Quick question about North Port (Sarasota, Bradenton: for sale, apartment, foreclosures)

[Daisy_may]

What are the demographics?
I saw an unofficial chart that said that the white population was 83% with black and Hispanic populations growing. Not trying to be offensive but does this in any way mean that whites are moving out of the area? I have seen this when looking in Lehigh and it is a tell tale sign of a down trend in the area. I am in no way saying that minority's moving into an area make it worse all I am saying is when things move fast in this direction home prices fall and crime goes up. Is what I am seeing in North Port a natural growth of ten years update in the census or something else? Just trying to get a handle on what the situation is. I don't want to buy in a down trend area.

[TamRE]

You can get more information on the City of North Port from their web site:
www.cityofnorthport.com

Here are the Quick Facts:

City of North Port Quick Facts
Updated as of: Spring 2011

Population: 57,357 residents (2010 Census)
The City of North Port is the largest city in Sarasota County in both land mass and population.
Median resident age: 39.1 years

Estimated median household income:
North Port: $58,117
Per capita personal income: $23,027
Per capita property tax revenue:

Races in North Port (2010 Census):
• White Non-Hispanic: 81.5%
• Black: 6.7%
• Hispanic: 8.7%
• Two or more races: 1.5%
• Other race: 0.2%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2%

Ancestries: German (19.1%); Irish (14.8%); English (9.5%); Italian (9.5%); United States (7.8%); Polish (5.1%); French (4.3%).
5,615 residents are foreign born
Elevation: 11 feet

Land area: 104 square miles. The City is one of the 10 largest in the state of Florida.

Population Density
For population 25 years and older in North Port:
• High school or higher: 89.3%
• Bachelor’s degree of higher: 17.0%
• Graduate or professional degree: 5.2%

For population 16 years and older in North Port:
• Unemployed: 6.5%
• Mean travel time to work: 28.3 minutes.

For population 15 years and over in North Port:
• Never married: 23.0%
• Now married: 57.3%
• Separated: 1.8%
• Widowed: 6.3%
• Divorced: 11.6%

Unemployment in March 2011 (North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton MSA): 11.4%
Percent of residents that are retirees: 17%

Average household size: 2.59

Percentage of family households: 69.4%

Residents with income below the poverty level within last 12 months: 8.8%
Median cost of a single-family dwelling: $
Median monthly cost of a 2-bedroom apartment: $
Number of motel/hotel rooms: 46
Disaster info:
The City was minimally affected by Hurricane Charley in 2004; sustaining about $1 million in damages due to debris alone.

[Daisy_may]

Thanks, that is what I found, Venice did not seem to change much from 2000 to 2010, but North Port did and I am just a bit concerned, is it going in any kind of direction that makes it less desirable to live in? Again not trying to be obtuse but I just do not know much about the area and I am relying on people here giving me the strait poop to base decisions on. I once though Lehigh was a great up and coming place and I visited last winter and wow, it was a city in decline.

I hate to use the fact that when minority's move in it is a sign of decline, and it is not because of skin color but because of the fact that they usually do not have the means to purchase home or rent in more affluent areas so when a city is in decline it brings the prices more in line with what they can afford and thus a population shift in its make up. Would you say there is any kind of problem in North Port with this?

I would have to more than likely work in Sarasota or PC area, I am in the banking mortgage dept. of my local bank here and would have to find some work within 3 months of moving there. I have enough to back me up in buying a home and getting set up for a bit but would have to find some kind of employment to get health care going as I am a few years out from Medicare. My husband has an home business that brings in about 28 thousand a year and can be run from anywhere there is a computer.

My husband likes the idea of being central to every where on the gulf and the prices of a home compared to Venice where I want to move is about half. We can find a nice home for the 80 to 90 thousand range in North Port but you will need about 125 thousand for the same home in Venice.
but I do not want to sacrifice safety and home values for the future for a savings now.

I know this may border on a sensitive subject and I assure everyone I am not trying to bring up a subject to just start a conversation based on race or some other hot topic. I am just trying to get how safe and the state of home values for the future are in North Port before we commit. Thanks for all the help.

[TamRE]

I lived in North Port for 4 years and taught in the schools. If you go to the Sarasota County Schools web site Sarasota County Schools, Home you can get additional demographic information. There is not a racial problem in North Port. I loved it there but we moved because we needed a home with a double lot that fit my boyfriends needs a contractor. We found a home in Port Charlotte but were still looking in North Port at the time.

