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Old 08-06-2009, 10:24 AM
 
2 posts, read 3,908 times
Reputation: 10

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Couldn't help but notice you are considering Sarasota as one of your choices. We moved here 3 years ago and would love to find a way out. We are considering the Charleston area.
The economy in Sarasota has been decimated. there are very few jobs. The tri County rate of unemployment is amoung the highest in the nation.
Most neighborhoods have a hugh number of foreclosures, so property values have fallen 60% since 2006. (It is a good time to buy.) We are very near ground=zero for the meltdown:Ft Meyers.
The snakes are everywhere, including pythons, but my real fear has become the brown recluse spider and the fire ants.
You should really so some serious due diligence before you consider SW Florida.
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Old 08-06-2009, 01:00 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,281 times
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Wink The real lowdown

Thank you for your post and response to the real low down. My husband just took a job with the city and we will be relocating from the Pacific NW in october. I, too, have been reading about snakes-funny how certain things really stick out as concerns when they are so different from ones own experiences.
I appreciate the response too. Not to be critical-well, a bit, it is frustrating to read through 2 years of bickering comments on here between people about their neighborhoods and how "crazy" or "ignorant" they are rather than just stating your own experience and that is that...I think most people searching for info from far away appreciate that one person might find an area "tough" and "dangerous" while another would find it teeming with potential. That is what makes a city great.
I am searching for a safe (diverse is fine-preferable even, can walk by self to store at night, few to none break-ins, friendly neighbors, young families) neighborhood, close (within 2-3miles) to a coffee shop, library, farmers market, park, grocery without terrible traffic to downtown for husband.
Suggestions please. I cannot find farmers market info on maps.

Also when people are considering neighborhoods from FAR away-I think they(I am) are looking for the feel of a place-the fear of safety or lack there of is real and Charleston is ranked top 25 for crime so it is legitimate to be concerned considering its size. Looking for positive feedback and ideas/suggestions-and any real estate agents that want to steer me from what they think is not of interest-fine by me-I will weigh with other responses-that is why I am city-data-not an agents site.
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Old 08-10-2009, 12:52 AM
 
Location: Sarasota, FL
151 posts, read 557,267 times
Reputation: 47
shee123---
I live in a town called Bellingham, which is about an hour north of Seattle and 45 mins south of Vancouver. It's a great town and I never feel unsafe here. Of course we have our car break-ins like any normal sized city but I walk downtown at night and to the stores, etc and never feel like I am in danger. Of course I think you can pretty much be attacked in the smallest or towns or largest of towns, it's not the town--it's the person. Having said that, we have a Saturday farmers market, lots of good coffee shops and bakeries, we are big on "buy local" meaning that people really take an effort to support each other and the local businesses. The schools are great, 9 out of 10 on greatschools.com. We have people of all ages, it is a college town but there are lots of 30-somethings, 40-somethings, retirees, and younger people. Traffic isn't bad at all for the most part, of course local people have a fit if we sit in one spot for longer than 2 minutes but all "out-of-towners" laugh when they see our "traffic" and then we go to Seattle and appreciate how un-congested it is up here, a lot of people ride bicycles in the summer.
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Old 08-10-2009, 09:36 AM
 
4,465 posts, read 7,965,720 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by angelagardner View Post
Ok, I have been reading and writing on these forums and have built up a lot of questions, so if anyone can assist please do. Also, I have been getting a lot responses that just don't relate to my questions so I hope more details will help and some of you will be kind enough to respond with honest and friendly feedback. So here goes:

1. We are looking at three areas: Wilmington area, Charleston, SC and Sarasota, FL--mainly a decent sized town on the water/beaches. If anyone has been to or lived in those areas, how do they compare?
2. What is the real lowdown on snakes? Bugs I can handle, but last night I started looking up snakes in the SC area and was overwhelmed by what I found. How often, in reality, do you run across snakes and how large are they? I don't plan on gardening myself and have 2 large dogs so the yard will be kept really low, etc...of course the usual deflections but please, PLEASE give me the real low down on the snake issue. Would my cat be safe? We don't have large snakes here so I am still learning how to deal with them, etc.
3. How cold and bad does the weather get in the winter? I come from a place where it sucks almost 7 months of the year and can't handle it anymore. 50-60's is ok but less than that and I get grumpy.
4. How is the job market really doing in the area other than what I see on Craigs List? We will have some money already coming in each month and I might have a job that is transferrable for myself but what type of jobs are people seeing out there?
5. How is the actual cost of living? Such as power/heat/air conditioning/water/sewer, etc? Averages? Do you use the heat much in the winter? I would guess A/C would be a must in the summer.
6. Are there dog parks/beaches in the area that allow off-leash options? Sorry, I just recently discovered dog parks since I have never lived with a dog and not a large amount of property--so that may sound like a silly question.
7. What do people do for fun in the area other than hitting the beach? Are there good martini bars or night clubs for early 30-something aged individuals? Examples: where I live now we camp in the mountains, river/lake/ocean fishing, movies in the park, hiking, biking, etc...
8. What is the school schedule? Is it year round with summers off or three on/three off like California? What is there to do for teens and pre-teens?

I am sure I will think of more but thank you to all who answer. p It's a tough decision trying to figure out where to live on the other side of the country.
Having lived both places (Bellingham and The Holy City), I can say that the one thing you will find is that the two are the polar opposites, as far as philosophy and people are concerned.
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Old 08-12-2009, 12:15 PM
 
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
540 posts, read 1,673,224 times
Reputation: 195
Just stay out of Horry County, north of Charleston. Our unemployment is a bit higher here and very little hope for recovery any time soon since we are a tourist area. Very pet unfriendly, and like the previous posters stated, there are plenty of dog parks in Charleston. In fact, we visit there frequently with our 133 lb dog! St. James Island (think thats it) is our favorite one, it has a very clean lake where the dogs can swim, a large fenced in area for them to run and have fun, plus plenty to do for the humans as well!
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