Best Neighborhoods in St. Petersburg, Fl

St. Petersburg, Fla. made The New York Times list of top 52 destinations in the world to see in 2014, and Tbo.com reported that St. Pete is gaining global fame as a hip destination.  The city is vibrant with restaurants, quaint shopping, and cultural events almost every day of the week. Home buyers are now looking south of Downtown St. Pete as prices have become out of reach for many in the heart of downtown.

There are many neighborhoods just south of Downtown that are still affordable, yet, most people have never heard of them.  Banyan Bay Townhomes are located in the small community of Bayou Highlands. The neighborhood is in one of the best locations, only 5 minutes from Downtown St. Pete and just steps from the historic neighborhood of Pinellas Point, also known as the “Pink Streets.”

What makes this unique waterfront community so desirable? Let’s start with a little history. The land that makes up this waterfront enclave of townhomes was once owned by a famous Banker, Hubert Rutland. He and his family purchased the property in the 1930’s and lived there for about 50 years. The original Rutland mansion is 10,000 sf and was situated on 14 acres of waterfront land . In 2005 D.R. Horton built Banyan Bay Townhomes which is now located on 10 acres of the original parcel overlooking Little Bayou.

There are literally dozens of Banyan trees surrounding this majestic property.  These enormous historical Banyan trees are not only breathtaking, they also represent eternal life and are considered sacred in many cultures. [click to continue…]