Sarasota-possible relocation (Jacksonville, Cape Coral, Fort Myers: best city, homes, safe neighborhoods)

[Sjane08]

I have an aunt who suggested that Sarasota is a beautiful place to move to. I love Florida, the energy, oceans, and different resorts all sound like a nice package to call home. However I don't plan to move for a year or two and was hoping someone could share their take of Sarasota. Is it the best city for raising a family? What about safe neighborhoods and decent job opportunities? I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks!

[doggiebus]

Moving this to the Sarasota forum for you.

[newmexicotrader]

Hay sjane, I will be moving to that area the last of september. I will let you know when I get there, until then, Welcome here!

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Sjane08

I have an aunt who suggested that Sarasota is a beautiful place to move to. I love Florida, the energy, oceans, and different resorts all sound like a nice package to call home. However I don't plan to move for a year or two and was hoping someone could share their take of Sarasota. Is it the best city for raising a family? What about safe neighborhoods and decent job opportunities? I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Hi Sjane, there is a lot of info here if you want to do a search on the forum. It's a great place to live. Since you won't be here for a while you can spend some time reading the threads here.

[Sjane08]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate it

[leetchy2]

Sjane, Sarasota is a great town to raise a family. Schools are very good here, the beaches are excellent, and the weather is tough to beat. If you want high energy live closer to the coast, if you want larger lot sizes, peace & quiet, and see some wildlife then live east of I-75. There are many safe communities here, but you may have to pay for that premium to live in one. I live in Laurel Oak and it's great here, just moved down in February.

I looked at a lot of towns in Florida before deciding on Sarasota. Along the east coast I found the area from Jacksonville to Cocoa Beach to have a lot of redneck types, except for Ponte Vedra which was nice but expensive. I also prefer the Gulf of Mexico over the rougher Atlantic ocean. Anything farther south of Cocoa Beach and the hurricane likelihood increases substantially. Along the west coast Naples was nice but too far south in the hurricane ally. Fort Myers seemed like a spring-break type crowd year-round. Cape Coral looked like a war zone (I think they were ground zero for the housing bubble) as there are a lot of vacant homes. Venice seems too old. North Port is very affordable but wasn't centrally located for my needs. Sarasota fit the bill perfect. It seems like everyone here is so friendly & much more sophisticated than other towns.

[Sjane08]

Everyone on this thread is convincing me more and more that Sarasota is a wonderful place. I will definitely have to plan to fly out and take a weekend vacation to visit. Plus it would be a nice break from my job and school responsibilities.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Sjane08

Everyone on this thread is convincing me more and more that Sarasota is a wonderful place. I will definitely have to plan to fly out and take a weekend vacation to visit. Plus it would be a nice break from my job and school responsibilities.

Definitely visit first before you move!

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by leetchy2

Sjane, Sarasota is a great town to raise a family. Schools are very good here, the beaches are excellent, and the weather is tough to beat. If you want high energy live closer to the coast, if you want larger lot sizes, peace & quiet, and see some wildlife then live east of I-75. There are many safe communities here, but you may have to pay for that premium to live in one. I live in Laurel Oak and it's great here, just moved down in February.

I looked at a lot of towns in Florida before deciding on Sarasota. Along the east coast I found the area from Jacksonville to Cocoa Beach to have a lot of redneck types, except for Ponte Vedra which was nice but expensive. I also prefer the Gulf of Mexico over the rougher Atlantic ocean. Anything farther south of Cocoa Beach and the hurricane likelihood increases substantially. Along the west coast Naples was nice but too far south in the hurricane ally. Fort Myers seemed like a spring-break type crowd year-round. Cape Coral looked like a war zone (I think they were ground zero for the housing bubble) as there are a lot of vacant homes. Venice seems too old. North Port is very affordable but wasn't centrally located for my needs. Sarasota fit the bill perfect. It seems like everyone here is so friendly & much more sophisticated than other towns.

There are no areas of Florida that are less or more likely to get a hurricane.

[ibrad]

My family and I packed our bags and moved to Siesta Key a year ago. We came from the Washington DC area. We rented a place for a year, just in case we decided the lifestyle wasn't for us, or if the kids had a really hard time adjusting. Just over a year has passed and we are all happy. Now, I am not sure if I could ever move away from the beach. If you are able to give yourself a trial run, I do recommend it.