Safe/Unsafe Sarasota areas (Venice: real estate, apartment, rental)

[fatalflaw]

I will be retiring this spring and want to move my Italian wife and our 19 year old son from here in Bologna,Italy to the Sarasota area.Their number one priority is that the area should be safe. I had considered Venice, just on the strength of the crime statistics, but I really like the Sarasota area and think there will be more in the way of both cultural amenities as well as job opportunities.
We plan on renting for a year to be sure the match is right, then we would budget $200 - 300K for a 2BD 2 BA , preferably townhouse. Ideally we'd like to find an area where one can find a local store when you need a quart of milk or a dozen eggs, and decent restaurants within walking distance.

Any suggestions?
Thanks!

[bbronston]

It's unclear as to whether you are asking about places to consider for purchase or for rent. If you are asking for recommendations for a rental location, what is your rental budget?

[craigiri]

There are basically two kinds of "sarasota"- - the old Sarasota and the new one.

The new one is massive projects where it is unlikely that you can walk to multiple eateries - it is based on large strip centers and malls.

The older one is where you didn't have to drive so far - and could even walk or bike - to many places.

I'd suggest you consider the area south of downtown and east of 41 - it contains neighborhoods like paver park, altavista, arlington park, southgate and gulfgate. If you head a bit further west you get toward the Amish and Menonite areas like Pinecraft (and other neighborhoods - some unnamed - around there).

To my knowledge, these are all very safe areas...but the real estate and other maps will show you various shades and statistics which indicate recent crimes.

If you were going to go out further east - well, then, you really lose the benefit of being in Sarasota and might as well keep looking at Venice.

[gypsychic]

There is also the Gulf Gate area further south where there are lots of little restaurants and shops, bakeries, etc. Not sure of the price range, Sarasota has really climbed in price the last few years.

[SouthSota14]

If the area loses some people, definitely. I would like to have truly nice or intellectual type migrants but you're going to find that it will be jammed and changing badly not too long after you come. I wish I could just get a lot of others out of here and replace them with those that are of your profile and young non yuppy singles like me.

[photoman_6]

having visited boolgna last year on our first trip to italy, makes me wish we could swap homes. Any particular reason you would not retire in italy?

[fatalflaw]

My plan is to stay the first month, maybe a bit less in a vacation rental just to get our bearings. Then we'd like to find a rental, hopefully a townhouse or top floor apartment for around $1500/month. We'd rent for a year and then buy if we like the area enough. Sound feasibile?

[fatalflaw]

We should have talked before we sold our house! My son finished high school this past year and there's really not much future here for him. That's the main reason for returning to the US.

[fatalflaw]

[fatalflaw]

Thanks much for a useful reply!