Moving to Clair-Mel City, FL: Living in Clair-Mel Guide

Clair-Mel City is a small unincorporated community just east of Tampa, sitting between the Tampa city limits, the Palm River community and the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. It is one half of the Palm River-Clair Mel census-designated place, a fast-growing area of more than 26,000 people that has become one of the more affordable ways to live within a short drive of downtown Tampa.

Clair-Mel suits first-time buyers, working families and commuters who want to be close to downtown, Ybor City, the port and Brandon without paying South Tampa prices. It is younger than Florida as a whole, and it has a mix of owners and renters. It is not a fancy address, and it doesn’t try to be. What it offers is location and value.

Planning a move to Clair-Mel City? Call our Tampa team at 813-544-0048 or get your price online.

Where Is Clair-Mel City?

Clair-Mel City (often written Clair Mel) is an unincorporated community in Hillsborough County, about 7 miles east-southeast of Tampa on State Road 676. According to Wikipedia, its boundaries are Palm River to the west, the Tampa city limits to the north, the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway to the east and Progress Village to the south. The community itself covers about 0.64 square miles, and its ZIP code is 33619.

For Census purposes, Clair-Mel City is combined with neighboring Palm River to form the Palm River-Clair Mel CDP. That larger area sits just west of the geographic center of Hillsborough County. It is bordered by Tampa to the north and west, Brandon to the east, Riverview to the southeast and Progress Village to the south, and the Palm River forms its northern edge.

Approximate drive distances from Rome2Rio:

Downtown Tampa: about 7.4 miles, roughly 9 minutes without traffic
Tampa International Airport (TPA): about 15.5 miles from the Palm River-Clair Mel area, roughly 24 minutes

Major roads include U.S. 41, which runs through the western part of the CDP north into East Tampa and south toward Gibsonton, and U.S. 41 Business, which crosses East Bay/McKay Bay for a more direct route to downtown. U.S. 301 forms the CDP’s eastern edge, running north toward East Lake-Orient Park and south to Riverview. The Selmon Expressway, a toll road, connects the area with downtown, South Tampa and Brandon.

Our Tampa office serves all of Hillsborough County, and our Clair-Mel City movers know the area’s main routes well.

Clair-Mel City Population & Demographics

The Census Bureau does not publish separate numbers for Clair-Mel City, so the figures below describe the whole Palm River-Clair Mel CDP. That area has grown steadily: 21,024 residents in 2010 and 26,142 at the 2020 Census, a 24.3% increase. It is younger than Florida as a whole, and nearly a quarter of residents were born outside the United States.

Measure	Palm River-Clair Mel CDP	Florida
Population (2020 Census)	26,142	—
Population (ACS 2020–2024 estimate)	27,844	—
Median age (ACS 2020–2024)	34.9	42.6
Persons under 18 (2020)	25.1%	—
Persons 65 and over (2020)	12.3%	22.8%
Median household income (2020–2024)	$71,787	$74,568
Per capita income (2020–2024)	$31,732	$42,609
Bachelor’s degree or higher, age 25+	25.0%	34.1%
Owner-occupied housing rate	60.5%	67.6%
Persons per household	2.77	—
Foreign-born residents	24.0%	21.9%
Persons in poverty	13.1%	12.6%
Mean travel time to work	30.6 min	28.0 min
Land area (2020)	11.43 sq mi	—

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Palm River-Clair Mel CDP and Florida (2020 Census and 2020–2024 ACS 5-year); Census Reporter (ACS 2024 5-year population and median age; Florida median age, per capita income, foreign-born and poverty rates); 2010 count from Wikipedia.

At the 2020 Census the CDP had 9,361 households, and 35.4% of them had children under 18. It is also home to 1,218 veterans (2020–2024). With a median age almost eight years below the state’s, this is an area of working-age adults and young families.

Is Clair-Mel City Safe?

Clair-Mel City is outside the Tampa city limits and is patrolled by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. We did not find crime statistics published for Clair-Mel or the Palm River-Clair Mel CDP that we could cite, so we won’t guess.

To check a specific street, use the Sheriff’s Office Crime Search Map, linked from the HCSO website, which shows reported incidents near an address. As anywhere, conditions vary from block to block, so drive the area at night and on a weekend before you sign.

Cost of Living in Clair-Mel City

Home Prices

This is one of the more affordable areas this close to downtown Tampa. The Census Bureau’s median value of owner-occupied homes in the Palm River-Clair Mel CDP was $271,700 for 2020–2024, compared with $359,000 for Florida and $420,400 for the City of Tampa.

For recent sales, Redfin reports a median sale price of about $317,000 in ZIP 33619 over the three months ending August 2026, up 10.6% from a year earlier. Homes took a median of 51 days to sell, up from 21 days the year before, so buyers have had more time to negotiate. ZIP 33619 covers more than Clair-Mel City, so look at recent sales on the streets you like.

