[allfurrdup]

For the record, I really love living in South Venice. Well and all. Even though I'm in a total residential area, the opossums, raccoons, armadillos, turtles, and the occasional alligator in the neighbor's pool still amaze me. I hear NP has the endangered FL panther in its neighborhoods. That would be awesome to see live. We enjoy going to the south jetty and watching all the dolphins at sunset.

Sharkey's is a great place for locals even though tourists might think it's a place for them. The reggae Jamaican band someone mentioned earlier is really a great beachy sound when you're dining or drinking. My daughter (7) amazed me by getting up on the stage with them and playing the air guitar! I didn't even know she knew how to play!

There is a way to determine a good school...GreatSchools.net. No one should take this the wrong way....check to see whether the school is a title I and how many kids are eligible for free lunch. That will give you and idea of the area. Venice Ele is a top rated school. Taylor Ranch is good too. I wasn't impressed with Garden.

There's the annual Christmas parade, Christmas boat parade, art festival, Italian festival, Venice Rocks festival, 4th of July (nice in the beginning, torrential downpour at the end!) and I'm sure other events that we missed. Some are not advertised well, so they tend to get missed....like the Christmas parade last weekend. Venice seems like a well kept secret. We have a lot and more seems to be coming. I wish downtown didn't roll up the streets at 8pm.....come on, people! Beach parking is free....unlike Naples. Siesta is still free, but they have their ideas about that and serving beer on the beach.

All this is great when you already have a stable and secure job. Went on an interview today. $14 per hr (woohoo) in West Bradenton (41 mi. commute each way @ $3.09 per gal.). Passed through much of the rough areas mentioned earlier. No place to be caught at sundown. I will think twice about the $1 movies at DeSoto Square...matinees for sure. So, at $3-4 more an hr. is it worth the commute? It could turn into more, with my help over time. Right now I need 2 of these jobs and the 2nd one needs to be closer to home.

Venice seems to be growing. New businesses are going up all over the strip malls. A brand new Honda dealership is going in right across the street from Toyota. Granted, the night life is lacking and a drinking night in Sarasota is risky driving back. There don't seem to be obvious gang signs/tags. Sarasota Schools actually send out a blanket phone message to parents when something happens like an inmate escapes from jail. They are proactive. I feel safe here.

[paradiddle]

Originally Posted by LewLew

My husband and I might rent a home in Venice. One of the neighborhoods of Center. We like it there, but have big dogs, and truly it doesn't appear that any neighborhoods allow fences...or...no one uses them. (not sure which). That is another reason we are contemplating NP. Not just for animals, but children. I would feel much safer having a fenced in yard since most things back up to some sort of moat, canal, pond etc. Right now, in Jacksonville, we have 3/4 of an acre that is fully fenced in, pool, and a cul-de-sac street. Our home is a brick ranch style home which is lovely, but reminds me too much of the North. If we have to stay in Florida, give me Florida. Jacksonville makes me feel like I went to a steakhouse and ordered chicken! LOL I love the North, but the true North and midwest...not Jax. How long have you lived in So. Venice?

Been here 2 years. I've been coming to Venice for about 8 years with a fried who had a condo and known his parents who live in Englewood over 20 years.
South Venice allows fences as we have a dog. We have 2 lots that total 160 long by 100 deep. In the englewood down the road the lots are deeper - about 125 ft. They seem to have more room down there. In non-deed resricted areas you can do more but you have to be careful about your street. Rotonda is all deed-restricted but I don't know how picky they are. It's not a gated community.

[LewLew]

That is all such great information! OP, it should help you to decipher between both areas! Us too!

We have to go back down again soon. We saw all the lawn chairs lining Venice Beach (I think preparing for the parade). I received an article regarding the city counsels and median ages for that area..interesting. Basically, 30 somethings are running both in Venice and NP for seats on the city counsel. They are hoping to bring a youthful outlook and element to the area. Depending on their experience, and ideals, that should bode very well for that area. I read they want to try to lower the median age in Venice by attracting the young families to the area as the older population sells their homes due to death or other reasons. OP and others, here is the article from the Herald about the local area governments which should interest you if you are moving to either area.
http://www.heraldtribune.com:80/article/20071130/NEWS/711300369

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by FringedNFab

All of us should get together once we all make it down. The ones who are moving where we are, I mean. (Englewood-NP general area) Would be fun! ; )

For sure!!! Sharkeys for some music etc!

[FringedNFab]

Originally Posted by LewLew

For sure!!! Sharkeys for some music etc!

Uh huh sounds good.... so is Sharkeys something like Pier 60 is on Clearwater Beach? I remember it had a restaurant and we ate outside while of course the birds were interested lol. But it was the greatest time. We (my sister and her husband) walked all the way out to the end one night. Clearwater was fun, but definitely too touristy to live there. This was a few years ago too.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by FringedNFab

Uh huh sounds good.... so is Sharkeys something like Pier 60 is on Clearwater Beach? I remember it had a restaurant and we ate outside while of course the birds were interested lol. But it was the greatest time. We (my sister and her husband) walked all the way out to the end one night. Clearwater was fun, but definitely too touristy to live there. This was a few years ago too.

