Del Prado is a deed-restricted neighborhood in Largo, FL that’s within 3 miles of some of the best beaches in the world. Del Prado has a special place in my heart because I lived in this neighborhood for a few years.
As you drive closer to the water you’ll notice a lot of the neighborhoods in Largo that are south of Walsingham Road are well established and have a lot to offer. Del Prado is one of many neighborhoods in this area that just truly feels like home.
If you are moving from another state there’s always a bit of an adjustment to living in a new place and starting the next chapter of your life. I’m grateful I was able to experience living in Del Prado earlier on in my move to Florida because it gave me a greater appreciation that I could live here forever.
8. Proximity To The Beach
Living on the beach can be very expensive. If you factor in flood insurance rates on top of it, you’ll find that being on the beach is a very pricey choice. If you are ok with driving to the beach and would rather have much more home for the money, Del Prado could be the perfect match for you!
Del Prado is just a few traffic lights away from Indian Rocks Beach and on an average day you can get there within 8 to 10 minutes. Once you cross over the bridge you’ll experience one of the most scenic drives in the area. If you roll down the windows and travel north or south on Gulf Boulevard you’ll be exposed to beautiful homes, hotels, and restaurants with plenty of events to keep you occupied all year-round.
Each beach is unique in it’s own way and as you get more comfortable living here you’ll figure out which ones are your favorites based on crowds and near-by amenities.
There’s also something else that’s important about Del Prado’s proximity to the beach which I’ll talk about in the next reason.
7. Room For Appreciation
When you drive through Del Prado you’ll notice that many of the homes are ranch-style homes with Spanish influences in the architecture. What’s great is the community is kept up due to the deed-restrictions and it’s easy to see why the value has increased over time.
If you look at the charts above pulled directly from our Multiple Listing Service (MLS), it tells you the average sales price in Del Prado for the past 10 years. As you can see from the chart it has been steadily increasing over the past few years. There were only 136 sales in Del Prado through the MLS so Del Prado homes don’t come up that often – people love their neighborhood!
Two of the driving forces that have brought so much appeal to our area is proximity to the beaches and proximity towards booming downtown areas. Del Prado in many ways has it all. You can easily get to the beach but you have great downtown areas you can visit within 30-40 minutes including downtown Dunedin and downtown St Pete. While downtown Largo (the city where Del Prado is located) still has a way to go, as of the year 2020 they are spending 3.51 million dollars to construct a downtown plaza.
6. A Sense Of Community
One of the benefits to living in Del Prado for years was I was able to truly understand and appreciate what it was like living there. While my wife and I ultimately settled in the city of Seminole, Del Prado is still a real possibility of a neighborhood we may live in again in the near future.
From time to time we would take our dog on walks through the neighborhood both during the day and at night. People were friendly, neighbors waved, and it felt like home. If we really wanted to push ourselves we could actually walk to the Starbucks down the road and reward ourselves with a coffee for getting active! Although looking back that probably wasn’t a good practice to get in shape.
The neighborhood HOA works really hard to keep everyone in the neighborhood in the loop as to what’s going on. They have a neighborhood newsletter that goes out and they organize events throughout the year including lighting events, parades, neighborhood garage sales, home tours and more!
Another great thing about this community is it really feels like neighbors look out for each other. There’s a neighborhood crime-watch, they post updates through their Facebook page as well, and it’s really a collective effort that goes into making this Largo subdivision so great!
5. Pool Home Neighborhood
If you like pools you are really going to like living in Del Prado! While not every single home has a pool, a large portion of them do. So if for some reason you end up here without a pool you can just befriend just about anyone else on your street and hang out at their pool.
But seriously, if you do consider Del Prado – get a pool, it’s what all the cool kids are doing. I remember when I would visit family in Florida long before I lived here it seemed like everywhere I went I saw pools.
You’ll also notice many of the pools have cages screening them in as well. If you end up a with a pool home, an enclosure can help increase your home value too if you sell later down the line. Pools are a hotly requested feature for properties and it’s way easier to deal with a home that already has one vs dealing with contractors, zoning, permitting, setback rules, and anything else that may present challenges with putting in your own pool.
4. The Pinellas Trail
A runner and biker’s dream, the Pinellas trail is a 38 mile rail trail that extends from the northern part of St. Petersburg all the way through Tarpon Springs to the North-West. What’s so great about it is it travels through many cities which allows you to leave it and reach prime destinations very quickly.
While Del Prado isn’t right next to the trail, most homes are within a 2 mile distance of accessing it. If you like to walk, run or bike you are very likely going to take full advantage of this trail. It’s one of the safest options to commute and due to Del Prado’s central location it will be easier for you to connect with friends quickly in the north or south.
3. Walsingham Park
Pinellas County has a lot of great parks and although it’s the most densely populated county in the state of Florida, the local government did a great job a long time ago setting aside land for our residents to enjoy.
The city of Largo where Del Prado is located has some of the best parks in the area and Del Prado is situated close to a really good one called Walsingham Park. The park has over 350 acres and features many amenities including a boat ramp, fishing, dog park, playground, restrooms, fitness area, trail, and picnic shelters and grills.
2. Great Schools
Del Prado surrounds Oakhurst Elementary which makes it convenient for parents with children in elementary school to walk and pick up their kids from school. Oakhurst Elementary is considered to be a great school in the area and it’s really nice to see all the school crossing guards out that help keep people safe.
One of my favorite parts of living in Del Prado was really experiencing how the community comes together and supports the schools. Even if you don’t have children this is a great way to see the value in a neighborhood if you pass by the elementary school in the morning or afternoon when students enter or leave for the day.
There are also other great schools that Del Prado residents are zoned for including Seminole Middle and Seminole High School. You don’t have to travel far to get to any of these schools and none of them are located on any major highways.
1. Easy Access To Shopping
One of the advantages of living in Del Prado is you aren’t isolated from shopping and conveniences. There are 2 major malls both within 15 minute drives include Seminole City Center and Largo Mall. There’s also plenty of grocery options within 5 minutes including Publix and Walmart Neighborhood Market.
You can also go to plenty of restaurants and dine including local favorites and chain restaurants on the beaches and throughout the area. While we do have our moments of heavy traffic, in most cases it’s pretty easy to get to and from different locations.
I’ve spoken to clients that decided to move from the East Coast of Florida where in some areas it took them sometimes 45 minutes to an hour to travel 5 miles. Luckily as popular as our area is it’s not that bad.
In Conclusion
Del Prado is an amazing neighborhood to live in and I’m glad I had first hand experience living there to be able to share with you. One day I may end up there again but in the meantime if Del Prado sounds like the type of neighborhood you would be interested in, fill out the form below and we can get you started on a search.
If you have any additional questions about Del Prado located in Largo, FL you can also send us an email at the727team@gmail.com. Thank you again for taking the time to read through this!