Seeking a "sense of community" small town feeling

[hsmomof2]

This will have events listed and will give you an idea of what is coming up- we love music walk it's monthly and its neat - I take the kids and we just wander around listening to all kinds of muscians- Downtown Fort Myers, Florida River District - DowntownFortMyers.com
basically downtown is considered the "river district" and if you check out this link there are maps to download with business locations Downtown Fort Myers: River District

I don't like to click on links myself, and if you don't that is understandable, just google downtown fort myers or river district and you will get these same links.

If you check out realtor . com or zillow . com for rentals in fort myers -33901 you may find some apartments in this area for rent and you certainly can get to paige field most days in that time frame- you can take 41 but that can be a pain with the lights or you can take fowler and bypass alot of the traffic and then cross colonial and take that way to paige it might be a bit quicker.

hope this helps= we love downtown- wish there were more shops and a movie theater and a good vegan restaurant or vegan bakery but that's wishful thinking

[twobums]

'Small town feeling' can be a double edged sword ~ bad news beats you home here on Sanibel but neighbors also look out for each other.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Ol' Wanderer

Make it May to October. The traffic started to increase the second week this past October, and two weeks later, parking lots everywhere were filled with license plates from Northern states and Canada. Snowbirds are always here at least a week or two before Thanksgiving. Always. The rate for short-term rentals changes on November.

Agreed that a lot of people come down in October, especially this year which is why I started a thread commenting on seeing them trek down early and in large numbers. However, not EVERYONE comes down a week or two before Thanksgiving. Always. I say this just so that the newcomer understands that as bad as traffic is, it gets worse in January.

[sasanibel]

Originally Posted by twobums

'Small town feeling' can be a double edged sword ~ bad news beats you home here on Sanibel but neighbors also look out for each other.

I agree I think Sanibel really gives you a small town feel.

[kroeran]

Originally Posted by 239brad

I am new to the area having moved here from Oregon to start a new job. I am single, early 50's, with two kids in college and am trying to decide between buying a house on an acre or so, or opting for a condo/townhouse type lifestyle. I've read a lot of posts about areas to avoid in Lee and Collier counties, however not very much relating to areas that offer a nice "sense of place". I'm currently in the summerlin/cypress lake area which is ok but feels a little bit faceless with all of the 6 to 8 lane roads, shopping malls, and big stores.

Ideally I would love to find a neighborhood or community with a slightly smaller feel. For example, somewhere that offers a local butcher shop, bakery, library, barber, etc and is less crowded. I am not trying to be negative and I've been told that this is high season and more crowded than the rest of the year. I certainly don't mean to insult or offend anyone living here because most folks I've met are really nice (unless they are behind the wheel of a car it seems, wow!).

Can anyone recommend some areas to explore? I would like to keep rent under $2K per month and not exceed $325K if I buy. Does such an area exist within a 30-40 minute drive from Page Field?

I have looked from Galveston all the way around to Charleston, and what you are looking for is very rare on the coast, let alone SWF

A neighbor close to your profile did get deal on a high-rise condo close to downtown, moving away from Paseo, just up the road from you, otherwise you may be homesteading a marginal neighbourhood

He could not afford to buy and pay the condo fees here, but we are definitely in your snack bracket.

Because Paseo is "pretty"', and gated, and especially in the townhouses, we have our share of professional single women of all ages,which might work for you at the tiki bar

We gave up on the full old urbanist thing and went for the Paseo Quasi new urbanist thing, and drive to Fresh Market on the 41 and Whole Foods down in North Naples. Trader Joes opening there soon.

St. Petes downtown or Orlando Baldwin Park is what you want, but it's not here.

If you are swinging by, just tell the guardhouse you are going to the sales centre

[hiknapster]

Another vote for Sanibel as well. It has a wonderful community feel. Not sure how easy it would be to find a rental right now or the cost. Downtown is probably going to be your best bet.

In Orlando there is the Lake Eola neighborhood as well as Winter Park. Both are real places and not pseudo-towns behind gates. Those places are fine for snowbirds but not necessarily for year-round people looking for a sense of place, especially in Southwest Florida where snowbirds are so heavily represented and flock to those areas so that there is an eye on their property while they are away.

[kroeran]

Sanibel is pricy but 325k I think is doable for a smallish condo apartment not close to the beach, with the money going further on FM beach, with more for the money the further from the beach...I have not looked at prices for awhile. We have a friend who has family on Sanibel, which drew her to the area, but being single, she wanted more action and is building here. Commuting across the FM bridge or Sanibel causeway is going to be a serious consideration for that option. Sure is nice over there.

I think they did a fantastic job with the restoration and bricking of downtown FM, and it has a great retro feeling. One would have to test the vibe on a normal evening when all the lawyers go home, or be prepared to be comfortable behind a condo gate or a secure door after dark. If I was single I would try real hard to figure out how to make downtown work for me.

Driving around and looking at these various options should quickly narrow down your options, just always rent when trying out situations that you don't have inside knowledge of.

[sasanibel]

Multiple options on Sanibel for both homes and condos at $325k. The nice thing is anywhere on the island is not far from the beach. I agree in season trying to go over causeway between 3:30-5:30 can be rough, but it is a beautiful ride.

[kroeran]

The Sanibel causeway is probably the nicest/most gorgeous corner of the planet that also has the practical amenities of Walmart, Home Depot etc close by and all the other big city stuff around Daniels/41.

The Keys are slightly more dramatic, but it is not very practical to try to set a life up down there, I think it is strictly second home or retiree territory, (and is obviously out of scope for this thread).

If the OP leans toward semi-sub-urban or rural, Sanibel might be worth the commute, especially if he is a beach-oriented person.

I suspect a sports bar kinda guy would be happier on FM beach or downtown, and a wine/latte kinda guy would be happier on Sanibel?

If you are downtown, I guess it would be cool to moor a boat in the marina...which is being improved.

A more radical idea for a country boy would be Arcadia - a bit of a commute, but an authentic rural cattle town, with most of the historic downtown strip operating as an antique row.