Planning a move to North Port Area (Clearwater, Sarasota: rentals, HOA) - Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice area - Florida (FL) -Manatee and Sarasota Counties - City-Data Forum

VAcouple · 03-23-2014, 09:02 AM

Hello there, My wife and I are pondering a move to the North Port, Port Charlotte area. We have to grown sons, one in the National Guard here in VA, the other a car mechanic. Both are 19 and may come with us. My mother in law also planning to stay with us part time. We live in the mountains and have vacationed in Clearwater, St. Pete every year. My wife is a registered nurse specializing in cardiac care and I am a Auto Parts Store Manager and Mechanic. We own our home here and plan to keep it. We plan to rent at first in North Port to make sure its where we want to be. Does anyone have any info on areas that are nicer than others . We hear about crime in Florida, North Port seems lower than statewide. Would love to hear suggestions from anyone.

dcp528 · 03-23-2014, 09:14 AM

Click on these links. There are 28 pages of information on North Port and the surrounding areas.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/searc...rchid=10146547

http://www.city-data.com/forum/searc...rchid=10146670

Nancy in Nokomis · 03-23-2014, 11:02 AM

The newer parts of North Port - near Toledo Blade or Sumter Blvd. are very nice. Renting first is the smart thing to do. We moved from Fairfax VA and rented for a year. North Port is very clean, new and safe. Lots of things to consider when buying a home that you would not have to think about in other states. I have learned a lot from reading posts on this board.

SoFLGal · 03-23-2014, 11:09 AM

Neither of you should have a problem finding jobs although I would make sure you secure them before you move.

Since you are not familiar with the area I do think it's a good idea to rent first.

I own a home in North Port as well as several rentals in Port Charlotte.

Many of the homes in North Port are newer and on canals that have no gulf access. The shopping areas in North Port are generally newer as well. North Port is the second largest city in the state of Florida in land area but is only 30% populated. It also has easy access to the interstate for easy travel to neighboring cities and beaches. Your wife might want to look at North Port Emergency for employment. There are several auto stores in North Port.

In general, the homes in Port Charlotte tend to be a little older with many built in the 80's. Port Charlotte has more shopping and restaurants available than nearby North Port but it's further from the beaches. Your wife could check out Peace River or Fawcett Hospitals for employment. Like North Port, there are several auto stores in the area.

Good luck with your move!

TamRE · 03-23-2014, 07:01 PM

Bayfront Hospital in Port Charlotte was previously called Peace River Regional. They built a new wing on the hospital for cardiac care. They have a very extensive cardiology department. Your wife may want to look there for employment. Here is the link: Port Charlotte | Bayfront Health System

Venice Regional is now Bayfront as well. Venice is located just north of North Port. This hospital also has a comprehensive cardiac care and rehab facility. Here is the link: Venice | Bayfront Health System

There are quite a few auto parts stores around and there are a couple of auto dealerships in Port Charlotte and the rest are in Punta Gorda. Auto Zone and Advanced Auto Parts are the stores in our area. Edmunds has a list of the auto dealerships in the area: Local Auto Dealerships in Charlotte County, Florida

We moved here from NY about 10 years ago. We first lived in North Port off of Toledo Blade for 5 years then moved to Port Charlotte. North Port has grown so much since we moved here in 2004. There is a large shopping strip mall, Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, grocery stores and more. You can find newer homes in North Port and there are quite a few nice areas. There are deed restricted HOA communities and there are just neighborhoods with single family homes, depending on what you are looking for in a home or amenities you might want such as pool, golf, fitness, etc. that would be offered at an HOA community.

Most of this area has low crime. You can check the City of North Port police department for crime statistics in North Port at: City of North Port, FL : Police. For crime in Port Charlotte you would go to the Charlotte County Sherrifs Department site: Crime Statistics

Restrain · 03-24-2014, 07:00 AM

Just stay out of the area around Easy Street. Small cluster of homes there that are low-cost rental units, significant drug action in that small area.

mcpheex3 · 03-31-2014, 09:38 AM

We live off the Toledo Blade/Price area. There is a new auto parts store right there on the corner and the Sarasota Memorial ER is just down the road a little under a mile on Toledo Blade.

