neighborhood facts (Plantation, Sarasota, The Hammocks: rental, HOA, condos)

[kickincaledonia]

I plan on visiting Sarasota and areas south in the near future. When I check some of the websites I see that Gulf Gate estates has a higher crime rate than some other areas. Can anyone expand on this? At this point I would like to visit some of the more traditional established neighborhoods that are close to more of the cultural centers in Sarasota. I also plan on checking out Venice. I am open to suggestions.
Thanks

[Sunshine Rules]

South of Clark Road off of Beneva are several popular Gulf Gate area neighborhoods.

Gulf Gate has ranch style homes built mainly in the 1960's and early 70's. Most are 2 or 3 bedrooms with 1 or 2 car garages. Most of the homes are less than 1800 sq ft but some are larger. The zip code is 34231. It's one of the more affordable of the Gulf Gate area neighborhoods.

Gulf Gate Pines is a tiny neighborhood of ranch style homes built in the late 70's and early 80's. I doubt you'd find a rental there as most of the homes are owner occupied, but you never know. It's kind of difficult to find the neighborhood unless you take Brueckner off of US41.

Gulf Gate Woods (34231) is located south of Gulf Gate and close to the mall. Most of the homes were built in the 1970's. It does have deed restrictions. The homes are mainly ranch style, but they do mostly have split floor plans with the master bedroom separated from the other bedrooms. The kitchens are on the smaller side but most do have formal living/dining and a family room off of the kitchen. I have seen a couple of rental signs in the neighborhood lately.

Gulf Gate East is also off of Beneva. The homes were built mainly in the 1980's. Homes there sell for more than Gulf Gate or GG Woods. The lots are large, with winding streets. GG East also has deed restrictions. It's a very well maintained neighborhood. Most of the homes have vaulted ceilings in the main living area and often galley style kitchens, unless owners have updated. Some of the homes have small patio areas in front. Not your typical FL ranch style homes.


North of Clark Road and south of Proctor, off of Beneva, are some other neighborhoods similar to Gulf Gate East.

Beneva Pines (34233) and Country Place (34233) are both nice, well maintained neighborhoods with tree shaded streets. The homes tend to be larger than Gulf Gate. Some are ranch style, some are contemporary and some have somewhat of a retro 50's modern vibe with features such as atriums.


There are some other neighborhoods you might check into:

Tamaron (34232) is located SE of Beneva and Bahia Vista. It's a deed restricted community with homes built mainly in the 70's and early 80's. The home styles are typically ranch styles, although some homes have vaulted ceilings and most have split floor plans. The lots are generously sized and the community has some green areas of lakes and walking paths.

A couple of other popular neighborhoods that would be similar to Gulf Gate are South Gate and Forest Lakes (34239 & 34232). Forest Lakes runs east and west of Beneva, Riviera street runs all the way south to Bee Ridge Rd. South Gate is a neighborhood with a voluntary HOA, it's $55 per year. If you join the HOA you can then pay $99/year for use of the community pool. The ranch style homes are popular with both buyers and renters. Many of the these 1960's - early 80's homes have been renovated.

[Cardiff by the Sea]

Originally Posted by kickincaledonia

I plan on visiting Sarasota and areas south in the near future. When I check some of the websites I see that Gulf Gate estates has a higher crime rate than some other areas. Can anyone expand on this? At this point I would like to visit some of the more traditional established neighborhoods that are close to more of the cultural centers in Sarasota. I also plan on checking out Venice. I am open to suggestions.
Thanks

What websites are giving you this information?

[kickincaledonia]

Thanks sunshine...very helpful. I am not sure I would be renting there but may have to rent until something in the area would become available if it turns out to be what I hope. I will check out all the areas you mentioned. Cardiff.. I had a hard time figuring out why it got a crime rating of F. I cannot remember where else I saw the crime thing. So whats the real story??

[TamRE]

Your best resource for crime statistics is the local police or sherrifs department. Your Realtor can also provide you with what is called a Neighborhood report from the MLS.

Sarasota County Crime Mapping - CrimeMapping.com - National Map
Charlotte County Crime Statistics - Crime Statistics

[Dazed1]

Originally Posted by TamRE

Your best resource for crime statistics is the local police or sherrifs department. Your Realtor can also provide you with what is called a Neighborhood report from the MLS.

Sarasota County Crime Mapping - CrimeMapping.com - National Map
Charlotte County Crime Statistics - Crime Statistics

Thanks for those links.

[dpbarr2000]

A lot of time the "crime" is a domestic argument, not theft or serious crime. I always tell people who are citing crime stats to use the same website and check the crime in their current area to compare. Most are surprised how bad it is where they currently live compared to the Sarasota area.

