Bradenton, Sarasota, or Fort Myers? (St. Petersburg, Naples: home, employment, transfer)

[habajaba]

Hey All,
My family is considering the move to SWFL. I've read all of the horror stories on here, and that's not what I'm looking for. I have spent the past 25 years vacationing in Marco Island. The past couple of years, spending 6-7 weeks here at a time. I would like to think I know that area fairly well. My job is not dependent on where I live, so the employment situation is a non-issue. We're simply sick of Ohio winters and ready to make the change as opposed to just hiding out here for a few weeks a year!

School is proving to be a deciding factor. We would like to continue sending our kids to a Christian school and live within 30 minutes of said school. So far we're down to Bradenton Christian, Evangelical Christian (Ft Myers), and a couple other ones in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. Unfortunately, there are no options in the Naples area that are even close to reasonably priced.

We're looking to spend $300-400k. Preferably at least a half acre, 4 bedrooms, a pool, 2250 sqft a/c, and some privacy if possible. We also have 2 small children (4 and 6), so an area that's kid-friendly, but not crawling with them would be a plus.

We checked out some parts of Lakewood Ranch, Palmer Ranch, and Panther Ridge up in Bradenton. We weren't too impressed with the miniature lots in the Ranches after seeing what Panther Ridge had to offer. We'd be on the low range of home prices in Panther Ridge, but it seems possible, nonetheless.

I'm specifically looking for suggestions on neighborhoods in Fort Myers that we could drive up and check out. We have an agent who has been helping us in Sarasota/Bradenton, but not getting much info from the agent we have in Fort Myers so far. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

[Obxnc7]

Just moved to Fort Myers a little over a year ago. We also send our children to a Christian school which we absolutely love. We looked into Evangelical Christian School, but chose another Christian school in Fort Myers. I really can't say enough about the school my children attend and the teachers there. My child has actually had two transfer into her class from ECS this year because I have heard they are becoming overly strict with their students.....have heard several are pulling out of ECS! We are so VERY happy with the school they attend and I would recommend it to you if you were moving to Fort Myers. Schools a terrible here, so I have done my fair share of checking them out.....trust me! I can't speak of the others you mentioned because I'm not fammiliar with them. I would be glad to fill you in. We live in a beautiful neighborhood as well. Good luck!

[habajaba]

Originally Posted by Obxnc7

Just moved to Fort Myers a little over a year ago. We also send our children to a Christian school which we absolutely love. We looked into Evangelical Christian School, but chose another Christian school in Fort Myers. I really can't say enough about the school my children attend and the teachers there. My child has actually had two transfer into her class from ECS this year because I have heard they are becoming overly strict with their students.....have heard several are pulling out of ECS! We are so VERY happy with the school they attend and I would recommend it to you if you were moving to Fort Myers. Schools a terrible here, so I have done my fair share of checking them out.....trust me! I can't speak of the others you mentioned because I'm not fammiliar with them. I would be glad to fill you in. We live in a beautiful neighborhood as well. Good luck!

Would love to hear from you on the school and the neighborhood. We are concerned mainly about Christian values being taught more than strict rules or rigorous academics. Tough to find that happy medium. Cincinnati Christian has provided such a place for us. We haven't toured or spoken to any of the schools yet. So, no school is "out" to us yet. Thanks!

[Obxnc7]

Sent you a message!