What I also noticed is that these videos are really well done but don’t get the attention they deserve. I’m so glad I’m able to embed them on my blogs and write a bit about them.
The neighborhood residents in these videos briefly touch on what makes their area special to them.
If you have any questions for me when you’re ready this article feel free to call or text me at 727-307-1111 or shoot me an email at chrisformico@gmail.com.
With that said, here is the Living Local video series for The Old Northeast Neighborhood. Feel free to watch it before I go into a more depth analysis of Old Northeast!
8. Neighborhood Events
Historic Old Northeast has an active neighborhood association appropriately named Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association or HONNA. It’s pretty easy to see how active this association is just by taking a look at the events section of their Facebook page.
You will find monthly neighborhood porch parties, yard sales, neighborhood meetings and of course their locally famous Candlelight Tour Of Homes where local home owners open their homes to the public. The people who register their homes for this tour are typically the type who put a lot of work into restoring these 100 year old homes and let their pride of ownership show through.
If you can appreciate historic homes in the slightest, it is truly awe inspiring to see how much work and creativity is put into these renovated homes. I think it’s great that these people are so proud of their homes that they’re willing to let the public come appreciate the work done as well.
7. Proximity to Downtown
The Downtown Historic District on Central Avenue. About a 5 minute walk from Old Northeast.
Are you from here? If you are then I really don’t need to go into any detail about why it’s great to be close to Downtown. Just in case you’re not from here I’ll give you a quick synopsis of our Downtown area.
Downtown St. Pete is a little big city. This mini metropolis manages to be the perfect balance between plenty of things to do while also maintaining a local feel. Our downtown has ordinances that restrict most chain restaurants and bigger corporations from opening up shop. There is emphasis on local shops, local bars and restaurants, and local business owners which really ties into the overall feel of the city.
Much like the pride of ownership that many Old Northeast homeowners have, local business owners are able to put their own creativity into their businesses as well and embrace that same pride of ownership concept. There’s a special energy that comes with those pioneers who open their own business rather than those who own a franchise or work for a corporation. This city is full of that energy.
6. Walkability
Beautiful tree near the Downtown Waterfront.
Not only can you walk to downtown but you can also enjoy nature by visiting one of the many nature filled areas including Northshore Park. Northshore is a beautiful waterfront park right next to Old Northeast and is the premiere spot for locals to go walk, jog, bike or otherwise enjoy the Downtown waterfront.
There is also acres upon acres of green space for picnics, fitness classes, or just relaxing in a hammock. Whoever was in charge of designing this city thankfully had the foresight to leave this beautiful waterfront area open to the public rather than building more houses on it. Northshore also has a swimming pool, baseball diamonds, tennis courts and volleyball courts open to the public. What else can you ask for in a park?
5. Friendly Atmosphere
Whether you are biking through this neighborhood or hanging out at the local Old Northeast Tavern strip mall, you will notice people here are friendly and typically have a zest for life. I feel like the word strip mall is the wrong way to describe the local neighborhood gathering spot.
The Old Northeast Tavern is the anchor tenant in this building which also features a pizza place and Black Crow Coffee. I’ll go into more detail about the Old NE Tavern later on.
What also makes this neighborhood friendly is the active efforts of the neighborhood association that organize monthly porch parties. It’s not always easy to make new friends as an adult so why not live in a neighborhood that facilitates social interaction to meet the people that live around you? You more than likely will find something in common with those who live around you.
4. Charming
Free little library open 24 hours
You know that saying they don’t make them like they used to? This can be applied to many things in life however it’s especially true when you compare these historic homes built in the 1920’s to modern homes today. These homes have character and every one has gone through it’s own different transformation during it’s lifespan.
It’s not simply just the houses that creates the charm in this area. It’s a combination of the hand laid brick streets, large trees providing shade and even little touches like the little free libraries placed around the neighborhood. If you’ve never seen one before these are like a community bookshelf – You can take a book to read and leave one for someone else.
I think charm is also a somewhat intangible thing. I once had a friend from England come visit me and I took him through Old Northeast. He told me that it reminded him of the American Dream. White picket fences, front porches, happy people and that Old Florida feel all play into the charm in this area.
3. Unique Homes
Since the property values here are some of the highest in St.Pete, you will see some of the most in depth renovations in these homes. In some neighborhoods you may risk ‘over-improving’ your home by putting too much money into renovations however the threshold in Old Northeast is pretty high. Many of these homes fetch some of the highest prices in Pinellas County even without being directly waterfront.
2. Proximity To Water
Northshore Park right next to Old Northeast
I mentioned Northshore Park earlier which spans the majority of the waterfront next to Old Northeast. If you go a little bit further north, you will run into Coffeepot Park located on Coffeepot Bayou. This area has a boat launch where you can launch a boat, kayak, paddle board or any other watercraft.
This peaceful bayou has all sorts of wildlife including dolphins, birds and manatees. North Shore often hosts music festivals which typically cost money to get into. Another way to enjoy these festivals is to park your boat off the seawall and enjoy the music from there.
If you’re into boating you can also cruise up to Weedon Island where many folks bring their boats to park and hang out on the sandbar.
1. Old Northeast Tavern
This is a great conversation bar, somewhere you could go to relax and talk with friends. The bartenders are always friendly and the beer seems to be about as cold as it gets. The inside has a historic charm to it. This is a place you’re likely to find mature adults frequent rather than a rowdy younger crowd. Check out this in-depth article on The Old Northeast Tavern if you’re curious to learn more.
Old Northeast where you can rent a plot of land to garden!
In Conclusion
Old Northeast is a premiere neighborhood in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida. I’ve traveled a lot and never experienced something like this neighborhood. I always think “What if I was visiting from out of town and I saw this neighborhood?” I would experience a peaceful historic neighborhood next to a beautiful waterfront park, bordering a bustling downtown area in an exciting up and coming Florida city. Where else can you find anything that even comes close? Feel free to check out all available listings here or reach out to us below if you’re interested in living in beautiful Historic Old Northeast! You can also email me at chrisformico@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!