[mekrage]

My wife and I are 50. We are from upstate NY and our kids are both away at college. We are looking for a warm place to visit for a month or so each winter for the next few years. We'll gradually increase our winter time away and by age 60, we will spend January 1 to April 30 in a warm climate. We want to continue to live in upstate NY the rest of the year. We are considering purchasing a home or condo if we find the right warm climate area.

Since we are on the young side for this and are quite active, we're looking for suggestions on communities where we might find other relatively young couples that winter in Florida. We're not city people, but we'd like to be relatively close to a progressive area with decent shopping, restaurants, events. We're especially interested in fitness and outdoor activities (although we're not golfers). Bottom line - we're not going to be happy if there's not much going on and we're having trouble meeting people with similar interests.

Any suggestions on where to begin our search this winter?

[TriMT7]

You may like the Palm Beaches. Jan - April is "high season," so there are lots of people. West Palm is a small city as well, so you won't feel overwhelmed, but will be close to museums, shows of all kinds, the beach, and other city amenities.

[Wilshire81182]

What sized town are you looking for? I second West Palm Beach area, but there are also other great options like Clearwater or Sarasota, dependent on your tastes and hobbies.

[mekrage]

Thanks. We will definitely explore West Palm Beach. So far, our only experiences in Florida have been Disney World (not the rest of Orlando) and several visits to Clearwater/Tampa - my parents live in Clearwater. Frankly, my wife is unimpressed with Clearwater. She feels it is ugly and too commercial. We're looking for a more residential area that is more consistently upscale (no tatoo parlors and strip clubs mixed in), but still with some city amenities. Is Sarasota much different than Clearwater? Any comments about the Fort Myers/Naples area?

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by mekrage

Thanks. We will definitely explore West Palm Beach. So far, our only experiences in Florida have been Disney World (not the rest of Orlando) and several visits to Clearwater/Tampa - my parents live in Clearwater. Frankly, my wife is unimpressed with Clearwater. She feels it is ugly and too commercial. We're looking for a more residential area that is more consistently upscale (no tatoo parlors and strip clubs mixed in), but still with some city amenities. Is Sarasota much different than Clearwater? Any comments about the Fort Myers/Naples area?

Sarasota is VERY different from Clearwater. Honestly, I don't care for Clearwater at all. I live in Sarasota, and IMO is about the nicest city on the Gulf Coast. For a small city (53,000) we have loads of amenities, almost everything that Tampa has, which is many times it's size. We also have some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. There is a neighborhood for every taste and budget, and we have many beautiful upscale areas new and old.

I will let others chime in on Ft. Myers/ Naples. I never go down the coast that far.

[RVlover]

Originally Posted by mekrage

My wife and I are 50. We are from upstate NY and our kids are both away at college. We are looking for a warm place to visit for a month or so each winter for the next few years. We'll gradually increase our winter time away and by age 60, we will spend January 1 to April 30 in a warm climate. We want to continue to live in upstate NY the rest of the year. We are considering purchasing a home or condo if we find the right warm climate area.

Since we are on the young side for this and are quite active, we're looking for suggestions on communities where we might find other relatively young couples that winter in Florida. We're not city people, but we'd like to be relatively close to a progressive area with decent shopping, restaurants, events. We're especially interested in fitness and outdoor activities (although we're not golfers). Bottom line - we're not going to be happy if there's not much going on and we're having trouble meeting people with similar interests.

Any suggestions on where to begin our search this winter?

Any one of many Coastal Towns in Florida could fit the bill. While i havent toured all of Florida (yet), I think you would find The Emerald Coast in the Panhandle to your liking quite a bit -- especially Destin, Fl. in the Panhandle. Tons of activities, things to explore and do, easy to get around, easy to get to, a good amount of folks in their 40-50's .., area is strong in Christian values, people considerate by and large, all the popular Stores , and really nice variety of restaurants . Always live music going on , festivals, and scenic. During this economy, youll be able to find a good deal on a house or condo in the area. Look this over : www.emeraldcoastguide.com .

[silverchic]

My husband and I lived in Miami Beach for a year or so and have visited most other areas of Florida over the last 15 years. We considered which other areas in which we might want to live. In the Ft. Myers area, it appeared that the whole town goes to sleep when the sun goes down but we enjoyed the natural beauty in Sanibel and Captiva nearby. Our favorite area was definitely Sarasota!!! We loved St. Armand's Circle and Siesta Key areas, the contemporary art scene and the fact that there were some fun places to dance to live music. (Mattison's Grille was especially fun because it is outdoors so the smoke from the many smokers in Florida was not the problem it was in most other parts of Florida, especially the Upper Keys like Key Largo). Central Florida was never a consideration for us as we are beach lovers through and through. We enjoyed visiting friends who had restored a home in St. Augustine and considered Jacksonville for a short time. Palm Beach area was not our style and Port St. Lucie (nearby) was totally dead when we visited friends there.

[jghorton]

Destin is literally inundated with 'snow birds' every year. There is a very large, area wide 'snowbird' group that organizes a ton of activities throughout the season. We've lived in several other Florida areas (Tampa, Kissimmee/Orlando, Melbourne) and I've never seen anything like this.

[beninfl]

Sarasota. Try zip code 34243. Its exactly as you were looking for described by your original post.