Fort Myers VS. Sarasota (Siesta Key, Hampton: rentals, townhome, neighborhood)

[Familyheart]

My family and I moved to Fort myers from VA almost 2 years ago. At first, I really loved it here. However, now I'm seeing that there is little opportunity for my kids. I will be graduating as an RN in April and see little opportunity for career growth here since every hospital is owned by Lee county. my husband just got a promotion offer that would mean moving to Sarasota. The area is right around Sarasota Doctors Hospital.

It seems like a good opportunity. However, I don't know anything about that area and have 2 kids to consider. Is it safer than Ft. Myers? Nicer? More things for families to do? Good hospitals to work for? Good schools? Cost of housing comparison? Right now we pay $1,000 per month for a 3 bed, 2 car garage townhome that is 8 miles from Fort Myers beach. I want to stay close to the beach but also be in a nice, safe family centered neighborhood and hopefully not pay too much.

So, those are most of my concerns and any advise would be greatly appreciated. Oh, also is the "in season" traffic worse than it is here in Ft Myers?

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Familyheart

My family and I moved to Fort myers from VA almost 2 years ago. At first, I really loved it here. However, now I'm seeing that there is little opportunity for my kids. I will be graduating as an RN in April and see little opportunity for career growth here since every hospital is owned by Lee county. my husband just got a promotion offer that would mean moving to Sarasota. The area is right around Sarasota Doctors Hospital.

It seems like a good opportunity. However, I don't know anything about that area and have 2 kids to consider. Is it safer than Ft. Myers? Nicer? More things for families to do? Good hospitals to work for? Good schools? Cost of housing comparison? Right now we pay $1,000 per month for a 3 bed, 2 car garage townhome that is 8 miles from Fort Myers beach. I want to stay close to the beach but also be in a nice, safe family centered neighborhood and hopefully not pay too much.

So, those are most of my concerns and any advise would be greatly appreciated. Oh, also is the "in season" traffic worse than it is here in Ft Myers?

I'm not to up on the day to day happenings of the Ft Myers area but I can tell you about the Sarasota area. I have three kids in the Sarasota county school system and I am more than pleased with their education. Sarasota is rated one of the top school districts in the state.

I would think you could find something in the downtown area that might be around that price. There's tons of stuff for the kids to do around there: The Sarasota Children's Garden, Mote Marine, GWIZ, Selby Library, Jungle Gardens, etc. Many of my kids friends also live downtown and all say that they love it. Southside School is the school for much of downtown and is highly rated. It's pretty close to world famous Siesta Beach.

Another option might be the Palmer Ranch area. I'm not too sure you could get something in there in that rental range but it might be possible. Turtle Rock, The Hamptons, and Deer Creek all in Palmer Ranch might be options. It's very close to Sarasota Square Mall, The YMCA Water Park, Oscar Scherer State Park and the south bridge going over to Siesta Key Beach. Ashton Elementary would be the elementary school for Palmer Ranch.

Here's a few websites that you can check out to compare opinions and ratings of the local schools:

www.GreatSchools.com
School Accountability Report...

The traffic is not bad in my opinion. The only time I see it getting a little congested is in the winter in the morning going over to Siesta Beach or late in the afternoon when people are leaving the beaches.

Good luck with your search

[Familyheart]

Thank you for the info. I see that you are a realtor. If we decide to make the move, our plan is to rent until we find an area we want to buy in. Do you handle rentals or know anyone who does? I would also like to see what homes we like are going for up there. Do you have a web site with a search link?
Thanks

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Familyheart

Thank you for the info. I see that you are a realtor. If we decide to make the move, our plan is to rent until we find an area we want to buy in. Do you handle rentals or know anyone who does? I would also like to see what homes we like are going for up there. Do you have a web site with a search link?
Thanks

Hi there, no I don't handle rentals. I would probably start with Stringer Management they have quite a few rentals in the area. Coldwell Banker usually has a fair selection of rentals as well. Yeah you can just click on my name and go to my website and search or you can go to www.MyFloridaHomesMLS.com This is the public side of the MLS. It will have the most up to info.

Good luck with it!