[CaliKari86]

Originally Posted by xlylithx

Bugs are everywhere in FL but most apartments will have pest service. Don't worry about it. They are cool and rarely are any a problem.

Sarasota can be expensive. It's got good cultural things to do though. My mother can't wait to move there (yes, she's in her 60's.) So take that for what it's worth.

Gainesville is not a racist city. Very open to different cultures, beliefs, etc. Gay mayor. Lots of stuff to do. Not extremely expensive.

Is it expensive to rent/buy or expensive to do stuff? Was looking at rent.com and hotpads and the housing seems kind of reasonable

[manunavasd]

Originally Posted by CaliKari86

Is it expensive to rent/buy or expensive to do stuff? Was looking at rent.com and hotpads and the housing seems kind of reasonable

Hi, I currently doing some research about moving to either Gainesville or St. Pete and I've come across with this post. Just like you, me and my girlfriend are currently living and Miami (and want to get the H%^LL out of here ASAP), we are looking for a place to make a Master's degree, affordable, low crime rate and good office jobs (Mon-Fri only). Gainesville is my favorite but she prefers St. Pete; now that I assume that you did move to one of these cities, do you have any recommendation on how to decide?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Rgds

[CaliKari86]

Originally Posted by manunavasd

Hi, I currently doing some research about moving to either Gainesville or St. Pete and I've come across with this post. Just like you, me and my girlfriend are currently living and Miami (and want to get the H%^LL out of here ASAP), we are looking for a place to make a Master's degree, affordable, low crime rate and good office jobs (Mon-Fri only). Gainesville is my favorite but she prefers St. Pete; now that I assume that you did move to one of these cities, do you have any recommendation on how to decide?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Rgds

Been so long since I've been on here. Unfortunately, we ended up moving to Orlando. Only because it was easy to get a job before moving down here. Which is what I was wanting to do with the Tampa Bay area, get a job before moving so far. Tampa Bay is still a goal but for now, my fiance and I are saving up and searching for jobs in the area since it will be easy to drive for an interview if we need to. I really don't want to be in Orlando long term and hope we can both find something soon. Sorry for not being able to give you a better reply.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by manunavasd

Hi, I currently doing some research about moving to either Gainesville or St. Pete and I've come across with this post. Just like you, me and my girlfriend are currently living and Miami (and want to get the H%^LL out of here ASAP), we are looking for a place to make a Master's degree, affordable, low crime rate and good office jobs (Mon-Fri only). Gainesville is my favorite but she prefers St. Pete; now that I assume that you did move to one of these cities, do you have any recommendation on how to decide?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Rgds

You're going to find much more office work opportunity in St Pete due to it's size but would say it should come down to where at least one of you can secure a job.

[smarino]

Just a little heads up here. I'm an artist/photographer (white) and my wife works in the schools (black). We live in South Daytona, not far from New Smyrna Beach, which is a neat place, to a point. We're a lot older than you folks, but we're "tolerated" as an interracial couple. My wife though has had several name calling episodes from people in cars whenever she walks by herself. I've been to both of the towns you mentioned, and there is little in the way of art, so don't have your hopes set on employment in something in that field. B.A.'s in art are not worth much out here. Sarasota has galleries, but it's not what I would call art. More the stuff that is the result of Sunday painters in art leagues. Sarasota can be pricey to live in too. You want art, you go to Miami in this state. As for the interracial thing, again, no one will bat an eye in Miami or the Keys. You will not be able to rent anything there in your price range though. Considering your ages, money, and the demographics of those two cities, I would think Gainesville would be a better fit, although I always felt that it was all students all the time when I was there. St. Pete sounds possible too.

The bugs are fine, and thank you for asking. We had several before they got too big to keep in the house. One escaped several years ago and is holed up in the governor's office.

[blacklab7]

Originally Posted by CaliKari86

Thanks for the comment. Is Sarasota an "affordable" place to live?

outside of gainesville is a errr country But downtown Gainesville is pretty liberal

[blacklab7]

I was also looking at these two areas. I am in Orlando now, which I find more conservative. I visited Gainesville they are building communal living and an ecovillage which I find interesting, they are big on the healing arts. I have found some post modern dance there and a waldorf school. Sarasota is nice too,they have these things also, the rents did look higher, and the school is more expensive, I did notice an older crowd there, either one looks nice...just depending on your budget let us know what you find I'm curious.