Sharkeys is similar, but Pier 60 is more of a center area of Clearwater Beach. Venice Beach isn't as touristy as Clearwater anyway.
Sharkeys is a restaurant that sits directly on the sand of Venice. It is attached to a very long pier where people fish off the side, feed the cranes, pelicans etc. At the very end of the pier ppl actually fish for sharks. Venice is a shark tooth capital. There are little booths on the Pier for trinket items to buy. More low key for sure. Also, Sharkeys isn't all fried food like most beachside places. I had Chilean Sea Bass for dinner...grilled. At night, the area has live music (Buffet covers, Reggae, Steel drums etc.) We went to the Pier in the afternoon, and it was full of sunbathers grabbing lunch and drinks. It's right up our alley.

Back to NP for a second....if you want a "nicer" home, in parts of NP you'll be a 20 minute drive to Sharkeys...25-30 for central Venice Beach. My in-lasw have a gorgeous home in NP (typical Western FL home) where the back sliders open the entire home out onto their 1000 sq. foot deck and pool. The huge aquarium window in the breakfast area makes you feel like you are outdoors. Remember that once you live in Florida, you won't be on the beach all the time. It will become an activity. Life will have responsibilities like work, errands, etc. Thus, having the very open home with the lovely pool is what most Florida residents enjoy most (if they are not right on the water) b/c it's accessible, and you can dip in the pool quicker than always running to the beach, getting sandy and then having to go home and shower. A lot of ppl on here I think thought they would be beaching it all the time, drinking mai tais. That is what they knew on vacation. Living in Florida is not like vacation all the time, so make sure where you choose to move is convenient to what you need to do every single day. The other stuff is always so close, you'll appreciate it's there, but won't use it every day. Find a place where you'll enjoy the outdoors of what's around you (if you like more quiet...NP would be good choice...might be closer to home feeling for you.) If you like hustle and bustle...go closer to the shore....that is where the tourists are, so it's catered to more activity. Living indoors in Florida defeats the whole purpose of moving here. Also, trust me...once you allow enough time for your blood to thin, the heat won't be so bad. (unless you don't like it anyway...in which case, you'll hate Florida) Just like ppl who first experience the cold weather of up north..it gets easier to take the longer you are in it.

[LewLew]

Here is the link again from above. When I clicked it, it went to Outlook express...maybe b/c I had it sent to my office. This one should open properly if the other one didn't. Local area news on elections etc. for NP and Venice/Sarasota.
A young challenger in a North Port race

[markas214]

Originally Posted by Tarastomsgirl

Make sure to visit mid August, you'll get the effect of what 9-10 months of your life will feel like weather wise. As far as beaches, .

Why mid August? If it's to get the effect of what it "will feel like weatherwise" 9-10 months out of the year couldn't he just vist anytime except the 2 months when it won't feel like that? Or is it that it only feels that way in mid August? Hmmm? I lived in the are in '81 and everyone said "wait til July (pronounced JOO-lie) and while it was extrremely hot in July and August to say it was the same 9-10 months a year is simply not true.

I can think of a lot of negatives for Florida but 2 months of heat vs 5 months of cold is not a deal killer for me. I worry about schools, taxes, wages, insurance and hurricanes.

[INeedAChange]

does "old Florida" mean it has a lot of old people?

[paradiddle]

I agree with not going to the beach as much as you think. I can walk 5 mins to the intercoastal canal and we have a community ferry that runs every 30 mins across canal to the beach. Last time I was there was over a year ago. I went to Siesta once or twice this year and just sat on a bench for awhile. Ther are some retired that go every day...... We have a pool and it's much easier just to jump in.

Does that make NP more desirable if you don't use the beach as much as you originally planned? Personally, I still like the So. Venice neighborhood I'm in but pro's and con's. Pro: I used to think the property value living on coast had more value than inland. That's a toss up right now. I'm closer to Sarasota and other stuff ( not by a lot ). The neighborhood is 95% established. What you see is what you will get.

NP: You can definitely get more house for the money - hands down. NP is not as established. The unknown is what concerns me about NP. Before it would not have bothered me as there was a waiting list to get in. Now it's in a transition stage and hopefully it will come out on top. I was never sure if NP was going to be all blue collar bedroom town or another retirement area. The non deed restricted , non gated areas seem to all have a big mix. Some neighborhoods (this apply's to all-fla) have huge $500K house next to $100K house. No planning. many builders , different times of development. That's the problem with Fla in general, no community planning. Where I came from up north it seemed that one builder would do a whole area and the community would build from one spot and grow out like a tree.

I think in the end NP will be just fine.