Northport or Port Charlotte (Sarasota, North Port: sales, real estate, foreclosures)

[CheriC]

We love the beach, especially Boca Grande! We also love the country feel with wild life. We want to down size w/ the state of economy and looking for cheaper housing. Currently we live in the country with a 30 min. ride to Siesta Beach. We are thinking about moving to Northport, east of 75 or near Rotonda or South Gulf Cove in Port Charlotte. Can anyone familiar with these areas give me the pros and cons of either area please?
I was thinking the location in Northport would give us easy access to 75 because we work in Sarasota, and still be about 35 minutes from Boca Grande... but have always heard negative things about Northport.
Would appreciate any feed back please.

[d4g4m]

The dividing line between Northport and Port Charlotte, running east to west is Chancellor Blvd -Hillsborough Blvd. In Northport, you will pay an additional city real estate tax, average $400-$600. On the Port Charlotte side, $0 Most of the newer homes were constructed by the same builders and look similar.

[mikey2]

There are tons of threads here on North Port. You can get just about any type of information you're looking for.

As far as people liking the area...I live here year round and I talk with all types of people all the time....I don't here any negatives. (Everyone would like the economy to be a whole lot better, but that's everywhere, not just here).

Mikey

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by CheriC

We love the beach, especially Boca Grande! We also love the country feel with wild life. We want to down size w/ the state of economy and looking for cheaper housing. Currently we live in the country with a 30 min. ride to Siesta Beach. We are thinking about moving to Northport, east of 75 or near Rotonda or South Gulf Cove in Port Charlotte. Can anyone familiar with these areas give me the pros and cons of either area please?
I was thinking the location in Northport would give us easy access to 75 because we work in Sarasota, and still be about 35 minutes from Boca Grande... but have always heard negative things about Northport.
Would appreciate any feed back please.

I live in North Port and really like it here. The town fits us well. We have three kids and don't really do the night life scene. Like you pointed out, we like the easy access to I-75, its about 30 mins to the beaches, about 40 minutes to Sarasota.

We really like the Sarasota county school system as well. The homes prices are pretty good right now. I'm sure you've probably heard about the amount of foreclosures in the North Port area. That's probably one of the biggest drawbacks about the area right now. If you're looking to buy and get a good deal this could be a positive thing. Also NP lacks jobs right now. The main employment in NP was construction and when the housing market started to fall so did the jobs. If you already have a job in Sarasota then this shouldn't effect you.

What type of community are you looking for? What negative things have you heard about NP?

Personally I think the drive from Rotonda up to Sarasota would get really old fast so if you're working in Sarasota that's probably not a good option for you.

[CheriC]

Here's the negatives I've heard about NorthPort...
High crime, no retail/restaurants, no cable, issues with having to switch to city water/sewer if home is on well/septic, and higher taxes.
Schools and no nightlife are of no concern to me.

Negatives I heard on Rotonda/South Gulf Cove area is it's mostly retirees and a distance from I75 access.

I noticed some retail in NP and don't have a problem driving to PC for dining out and I also think that Toledo Blade is shaping up very nicely with new lanscaping and expansion. It looks nice. But we are looking East of 75 off Sumpter and people have told me to avoid it!!! Most of it appeared to be rural with homes on acreage... what can anyone tell me about that area?

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by CheriC

Here's the negatives I've heard about NorthPort...
High crime, no retail/restaurants, no cable, issues with having to switch to city water/sewer if home is on well/septic, and higher taxes.
Schools and no nightlife are of no concern to me.

Negatives I heard on Rotonda/South Gulf Cove area is it's mostly retirees and a distance from I75 access.

I noticed some retail in NP and don't have a problem driving to PC for dining out and I also think that Toledo Blade is shaping up very nicely with new lanscaping and expansion. It looks nice. But we are looking East of 75 off Sumpter and people have told me to avoid it!!! Most of it appeared to be rural with homes on acreage... what can anyone tell me about that area?

You can look up the crime stats on many websites. I always say to visit the area after 5 when people are usually home from work and school. Call the local police department and ask them how many calls they usually get in a neighborhood. Pick up a copy of the local newspaper and look at the different streets in the police beat.

North Port has opened many retail stores and restaurants in the last few years. But I would agree for the most part on that statement, it's still kind of a sleepy town. You'd have to go to Port Charlotte (less than 10 minutes away) or Sarasota (about 40 mins away) for more shopping and nightlife.

Your next statement about NP is also accurate. Many/most homes in North Port are on well and septic. I can't assure you that you will never have to switch over to public water and sewer but, IMO, I don't see it happening anytime soon. North Port does have higher taxes than some other areas but, in my opinion it also offers more than some areas.

Here's two websites where you can check out the school ratings and opinions: http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/defaul...level=District or www.greatschools.com

Not sure why people told you to avoid east of I-75 other than there is a large area in NP right around where you are talking about that is in a flood zone. 95% of NP is not in a flood zone but that area is. If you're gonna consider that area make sure you're not too close to the Myakkahatchee River. It floods quite a bit in the rainy season. The North Port Estates area is comprised of many 3-5 acre parcels which are zoned agriculturally as well as 10,000 sq ft lots. If you're driving down Tropicaire Blvd in the Estates all the property on the east side of the road is acreage and some on the west side before Sumter Blvd is as well.

The median age in NP is 38.

For the most part, I agree with the Rotonda statements. According to the demographics in the MLS 65% of Rotonda is 55 or older. 20% is 25-44 years old.

[mr&mrssunshine]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

For the most part, I agree with the Rotonda statements. According to the demographics in the MLS 65% of Rotonda is 55 or older. 20% is 25-44 years old.

and 1% throws bloody good parties and drinks like afish (along with a certain other CD member!!)


we love Rotonda for its quiet neighborly feel ,very friendly people, safe, places to bike and walk in safety, just generally a nice place. Yes its a way from 75 if you need it but it compensates by being close to Boca Grande and 15-20 minutes from the shops and restaurants in NP and PC.It is more expensive than North Port but if we hadnt bought there we would possibly have looked at NP as option 2. Port Charlotte is too big and 'towny' for our liking

[tommy-105]

Originally Posted by CheriC

Here's the negatives I've heard about NorthPort...
High crime, no retail/restaurants, no cable, issues with having to switch to city water/sewer if home is on well/septic, and higher taxes.
Schools and no nightlife are of no concern to me.

Negatives I heard on Rotonda/South Gulf Cove area is it's mostly retirees and a distance from I75 access.

I noticed some retail in NP and don't have a problem driving to PC for dining out and I also think that Toledo Blade is shaping up very nicely with new lanscaping and expansion. It looks nice. But we are looking East of 75 off Sumpter and people have told me to avoid it!!! Most of it appeared to be rural with homes on acreage... what can anyone tell me about that area?

SoFLGal, you addressed all the concerns but one... no cable???

[mikey2]

I've got cable and so does everyone I know. Maybe East of I-75 is not hooked up and would have to have direct tv or something.

Mikey

[tommy-105]

Guess it's just one of those internet rumors. Next thing ya know home sales will be dropping and SoFLGal won't know why.