Can I afford to move to/live in Sarasota? (Tampa: houses, schools)

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by ctr88

Austinsinglemom...I put up a similar post asking about Sarasota. I'm a similar age 39, I have an Internet job where I can live anywhere, and I'm coming from California. I lived in SF Bay for 15 years and moved to San Diego 3.5 yrs ago. I like San Diego and suprisingly don't miss SF. I loved SF while there, but unless you have a TON of money to me it's a terrible place for the middle class to get ahead. Your standard of living (housing) in the SF Bay is so much lower than people of similar middle class incomes throughout most of the rest of the U.S. It's OK in your 20's, but after a while it just get's really old living in a shoebox apartment for $2,000+ a month. And it is such a rat race up there. And traffic congestion is terrible.

For me personally it boils down to 2 reasons to look at Florida, lower housing costs (you get a lot more for your rental dollar or to purchase) and IMO better weather in FL vs. CA December to April. The biggest driver for me is housing costs.

For what I like to do at the beach (swim and chill), I like FL beaches better than SoCal. SoCal beaches are good for wetsuit surfers but IMO FL beaches are better for everything else (water temp, texture and color of sand).

I think Cali definately has it over Florida in a big way with mountains close by and desert, and diversity in ecosytems and landscape (I'm very into the outdoors). Summers are much better weather in Coastal Cali and there is no rain or clouds all summer/fall long. Also, few bugs or mosquitos in CA. If you want to hike a mountain in Florida or see a mountain stream or meadow, you have an extremely long drive or a short flight to the Appilachans.

I think the Coastal Cali major metros also have more diversity in people as well.

I couldn't live anywhere in FL for all 12 mos, but I certainly could for the winter and early spring months. But I don't mean that in a bad way, just that I personally couldn't.

I noticed checking average temps that the SE coast of FL has warmer winter nights than Sarasota? Sarasota seems to get a bit chilly at night in the winter evenings in the low 50's. Can someone comment?

Also, for people living in Sarasota, if you had to live on the SE Coast of FL, which area would you pick?

That's interesting I didn't realize it was warmer in the winter on the other coast. I would think the opposite because the Atlantic Ocean is much colder than the gulf. It does get cold here in the winter (at least by my standards being a native SW Floridian). I do know that the frost line runs just underneath Tampa so you are not going to find as much tropical foliage and plants south of the Tampa area.

Hmmm...if I had to live on the other coast, for sure I would pick Jupiter. I feel it's the most similar town to Sarasota on the other coast and the least snobby

[222muchcoffee]

Hi AustinSingleMom -- I am new to this area and thinking about relocating to the Sarasota area as well. We live in San Antonio and are looking for new chapter in our lives in a couple of years. I visited the Tampa area and then drove down to Sarasota area. I had really nice vibes around Sarasota all the way down to Boca Grande (panting hard!). I plan to bring the wife and 2/3's of my kids down this coming week to hang out and get their reaction. It would be so easy making decisions if you didn't have to 'try' to please everyone! Best of luck in your decision making!

[AustinsSingleMom]

ctr88

re:
...unless you have a TON of money to me it's a terrible place for the middle class to get ahead. Your standard of living (housing) in the SF Bay is so much lower than people of similar middle class incomes throughout most of the rest of the U.S. It's OK in your 20's, but after a while it just get's really old living in a shoebox apartment for $2,000+ a month. And it is such a rat race up there. And traffic congestion is terrible.

I agree 100%+ with everything you said above.

For me personally it boils down to 2 reasons to look at Florida, lower housing costs (you get a lot more for your rental dollar or to purchase) and IMO better weather in FL vs. CA December to April. The biggest driver for me is housing costs.

Totally agree with you on this one as well, on both points. In particular, I LOVE the FL weather. I grew up in AL, so I know what weather in the South can be like (very hot, very humid). I love it.

For what I like to do at the beach (swim and chill), I like FL beaches better than SoCal. SoCal beaches are good for wetsuit surfers but IMO FL beaches are better for everything else (water temp, texture and color of sand).

IMO, CA beaches are just not for swimming. The Pacific Ocean is COLD!

I think Cali definately has it over Florida in a big way with mountains close by and desert, and diversity in ecosytems and landscape (I'm very into the outdoors). Summers are much better weather in Coastal Cali and there is no rain or clouds all summer/fall long. Also, few bugs or mosquitos in CA. If you want to hike a mountain in Florida or see a mountain stream or meadow, you have an extremely long drive or a short flight to the Appilachans.

There *is* a lot of diversity in the landscape here. Before I got the FT job of being a single mom, I had **so** much fun being out and about with my friends..playing volleyball at Alameda Beach every Sunday, swimming in the Yuba River during our weekend trips in the summer, white water rafting in the American River, skiing in Tahoe, hiking in the many different areas to hike around here (Mission Peak, Muir Woods, Yosemite (3 hrs from here)), mountain biking, roller blading..I could go on and on..

