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.