[SoFLGal]

Sarasota county has one of the best school systems in the state of Florida. It also has Pine View School for the Gifted, which was ranked the top school in Florida and one of the top schools in the Nation. It is a public school and the requirements are that you live in Sarasota county, have an IQ of 130 or more, pass the achievement tests required and have teacher recommendations. I have one child who graduated from PV and another who attended for many years. It's a great school but it's not for every kid. It services grades 2nd-12th. Here's some more info on that subject:
Welcome to Pine View School
Pine View School - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pine View wraps up perfect Olympics | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Florida | Southwest Florida's Information Leader
America's Best High Schools: Gold Medal List - US News and World Report

There are many other fantastic schools in Sarasota and Manatee county's Here's a website where you can see how the schools are rated:
School Accountability Report...
or www.GreatSchools.com

Here are the school districts by zone: http://www.sarasotacountyschools.net...lrp/zones.aspx

Southside services most of the downtown area south of Main St. North of Main would be mostly Booker school district. The Palmer Ranch area is mostly Ashton school district. There are other schools in the area but these are ones that I have either had personal experience with or I have friends that have kids in the schools.

Sarasota ranks as one of the top districts in the state by a number of measures, including test scores, graduation rates and teacher compensation.

It offers distinctive programs tailored to different student needs, including Florida's only school for the gifted, the state's largest special needs school and one of a handful of career-focused high schools.

Alright, if I were checking out schools other than Pine View these are the schools that I would look into, in order. This is also the order they fall in if you look at the stats on the state of FL.

I'll throw some zip codes in as well to use for a general guideline but make sure you double check them with the map provided and the local school board as the map/zip codes may change slightly if they add a new school.

I'm going to also include a few neighborhoods within each zip code. Keep in mind that there are many other communities in each zip code worth checking out. I'm just trying to give you a starting point. Also if the community is very large it might encompass two or three different schools. Zip code do shift when new schools are built so be sure to double check school zones before purchasing.

Please use this website when searching for properties: www.myfloridahomesmls.com It's the most up to date website.

Sarasota County Schools

For Elementary
Southside Elementary (34228, 34236, 34239, 34242)
Most of the downtown Sarasota condos, the condos/homes on the south end of Longboat Key, Bay Isles, Bird Key, Bungalow Hill, Cherokee Park, County Club Shores, Granada, Harbor Acres, Lido Key, McClellan Park, Poinsettia Park, St Armand's, some of Southgate.

Venice Elementary (34285, 34292, 34293)
The island of Venice, Bellagio on Venice Island, Lakes of Jacaranda, Pinebrook, South Venice, Venice Acres

Ashton Elementary (34233, 34238)-The Palmer Ranch communities(Arielle, Botanica, The Hamptons, Turtle Rock, Serenade, Stonebridge, Village Walk, Wellington Chase), Center Gate Estates, Colonial Oaks, Emerald Gardens, Grove Point, Three Oaks

Cranberry Elementary (North Port)
-(34286, a certain section)

Taylor Ranch (southern Sarasota county)-(34292, 34293)-Governors Green, Gulf View Estates, Blue Heron Pond, Lakes of Jacaranda, Myakka River Trails, Park Estates, Pelican Pointe Golf & County Club, The Plantation, Pennington Place, South Venice, Stoneybrook at Venice, Venice Golf & County Club, Southwood, Woodmere Lakes

Lakeview Elementary (34241)-Bent Tree, Country Creek, East Lake, Forest at Hi Hat Ranch, Founders Club, Foxfire, Gator Creek, Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club, Lake Sarasota, Misty Creek, Myakka Valley Ranches, Preserve at Heron Lake, Red Hawk Reserve, Saddle Creek, Secluded Oaks, Serenoa, Trillium, Tuscana

Gulf Gate Elementary (34231, 34238)-Palmer Ranch communities-(Country Club of Sarasota, Deer Creek, Prestancia,
Marabella, Mira Lago, Palisades), Beneva Oaks, Coral Cove, Gulf Gate, Southpointe Shores,

Laurel Nokomis Elementary (mid Sarasota county)-(34229, 34275)-Bay Point, Calusa Lakes, Casey Key, Huntington Pointe, Isles of Sarasota, Laurel Pines, Laurel Woodlands, Mission Valley Estates, The Oaks, Park Trace Estates, Rivendell, Sawgrass, Shakett Creek, Silver Oak, Sorrento East, Sorrento Shores, Sorrento South, Sorrento Woods, South Creek, Southbay Yacht & Racquet Club, Stoneybrook at Palmer Ranch, Venetian Golf & River Club, Waterfront Estates, Willow Chase, Willowbend, Willowbrook

