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View Poll Results: For all things considered
Virginia beach 1 6.67%
Colorado Springs, CO 2 13.33%
Sarasota/Jupiter, FL 11 73.33%
Fairfax, VA 1 6.67%
Voters: 15. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 05-03-2011, 06:25 PM
 
23 posts, read 55,287 times
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Wife and I are cosidering a move to one of the following locations: Virginia beach/Williamsburg, Colorado Springs,CO/Highlands Ranch, or lastly Sarasota/Jupiter Florida. My wife is a nurse and Im self employed contractor, and we are having our first child June 17, 2011. We are familiar with living in Colorado, Ohio, and NOVA-Vienna, and are looking for a great family location, fun activities, parks, outdoor fun, concerts, etc- I love the beach, lake, and green and the wife loves Colorado period with Florida close second. I have researched many locations and visited them all in the past, but I have not lived in any except Colorado and Northern Virginia. I hate coming to this post, but I have confused my self to the point of going nuts. Please for those who have lived, visited, or have friends or family Im interested in your comments. I will say those bugs do not bother me, but my wife &about bugs-she will adjust. Again, looking for your opinion for the best place to raise a family that is very active in outdoors sports, conservative, but open to a little fun here and there.

Thanks so very much for your insight and advice,
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Old 05-03-2011, 07:47 PM
 
879 posts, read 1,944,785 times
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i don't get how Sarasota & Jupiter get combined into a Sarasota/Jupiter deal. they are like over 3 hrs apart and on opposite coasts (in other words on different planets)

Sorry, i've only visted Williamsburg as a tourist when i was a kid and other wise have no experience with living in any of the places listed besides sarasota. I think it will be the rare person that can help you on this one. Have you visited them all? good luck!
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Old 05-03-2011, 08:17 PM
 
Location: Palm Island and North Port
7,511 posts, read 22,822,172 times
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I'm thinking Big House may be able to answer this question. He used to live in Colorado. Lived sort of close to Williamsburg for many years and now lives just south of Sarasota. So, maybe he could shed some light on this question.

On the poll question, I would imagine if you posted this same question in the other areas you have listed you'd get similar responses about those areas.

I agree with Jnanner on the Sarasota/Jupiter thing though. Pretty different worlds.

If you want to know about the Sarasota area, many people on this board can offer a lot of wonderful info.

Siesta Key Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with it's power white sand, which is nearly 100% quartz. I know some people would disagree but I'd much rather have powder white sand in the winter than powder white snow. No matter where you are in Florida you're never more than 2 hours or so from the beach.

I love all the sunshine, warmth and bright sunny days. You know that the local paper used to give out free papers if the sun didn't shine. They didn't have to give out too many.

Florida is full of tropical foliage and is a great place for gardeners, year round. People can also enjoy outdoor sports all year long-hiking, biking, walking, kayaking, golfing, etc We have the huge Legacy Trail for walking and biking.

In southern Sarasota county there's Warm Mineral Springs and Little Salt Spring. Warm Mineral Springs is one of the oldest tourist attractions in FL and people come from all over the world to visit.
This area has a wonderful art community with Towles Court Artist Colony, the many art galleries around, every town has a local art center, there are art festivals going on almost weekly, Ringling School of Art & Design and many resources for artists.

For all you sports enthusiast Sarasota has Ed Smith Stadium: Ed Smith Stadium - Baltimore Orioles Spring Training and Charlotte Sports Park: Charlotte Sports Park - Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training

There are many cultural activities, festivals and music events in the area. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Asolo Theater, The Sarasota Opera, Concerts, Ringling Museum (which I believe is free on Monday's), Golden Apple Dinner Theater, Circus Sarasota, Sarasota Ballet are some of the many venues and events. Siesta Key and Nokomis Beach both have drum circles on various nights in the evening. Sarasota county has free summer concerts in the park.

Punta Gorda has the Florida Airshow where the Blue Angles fly. The Hibiscus Festival, The Redfish Fish Tournament many craft shows. Every city has their own farmer's market.

Punta Gorda Farmers Market: http://www.puntagordashopping.com/farmersmarket.html
Sarasota Farmers Market: http://www.sarasotafarmersmarket.org/
Siesta Key Farmers Market: http://www.siestafarmersmarket.com/
Venice Farmers Market: http://venicefloridafarmersmarket.com/

Boca Grande has the world's richest Tarpon Tournament every year. With so much water everywhere there are tons of activities related. There are lots of fishing guides, kayak tours, etc

Here are some of the many festivals in the area:
JAN Southwest Florida Heritage Festival
JAN Sullivan Street Craft Festival
JAN Sarasota Native American Festival
JAN Manatee County Fair
JAN-FEB Sarasota Jazz Festival
FEB Kids Art Festival at Woodmere Park, Venice
FEB Annual Sarasota Festival of the Arts
FEB Annual Wine & Jazz Festival in Punta Gorda
FEB Bradenton Beer Festival
MAR Sarasota Fair
MAR Sarasota Folk Festival in Osprey
MAR Sarasota Shamrock Festival
MAR Peace River Celtic Festival
MAR Spring Fine Arts Festival in Englewood
MAR Peace River Seafood Festival and Redfish Tournament
MAR Englewood Music Festival
MAR Englewood Fine Arts Festival
MAR Manatee Heritage Days
MAR Florida International Air Show
MAR & DEC Anna Maria Islands Art League Winterfest & Springfest
APR Sarasota Film Festival (http://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/2010/ - broken link)
APR Annual Siesta Fiesta
APR Charlotte Harbor Kayak & Wildlife Festival
APR Venice Shark Tooth Festival
APR Charlotte County Nautical Flea Market and Seafood Festival
APR DeSoto Heritage Festival Seafood Fest in Bradenton
APR Florida Heritage Festival and Riverfest in Bradenton
APR The Kayak and Outdoor Festival
APR-MAY Sarasota Wine Festival
MAY Giving Hunger the Blues in Southside Village
JUNE International Theater Festival In Venice
JUNE Hibiscus Festival In Punta Gorda
JUNE Boca Grande Tarpon Tournament
JUNE-JULY Sarasota Offshore Grand Prix
JULY Fourth of July Freedom Swim in Festival in Punta Gorda
JULY Wildlife Awareness Festival
SEPT Englewood Pioneer Days
OCT Sarasota Blues Festival
OCT Sarasota Chalk Festival
OCT Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival
NOV Sarasota Medieval Fair
NOV Annual Downtown Venice Art Festival
NOV Festival Of Trees in Punta Gorda
NOV Family Music Fest in Osprey
Annual St. Armand's Art Festival Something nearly every month

