu with options ranging from burgers, to their specialty which is Macadamia Nut Encrusted Sea Bass. Their ingredients are always fresh and they put together some wonderful combinations. For Sunday Brunch you can even order Chicken and Waffles. I often enjoy their delicious sushi and a classic or strawberry mojito. I would love to share your favorite place in your community. Email me at Susan@susandsorensen.com

Your Perfect Florida Day: 

Thank you to Erika for providing the fun photos for this week's post. Erika loves traveling all over Florida but especially enjoys the Tampa Bay area; from Westchase to Clearwater Beach to Tarpon Springs. Erika loves the beach and sunsets at the beach. Erika is an excellent life coach with a fabulous positive energy. You can find her and learn more about her services at youcanpullittogether.com .

Real Estate Statistics:

For the month of October the average sale price for a condo in the zipcode of 33626 (Westchase encompases most of this zipcode) was $108,333, the average days on the market 86, selling at 93% of list price with an average price per heated square foot of $94. The average price of a single family home was $383,552, the average days on the market being 75 and selling at 99% of list price with an average price per heated square foot of $154. (This information comes from the Suncoast Multiple Listing Service (MLS)).If you are interested in seeing what you can get for your money in your favorite neighborhood of Westchase, you can search for properties via my free Keller Williams Mobile App My KW App  Or you may go to my website at susandsorensen.com

Creating Relationships:

The Tampa Bay area is ideal for small business owners/entrepreneurs, people who are looking to reinvent themselves, and people starting their second chapter in life. You have many opportunities here for developing new friendships and business relationships. In Westchase alone you could join the Westchase Run Club or the Westchase Golf Club to meet new people and potentially make new business connections. There is even a swimming club that includes coaching for adult athletes Tampa Bay Aquatics/Westchase. The Westchase Rotary is an excellent organization for building business relationships while giving back to the community. Another organization where you can meet like minded people while also making a difference in your community is the Westchase Charitable Foundation. If you're a mother with children not yet through school you can find friendship and support with the Moms Club Tampa/Westchase.  There is also a Westchase Dads Club. You can find out about their upcoming events on the World of Westchase Newsletter. (See link above). If you are an artist get involved with the Westchase Artist Society. And for adults over 55 there is the Westchase Seniors Group. These are just some of the opportunities for developing new relationships in the community of Westchase. Westchase is so conveniently located to other communities that there are many other clubs/organizations in the Greater Tampa Area you could easily get involved with. See my previous blog post for other ideas on developing relationships in a new community.