I ended up in Wesley Chapel by chance. I was starting a new chapter in my life, one with a wife and a child. I was switching gears from a life of world travel to settling down. My heart was always in Florida so I knew that was the only place I could possibly settle down.
Theoretically, I could have ended up anywhere in the state of Florida, but realistically I always knew I would end up in Tampa Bay somewhere. I have always preferred the Gulf for its more Midwest culture (I’m from the Midwest originally). Busch Gardens is my favorite theme park. I lived in Brooksville previously for almost two years, which is Tampa Bay(ish).
So I landed a job in Lutz, a neighbor of Wesley Chapel, and got an apartment for $785 a month, which I thought was outrageously expensive. Cows and horses were my neighbors in nearby fields.
The cows and horses didn’t last long.
As if by magic, there appeared enormous shopping complexes overnight. Tracts of homes grew from the ground. Walmart moved in. Costco. Starbucks. Car dealerships. Pizza joints and then everything else.
Traffic grew. The population exploded (and is still on the rise).
At this point, if you are familiar with typical Florida writing, you would expect me to launch into a rant about how awful all this is and lament for a Florida that never was. But I’m not.
My Florida boomtown is something special. There is excitement in the air. A community of people is growing here. There is opportunity for a better life. My life has improved.
Everything I need is here in Wesley Chapel. There are three grocery stores within biking distance that compete for my business. The schools are some of the best in the state. There is a huge park nearby.
I-75 runs through town, creating easy access to the riches of Tampa.
I bought a townhome and locked down a favorable mortgage. The cost of rent has skyrocketed but I’m good to go. I grabbed hold of the rocket that is Wesley Chapel and am along for the ride.
I see more opportunity for a better lifestyle.
I’ve been fascinated by “lifestyle design” and living super frugal. One of the best ways to do that is to live in a Florida Boomtown. Everything you need is within biking distance. The only element I need to figure out now is my job, which still requires a commute to Tampa.
But give it time. I’ll get it figured out. There is opportunity here after all.
The most important thing is to recognize you live in a Florida Boomtown before the Boom leaves you behind. If I didn’t by my townhome when I did, I would no longer be able to afford to live in Wesley Chapel. Rents would have gotten too high. Price points for property would have been out of reach and I would have had to bitterly move away.
But I didn’t. I recognized the trend and jumped on it. That’s what you have to do in a Florida Boomtown. Jump on the Boom and enjoy the ride.
