Snowbirds seeking community of retired professionals (Tampa, Orlando: real estate, house, neighborhood)

[charlevoix]

Both my husband and I are retired professionals (law,medicine) and are looking for a southern Florida community for Winter use with people of like background. Ideally there would be many opportunities to interact socially with others in the neighborhood. Price range and location are very flexible, it is the community that matters most to us. We are very active and enjoy hiking, backpacking, gardening, and computing. We would welcome any suggestions.

[rikoshaprl]

It is hard to know where the professionals reside, but I think you could assume it would be in the areas where homes are most expensive. In Cape Coral that would be in the SE or SW right near the river. Naples would be another area. I guess you could search the real estate from $500,000 and up and that might be the neighborhood with professionals. I know I have a snowbird Dr. that lives across the basin from me but he is the exception. Our homes are only in the $200,000 to $300,000 range.

[B4U]

I know you posted in "Fort Myers - Cape Coral area", but research "Fiddler's Creek, in Naples.
Best of luck.

[faithfulFrank]

It is not for everyone, but The Villages, about 13 miles north of my Florida home has a median income of 91k. That is not bad for such a big place with all of that retired income.
I read that not too long ago. It is a one of a kind place, worth at least looking into.

I know you posted in the Ft. Myers forum, but you did not say if you were dead set on that area.

Frank

[charlevoix]

Thank you to all who replied. I did look into the Villages and found many things that were appealing there, including the number of colleges nearby. The one concern we had was the weather. It almost seems like there is an invisible line across Florida --from Sarasota area and south it is truly tropical (i.e. no or rare frost) and then north of Sarasota starting around Tampa, there are infrequent, but reliable frosts. As a gardener, I notice this in the flora and fauna. Annuals need to be covered to survive several times a year, grasses go more dormant, there are more leafless deciduous trees, in short, it begins to gradually look more like Michigan after the leaves have dropped the further north you go. We really want to have a place that it is reliably summer like in the winter. We have a number of friends and family that have gone to Orlando in Dec, Jan, or even February and needed winter coats for the fifty degree weather they encountered. Looking at the climate charts for Florida, the winters seem more regularly "tropical" in the Sanibel-Ft. Myers and south areas.

[hiknapster]

You want to look into Naples, Sanibel, Sarasota, Siesta Key, West Palm...to name a few.

[B4U]

Another 2 to research in Naples are, Grey Oaks & Lely. I hope you're at least enjoying your online research of these places. Finding a proper home can be daunting when you can't physically see them or the area.
Please let us know if we can answer some of your many questions.....................

[Dtronic]

Cape Harbor in Cape Coral. Boating community, but still alot to do there if you don't boat.

Walk to several restaurants and bistros. It's an interesting place and extremely easy to meet new people.

Cape Harbour - A Yachting Community

I have a couple friends that live there.

Otherwise you might like the 5th avenue area. Also have friends there.

Fifth Avenue South Naples, Naples Florida Shopping, Restaurants and Accommodations, Naples Florida Entertainment - Naples Florida

And you are right about cold in Florida. Stay below Sarasota.

[Suncoaster]

Originally Posted by charlevoix

Thank you to all who replied. I did look into the Villages and found many things that were appealing there, including the number of colleges nearby. The one concern we had was the weather. It almost seems like there is an invisible line across Florida --from Sarasota area and south it is truly tropical (i.e. no or rare frost) and then north of Sarasota starting around Tampa, there are infrequent, but reliable frosts. As a gardener, I notice this in the flora and fauna. Annuals need to be covered to survive several times a year, grasses go more dormant, there are more leafless deciduous trees, in short, it begins to gradually look more like Michigan after the leaves have dropped the further north you go. We really want to have a place that it is reliably summer like in the winter. We have a number of friends and family that have gone to Orlando in Dec, Jan, or even February and needed winter coats for the fifty degree weather they encountered. Looking at the climate charts for Florida, the winters seem more regularly "tropical" in the Sanibel-Ft. Myers and south areas.

If winter temps are a concern - and to us tropical gardeners, they're a big concern - be careful where you go, should you decide on Lee County. Every winter, I listen to my wx-radio obs and I've noticed that occasionally Lee County's official temp can be lower than ours (St. Pete). Of course, our "official" temp is taken at Albert Whitted Airport by the bay, which is the hot spot here. I think Lee County's temp is taken further inland, and that particular area could be what we call a "cold sink" - having temps slightly lower than temps closer to the water. This makes all the difference -I used to know someone who lived near Ft. Myers and right by the gulf - he was growing Zone 11 plants. Btw, there have been instances where Lee County had frost/freeze warnings when we didn't. Naples, however, is a different story.

[justNancy]

It's very difficult to say where the most people with like interests will reside. Naples is definitely a good choice. However, when it comes to price "flexible" is too general. You can buy a $20 million house in Port Royal, but $350,000 will also buy a home in a nice subdivision, especially in this market. The above suggestions to look for homes in Fiddler's Creek and Grey Oaks are good, but there are way too many to list. Mediterra is also a very nice place to live.

You can look at homes on the Naples MLS here

[URL="http://www.naplesarea.com/"]Naples Area Board of Realtors - Naples Real Estate | MLS Listings[/URL]

Regarding the temperature, you'll experience less frost near the water. Barefoot Beach is a pretty waterfront community. The address is Bonita, but it's in Collier County. Southport is a gated community within Barefoot. You'll get less house/land for your money the closer you get to the Gulf of Mexico.

Quail West is a very pricey golf course community with large homes. Again, it depends on what appeals to you. Marco Island is further south, so you might want to look there as well. 40% of Marco residents are snowbirds. Bay Colony in Pelican Bay is one of the more upscale communities in Naples. Maybe you can chat about law with 2 of its more famous residents, Judy & Gerry Sheindlin.

You will get much less of a frost as you travel south. I was going to suggest Sarasota to you, since the city has so much to offer, but you're correct about the possibility of frost, although even areas as far south as Marco Island experienced below normal temperatures last winter.

Only you can decide what appeals to you by driving around and visiting these communities. Good luck!