Rent

About 40% of homes in the CDP are renter-occupied. The Census Bureau’s median gross rent was $1,525 for 2020–2024, below the Florida median of $1,669 and Tampa’s $1,701. For a current snapshot of apartment rents nearby, Apartments.com’s September 2026 averages were $1,651 for a one-bedroom and $1,986 for a two-bedroom in Tampa, and $1,429 for a one-bedroom and $1,666 for a two-bedroom in Brandon.

Best Neighborhoods in Clair-Mel City

Clair-Mel Proper

The original Clair-Mel community is the small area between Palm River to the west, the Tampa city limits to the north, the Selmon Expressway to the east and Progress Village to the south. It sits right along the Selmon, with quick access for commuting downtown or out to Brandon. It suits buyers who want a short commute and a lower price than most neighborhoods this close to the city.

Palm River

West of Clair-Mel, the Palm River community makes up the rest of the CDP, with U.S. 41 running through its western side and the Palm River forming its northern edge. Palm River Park, a small county park on S. 58th Street, serves this side. This side is closest to U.S. 41 and the McKay Bay crossing into downtown, and it suits people who work at the port or in East Tampa and Ybor City.

Next Door: Progress Village

Just south of Clair-Mel, Progress Village has the 16-acre Progress Village Park on Progress Boulevard, with baseball fields, basketball and pickleball courts and a playground. Spoto High School serves both Progress Village and Palm River-Clair Mel. It is worth adding to your search if nothing fits in Clair-Mel itself.

Weather & Climate

Clair-Mel City has the Tampa Bay climate. Using NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Tampa International Airport, Current Results reports an average annual high of 83°F and low of 66°F. The coldest days, in mid-January, average a high of 71°F and a low of 52°F, while July and August average highs of 91°F and lows of 77°F. Tampa averages 94 days a year in the 90s, 49.5 inches of precipitation, and 83 thunderstorm days, most of them in summer. August is usually the wettest month and November the driest.

Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. The Palm River-Clair Mel area borders the Palm River and is close to McKay Bay, so check your flood and evacuation zones carefully. Hillsborough County made more significant changes than usual to its evacuation zones for 2026, expanding Zone A in some areas and adding neighborhoods to Zone E. Look up your address at HCFL.gov/HEAT and sign up for HCFL.gov/Alert.

Best months to move: October through April. In summer, book the earliest start you can.

Things to Do Near Clair-Mel City

Palm River Park

This free, 4.74-acre county park at 725 S. 58th Street has a basketball court, an open field, picnic shelters and a playground. It is open sunrise to sunset.

Progress Village Park

At 8701 Progress Boulevard, this 16-acre county park has baseball fields, basketball, tennis and pickleball courts, fitness equipment, a playground and picnic shelters. It is free and open sunrise to sunset.

Ybor City

Ybor City, just northeast of downtown Tampa, was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez Ybor and other cigar makers, and thousands of immigrants from Cuba, Spain and Italy settled there. For decades its factories rolled hundreds of millions of cigars a year. Today it is Tampa’s historic district for restaurants, bakeries and nightlife, and it is a short drive from Clair-Mel.

Manatee Viewing Center (Apollo Beach)

South of Clair-Mel at 6990 Dickman Road in Apollo Beach, Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center lets you see manatees gathering in the warm water discharged by the Big Bend Power Station. It is open daily from November 1 through April 15, with free admission and parking, and you’re most likely to see a crowd of manatees when the water drops below 68 degrees.

Brandon Exchange

East of Clair-Mel off I-75, between State Road 60 and the Selmon Expressway, Brandon Exchange opened in 1995 as Brandon Town Center. It is the big indoor mall for this side of the county.

Where to Eat Near Clair-Mel City

Columbia Restaurant (Ybor City)

The Columbia at 2117 E. 7th Avenue is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida. It started as Saloon Columbia in 1903, took its current name in 1905 and has been run by the same family for five generations. Its 15 dining rooms fill a city block. It is the place to take visitors for Spanish and Cuban food.

La Segunda Bakery (Ybor City)

La Segunda has baked Cuban bread at 2512 N. 15th Street in Ybor City since 1915 and says it bakes more than 18,000 loaves a day. Pick up a loaf, pastries and coffee for moving-day breakfast.

Jesse’s Steak and Seafood (Brandon)

East of Clair-Mel, Jesse’s Steak and Seafood has been at 524 W. Brandon Boulevard since 1980. As the name says, steaks and seafood are the draw, and it makes a good celebration dinner once you are settled.

Jobs & Economy

Clair-Mel’s location puts several big employers within a short drive. The average commute for Palm River-Clair Mel residents is 30.6 minutes (2020–2024).

