If you read the print version of this publication, you live here in Wesley Chapel, so you know. But, in case you didn’t, Wesley Chapel is a great place to raise a family. That’s not just an opinion, either, as the number crunchers over at consumer advocacy website NerdWallet.com have analyzed the data to prove it — ranking our area number three of 180 cities on its list of “Best Cities for Young Families in Florida.”
According to the site, NerdWallet analysts ranked 180 cities, towns and census-designated places (CDPs, like Wesley Chapel) with populations of more than 10,000, looking at four different criteria: “home affordability,” “prosperity & growth,” “quality of education” and “family friendliness.” Wesley Chapel ranked third in the state, behind only Pace (near Pensacola) and Oviedo (near Orlando).
Although we only consider Wesley Chapel to be zip codes 33543, 33544 and 33545, the Wesley Chapel CDP in the NerdWallet rankings covers from County Line Rd. north to S.R. 52 and from Wesley Chapel Blvd. (S.R. 54 between S.R. 56 and I-75) east to Morris Bridge Rd.
The study looked at GreatSchools.com rankings (a national school ranking website), home median values, family income growth between 1999-2013, median family income for 2013 and the percentage of families with at least one child under age 18.
Here’s what the list’s author Jonathan Todd had to say about Wesley Chapel.
“With a population of 44,982, Wesley Chapel is one of the larger communities in the top 10, but it still offers a small-town atmosphere,” Todd wrote. “Median home values of $152,200 are the most affordable in the top 10, and for the money, residents get access to schools that earned an 8 (of 10) at GreatSchools. Over 30 percent of households are families with children, making Wesley Chapel a destination for young families. Even with the small, close-knit feel, residents in Wesley Chapel are only 20 miles north of Tampa, home to one of the fastest-growing metro economies in the state.”
The study found that family income in Wesley Chapel grew 20.11-percent between 1999-2013 and that median family income for 2013 was $80,446. The study also determined that 30.9-percent of families in our area have at least one child under the age of 18.
Nearby neighbor Lutz came in at number 7 on the list.
But, there’s plenty of other reasons why Wesley Chapel is such a great place to live. Here are some that didn’t make NerdWallet’s study:
1) An amazing Chamber of Commerce.
2) Unlike the poor planning that still keeps New Tampa from having a properly planned (and developed) road network, Pasco officials made sure that developers have paid and continue to pay for improvements to S.R. 54, S.R. 56 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.
3) An outstanding and still-new hospital (Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel) with plans and room for future expansion; and a top-level mental health facility (North Tampa Behavioral Health).
4) A brand new, technologically advanced State College campus (the Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch).
5) Three major shopping malls, two already up and running (the Shops at Wiregrass and The Grove shopping plaza) and one expected to open in October of this year (the Tampa Premium Outlets on S.R. 56).
6) The future largest ice skating facility in the entire state of Florida, also expected to open in October 2015, Florida Hospital Center Ice.
7) A possible major county-built sports complex, a future major financial office (Raymond James Financial), an expansion of the Shops at Wiregrass and thousands more residential units still to come in Wiregrass Ranch.
8) Two outstanding Rotary Clubs (see below for more info about one of them) and a great Lions Club.
9) Tremendous youth sports programs under the umbrella of the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association (WCAA), which is sending three softball teams to the Dixie State Championships (we plan to update the results of the state tournament participants in our next issue); and
10) An award-winning community news magazine (yes, this one), directly mailed to every single-family home in every major subdivision in zip codes 33543-45.
In other words, Wesley Chapel has got just about everything you need to raise a family, enjoy life as a single person or active senior…except maybe enough mom-and-pop restaurants to keep a certain newspaper editor happy.
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