[strick1]

We intend to move from Central New York to Florida before the '08/'09 school year begins. We would like to be within an hours drive of an airport, since travel back to Central New York for business will be necessary. Our kids are 8 & 10 and we were initially drawn to Brevard County (Merritt Island or Suntree/Vierra area) because of the highly rated Brevard County Schools, and the proximity to the beaches, and the Orlando airport and Orlando recreation. We have read some good things in these forums about North Port (Sarasota County). We are not familiar with that area and would appreciate any feedback in comparison to Brevard County. Specfically with regard to the quality of schools, real estate/rental market, traffic, crime, recreation, general quality of life.

Thanks for any input!

[SoFLGal]

Hi strick1,

I live in North Port and have kids that are in the Sarasota county public schools. I can only speak for Sarasota County because I'm not to familiar with Brevard. My children both go to Pine View , it is a public school. The school is ranked the #6 school in the US by US News. We absolutely love it! Sarasota County pays their teachers higher than any other county in the state of Florida. I think it shows.

The average age in North Port is 38. It's about 40 minutes from the Sarasota airport, the beaches are about 25 minutes away and the housing is very reasonable. There are virtually no traffic problems. For any recreation we go to Ft Myers or Sarasota which are 35-40 minutes away.

I just sold a home for in the $130,000's and it had a garden tub, walk-in shower, high ceilings, plant shelves, fenced yard, great neighborhood, etc. It was a foreclosure. There are some fantastic deals in the rental market as well as with foreclosures.

As you can see I am a big fan of North Port!