moving go sarasota? (St. Petersburg, Bee Ridge, Laurel: apartment, renter, crime) - Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice area - Florida (FL) -Manatee and Sarasota Counties - City-Data Forum

nursedebo · 07-18-2007, 01:30 PM

Hi there could anyone help me? we are a lesbian family wanting to move to the sarasota area we do have an 8 year old son. I would like to know what areas are better schools than others and some of the cheaper areas of town kind of in the median price for a renter also is there one area of town more for the "gay" population and if so where

sunshine girl · 07-18-2007, 10:11 PM

Unfortunately, there are no "cheap" rents in Sarasota worth living in. Go to one of the apartment guides on the net for current rates. Cheaper rents can be found, but you might do better to look at renting a house rather than an apt in that area. Lots of folks still unable to sell and would rent rather than continue the money drain. You can call some of the chain realtors for info on those as a place to start. As far as schools, there are several choices there. Again, there are web sites to help you there with school ratings and scorecards. There are some cheaper sections scattered throughout the town, just look up by prices on realtor web sites and you'll get a feel for the zips and which ones might be suitable. Generally speaking, it is considered more pricey west of the trail (41). IMO, south of Bee Ridge is your better bet. Both from a housing perspective, as well as schools. A good mix of moderate and some high end places. As far as a "gay" section, don't worry or bother with that, no one will care, unless you do....

gypsychic · 07-19-2007, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nursedebo

Hi there could anyone help me? we are a lesbian family wanting to move to the sarasota area we do have an 8 year old son. I would like to know what areas are better schools than others and some of the cheaper areas of town kind of in the median price for a renter also is there one area of town more for the "gay" population and if so where

First of all, do you have employment secured - because if not, Sarasota is not the place to go. This is a VERY expensive town to live in, all service sector jobs serving tourists and wealthy retirees. I lived there for 17 years and my hubby ALWAYS had to commute out of town for a decent job while I worked a series of menial part-time jobs. The next thing is there are NO CHEAP PLACES to live, and if you find one, I can guarantee you it is in a bad part of town. As lovely and expensive as this town is, it has some very bad areas, we lived in what is now a "trendy" area of town called Laurel Park and we had more crimes committed there than you can shake a stick at. It's too bad because it has a lot of character. I have no idea if it is any safer, but now, 10 years later it is way overpriced - $500,000 for a 1,000 sq. ft. bungalow - you can check it out on realtor.com (zip code 34236).

I don't want to sound discouraging, Sarasota is a pretty place with pretty beaches but it is NOT a working person's town. As far as gay/lesbian, this is not an issue anywhere here as far as I know, I knew plenty of gays/lesbians when I lived there. I don't know of any neighborhood per se where gays and/or lesbians choose to call home.

If you don't have a specific reason for Sarasota, I might suggest you go a little to the north and check out St. Petersburg - a bigger town part of the Bay area, with more options for housing and jobs, and a laid-back lifestyle.

Good luck!

Ladywithafan · 07-19-2007, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nursedebo

Hi there could anyone help me? we are a lesbian family wanting to move to the sarasota area we do have an 8 year old son. I would like to know what areas are better schools than others and some of the cheaper areas of town kind of in the median price for a renter also is there one area of town more for the "gay" population and if so where

Both of the previous opinions are true....BUT....If you have jobs, and you do want to live downtown, my landlord is FABULOUS and does have rental properties DOWNTOWN, in safe areas, that are charming and REASONABLE...pm me if you'd like his name & number. As for Gay...everyone is so into their own thing, it's not even a factor what your sex is

lisalisa4444 · 07-19-2007, 10:57 AM

Go for it. It's a nice place. I disagree with the rent's. I am in Property Management and the ren't are coming DOWN each and every day due to the saturation of the market. I personally have a rental that goes for $1295.00 it's a huge house in Southgate that is very safe and that is a cheap rent as far as I am concerned. If you are intersted in that PM me. As for the Lesbian situation, that is no big deal. The job, depends on what you do for work but the classifieds is always packed!

sunshine girl · 07-19-2007, 01:14 PM

If as your name implies, you are a nurse, you will not have a problem with employment. And you can find rentals in venice, north port and port charlotte cheaper than Sarasota. And even within sarasota you can find safe, clean housing for less than the above mentioned 1295/mo. Be persistant and shop around. There are lots of nice middle income areas of sarasota. It's not all high end, but it does take some time to find your comfort area as in any town. I can't say there's no crime in sarasota, but usually it's property crime and the few injury crimes are usually folks that know each other in some way. Good luck and best wishes to you.