What's Sarasota really like? Possible Relocation From Austin (Tampa, Bradenton: for sale, condos)

[Kalen Kane]

I would thoroughly recommend getting you hands on "Sarasota Magazine" maybe a couple of issues back. It's a glossy portrayal, but is very helpful for upscale transfers trying to correctly ascertain the cultural housing and overall flavor of Sarasota specifically...


I would highly recommend getting hard copies, but please do consult their website sarasotamagazine dot com. I don't have an axe to grind, or interests in the mag...I would also call upon the help of the Sarasota chamber and Manatee chamber to send you a bunch of information.

[craigiri]

Originally Posted by dsp101

Thank you for the reply. This was very helpful! The crime I've read about has been in Bradenton/Sarasota. Not Siesta Key.

We are pro-gun conservatives and would like to be around like-minded individuals. As liberal as Austin is, there are plenty of neighborhoods and people that play both sides. It's really a great city, however, lack of ocean-type paradise is what we seek.

In a general sense the entire Tampa Bay area is "purple" - so it is "play both sides" to a large degree. Of course, we don't have the rural population nor the resource extraction - both of which contribute to the unique "Texas Brand".

I have far left friends who have happily lived their entire lives in Austin without changing a lick - meaning that it is a "come as you are" type of place...more welcoming to who and what you are.

Sarasota - at least the "real" neighborhoods - also has that feeling. We live in non-HOA area about a mile from downtown and people accept whoever you are. My first post may have misled a bit only in this fashion - when you move into a heavily planned HOA type of setup, there is often less of that "live and let live" because your neighbor may want to make sure you didn't leave your car outside the garage.

I think you need to do a Ben Franklin (piece of papers with pros/cons/questions)....

If you are truly beach lovers the little circles and streets off of the east (rear) side of Siesta Key are darling! But I think you have to always question those little things like "OK, when I wake up in the morning what am I going to do?".

If you like guns, archery, etc. there are some amazing clubs and facilities (indoor and out) all within Sarasota and vicinity. Golf - it goes without saying that if you are into Golf your social life will be able to take care of itself.

If you like boating, sailing (that's my thing!) and nature - you'll be able to find it.

Sarasota is booming on the foodie scene - so you'd be coming at the right time.

I think it was good advice someone mentioned about age. No matter how you slice it, the population down here is older. That doesn't mean anything much unless you dislike older folks. You do have to be careful driving but that could be drunked/drugged young people as well as older.

I think the real key here is to set up "my sarasota" - that fits each of us. My sarasota includes the many days when I don't have to set foot in a car (I bike, walk and constantly maintain and upgrade our property). My Sarasota includes being outdoors in the hours prior to sunset. My Sarasota includes going to the Amish side of town and getting fresh veggies and fruit or watching (sneaking up on) turtles and getting good pictures.

Then there is the business end. I have always started and run my own companies so in other places I was always involved with volunteering as a mentor, board member, etc. for entrepreneurial stuff. Although some of this goes on around SRQ, most of it seems geared toward a shallower (make money, MLM, less focused) angle as opposed what my more "progressive/boston/silicon valley" sense I have been able to bring to groups elsewhere. I suppose this is more a matter of eventually finding the right places to volunteer.

All in all - I don't think Sarasota can be beat when you are talking Florida.....as a qualifier. Just be aware you'll have to "roll your own" community to a greater sense than some other places.

[Scottish Lassie]

Originally Posted by dsp101

My wife and I currently live in Austin TX, however, we're considering a move to the Sarasota/Bradenton area. Mainly to be around the beaches & water. My wife loves Siesta Key. We have visited many parts of FL and of course read a ton of positive & negative comments about the State.

We don't have kids yet, Wife is 29 and I'm 32. Our budget for a home would a max of about $750k.

We would want to buy in an area that is close to great beaches, no more than 30-minute commute. And fairly close to a major airport. Must have at least .25 acre of land.