I find North Port to be a great place to live. It is close to everything - Port Charlotte for the mall and just about any kind of store or restaurant that you would need; Venice, Nokomis and Englewood for the beaches; 30-45 minutes to Sarasota; 45 minutes to Ft Myers. It is centrally located and convenient. North Port itself has Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Walgreens, grocery stores, strip malls, gas stations, banks, etc.

You can buy a decent newer home at a great price. There some areas with older homes that are more developed. A lot of North Port is still undeveloped and many of the streets have a few homes with empty lots in between. It is still a safe area and nice place to live. Since we moved here they repaved Sumter and Toledo Blade. There are bike and walking paths along both roads. There are brick paver-like turning lanes with a lot of palm tress and nice landscaping.

There are a few banking jobs in Port Charlotte and probably more in Sarasota. Here are some web sites to search for jobs: www.employflorida.com, www.yoursun.net, www.jobfocus.com, www.indeed.com, www.simplyhired.com, www.heraldtribune.com.

Good luck Daisy May.

[SoFLGal]

I've lived in North Port for the last ten years and I don't see much of a change at all. All of the stats that I have looked at are only moving a point or two up or down. IMO, this is just normal shifting. If there was 15-20% shift then that would be substantial.

Of course, there has been a huge change in price over the last several years making the homes in this area more affordable.

[Daisy_may]

I see that there are some areas to North Port that are almost secluded, in that there are not main roads in or out. You seem to have to drive through the sub to get to a main road to get to 75 or 41, not that this is a problem and it can be a nice way to keep things quiet in some areas. Is this a draw back or is it a plus? Also what direction is North Port going? Are homes going up or down in price, staying the same? Looks like Florida in General is stabilizing and may even be on the mend. That would make now a good time to invest in a home. Thanks.

[TamRE]

If you go to Google Maps and type in North Port you can get an idea of what North Port looks like.

North Port is the southernmost part of Sarasota County. It is located north of 41 and south of 75. There are only two exits/entrances to 75 in North Port and those are at Sumter and Toledo Blade. North Port Estates is the more secluded area and is north of 75 with most lots being 1-3 acres. The only streets that run east and west are 41 and Price Blvd. The other main streets run north and south such as Sumter, Salford, Craberry, Chamberlain, Toledo Blade, Haberland, San Mateo and Atwater. The Sumter end is closer to Venice and everything from Toledo Blade and east are closer to Port Charlotte.

We have seen a very slight increase in home prices in North Port, but there are still short sales and foreclosures coming on the market daily which is holding the prices down. We are seeing a lot of multiple offers on bank foreclosed homes and the inventory has been going down. It is still a very good time to buy.

[nphomeowner]

We bought almost 6 months ago in North Port. Off of North Cranberry, closer to Toledo Blade and I-75. The homes are all newer and well kept. I walk the neighborhood daily and can tell you we do have a mixture of white and black, young and old and middle aged. Everyone is keeping their property up, they have all been friendly and neighborly. The children play outside and I have to say I feel very safe.

We of course have our share of empty homes that I have to assume will be going on the market in time BUT not ONE of those homes have been vandalized and the grass is cut at all but one that I can think of.

Ours was not a short sale or foreclosure, it was a regular sale, we knew we HAD to have it when we saw it. We have neighbors but not too close, wooded on three sides so it's very private and relaxing.

We are very happy here. Sure, I'd love to live right near the beach but for the money we save by living here on the home itself, taxes and insurance I can drive the 20 minutes it takes to get there. We feel we are close enough to everything but yet have our nice peaceful retreat when we return home.

When we moved in we had at least 5 different neighbors stop by with their phone numbers and offers to help us unload. That's pretty neighborly!!!

[d4g4m]

There are over 1000 homes for sale in NP. Many of them are becoming rentals because they want the mortgage paid. The owners are going to HUD for renters.

[Daisy_may]

I talked to a local business today that was from Port Charlotte, they do not have an ax to grind and were very unbiased. They said that 12 years ago they would have said to keep away from north port, but now they said if you keep away from the old part of the town there are many very nice areas that they would be proud to live in, and that NP seems to be on the move in a good direction.