Moving back stateside...SW Florida towns to consider? (Tampa, Clearwater: apartments, to rent)

[np206]

Good morning! We are moving back to the states from St. Thomas this year; once we sell our business. We are looking to move to a small, quaint town in SW Florida to re-acclimate ourselves to stateside life. We would love to live and work (administrative assistant & business administration/HR) in the same town if possible. We have been doing research on Punta Gorda, Englewood, Northport, Venice and Dunedin. We love to read, go on long walks, bike, meet new people, and go to flea markets. What is your opinion on the ones I'm researching so far and is there any others we should consider? Thanks

[MattMN]

Given the population growth in FL over the past 10 years (or use whatever number you want there), there's not many 'small, quaint' towns any more. Lots of growth.
Englewood, Northport, Venice are great areas, but aren't going to have a lot of businesses for positions you're looking for.
Punta Gorda (/Port Charlotte) may have a higher concentration of businesses. Punta Gorda is a nice area, and there's flea markets between there and Ft. Myers.
Dunedin or any town in the Tampa/StPete area will certainly present more work opportunities.

Definitely recommend you RENT wherever you go, and get acclimated after that.

[kiggy]

Yeah, I'd look closer to the bigger areas such as Tampa and Sarasota for what you're looking for. I wouldn't even count Punta Gorda. Venice possibly, but the two I mentioned would work better for you. There is simply no work in North Port or Englewood to speak of.

[np206]

Originally Posted by MattMN

Given the population growth in FL over the past 10 years (or use whatever number you want there), there's not many 'small, quaint' towns any more. Lots of growth.
Englewood, Northport, Venice are great areas, but aren't going to have a lot of businesses for positions you're looking for.
Punta Gorda (/Port Charlotte) may have a higher concentration of businesses. Punta Gorda is a nice area, and there's flea markets between there and Ft. Myers.
Dunedin or any town in the Tampa/StPete area will certainly present more work opportunities.

Definitely recommend you RENT wherever you go, and get acclimated after that.

Thanks for the info. We will keep on researching and getting things in order. We are thinking of getting a travel trailer since we are not exactly sure where we'll end up. I don't want to rent or buy a place and get a job 3 or 4 hours away. Looking forward to the next adventure!

[bereafair]

As the other mentioned, jobs are scarce in North Port and Englewood. Punta Gorda is a nice spot and from there you would have the option of working really either in Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, or Ft. Myers if you didn't mind the travel. I personally love Punta Gorda as I grew up there.

Venice also would be an option because you could travel to Sarasota to work if you needed to and there are thrift shops and antique shops there- lots actually. I used to live there, too.

I live in Sarasota now, but it isn't quaint. There are some areas that are quieter than others though, like Vamo. You could consider living in Osprey or Nokomis, too.

Moderator cut: sorry, no soliciting on cd

[-parallon-]

quaint and jobs don't go together in SW FL - not anymore. Tampa area offers more opportunities, but you cold live in Safety Harbor which hasn't lost all of its charm yet...but traffic is a mess all over...sleepy FL towns on SW FL have disappeared for the large part.

[Icemodeled]

Your likes and ours are quite similar. We live in North Port and also love Venice area, were 25 minutes from Venice beach. It is smaller towns with a more laid back vibe but plunty of restaurants, hiking trails(myakkahatchee, myakka forrest, oscar state park, jelk preserve are some favorites) nearby. We also enjoy flea markets and visit Red Barn in Sarasota and Ft Myers flea markets. Port Charlotte has one but we weren't real impressed though we will go occasionally. Englewood is nice also, lot of festivals there and in Venice. Englewood always feels more laid back and quiet then Venice also. We just prefer Sarasota county though.

Far as jobs, harder to find ones in North Port but should be reasonable to find jobs in Venice or nearby areas. Iv seen many listings for the type of work your looking for, lot of offices and business around Venice and Port Charlotte. You may be able to even find something in North Port, just seems like less postings overall though. We enjoy going to Punta Gorda but decided against living there due to distance to the beach, if that isn't an issue, it's a nice small town. Just felt far away, mainly because we enjoy Sarasota and go up that way often. We just didn't want to live there, we like the smaller quieter towns but we're still very close to a lot more. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

[CTMom23]

Dunedin is so great! Lots of building going on here now, many apartments. Definitely a younger generation of people moving in, so not as many retirees as other areas. Dunedin is eclectic, with lots of new breweries. It's easy to get to Tampa & St. Pete for business. Marina town keeps away a lot of tourists, yet there are two 'state parks' ie: beaches that are easy to get to. Living near downtown Main Street is awesome! Good luck!

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by CTMom23

Dunedin is so great! Lots of building going on here now, many apartments. Definitely a younger generation of people moving in, so not as many retirees as other areas. Dunedin is eclectic, with lots of new breweries. It's easy to get to Tampa & St. Pete for business. Marina town keeps away a lot of tourists, yet there are two 'state parks' ie: beaches that are easy to get to. Living near downtown Main Street is awesome! Good luck!

I agree, Dunedin has more of an "all ages" vibe versus retiree-centric, and with it's accessibility to Tampa-St Pete-Clearwater for jobs it would seem a no-brainer.

[blueherons]

Downtown Sarasota for me. Very artsy yet quick access to boating and some of the best beaches on the planet.