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The Northwest
region of Tampa includes the neighborhoods of
Carrollwood, Lutz and Odessa. This area ranges
between suburban, rural and has both new and old
construction. Lutz and Odessa are in the northern
most region of this area and are just on the boarder
between Pasco and Hillsborough Counties. Lutz
is in Pasco while Odessa is in fact a census-designated
place in both Hillsborough and Pasco. While Odessa
is mostly rural, Lutz has both rural areas and
newly developed areas. Carrollwood is the biggest
neighborhood in this area and includes the smaller
neighborhoods of Citrus Park and Northdale. Just
15 miles from downtown Tampa, the Carrollwood
area has a lot to offer including its central
location and wide selection in housing.
Housing
Being one of Tampa’s first neighborhood
developments, Carrollwood provides a strong sense
of neighborhood and family living. Citrus Park
was once a more isolated community, but with the
addition of the Veterans Expressway the neighborhood
has begun to add new homes and businesses and
is quickly becoming a bustling community while
still maintaining its suburban, almost rural feel.
Both of these areas feature a variety of starter
homes as well as large, luxurious estate homes.
While of course there has been plenty of new home
construction with the recent urbanization of in
Odessa and Lutz there are areas that are still
very spacious with vast expanses of pastures and
trees as well as some farm land and dirt roads.
This two towns offer a great rural setting while
still being close to shopping, restaurants and
culture of the more urban part of Tampa.
Things To Do
Because the Northwest region of Tampa is centrally
located, there seems to never be a shortage of
attractions, events and activities. One attraction
that is well known in the Tampa area is the Big
Cat Rescue in Citrus Park. Some parks private
to Carrollwood residents include the 10-acre Original
Carrollwood Park, Carrollwood Recreation Center
which provides organized classes and events, and
the White Sands Beach on Lake Carrollwood which
features a concrete boat ramp, covered pavilions,
picnic areas and of course the regularly groomed
white sand beach. Lake Rogers Park in Odessa features
two fresh water lakes picnic shelters, nature
trails, barbecue grills, fishing, canoeing and
camping; Lake Park in the Carrollwood area is
the site of equestrian events, a BMX track, RC
Car track and archery range as well as five lakes,
picnic areas and jogging trails.
Other outdoor attractions include the public golf
courses Heritage
Harbour Golf Course in Lutz, Tournament Players
Club in Lutz, The Eagles in Odessa, The Babe Zaharias
Golf Course just east of Carrollwood, and the
Emerald
Greens Golf Resort & Country Club and
the private Cheval
Golf and Country Club.
For those that prefer indoor entertainment this
area offers the Regal Cinemas at the Citrus Park
Mall 20, the Tampa Pitcher Show (a movie theater
with a full dining menu with alcoholic and non-alcholic
beverages) and the Carollwood Cultural Center.
Take a quick drive south to Downtown Tampa to
catch concerts, musical products and Broadway
hits at the Straz Center.
Dining
and Shopping
Shopping abounds in the Carrollwood and Citrus
Park. From shopping malls to chic boutiques and
specialty stores this area has it all. The Citrus
Park Mall is the closest shopping mall, while
the International
Plaza, which is home to such high end stores
as Burberry, Crate & Barrel, J.Crew, Gucci,
Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom and Westshore
Plaza Mall are a short trip south on Dale
Mabry Highway, the Veterans Expressway or I-275
South.
Northwest Tampa’s variety of restaurants
is as broad as its demographics are. Here, aside
from the usual suburban restaurants you will find,
Splash!, Villagio Italian Restaurant, The Breakfast
Nook, The Melting Pot, Pei Wei Asian Diner, Kobe
Japanese Steak House, Burger Monger, Front Porch
Grille and many many more. Plus just a short drive
south, the International Plaza features Bar Louie,
Blue Martini, The Capital Grille and Ocean Prime
and the nearby Westshore Plaza features Maggiano’s
Little Italy, PF Chang’s and Mitchell’s
Fish Market.
Traffic
and Driving
Traffic can get quite congested in this area during
rush hour. To help alleviate this, take a few
minutes to plan a route that avoids the major
intersections. The Tampa
HART bus lines provides many stops in this
area. Veterans Expressway provides a quick way
to get north or south as well as I-275 and US-41.
State road 54 is the best way to travel east or
west in the northern part of region. Tampa Road
is best way to travel west, if not taking one
of the bay bridges.
Schools
Schools in this area include private schools Gaither
High School, Independant Day School and Hillel
School of Tampa. Public schools include Carrollwood
Elementary, Hammond Elementary, Schwarzkopf Elementary
School, Lutz Elementary, McKitrick Elementary,
Smith Middle School, Adams Middle School, Martinez
Middle School, Walker Middle School, Steinbrenner
High School, Sickles High School, Chamberlain
High School and Odessa Christian School just to
name a few. Colleges nearby include ITT Technical
Institute, Academy of Design Technology, Remington
Univerisity, Hillsborough
Community College and the University
of South Florida.
There are five public libraries that serve this
area. One of the biggest and businest libraries
in Hillsborough County, the Jimmie B. Keel Library
is in Carrollwood.
Business
University Community Hospital-Carrollwood Campus
and independent medical offices provide a fair
share of commerce in the Carrollwood area. Odessa
and Lutz generate additional commerce from agricultural
sources such as plant nurseries, farms, livestock,
fish farms and tree farms. Retail opportunities
are available in the form of specialty stores
and restaurants. With room for expansion in the
northern part of this region, businesses is sure
to grow and expand in the near future. |
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