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Brandon, located
just east of Tampa, is a unincorporated suburban
community that has continued to rapidly expand
since it began its first real growth spurt in
the 1950s. The Brandon area includes the towns
of Bloomingdale, Dover, Lithia, FishHawk, Mango,
Valrico, Seffner and Sabal Park. The area offers
a suburban lifestyle with a wide variety of housing
options as well as great restaurants, shopping,
recreation and entertainment. Greater Brandon
is a very central location, just 15 minutes from
Downtown Tampa and a few more from USF and Tampa
International Airport.
Housing
Housing in Brandon ranges from densley populated
areas consisting mainly of apartment complexes,
townhome communities and condominiums to family-friendly
housing developments. Areas toward the north and
east of Greater Brandon like Valrico and Seffner
offer larger lots and more space between each
lot. The Bloomingdale area began as a large master-planned
series of sub-divisions and has since grown to
incorporate several shopping and dining plazas.
The FishHawk area is a more recent attempt of
creating a community of large housing developments
that feature.
Things
To Do
There are many outdoor attractions in the Brandon
areas including Lithia Springs, Medard Park, Golf
Courses Riverhills Country Club, Bloomingdale
Golf Club. For indoor fun there is also the Brandon
Regency 20 Movie Theater that features an
IMAX theater and the Seminole
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino nearby in the east
edges of Tampa.
The Florida
State Fairgrounds and 1-800-Ask-Gary Ampitheater
Complex is in the Brandon vicinity as well and
often hosts conventions, fairs concerts and other
fun events.
Brandon’s central location also makes it
easy to experience the entertainment Tampa has
to offer as well as some of the more rural parks
like the Alafia
River State Park, which features hiking, biking
and equestrian trails, camping, and access tot
he Alafia River. Aldermans
Ford Park which features, picnic area, playground,
multi-use paved path and several boardwalks.
Dining
and Shopping
Westfield
Brandon Mall offers the best of shopping and
dining in the Brandon area. Here you will find
stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods, DSW,
Sephora, Black and White Market, and as well as
the usual department store anchors Dillards, JCPenney,
Sears and Macy’s. Restaurants include California
Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory, Sinigual, the
Brass Tap and Grillsmith. There is also a Kohl’s,
Steinmart and Beall’s in the Brandon area.
A short drive west on highway 60 will take you
to Tampa’s new IKEA.
There is no shortage of cuisine in Brandon. Restaurants
include O’Toole’s Irish Pub, Cody’s
Steakhouse, Kobe Japanese Steakhouse, Formaggio’s
(Italian), Angelina’s (Italian), Estella’s
(Mexican), Jasmine Thai, Green Iguana, Buffalo
Wild Wings, Barnacles, Old Chicago Pizza, Mellow
Mushroom Pizza, Jo To Japanese Steakhouse, Pacific
Grill, Fishbone and many, many more.
Traffic and
Driving
Living in Brandon allows for easy access to Highway
301, I-75, I-4, and the Crosstown Expressway.
Traffic on the main thoroughfares Highway 60/Brandon
Boulevard and Causeway Boulevard/Lumsden Road
can get congested during rush hours. A study of
the gridwork of streets in Greater Brandon could
help you avoid some of the most congested areas
during peak times. The eastern areas of the Brandon
area like FishHawk and Lithia are much more rural
and therefor significantly farther from the major
highways and interstate systems.
Schools
There are an ample amount of public elementary
and middle schools throughout the Brandon area.
Public high schools are Brandon High School, Bloomingdale
High School, Newsome High School and Armwood High
School. Private schools include Golden City Academy,
Faith Baptist Christian School, Resurrection Christian
School, Brandon Academy, and Tampa Bay Christian.
Colleges include Hillsborough Community College,
Everest University, Rasmussen College, Southern
Technical College, Emmaus Baptist College, and
it is just a short drive to the main University
of South Florida campus. There are three public
libraries in this area, one in Brandon, one in
Bloomingdale and one further south in Riverview.
Business
Commerce in this area generated from mainly retail,
tourism and new residential and commercial construction.
The Brandon
Chamber of Commerce is highly visible, playing
a large role in the community with many services
to offer and resources to utilize. |
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