St. Petersburg

St. Pete earned its reputation the hard way: a decade of investment turned Central Avenue into a mile-long stretch of restaurants, breweries, and galleries, with Tampa Bay at one end and the Gulf beaches at the other. The waterfront park system downtown is the largest of its kind in the country.

The Old Northeast is the classic address, brick streets and 1920s homes a few blocks from the bay. Snell Isle and Venetian Isles hold the waterfront estates, Kenwood and the Grand Central District bring craftsman bungalows within reach, and downtown condos range from converted mid-century buildings to new towers with bay views. Pricing has climbed fastest here of anywhere in Tampa Bay.