Tampa or Sarasota? (Palm Harbor, Bradenton, Dunedin: crime, house, neighborhoods)

[hopi]

My husband and I currently live in Southern New Jersey and are hoping to eventually relocate to the West Coast of Florida. We just returned from a week long house search that was concentrated in Sarasota and Tampa (including WestChase/Palm Harbor/Dunedin). We're in our 50's/60's and are both avid fans of the beach and cycling. Our ideal home would be in a community setting with a pool/fitness center/clubhouse but we're willing to make some compromises.

We'd like some feedback on the Sarasota vs Tampa question.
Thanks!!

[DailyJournalist]

I like bigger cities with more amenities, my vote would be Tampa.

[SoFLGal]

I like the downtown Sarasota area. Great shops, restaurants, etc. I also like the beaches better in the Sarasota area-Siesta, Lido. My vote would be for Sarasota

[hopi]

SoFLGal,

We really liked Sarasota. Do you know anything about Village Walk or the Isles?

[SoFLGal]

Hey Hopi,

Village Walk and Isles are a little north of my territory. If I'm not mistaken I think they are in Palmer Ranch. I usually try to say just south of Sarasota. I was born in Bradenton and have lived in SW Florida my whole life but it's hard to keep up on every community

Check your email I sent you a DM

[Sunnydee]

Tampa or Sarasota? Both areas are lovely. It's really up to your personal preferences. Do you want to be near major league sports? A major airport? Museums? You might want to consider St. Pete also. The beauty of your sistuation is you can't go wrong because they're all wonderful cities.

[Suncoast Guy]

Hello.

Tampa- I find Tampa to be an older, run-down city. The people are totally unfriendly, and the traffic is horridness! The crime in Tampa is terrible, every day you watch the news, you hear multiple things about shootings, robberies, crime in general. While I'm sure there are nice neighborhoods in Tampa, they even have problems. EXAMPLE: In 2007, Mayor Pam Ioreo's house was robbed, and they believe that it was random, not targeted. I would say NO to Tampa. Too big, too crime-ridden, too run-down.

Sarasota- I find Sarasota to be a nice city. It has culture, arts, entertainment, and it's just a generally nice city. Sarasota is more friendly then Tampa, it's not a run-down or as crime-ridden as Tampa. Sarasota has a variety of ages, whereas I find Tampa/St. Pete Metro to have a much younger and business age group. Sarasota also has the Asolo, Van Wazel, and GWIZ for entertainment and Sarasota has PLENTY of beaches, whereas Tampa has zero beaches. Sarasota also has a great downtown district and the Farmer's Market on Main Street every Saturday. I find a lot of friendly people in Sarasota, the roads are generally clean and not a whole lot of traffic. I say YES to Sarasota. Much nicer than Tampa, less crime-ridden than Tampa, and just generally friendlier and nicer than Tampa.

[iucracker]

I have lived in Tampa/Lutz (just north of Tampa) for about 30 years. We love the beach too. My husband actually worked in Sarasota for a few year and yes it is beautiful. The beaches, the city, especially around St Armands circle, is really nice. The price of homes is crazy, we were goingto move there thankfully we didn't. No close beaches to Tampa, at least 45 mins to an hour. I'd choose Sarasota over tampa too.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Suncoast Guy

Hello.

Tampa- I find Tampa to be an older, run-down city. The people are totally unfriendly, and the traffic is horridness! The crime in Tampa is terrible, every day you watch the news, you hear multiple things about shootings, robberies, crime in general. While I'm sure there are nice neighborhoods in Tampa, they even have problems. EXAMPLE: In 2007, Mayor Pam Ioreo's house was robbed, and they believe that it was random, not targeted. I would say NO to Tampa. Too big, too crime-ridden, too run-down.

Sarasota- I find Sarasota to be a nice city. It has culture, arts, entertainment, and it's just a generally nice city. Sarasota is more friendly then Tampa, it's not a run-down or as crime-ridden as Tampa. Sarasota has a variety of ages, whereas I find Tampa/St. Pete Metro to have a much younger and business age group. Sarasota also has the Asolo, Van Wazel, and GWIZ for entertainment and Sarasota has PLENTY of beaches, whereas Tampa has zero beaches. Sarasota also has a great downtown district and the Farmer's Market on Main Street every Saturday. I find a lot of friendly people in Sarasota, the roads are generally clean and not a whole lot of traffic. I say YES to Sarasota. Much nicer than Tampa, less crime-ridden than Tampa, and just generally friendlier and nicer than Tampa.

Nice post Suncoast Guy!

[FLBob]

I agree with Suncoast Guy, the list of whats good about Sarasota just goes on - Mote Marine, Selby gardens, St Armands Cir for shopping, The Ringling mansion Ca D Zan.