Coming from Austin we're spoiled with great restaurants, very safe communities, and plenty of entertainment & activities. The people in Austin are very nice and what has concerned me about FL is that everyone tells me there are rude people in a lot of areas... What's that all about? :-/ We do have bugs & some snakes in Austin but low humidity. FL apparently is very high humidity and lots of bugs...

I work from home and she's currently not working, so commuting or traffic isn't really a consideration. Personally, I'd like to see us end up in an area that's close to good golf courses, decent night life/restaurants, good shopping, and safe area with NICE PEOPLE

I have been looking at a lot of houses online, but, I really haven't been impressed with what I've seen. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong areas.

We have also been discussing St. Pete's, Niceville, Delray, Clearwater, Orlando, Boca, Amelia Island.... pretty much the entire state!

There are a lot of people online talking about gangs and assault crimes in Sarasota, this is a major concern. Can someone give us some honest advice about what the city is really like!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
Thank you!

I've never been to Austin but it sure sounds beautiful. My Son used to live in Miami but now lives in Tyler and loves it..
I was just reading your post and wanted to tell you to look into Longboat Key, Siesta Key, Nokomis, Osprey, Boca Grande and even Venice. They all have fantastic golf courses (been to a couple but nothing compared to St. Andrews lol) All these areas have amazing beaches and Venice being the shark tooth capital of the world is also fun. These areas are well known for boating, beaches, golfing, restaurants and a lot of what you are looking for. I just moved to Venice from Connecticut last August and I find the people down here super friendly and very welcoming. Not sure how these areas are for your age group but it's worth looking into. Airports are Bradenton/Sarasota is approx. 45mins, Fort Myers approx 1 hour and Tampa is approx about 1-15 depending on traffic.
I'm not a fan of big busy cities with a lot of traffic so therefore never looked into Sarasota or Bradenton but I have heard good and bad about both. I prefer the smaller beach towns, with more local businesses. But that's not to say they are not what you may want, good luck to you and hope that people on here have given you some good advice.

[Kalen Kane]

Having lived in TPA earlier while closer to your age, and with a well above upper income, I would choose living around TPA, than SRQ, even though at this point I choose SRQ, but you must visit and discover for yourself, and perhaps disregard most web comments and content.

[Avalon08]

Originally Posted by dsp101

My wife and I currently live in Austin TX, however, we're considering a move to the Sarasota/Bradenton area. Mainly to be around the beaches & water. My wife loves Siesta Key. We have visited many parts of FL and of course read a ton of positive & negative comments about the State.

We don't have kids yet, Wife is 29 and I'm 32. Our budget for a home would a max of about $750k.

We would want to buy in an area that is close to great beaches, no more than 30-minute commute. And fairly close to a major airport. Must have at least .25 acre of land.

Coming from Austin we're spoiled with great restaurants, very safe communities, and plenty of entertainment & activities. The people in Austin are very nice and what has concerned me about FL is that everyone tells me there are rude people in a lot of areas... What's that all about? :-/ We do have bugs & some snakes in Austin but low humidity. FL apparently is very high humidity and lots of bugs...

I work from home and she's currently not working, so commuting or traffic isn't really a consideration. Personally, I'd like to see us end up in an area that's close to good golf courses, decent night life/restaurants, good shopping, and safe area with NICE PEOPLE

I have been looking at a lot of houses online, but, I really haven't been impressed with what I've seen. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong areas.

We have also been discussing St. Pete's, Niceville, Delray, Clearwater, Orlando, Boca, Amelia Island.... pretty much the entire state!

There are a lot of people online talking about gangs and assault crimes in Sarasota, this is a major concern. Can someone give us some honest advice about what the city is really like!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
Thank you!

Just wanted to add a few comments from the perspective of a Northerner who's lived here (Bradenton) for three years.

Bradenton has a lot more seniors and redneck-types than Sarasota. Whenever I drive into Sarasota, I can immediately see the difference in the types of cars on the road....luxury cars, expensive cars, not as many trucks up on lifts. The downtown main street of Sarasota is very lively with a lot of young folks, martini bar type of crowd. As I read somewhere, just look at where a Whole Foods is located; they're not going to locate in a crappy area.