[john352]

This is a no brainer -- Gville all the way! Sarasota/Bradenton has beautiful beaches with Anna Maria Island, Siesta Key, and Lido Beach. Absolute beautiful beaches. But outside of that, there is nothing to do. Sarasota is full of old and retired, mostly white demographic. Bradenton is a little younger than Sarasota. Cortez, Fruitville, B-Ridge, are all congested traffic nightmares. If you don't mind slow drivers, congested streets, and low wages, then Sarasota will be your pick. Gainesville has a way better transportation system (busing is safe and picks up and drops off around the Oaks Mall, and takes you right down University and Archer). The Oaks Mall is way better than UTC Mall. Gainesville has more to offer. Archer Road has more per square mile than Sarasota (i.e. you won't find Zaxbys or Pollo Tropical in Sarasota). Bars are packed in Gainesville on a Sunday and Monday night, drinks are cheap. If you are young, you will love Gainesville. Gainesville has midtown and downtown -- Sarasota has nothing like midtown or downtown. Also rent is much cheaper in Gainesville. Sarasota has a minor league baseball team. Gainesville has the premier program in the South, National Championship Basketball program (06 & 07), National Championship Football (96, 06, 08), and a top notch baseball team. Gainesville you can meet tons of people ANY night of the week. Sarasota has bad access to drinking spots and too many police. Also, Gainesville is much more diverse. The Florida Gators are way bigger than anything in Sarasota. It's a no brainer -- Gville hands down.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by john352

This is a no brainer -- Gville all the way! Sarasota/Bradenton has beautiful beaches with Anna Maria Island, Siesta Key, and Lido Beach. Absolute beautiful beaches. But outside of that, there is nothing to do. Sarasota is full of old and retired, mostly white demographic. Bradenton is a little younger than Sarasota. Cortez, Fruitville, B-Ridge, are all congested traffic nightmares. If you don't mind slow drivers, congested streets, and low wages, then Sarasota will be your pick. Gainesville has a way better transportation system (busing is safe and picks up and drops off around the Oaks Mall, and takes you right down University and Archer). The Oaks Mall is way better than UTC Mall. Gainesville has more to offer. Archer Road has more per square mile than Sarasota (i.e. you won't find Zaxbys or Pollo Tropical in Sarasota). Bars are packed in Gainesville on a Sunday and Monday night, drinks are cheap. If you are young, you will love Gainesville. Gainesville has midtown and downtown -- Sarasota has nothing like midtown or downtown. Also rent is much cheaper in Gainesville. Sarasota has a minor league baseball team. Gainesville has the premier program in the South, National Championship Basketball program (06 & 07), National Championship Football (96, 06, 08), and a top notch baseball team. Gainesville you can meet tons of people ANY night of the week. Sarasota has bad access to drinking spots and too many police. Also, Gainesville is much more diverse. The Florida Gators are way bigger than anything in Sarasota. It's a no brainer -- Gville hands down.

Different strokes. I guess if one only cares about bars and living in an almost complete college demographic with no access to the beautiful coasts then yeah, its for you. Glad there are some people who don't want to live in my beautiful paradise of Sarasota/Bradenton, because it has gotten MUCH more crowded here in the last few years. Oh and dude, Gainesville is NOT more diverse - dont know where you got that

[OpinionInOcala]

G-ville is, over all, better suited for the stereotypical younger crowd, and being an in interracial relationship won't matter a bit. There are a fair amount of things to do and there is a large variety of eating, drinking, and shopping spots to try.

The downsides and cautious advice I can see relating to G-ville are as follows:

• Meaningful, gainful employment may be a bit difficult outside of healthcare, engineering, and management related fields.
• The traffic in and around most of G-ville is atrocious and dangerous.
• Stick to living in the northwestern quadrant if at all possible.
• Don't go out in public wearing apparel that promotes any school other than UF. Likewise, don't have anything displayed on your vehicle that does the same.