Brandon, located just east of Tampa, is an 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.
From Wikipedia