Bee Ridge, Fruitville, Gulf Gate Estates, Laurel, and North Port (Plantation: transplants, sex offenders)

[DAC0302]

Relocating from NJ within the next 12 months (hopefully sooner). I've been taking notes on all the info posted on this site. Thanks to all for some very valuable info. I now have an 8-page Word doc in which I pasted a lot of comments from this site. I've ruled out my original plan of moving to Sarasota or Venice due to many posts and/or descriptions that made me realize this is not what I'm looking for. I really want to stay in this area so I was looking for some feedback on the communities(?) Cities(?) listed in the subject line. I'd love to hear from anyone who lives in these areas - pros & cons; average home price - we're looking for new construction, 4 bdrms, 2+ baths, a pool home or a community with a pool/rec center. We don't need to be a stone's throw from the beach - 20-30 min drive works for me. I'm originally from NY, so the comments I've read regarding unfriendly people does not concern me (if you make it there, you'll make it anywhere) The erratic driving does not scare me - try dealing with NYC cab drivers We have 2 kids ages 12 & 14; my fiance and I are are in our late 40's (getting married in June . I've read a lot from SoFlaGal - great stuff. I'm now over my concerns on alligators, mosquitoes, snakes, Chinese Drywall, hurricanes, sharks & sex offenders. What I need now is a sense of the lifestyles of these communities - can anyone help??? Planning a trip to the area in March - where should we stay to be centrally located to these areas?? Thanks in advance - you're a very informative bunch

[Coachgns]

All the places mentioned in your subject line are in Sarasota - but you said you've decided to NOT move to Sarasota or Venice?
North Port and Laurel may be considered sepate towns, but they are all still in Sarasota COunty. Gulf Gate, Bee Ridge & Fruitville are right in the heart of Sarasota - as far as I am aware, they are not separate towns - Fruitville & BeeRidge are streets that run from 41 quite a ways east.

I don't buy the comments from people that there are too many unfriendly people in Sarasota. SUre there are some - but MUCH MUCH MUCH LESS so than in many (most) other places. As a NewYawker / Philadelphian I can tell you that I love the openness & friendliness I experience in Sarasota.

[DAC0302]

I realize that all the areas I noted are in Sarasota County, but city-data.com lists all my "picks" as cities in Sarasota County. It read:

Cities in this county include: Bee Ridge, Englewood, Fruitville, Gulf Gate Estates, Laurel, North Port, Sarasota, Sarasota Springs, South Venice, Venice

So, I figured after reading so many negatives about Sarasota & Venice, I'd omit them from my list and try the other "cities"....perhaps their info is wrong

[DAC0302]

I'm not concerned about the comments regarding unfriendly people because as you, I am also a "New Yawker". People are people and I don't really believe that "friendly" or "unfriendly" is dependent upon where you live.

Originally Posted by Coachgns

I don't buy the comments from people that there are too many unfriendly people in Sarasota. SUre there are some - but MUCH MUCH MUCH LESS so than in many (most) other places. As a NewYawker / Philadelphian I can tell you that I love the openness & friendliness I experience in Sarasota.

[thinkfreeamerica]

seems like city-data has the cities wrong (gasp!).

remember that much of things here are sprawl. i'm from out west where there can be hundreds of miles between 2 towns. i live in osprey now (a town of its own), which borders nokomis (a town of its own) -- both of which are so close that the south side of the sign says "welcome to osprey" and the north side of the same side says "welcome to nokomis" (: i'm not sure where the "official" line between the town of "osprey" and the town of "sarasota" starts -- i might have blinked and missed the goodbye/welcome sign (:

i'm not sure where englewood is.

to my understanding, the towns from north to south are: sarasota (which has the main thoroughfares of bee ridge and fruitville), osprey, nokomis, laurel, venice (which is pretty spread out south), north port, port charlotte. you can take 41 all the way and never "leave" civilization.

with this said, i think that there is a big difference between some of these towns--regardless of proximity.

i live in osprey -- which seems to be pretty similiar to nokomis and laurel.

i've made a few friends here who are transplants from sarasota to north port and port charlote and seem to think that there is a Huge difference between Sarasota and the ports and that Sarasota is better and safer; i have no idea.

i will also say that for as little as the "towns" are here, there seems to be a broad spectrum of housing and income even w/in the little towns. osprey, a tiny burg really, ranges from high-multimillion dollar houses to veritable shacks (no joke).

in summary, i don't think that until you get into the proper and distinct towns of north port and port charlotte, that you'll be able ot make any blanket statements about any town here.

that's not the most helpful fact to someone trying to get info. from afar, but taht does seem to be the fact.

case in point:
i love living in my neighborhood in osprey. however, i tried to go for a walk not 1 mile from here and the neighborhood seemed a little scetchy -- i made my final decision to turn back when i was walking by a ramshackle house with a high, but leaning, chainlink fence and a nazi flag flying on a 30 foot or so flag pole. i tell you, things are all over the board here! (: unlike other places i've lived that, with enough info. on neighborhoods etc. from CDers you could make a choice, i think this is going ot have to be a "rent for awhile and then decide" situation down here.

we love it and find that the people are extremely friendly xoxo

[bbronston]

When the time comes, work with an agent and tell him/her what you are looking for and specify that you want A-rated schools. Then come down for a few days and have your agent take you to different builders and newer resales. It's not really that difficult--you'll have fun and I expect you'll like what you see. If you do build, most builders take 7 or 8 months + to complete so keep that in mind. There are different developments and neighborhoods but, really, you'll see that we are one large community--as others have said--whether it is Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota, etc. As you go much further south and north, things spread out more.

[davery5872]

Originally Posted by DAC0302

I realize that all the areas I noted are in Sarasota County, but city-data.com lists all my "picks" as cities in Sarasota County. It read:

Cities in this county include: Bee Ridge, Englewood, Fruitville, Gulf Gate Estates, Laurel, North Port, Sarasota, Sarasota Springs, South Venice, Venice

So, I figured after reading so many negatives about Sarasota & Venice, I'd omit them from my list and try the other "cities"....perhaps their info is wrong

I'm not sure that Bee Ridge, Friutville or Gulf Gate estates are actually considered towns. They are more like neighborhoods of Sarasota. Same with South Venice. I'm not even sure Laural even exists anymore. It was somewhere between Nokomis and Osprey.

[SoFLGal]

Generally speaking North Port will be your most affordable. As you head closer to Sarasota the prices get higher. I wrote a blog about the schools which is up on this website. The average age in NP is 38 so its somewhat of a younger crowd. Also most of the construction is newer. I can recommend that you begin your search in Lakeside Plantation. It is a newer development with a community pool.

I could type more but its a bit difficult typing from my droid: )








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[SoFLGal]

Sorry posted twice

[DAC0302]

Thanks all. FreeThink - I'm a bit less confused now SoFlGal (Shannon? I heard?) Thanks for the info. I've been reading all your posts and have gathered quite a bit of useful info....we'll definitely be calling you when we're ready. Merry Christmas everybody!!!