I really like this area as it is central to everything - the exit to 75 is just down a couple miles off Toledo Blade, we are still close to shopping in Port Charlotte. I like NP because we are in between Sarasota and Punta Gorda/Fort Myers.

However, full disclosure - we are thinking of moving to Bradenton as I haven't found the "right" neighborhood for our children. There are no sidewalks, very few kids in the two neighborhoods we have lived in, and houses spaced far apart (which can be a good thing). I just feel like we (personally) are lacking a sense of community - but only because we have kids in elementary, middle, and high school. We have had wonderful neighbors. I would just like the kids to have friends nearby.

I don't know how much social scene your 19 year olds would be looking for, but unfortunately, they won't find it in North Port. My 16 year old and her friends spend a lot of time at the beaches in Venice, Nokomis, and Sarasota. Or skating in Ellenton. We are used to driving to things (being from Maine). Jobs in that age group are fairly limited and mostly retail. My daughter just got a job at the new chicken place on the corner of Toledo and Price and really likes it.

North Port has actually been a great town for us (we are originally from Portland, Maine so like a slower pace). It has already grown nicely in the 7 years we have lived here. The housing prices are very good, taxes are low, and I've been very pleased with everything the town has to offer for the most part. There are lots of great parks and many planned activities for those with elementary or younger age children. It's the middle school and up that we are struggling with finding activities.

I also think it depends on the type of neighborhood you are looking for. There are really only two kinds in NP - the three or so gated golf-course communities (Heron Creek, Bobcat Trail, Sable Trace) or open "mini-neighborhoods" with houses here and there and empty lots in between. As far as I know, there are no planned neighborhoods like up in Bradenton (except one off Sumter whose name escapes me right now). If there are, someone please tell me quick! :-)

My parents live in Port Charlotte which I also like but the traffic during snowbird season - ugh! However, if you want a house on the water, that may be a better choice.

Hope that helps. If you have more specific questions about NP, I may be able to answer.

mcpheex3 · 04-01-2014, 10:55 AM

Oh, I almost forgot about Island Walk. That might be a nice option, too. It is a beautiful community with one foot in North Port and one foot in Venice. So if your sons wanted to go to the beaches or up to the Sarasota area it is much closer.

It is a planned community with water views. Beautiful scenery for walking. It is a bit further from Port Charlotte. There are some urgent care centers out that way and you are very close to Venice (it has a Venice address but is technically zoned as North Port).

Just wanted to mention that as another possibility to investigate. Good luck on your search!

jfranko · 04-11-2014, 07:49 AM

My girlfriend and I are also considering NP. We live in Bradenton now, moved from Buffalo, NY. I'm attracted to the home prices there, a lot of bang for your buck it seems. I'm trying to think ahead in the future when were ready to have a family and decent schools, etc. We're both in our late 20s early 30s and aiming to purchase in one year. It's never too early to start the research. Any thoughts / opinions / suggestions would be helpful.

SoFLGal · 04-11-2014, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfranko

My girlfriend and I are also considering NP. We live in Bradenton now, moved from Buffalo, NY. I'm attracted to the home prices there, a lot of bang for your buck it seems. I'm trying to think ahead in the future when were ready to have a family and decent schools, etc. We're both in our late 20s early 30s and aiming to purchase in one year. It's never too early to start the research. Any thoughts / opinions / suggestions would be helpful.

I own a home in North Port and I moved there about 15 years ago for the local schools. The home prices are very reasonable right now but they are climbing slowly. Currently the inventory is shrinking, which is also a factor in the home prices rising in North Port. If you are looking at schools, Cranberry Elementary is the highest rated elementary school, which is located in the heart of North Port.

Do you own a home in Bradenton or are you renting? I was just speaking with a local rental guy yesterday and he said rent prices are also going up and a good rental is hard to come by in North Port. I have several investors who buy in North Port with the idea of fixing the homes up and renting them out.