I also love that there aren't many insects here..I've never even *seen* a mosquito or cockroach here (and I've been here since '95)..Typically, I get eaten alive wherever there are any mosquitos (I think it must be something in the blood, because I could have a dozen welts and the person standing next to me could have none)

Summer in San Francisco can best be summed up by Mark Twain:
"The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco."

I think the Coastal Cali major metros also have more diversity in people as well.

Agreed. Consequently, there's a huge variety of great ethnic restaurants here. I *love* this part of the SF Bay Area.

I couldn't live anywhere in FL for all 12 mos, but I certainly could for the winter and early spring months. But I don't mean that in a bad way, just that I personally couldn't.

I don't think I could either actually, except in Sarasota...

222muchcoffee

re: It would be so easy making decisions if you didn't have to 'try' to please everyone! Best of luck in your decision making!

Tell me about it....Thanks!!

[bettyuk]

I hope Austinssinglemom doesn't mind me joining in here.

My boyfriend and I wish to relocate to Florida and we have been checking out various areas. We have just come back from a trip to Cape Coral, Anna Maria Island and Orlando. I think I have decided against Cape Coral and Orlando and so I have turned my attention to Sarasota/Bradenton/Venice.

We only stopped for lunch in Sarasota on our way to Anna Maria, so we didn't realy have a good look around but I must say that Sarasota has the most positive posts I have read so far, about any city on this forum

Just like any other US city however finding a job is going to be one of the biggest hurdles.

I am a real estate lawyer in the UK. I dont necessarily need to work in the legal field, but out of interest, does anyone know if there would be many opportunities for me working as a paralegal within an hour commute from Sarasota?
I am a US citizen, so no green card worries.
My budget for purchasing a home would also be about $300K. We do not have any kids and so we do not need to live by a good school. I would really appreciate any suggestions as to which are the best neighbourhoods. We are in our 40s and don't need to be in a hip'n'happening place, although I do like trendy cafes and shops.
Many thanks

[SoFLGal]

Well, what kind of things are important to you? Do you like more of a gated community or would an older home be fine? Do you like to golf, play tennis, go to the beach, etc?

I like the Southside Village area-Poinsettia Park, Bungalow Hill, Paver Park, Pomelo Park, etc. close to downtown but if you must have new in that price range you're not going to find much there. They do have a few newer smaller developments (Laurel Park) around Southside but I think the prices are running $350K-$400K.

Palmer Ranch is one of Sarasota's most popular master planned communities. Palmer Ranch actually consists of many neighborhoods, all individually operated under their own HOA. The common areas of Palmer Ranch are maintained by a master association. The overall look and feel of PR is "green" - the roads are grass and treelined, the sidewalks wind throughout the entire community, and they have recently been able to add the Legacy Trail to the many great aspects. The Legacy Trail is a paved walking/biking trail that winds through the woods along the path of the old railroad track.

Palmer Ranch is districted for great schools, is only 10-15 minutes to the beach, and is next door to the mall, new 12-screen movie theater and a fantastic YMCA complex, including a huge waterpark. Palmer Ranch is very popular with families and retirees and everyone in between!

[Peter the Brit]

Betty
I am a retired barrister and have been involved in the legal circles here in Sarasota for the past ten years an dam a grandfathered in paralegal and a certified foreign legal consultant so speak with some experience
In this economy there are unemployed attornies willing to work for $45,000 a year and it is hard to get $20 an hour as a paralegal
Look at Tampa Fort Myers and bigger cities if you need to work

[Peter the Brit]

The Legacy Trail is a paved walking/biking trail that winds through the woods along the path of the old railroad track.
The Legacy Trail is almost a straight line and I have not seen any winding through the woods !

[gypsychic]

Sarasota itself is a fabulous place to live; however the employment situation here is rather abysmal right now. At any rate, opportunities may be better over the bridge in Tampa/St. Pete - we live on the north end of Sarasota and my hubby commutes to downtown Tampa each day which he does not mind doing - it's an hour, and interstate all the way. It's worth it to us to live here, as we love it so much more than Tampa.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Peter the Brit

The Legacy Trail is a paved walking/biking trail that winds through the woods along the path of the old railroad track.
The Legacy Trail is almost a straight line and I have not seen any winding through the woods !

The parts I've been on have had quite a few trees. In fact Sarasota county has a picture at the top of their website of the Legacy Trail and you can see trees all around the bike rider. The Legacy Trail Maybe you would prefer me to say. "goes in a straight line through the woods." Ya like that better?

Man, you really are a pretty negative person!

[222muchcoffee]

Personally, I d like to know the angles of the paths, if it isn't a true line, and degrees of the curvatures in the future, please.