Moving to Ft. Myers w/kids and pets (Whiskey Creek, Gateway: rentals, loan)

[CraftyJIS]

We just returned from house hunting in FL! We have decided on Ft. Myers! My husband's job gives us the flexibility of moving to the town of our choice. We knew we wanted to live on the gulf side of Florida (been talking about it for years...visit for business and pleasure 4 times a year for the past 10 years), but needed to decide where. So many of the areas we looked at were much older and not as family-friendly, nor dog-friendly. Ft. Myers seems like a good fit for us. I have read the many negative comments on here about Ft. Myers and the economy. I'm hoping to hear some good things! Much of the country isn't doing well, but this won't last forever!

With the poor economy, it looks as though we need to sell our current home before getting a loan to buy another. So we are now searching rentals and lease-options. We are looking for a home with: 4+ bedrooms, 3+ baths, 3+ car garage, 3500+ sq ft, pool and a fence or the possility of putting in a fence (for our kids and chocolate lab). We are hoping to find a friendly neighborhood that has plenty of kids and dogs. The top of our price range is $600,000. Our realtor had many great homes to show us. We liked homes in Gateway and Cross Creek. Unfortunately, there aren't nearly as many rentals, nor lease-options that meet our criteria. I have read so many posts that recommend renting first. So perhaps we should do that and decide on the neighborhood we definitely want to live in after living there a while. Our realtor just emailed a list of possibilities; however, not all in neighborhoods we looked at. So it looks like we will need to head down one more time before moving (before school stats on Aug. 10). Any thoughts on these areas...
Colonial Shores
Whiskey Creek
Emerson Square
Harborage
Somerset

After reading all of the schools posts. We have decided not to even try the public schools. So were are deciding on a private school. Considering St. Francis. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for reading and for any advice!

[elliswyatt]

Whiskey Creek is an excellent neighborhood, especially if you like more mature landscaping and dislike the "sterile" look of the gateds. It's fairly established, likely not quite as transient as the gated communities, and is in the "old" section of Ft. Myers.

I went to grade school at St. Francis. I (and my parents) always thought highly of the place; a good well run parochial school. Having said that, it's been seventeen years since I've set foot inside the door, so it's probably moot to even mention it.

Canterbury is also an excellent school, as is Bishop Verot for high school. All are very central to Whiskey Creek (St. Francis being the farthest away, however).