Be careful if you're going to buy in a beach community; many homes are vacation rentals. I think the "rudeness" you've heard of is regarding the East Coast of Florida, lots of New York metro area and North Jersey transplants. In the Bradenton/Sarasota area, most of the transplants and snowbirds are from Midwest states, upstate NY, Pittsburgh, etc. VERY nice people. The redneck trucks can be aggressive, but again, I see more of them in Bradenton than SRQ.

As for crime, both Bradenton and Sarasota have their "bad areas" that you want to stay away from. Also, you should always be on your guard in FL; lots of homeless and scammers, keep the car doors locked, don't make eye contact in the parking lot as someone approaches you, etc. This is just a fact of life in FL, should not discourage you from moving here.

When I think about "younger", "newer" and "more upscale" areas, I think Lakewood Ranch, which has gated communities in all price ranges and is more family-oriented. Not as close to the beaches, though. Yes, humidity can be awful; this summer was particularly hot, I think the hottest on record. But the weather from November through now has made it all worth it.

I know a lot of young folks your age and younger who live in the Sarasota area, and they love it. In fact, many have moved here from up North or other areas of FL.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

Just wanted to add a few comments from the perspective of a Northerner who's lived here (Bradenton) for three years.

Bradenton has a lot more seniors and redneck-types than Sarasota. Whenever I drive into Sarasota, I can immediately see the difference in the types of cars on the road....luxury cars, expensive cars, not as many trucks up on lifts. The downtown main street of Sarasota is very lively with a lot of young folks, martini bar type of crowd. As I read somewhere, just look at where a Whole Foods is located; they're not going to locate in a crappy area.

Be careful if you're going to buy in a beach community; many homes are vacation rentals. I think the "rudeness" you've heard of is regarding the East Coast of Florida, lots of New York metro area and North Jersey transplants. In the Bradenton/Sarasota area, most of the transplants and snowbirds are from Midwest states, upstate NY, Pittsburgh, etc. VERY nice people. The redneck trucks can be aggressive, but again, I see more of them in Bradenton than SRQ.

As for crime, both Bradenton and Sarasota have their "bad areas" that you want to stay away from. Also, you should always be on your guard in FL; lots of homeless and scammers, keep the car doors locked, don't make eye contact in the parking lot as someone approaches you, etc. This is just a fact of life in FL, should not discourage you from moving here.

When I think about "younger", "newer" and "more upscale" areas, I think Lakewood Ranch, which has gated communities in all price ranges and is more family-oriented. Not as close to the beaches, though. Yes, humidity can be awful; this summer was particularly hot, I think the hottest on record. But the weather from November through now has made it all worth it.

I know a lot of young folks your age and younger who live in the Sarasota area, and they love it. In fact, many have moved here from up North or other areas of FL.

Could not have said it better ^^^ - I agree 100% with this post.

[Sunshine Rules]

Originally Posted by dsp101

My wife and I currently live in Austin TX, however, we're considering a move to the Sarasota/Bradenton area. Mainly to be around the beaches & water. My wife loves Siesta Key. We have visited many parts of FL and of course read a ton of positive & negative comments about the State.

We don't have kids yet, Wife is 29 and I'm 32. Our budget for a home would a max of about $750k.

We would want to buy in an area that is close to great beaches, no more than 30-minute commute. And fairly close to a major airport. Must have at least .25 acre of land.

Coming from Austin we're spoiled with great restaurants, very safe communities, and plenty of entertainment & activities. The people in Austin are very nice and what has concerned me about FL is that everyone tells me there are rude people in a lot of areas... What's that all about? :-/ We do have bugs & some snakes in Austin but low humidity. FL apparently is very high humidity and lots of bugs...

I work from home and she's currently not working, so commuting or traffic isn't really a consideration. Personally, I'd like to see us end up in an area that's close to good golf courses, decent night life/restaurants, good shopping, and safe area with NICE PEOPLE

I have been looking at a lot of houses online, but, I really haven't been impressed with what I've seen. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong areas.

