Valrico Is Among 'Best Places'
Published: Jun 1, 2006
VALRICO - Pools and schools were among characteristics that landed Valrico on a list of the nation's most family-friendly places to settle down.
The list of 100 communities appears in the book, "Best Places to Raise Your Family," a compilation and analysis of data by Bert Sperling and Peter Sander.
The two co-authored "Cities Ranked & Rated," released two years ago by Frommer's travel guides' publisher, Wiley Publishing Inc. In that 2004 listing, Tampa Bay, defined as Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, ranked 48th on a list of 403 metropolitan regions in the United States and parts of Canada.
Communities that made this year's publication often were suburbs outside cities that fared well in the previous rankings for job growth, commute times, recreational activities, climate, schools and day care, Sander said.
"It's not just for everybody," he said. "It's for families."
He conceded that numerous Tampa bedroom communities could have been considered. He said he zeroed in on Valrico because so many families have flocked there and he knew a real estate agent from his hometown near Sacramento, Calif., who moved to Valrico and said she never would leave.
"We tried to find a neighborhood that had the best blend of family-friendly facts," he said.
Of the more than 18,000 households in the Valrico ZIP code, nearly 40 percent are listed as married with children, and an additional 9 percent are single parents raising children.
Other Florida communities that made the list were Weston, near Fort Lauderdale; Gainesville, chosen as a family-friendly college town; and Orange Park, near Jacksonville.
The 100 communities were not ranked, except for 10 "Best of the Best." Topping that list were Louisville, Colo., nestled between Denver and Boulder; Gaithersburg, Md., near Washington; and Roswell, Ga., on the northern fringe of Atlanta.
The cost of living, particularly home prices, was key in the selection process, Sander said. He said housing prices skyrocketed in many areas after the authors collected information, and some places might not make the list if those prices were factored in today.
Valrico, with an estimated population of 53,000, is listed as having a median home price of $265,000.
A "sweet spot" home, defined by the book as a four-bedroom, 2,200-square-foot home on a "decent-sized lot," goes for about $360,000, according to the book.
The book estimates that 3 out of 4 homes in Valrico have backyard swimming pools, a source of easy recreation for children. Families also are close to theme parks, beaches and other tourist or educational attractions.
Paul Lemming, manager of Exclusive Pools in Brandon, said he could vouch for the boom in pool popularity. He said local pool construction has tripled for his company in the past five years, and much of the demand is in Valrico.
Many builders in master planned neighborhoods are including pools in their new-home packages, but families with existing homes also are ordering pools, Lemming said.
Parents like to keep children occupied with a backyard pool because "you know who your children are hanging out with," he said.
"Best Places" also put Valrico on the family-friendly list because of its schools. The book notes that local public schools are rated A or B by the state, and schoolchildren tend to score higher than the state average on standardized tests. Nearly 80 percent of children in Valrico attend public school, according to the authors' research.
They cite growth and traffic, a relatively high crime rate and hot, humid summers as drawbacks to Valrico life.
Sander said he tried to visit as many of the communities as he could, but he has not been to Valrico. He said he depended on personal interviews, census data and Internet information to describe the community.
The book contains some errors, including listing Bradenton beaches as a few miles south of Valrico and confusing State Road 60 with the toll-operated Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, which has an elevated highway with reversible lanes nearing completion.
The guide retails for $24.99 and should be available in most bookstores, Sander said.
Contact Susan M. Green at (813) 657-4529 or sgreen@
tampatrib.com.
