[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Fiddledidee

I love to visit Sarasota. Morton's is my favorite specialty/gourmet food stores. We enjoy the occasional Burns Court movie trip and dinner. I like to shop the boutiques on Main Street - all 4 blocks of it. I used to work in downtown Sarasota; it was difficult to recruit people to move to the area. Younger people simply wanted to be in a younger town. Tampa has far fewer snow birds and tourists; the people you see out are mostly locals.

The median age in Sarasota is 45; the median age in Tampa is just under 35.

Florida has its beach towns and it's vibrant cities. Nothing wrong with either; choosing comes down to your priorities and generational preferences.

Well, the OP is 43, so she fits right with the demographics here, which is one of the reasons it has been suggested to her. St. Pete is similar, median age in St. Pete is 42. Tampa is definitely the youngest city, but I don't think that was in her criteria. I still say Sarasota is best fit for her based on her wants/needs.

[Fiddledidee]

To the poster: You expressed a desire to be active. Tampa has a plethora of opportunities - swim, bike, run, crossfit, barre. There is a large and busy YMCA in South Tampa (and New Tampa) with outdoor lap pools. The city has a number of public lap pools open year round. Take a drive through south Tampa, downtown Tampa and you will see many people either running or biking at every hour of the day. There is a strong and friendly sailing scene in Tampa. Check out the Davis Island Yacht Club; you don't have to be a member to participate in their Thursday or Sunday races. They have one of the lowest initiation fees in the area. The very active community is one of the things I like so much about Tampa.

Also, very importantly for someone who is of an income earning age, the job market in Tampa is very strong.

[TD*]

tallahassee