How is Venice for early to mid 30 year olds? (Tampa: condo, crime)

[saltydog920]

My fiance and I are early 30's and reside in Wisconsin. My fiance has a job opportunity in Cape Coral. We both love the idea of moving, however we're not sold on Cape Coral. This is where Venice comes into play. We've still considered moving to a Florida city other than Cape Coral. We have no kids and are relatively free in our lives. She's in healthcare and I have an online business. We are mobile in our careers and I noticed that Venice has a large industry in healthcare (20%). This is part of the reason we are considering it. The other part is Venice has charm.

Our big question is, how is it for people our age (early to mid 30's)? We enjoy bars, restaurants, beaches, and our dogs are our babies. We both enjoy the more laid back vibe of the Gulf coast. Any input is appreciated!

[Easy Life]

If she's working in Cape Coral, Venice is about as far north as I would go...but Venice is quite old by comparison, but it too is getting younger.


I'd look at Port Charlotte perhaps....Sarasota is a better bet, but it's too far north. Frankly I would recommend greater Ft Myers/Estero in a heartbeat....far more going on for 30 -somethings

[TamRE]

Venice is too far to travel from Cape Coral. I would suggest looking into Punta Gorda. They have a walkable downtown area with lots of bars and restaurants to enjoy. Lots of activities there too, plus a farmers market, boating, fishing, tennis, biking area around the city, and more. Lots of people walk around with their dogs and some of the restaurants allow your dogs at outdoor seating. There is also a dog park in Punta Gorda, Hounds on Henry. Port Charlotte has two hopsitals and Punta Gorda has one. There are lots of medical faciltiies around Charlotte County if you are looking in the healthcare industry.

[saltydog920]

Thanks for the input. I should have been more clear. With her mobility in her career and mine as well, we would consider moving to another Gulf coast city and nixing the Cape opportunity all together. This would also give us the chance to live where we actually want to and do it on our own schedule.

[saltydog920]

Originally Posted by Easy Life

If she's working in Cape Coral, Venice is about as far north as I would go...but Venice is quite old by comparison, but it too is getting younger.


I'd look at Port Charlotte perhaps....Sarasota is a better bet, but it's too far north. Frankly I would recommend greater Ft Myers/Estero in a heartbeat....far more going on for 30 -somethings

We've thought about Fort Myers / Estero, but were a little concerned about crime (though we do love the area). I've heard of the infamous Lehigh Acres in Fort Myers and that has given us some pause.

Originally Posted by TamRE

Venice is too far to travel from Cape Coral. I would suggest looking into Punta Gorda. They have a walkable downtown area with lots of bars and restaurants to enjoy. Lots of activities there too, plus a farmers market, boating, fishing, tennis, biking area around the city, and more. Lots of people walk around with their dogs and some of the restaurants allow your dogs at outdoor seating. There is also a dog park in Punta Gorda, Hounds on Henry. Port Charlotte has two hopsitals and Punta Gorda has one. There are lots of medical faciltiies around Charlotte County if you are looking in the healthcare industry.

I will have to look more into Punta Gorda. I grew up visiting family in PG but always considered it a retirement town, though probably due to my family selling their home when I was 16 and wasn't age appropriate to explore like I do now. I did think it was a beautiful city. The old town section of PG near Charlotte Harbor has tremendous charm. I will definitely research it more.

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by saltydog920

We've thought about Fort Myers / Estero, but were a little concerned about crime (though we do love the area). I've heard of the infamous Lehigh Acres in Fort Myers and that has given us some pause.



I will have to look more into Punta Gorda. I grew up visiting family in PG but always considered it a retirement town, though probably due to my family selling their home when I was 16 and wasn't age appropriate to explore like I do now. I did think it was a beautiful city. The old town section of PG near Charlotte Harbor has tremendous charm. I will definitely research it more.

Crime is very high in Florida in general due to the transient nature of tourists & homeless. Lehigh Acres was a marketing ploy that worked back in the day ~ remember, Florida is built out from swamp land...

In your position and at that age, I would look for the cheapest property in the least inhabited area near water, buy it and fear nothing. Sarasota is in the "overbuild process" at the present. Healthcare jobs pretty much rule anywhere in this state & working from home is great.

[loves2read]

FWIW
My daughter married a guy who loved the ocean/gulf and bought a condo on Venice Island
At the time he traveled for work S-F so he was looking for a weekend place as close to the beach as he could afford and that is what he got
But that wasn't exactly the best site for a married couple or starting a family
They lived there for over 5 yrs--
The other residents were mainly seniors and often not in residence
My daughter was lonely because her husband was traveling most of the time
Most of the teachers at her school were older and married w/kids--a closed circle so to speak

But she felt very safe---would ride her bike alone along Esplanade, the road paralleling the Gulf, even at night...parking was in lot behind condo but not secured---

They bought a house in Nokomis subdivision about 2010
He has had several job changes since then
They have friends who are in middle 30s--early 40s w/kids who live in Sarasota, Venice, North Port---but most people in our neighborhood are seniors or just w/o kids...
The schools here have plenty of kids though--our daughter is a teacher---
So if that is future concern for you, you might want to investigate specific areas more closely

[loves2read]

And for what it's worth again--
When they were first married and living in the condo, they enjoyed their free time on weekends or if he had some time between projects--
He loved to walk across the street or bike to the jetties and fish
They used the city tennis courts and went to the beach all the time since it was across the street...
They had plenty of bars/restaurants around here and places with live music
And he likes less upscale/trendy places anyway so local and "lived-in" was a positive for him
The sports bar on Venice Main was not something he considered a positive when it opened for example
So I think for a mid 30 couple there is plenty of enjoy in Venice

[saltydog920]

Originally Posted by loves2read

And for what it's worth again--
When they were first married and living in the condo, they enjoyed their free time on weekends or if he had some time between projects--
He loved to walk across the street or bike to the jetties and fish
They used the city tennis courts and went to the beach all the time since it was across the street...
They had plenty of bars/restaurants around here and places with live music
And he likes less upscale/trendy places anyway so local and "lived-in" was a positive for him
The sports bar on Venice Main was not something he considered a positive when it opened for example
So I think for a mid 30 couple there is plenty of enjoy in Venice

I do appreciate the input. Hearing personal stories / experiences is a tremendous help! One nice thing about Venice is it is close to the younger Sarasota / Tampa area as well. This was part of the reasoning behind considering this location.

[gypsychic]

Venice is extremely charming, and feels very safe there. It is indeed mostly older (senior) population. But if you are living there you can easily travel to Sarasota where there are more young people and activities. Lots of health care opportunities in the area.