Port Tampa Bay: Florida’s largest port, covering about 5,000 acres. Its main exports are phosphate and fertilizer, and its main imports are petroleum products and steel. Cement operations are split between Port Tampa Bay and Port Redwing.
Downtown Tampa and Tampa General Hospital: About 7 miles away. Tampa General has approximately 15,000 team members and providers systemwide.
Brandon: HCA Florida Brandon Hospital, Brandon Exchange and the retail corridor are just to the east.
MacDill Air Force Base: Host to U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command, reachable via the Selmon Expressway. See our military moving page; military families get 5% off.
Westshore District: Tampa Bay’s largest employment center by its own description, with about 100,000 employees.

Schools in Clair-Mel City

Public schools are part of Hillsborough County Public Schools, which describes itself as the nation’s 7th largest school district. Spoto High School serves Clair-Mel City. It is located in Riverview, opened in August 2006 to relieve crowding at Riverview and East Bay high schools, and is named for Richard C. Spoto, a longtime Hillsborough County educator and coach. As always, confirm the zoned elementary, middle and high schools for a specific address with the district before you buy or sign a lease.

For college, Hillsborough College has campuses in Brandon and Ybor City among its five locations, and the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa are both in the city.

Clair-Mel City Quick Facts

County	Hillsborough County (unincorporated)
Census area	Palm River-Clair Mel CDP (population 26,142, 2020 Census)
Clair-Mel land area	About 0.64 square miles
ZIP code	33619
Area codes	813 and 656 (656 overlay added in 2022)
Distance to downtown Tampa	About 7 miles
Nearest airport	Tampa International Airport (TPA), about 15.5 miles
Main roads	Selmon Expressway, U.S. 41, U.S. 41 Business, U.S. 301, State Road 676
Law enforcement	Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
Public high school	Spoto High School (Hillsborough County Public Schools)

Moving to Clair-Mel City: Tips From Our Crew

Use the Selmon, but know it’s a toll road. The Selmon Expressway is the quick link to downtown, South Tampa and Brandon. We plan the route and the time of day so the truck isn’t sitting in rush-hour traffic on your dime.
Allow for port and commercial traffic. U.S. 41 and U.S. 301 are major routes through the area, and the port is nearby. Midday loading usually beats the morning and evening rush.
Apartments need paperwork. About 40% of homes here are rented, and many apartment communities require a certificate of insurance and set move-in hours. We provide COIs free; send us the property’s rules a week ahead.
Check your flood and evacuation zone. With the Palm River and McKay Bay nearby and Hillsborough’s 2026 zone changes, look up your address before closing. If you move between June and November, keep documents and medications with you, not on the truck.
Start early in summer. July and August highs average 91°F, and afternoon thunderstorms are common. An 8 a.m. start is best.
First-time buyers: use storage if dates don’t match. If your lease ends before closing, we can keep your things in storage and deliver on closing day.

Frequently Asked Questions About Moving to Clair-Mel City

How much does it cost to hire movers in Clair-Mel City?

It depends on how much you’re moving, the distance, stairs, packing and the date. An apartment move across the county and a three-bedroom house coming from out of state are very different jobs. The fastest way to a real number is a free quote. Call 813-544-0048 and an owner will call you back within 15 minutes between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Is Clair-Mel City part of Tampa?

No. Clair-Mel City is an unincorporated community in Hillsborough County, just outside the Tampa city limits, and it uses Tampa (33619) mailing addresses. County government provides services, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office handles law enforcement.

What is the difference between Clair-Mel and Palm River-Clair Mel?

Clair-Mel City is the community itself. Palm River-Clair Mel is the census-designated place that combines Clair-Mel City and neighboring Palm River for Census purposes, which is why most statistics you’ll find, including the ones in this guide, cover both.

Is Clair-Mel City affordable?

Compared with most areas this close to downtown, yes. The Census median home value for the CDP was $271,700 (2020–2024), and Redfin’s median sale price in ZIP 33619 was about $317,000 for the three months ending August 2026. Median gross rent was $1,525, below the Tampa and Florida medians.

Can A & M move me to Clair-Mel City from out of state?

Yes. Long-distance moves include a binding estimate, so the price does not change after you book, your own dedicated truck, the same W-2 crew door to door and a guaranteed delivery date. We never charge a rescheduling fee.

Move to Clair-Mel City With A & M Friendly Movers

A & M Friendly Movers has been family-owned since 2015. Owners Matthew Treharn and Amber Hallaman stand behind every job with the Owner’s Promise: you talk to an owner, not a call center. If anything is damaged, an owner calls you the same day, and claims are resolved in 60–90 days. Our crews are background-checked, drug-tested W-2 employees, never subcontractors.

Our Tampa office covers all of Hillsborough County for local moves, packing and unpacking, junk removal, apartment moves and more (FL Mover Reg. IM3566). Read our reviews, see our moving services in Clair-Mel City, or call 813-544-0048.

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Moving to Clair-Mel City, FL: Living in Clair-Mel City Guide