Is Balm safe?
Tampa, Florida · safety score updated nightly
Yes — it is one of the safer places in the metro to walk around.
VibeLoco rates Balm as “Go”.
Gogo's take on Balm
“Go. Balm is a quiet, rapidly developing rural-suburban area in southern Hillsborough County that experiences very low rates of violent and property crime. While you will need a personal vehicle to navigate its spread-out roads, visitors face virtually no urban safety hazards.”
Rapid residential growth in southern Hillsborough County has spurred county discussions regarding road expansions along County Road 672 and Balm-Boyette Road.
About the area
Balm is an unincorporated, exurban community southeast of Tampa characterized by sprawling agricultural land, nature preserves, and emerging master-planned residential subdivisions. It offers a tranquil, countryside atmosphere with very little commercial density and wide open spaces.
- Rural / Exurban
- Car-Dependent
- Quiet
- Nature-Focused
Walking and biking in Balm
Walk score: 7/100 · Bike score: 22/100
There are no urban bike shares; however, Balm-Boyette Scrub Preserve contains over 20 miles of dedicated, world-class multi-use and mountain biking trails.
Reasons to go, and reasons to think twice
Pros
- Violent crime and property crime rates are significantly below the Hillsborough County and national averages
- High rates of homeownership and well-maintained master-planned subdivisions
- Abundant natural recreation and vast open parklands
Cons
- Heavily car-dependent with high-speed, poorly lit rural two-lane roads
- Very limited retail, dining, and immediate medical infrastructure
- Pockets of unpaved roads and slow emergency response times due to rural spread
Homelessness: Visible homelessness is practically non-existent in Balm due to its low-density, rural-suburban layout and lack of walk-in social services.
What Balm is like at each time of day
- Morning · 5a – 11a
- Peaceful and calm with morning commuters and recreational cyclists heading to local trailheads.
- Afternoon · 11a – 5p
- Quiet and sun-exposed, with low traffic inside neighborhoods and steady traffic on main rural connectors.
- Evening · 5p – 10p
- Tranquil and safe, though visibility decreases quickly along unlit rural corridors.
- Late night · 10p – 5a
- Extremely dark and silent with virtually zero street activity; personal crime risk remains very low.
Transit, parking and getting around
Balm has no direct public transit service operated by HART (Hillsborough Area Regional Transit). Visitors and residents are entirely reliant on personal vehicles.
Parking is abundant and free across residential driveways, local farm stands, and preserve trailheads, with zero paid meter zones.
Things to do in Balm
- Explore the extensive mountain bike trails at Balm-Boyette Scrub Preserve
- Visit local farm stands and seasonal u-pick agricultural plots
- Enjoy peaceful bird watching and wildlife photography along the preserve trails
Local favorites
- Balm-Boyette Scrub Preserve Trailhead · Outdoor Recreation · 4.7★ (310)Popular county preserve offering nearly 5,000 acres of habitat and premier mountain biking singletrack.
- Fancy Farms · Farm Market · 4.8★ (460)Family-run local market known for fresh winter strawberries, produce, and seasonal shortcakes.
- Circle K (Balm-Boyette) · Convenience Store · 4.0★ (95)Primary roadside convenience and refueling stop serving local commuters and trail visitors.
Scores are safety-driven — recent reported crime and local news plus Census income, poverty, housing, education, household and access data — refreshed nightly. Walk and bike scores are shown separately and do not affect the safety score. A guide, not a guarantee — conditions change street to street.