Tatum Ridge Elementary (34240)
-Barton Farms, Colonial Oaks, Deer Hammock, Founders Club, The Hammocks, Laurel Lakes, Laurel Meadows, Laurel Oak Estates, Oak Ford Golf Club, The Paddocks, Palmer Farms, Palmer Glen, Sarasota Golf Club, Sarasota Polo Club, Shadow Oaks, Summerwood, Tatum Ridge, Villages at Pine Tree-(Marsh, Ponderosa, Spruce Pine)
Garden Elementary(34285, 34292, 34293)

Phillipi Shores(34231, 34242)-Aqualane Estates, Bay Island, Florence, Hansens, Harmony, Hidden Harbor, The Landings, Mira Mar, much of Siesta Key, Oyster Bay Estates, Phillipi Cove, Philipi Gardens, Pine Shores, Point Crisp, Princess Gate, Ridge Wood, Sanderling Club, Sandy Hook, Sarasota Beach, Siesta Cove, Siesta Estates, Siesta Isles, Siesta Bayside, Tortoise Estates

Fruitville Elementary(34232)-Hidden Oaks, Nottingham, Sherwood Estates, Sherwood Forest, Woodland Park

Englewood Elementary (southern Sarasota county)(34223)-Artist Acres, Bay Vista, Boca Royale, Deer Creek, Eden Harbor, Englewood Farm Acres, Englewood Gardens, Englewood Isles, Englewood Pines, Manasota Gardens, Manasota Key, Overbrook Gardens, Stillwater

For Middle
Sarasota Middle (34231-34242)

High School
Riverview(34231-34242)

Manatee county Schools

Elementary Schools
Robert Willis Elementary(34201, 34202)-Carlyle at the Villages of Palm Aire, Country Club East at Lakewood Ranch, Edgewater Village, Lake Club, Lakewood Ranch, Lakewood Ranch Country Club, Long Pond at Mote Ranch, Mote Ranch, Panther Ridge, Preserve at Panther Ridge, River Park at Mote Ranch, Riverwalk Ridge Cypress Banks, University Park

Gene Witt Elementary(34212)-Country Creek, Country Meadows, Foxbrook, Greyhawk Landing, Hidden Oaks, Mill Creek, Rye Wilderness,

Gilbert W McNeal Elementary(34202)-Concession, Greenbrook Village, Lakewood Ranch, Summerfield Village

Braden River Elementary(34202, 34211)-Braden Pines, Braden Woods, Oakbrooke at River Club, River Club North & South, Rosedale, Summerfield Village

BD Gullett Elementary(34211, 34212)-Central Park at Lakewood Ranch, Greyhawk Landing, Panther Ridge

Ida M Stewart Elementary(34209)-Perico Isles, Pinehurst, Riverview Landings, Shaws Point, Wisteria Park, Woodlands Park on Palma Sola Bay

Anna Maria Elementary(34216, 34217, 34228)-Anna Maria Island, Bay Palms, Bimini Bay Estates, Cortez, Emerald Harbor, Holmes Beach, Ilexhurst, Key Royale, Long Beach, Longboat Key, Shore Acres, Sleepy Lagoon, Wells Bay Harbor

Virgil Mills Elementary(34219, 34221, 34222)-Ancient Oaks, Copperstone, Covered Bridge, Fairways at Imperial Lakewoods, Fosters Creek, Heather Glen, Kingsfield Lakes, Lexington, Waterford, Whitney Meadows, Woodlawn Lakes

Kinnan Elementary(34243)-Carlyle at the Villages of Palm Aire, Country Oaks, Desoto Lakes Country Club, Glenbrooke, Mote Ranch, Palm Aire, Palm Lakes, Quail Run, University Groves, Rio Mar, Trails, Treymore at Village of Palm Aire, Vintage Creek

Freedom Elementary(34212)-Gates Creek, Greenfield Plantation, Heritage Harbour, Lighthouse Cove at Heritage Harbor, Old Grove at Greenfield, Planters Manor at Greenfield, River Strand, Stoneybrook at Heritage Harbor, Waterlefe Golf & River Club

Tara Elementary(34212)-Barrington Ridge, Braden Crossing, Creekwood, Manatee Oaks, Mandalay, River Landings Bluffs, River Place, Rivers Edge, Silver Lake, Tailfeather Way at Tara, Tara, Tara Preserve, Wallingford, Water Oak

Middle School
Carlos E Halie Middle(34208-34212)

Braden River Middle(32401-34243)

Nolan Middle(34202, 34211, 34251)

King Middle(34209, 34216, 34217, 34228)

High School
Lakewood Ranch High(34202, 34211, 34212, 34251)

Manatee High(34205-34209, 34216, 34217, 34228)

Alternative School
Manatee School for Arts and Sciences

[mr&mrssunshine]

wow...where you been gal ?

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by mr&mrssunshine

wow...where you been gal ?

I've been playing hide and go seek