We have also been discussing St. Pete's, Niceville, Delray, Clearwater, Orlando, Boca, Amelia Island.... pretty much the entire state!

There are a lot of people online talking about gangs and assault crimes in Sarasota, this is a major concern. Can someone give us some honest advice about what the city is really like!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
Thank you!

You may find you'll have to make some compromises when you search for homes here as you may have difficulty getting all of the items on your list in one location in Sarasota.

To get within a short commute to the beaches means you'll probably have to keep your search confined to within a few miles of the keys (traffic and traffic lights can really add to travel times here). You will be paying more to get the location, location, location. That's probably why none of the listings are impressing you.

When you move further out from the beaches you start to find your money goes further. Larger homes, nicer lawns, communities with amenities. Golf courses more likely to be nearby. So you trade travel time to the beaches for more home for the money.

There are pockets of decent restaurants, etc around Sarasota (such as Southgate and Gulf Gate), but the bulk of them will be in the downtown Sarasota area. That's also where you'll find the majority of the nightlife options, such as they are in Sarasota. There are some trendy neighborhoods west of US 41 (i.e. West of Trail) nearer to downtown Sarasota such as Southside Village, but you'll find that prices are again higher because of location, location, location.

Finding lots of 1/4 acre or larger closer to the beaches is possible but not probable. A "big" lot nearer the water is often 75 x 100 or so. And new construction is being built on postage stamp sized lots, with a couple of builder exceptions. You'll be more likely to find larger lots east of I-75 than west of I-75.

If you decide to buy on one of the keys, you'll want to do some research into the flood insurance and wind zone insurance rates. Flood insurance rates are based on a number of factors, but a key factor is the BFE (base flood elevation) and whether the home is at or above the BFE, and by how much. Also keep in mind that if you buy an older, "grandfathered" home located in a flood zone, there will be limitations on how much remodeling you can do without triggering the 50% rule. If your renovations go over 50% of the home's (not home and lot) value, FEMA will make you bring the grandfathered older home into current elevation requirements. There are some past threads on this forum about flood insurance that go into more details.


SW Florida has a lot to offer--the warm climate, natural beauty, great beaches, resorts, and no state income tax. Sarasota metro area is an up and coming cosmopolitan region with good colleges, a thriving arts community, museums, fine restaurants and stellar public beaches. But it's not Austin. If you're researching multiple locations in FL, I would suggest narrowing it down to 3 or 4 at most and then come visit those top choices with your checklist in hand and see how the reality compares to the research. Good luck with your relocation project, I hope it works well, wherever you eventually land.

[dsp101]

So, DW just got in from St. Pete's last night. Said she loved the area and they stayed at a condo only a few minutes from the beach.

I personally would like "more house for my money", meaning, I'd be okay with a 30-40 ride to the beach (Land O Lakes, Lutz, Wesley Chapel)... but she mentions part of the beauty to being in FL is proximity to the beach.

Any suggestions? Apollo beach, cape coral, Bradenton, St. Petes, Tampa, Sarasota, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Osprey, Palmetto??

[Kalen Kane]

BTW it's St PETE, not pete's


Most people who live here, don't care about "living on the beach"...it gets old, but it's nice to have ACCESS to the beach when you want to deal with it. Everybody in CA doesn't live on the Pacific - the same applies here- there is much more to life that worrying about how long it takes to get to the beach - you live in Austin TEXAS, and YOU don't live on the "beach" either. Any way you cut it, living in Tampa, SPB, SRQ, Mana CapeC or wherever, you're STILL closer "to the beach" than 90% of working Americans in the US.


Don't get "beach intoxicated" - no one, even those you LIVE on the beach, don't go to the beach everyday - O don't think most true residents here "go to the beach" even once every two weeks or maybe once a month.


Be smart, don't get sucked into the beach scenario - it's stupid. Go buy a very nice house in an attractive neighborhood that you might enjoy. Screw the "beachy life" it ain't "real life"

[dsp101]

You've never met my wife lol

She's the type of person that would walk the beach everyday