Relocating Fort Myers or Sarasota (Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral: foreclosures, rent, crime)

[pucillo816]

Hi, my husband and I are originally from Fort Lauderdale and are currently living in Phoenix AZ. We miss Florida so very much and plan on returning in the next couple months to the West Coast of Florida. We are a young couple between 26 & 34 with no children. My husband is in the engineering field and I'm an Admin Asst. We are having trouble deciding between Sarasota and Fort Myers. We don't want to pay exorbitant rent prices, however, we really don't want to live in a bad neighborhood. We would appreciate anyones opinions as to which they feel is a better place to live. Thanks.

[memoriesbre]

I would choose Sarasota over Ft. Myers any day. There are nicer areas in Sarasota, that's my own opinion.

[SoFLGal]

I would also choose Sarasota. In my opinion, the area is nicer, there's more trees, the schools are better. Just my opinion though.

[dcabrer1]

I would choose Fort Myers over Sarasota anyday

[FloridaandOhio]

Originally Posted by dcabrer1

I would choose Fort Myers over Sarasota anyday

lol

Sarasota, no contest

[ChrisA70]

Sarasota by a LONGSHOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fort Myers is crappping out. Low jobs, highest foreclosures in the ENTIRE USA, crime up the wazoo, murders at about 2-3 a week now.. Heck even the Red Sox are moving out and up to Sarasota. I like Sarasota, I would move there from here in the Fort Myers area in a second. Sarasota is cleaner, and looks a lot better than here. I'm in Cape Coral, it's a lot better than Fort Myers, but crap flows across the causeway to here... If you know what I mean.

SARASOTA gets my vote by far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kinkytoes]

What type of engineering does your husband do?

Where is he going to work?

[Obxnc7]

We are going to be moving to Fort Myers soon as well. I made a trip down there and to be honest, I didn't think Fort Myers was all that bad. Everyone we encountered there had good, positive things to say, and seem to love living there. I wasn't too impressed with Cape Coral, and thought Fort Myers was much better. If you look off of Daniels Parkway, there are a lot of nice places. I think a lot of people on here are just negative people. The school system didn't seem all that great, and I've not heard anything positive about the way it's run, but there seem to be some top notch private schools in the area and we decided to go that route. I don't have first hand knowledge of living in Fort Myers like some others on here do, but as for me, I am going to go with a positive attitude and make the best of it. We have found good paying jobs and are excited to go!

[ChrisA70]

Obxnc7...

No actually there are a lot of people on here who LIVE or HAVE LIVED here. FIREMED for example has lived here for 30+ years or something, he knows more than my 4 years here. We who are experienced in the area. We are not just negative people. I have positives on the area too. You know what? Come live here, then you get experience, and you can then judge for yourself, or judge people to be "negative people" that's how I see it. Don't put us dowin for telling you how it is. Or what we think. Do you just need reassurance?

And you can ask most anyone here if they were to be offered to live in Sarasota or Fort Myers, I know most will pick Sarasota. It's just a lot nicer there.

I never say on here Cape Coral is the best place in Florida, believe me. It's ok here. I just have seen enough of FM to know I would rather live in boring Cape Coral than FM.

[Obxnc7]

Geesh...I believe I DID say that I had no first hand knowledge of living in Fort Myers. I was only giving my opinion on the area, which I thought I was allowed to do. I have made several trips to Fort Myers to get ready to move there and I have found the people and area to be very nice. Most everyone I talked to loved living in Fort Myers and had a lot of good things to say about the area. I'm not saying there weren't some shady areas that I wouldn't want to live in, or schools I wouldn't want my kids in, because there were. (Just like any city in America...they have their good with their bad.) But for the most part, I liked what I saw. I wasn't calling YOU negative or putting you down. I was just saying a lot of what is said on this site, especially about Fort Myers, is negative. I don't need your reassurance about moving, nor would I put much stock in it at this point, given your attitude. It's apparent your not thrilled about living where you live....maybe you should move.