By Robert Lipply
Once part of the barrier island town, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores' history began in 1949 when the south shore of the island broke off to become a town of its own. It carried the name Indian Rocks Beach South Shore Beach until 1973, when the town council voted to shorten the name to Indian Shores. With a population of less than 2,000 year round residents, Indian Shore offers a relaxed atmosphere, scenic shorelines and wonderful weather to anyone looking for a new home or a home away from home.
As small as it is, Indian Shores is home to some of the best area restaurants with cuisine ranging from surf and turf specials to upscale Scandinavian and Italian restaurants. The town is a haven for adults, with children under 18 in less than 10% of the town's households. The wide stretches of beach and proximity to nearby cities, though, offer an enormous range of fun activities for any resident or visitor.
Located on the southern shore of one of the Gulf Coast's barrier islands, Indian Shores is just under three miles long, and has beaches facing either the Gulf Coast or the Intercoastal Waterway. The small town boasts more than twenty beach accesses, and has benefited from a recent beach nourishment project that added tons of fine white sand to the already beautiful beaches. Originally developed as a playground for the wealthy in the 1920s, Indian Shores remains a popular beach destination with beachfront cottages, condominiums, and second homes in abundance.
Real estate prices in Pinellas County where Indian Shores is located, enjoyed a recent spike that combined with historically low mortgage rates to spark new home development and speculative investors. In the past year, however, housing prices have stabilized and started to drop slightly, making this an ideal time to buy a home in Indian Shores. Projections by Wachovia Financial's economic unit predict that housing prices will stabilize and begin to rise again at more normal rates, and that the strong economy and low unemployment rates will keep the area prosperous.
In short, with interest rates and housing prices poised to rise over the next several months to a year, there's no better time to be buying a home either as a primary residence or as a second home or vacation rental in this beautiful, quiet community on the Florida Gulf Coast known as Indian Shores.
About the Author: Bob Lipply and his team of full time, full service Tampa Bay Realtors, will work hard to find you the perfect home. View available properties at Tampa Florida Real Estate, or you can also call toll free at 1-888-423-5775. We answer all calls promptly.
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