There are many other festivals and fairs just a short drive away.

Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey has canoing, camping, hiking, birding, swimming. Myakkahatchee State Park in North Port has trails where you can bring your horses, you can hike along the trails. Myakka River State Park in Sarasota has tons of great FL wildlife, the Myakka Canopy Walk, which is a bridge that is suspended 25 feet off the ground. It extends 85 feet through the canopy and Myakka also has 38 miles of hiking trails. Manatee County has Little Manatee River State Park which runs right along the river. It has camping, hiking, canoing, etc. Don Pedro State Park you can only get to by boat and is like a private beach. I happened to have the great pleasure of living right beside it as a kid. Venice has Brohard Park (http://www.venicegov.com/Park_links/brohard.htm - broken link), one of the only dog friendly beaches around. Venice is also home to Woodmere Park a 36 acre park where you can let your pooch run and play under the big oak trees. These areas are a haven for photographers, bird watching and outdoor enthusiasts. Sarasota county has more than 200 parks, 109 athletic fields and 16 recreation and community centers.

Sarasota Parks: Parks and Recreation
Manatee County Parks: Manatee County Parks and Recreation - Manatee Chamber of Commerce
Charlotte County Parks: Community Services

Also for all the photographers and gardens, Selby Gardens is a must see. It has over 20,000 plants and displays and was named one of America's Top Ten Botanical Gardens.

The Sarasota area is also very kid friendly. We have GWIZ a science museum that caters to kids. The Children's Garden, a whimsical outdoor play area for children. Then there's Jungle Gardens, which is one of the oldest attractions in FL and has flamingo feeding, bird shows, alligators and many other various animals. Spanish Point is a historical site where they have Indian mounds, early pioneer homes and a lots of summer activities for kids. There are YMCA's in every city from Bradenton to Port Charlotte. Sarasota has Mote Marine Aquarium, which gives a wonderful look at the native sea life. They also to a great job with rehabilitating injured animals and returning them back to the gulf. Bradenton has the South FL Museum, Bishop Planetarium and the Parker Aquarium. Stop by and say "hi" to SW FL's very own manatee, Snooty. The Big Cat Habitat in Sarasota is a wonderful place to visit and see the amazing job Rosaire's do with the animals.

Many restaurants offer waterfront dining all the way down the coast. Speaking of restaurants, this area has lots and lots of wonderful, restaurants for any taste. Many mom and pop restaurants. You could spend a whole day out on St Armand's Circle shopping, browsing and stopping in at Kilwin's for some great ice cream. St Armand's has more than 130 shops, restaurants and galleries.

Here are a few of my favorite restaurants in the area:
Pho Cali
Euphemia Haye
Ophelia's on the Bay
Capt Brian's
Two Senoritas
Columbia
Crab & Fin
Yoder's
Casey Key Fish House
Bijou Café
Joto's Japanese Steakhouse
Blasé Café
Pacific Rim
Mar Vista
Sign of the Mermaid
El Toro Bravo
Lazy Lobster
Ceviche
Mattison's

And I have to add Sweet Tomatoes (for the kids) and Ophelia's (http://local.yahoo.com/info-14608433-ophelia-s-pasta-house-nokomis - broken link) (special doggie dining on the porch).

Downtown Sarasota is another all day event with the many eclectic shops and quaint restaurants. There are also some great consignment & antique shops if you make your way downtown. If you're looking to snag a bargain you can try the Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton, The Sun Flea Market in Port Charlotte or The Dome in Englewood.

Sarasota and Charlotte counties have some of the best schools in the state and also have Pine View School for the gifted, which is one of the top in the nation.

As you can see the Sarasota area has a lot to offer if you love the arts, outdoors an an active style living.
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Old 05-03-2011, 09:35 PM
 
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Wow! Thanks for the details FLGAL,- My wife loves the sand and the beautiful sunsets in Sarasota, as well as siesta keys/anna maria island; I like the Jupiter side for the waves and sun rises and seems to have less crime. Both areas seem to have some decent schools, activities, wholefood, with Jupiter being from what I observed a little newer and more family oriented with activites( again just an observation). Both areas seem to be laid back-more so in Sarasota.
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Old 05-03-2011, 10:04 PM
 
Location: Palm Island and North Port
7,511 posts, read 22,822,172 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by utter9989 View Post
Wow! Thanks for the details FLGAL,- My wife loves the sand and the beautiful sunsets in Sarasota, as well as siesta keys/anna maria island; I like the Jupiter side for the waves and sun rises and seems to have less crime. Both areas seem to have some decent schools, activities, wholefood, with Jupiter being from what I observed a little newer and more family oriented with activites( again just an observation). Both areas seem to be laid back-more so in Sarasota.

I find it kind of interesting that I get quite a few clients comparing Jupiter to Sarasota.

There are a ton of things for the kids to do. I grew up in the Sarasota area and have three girls of varying ages with totally different interests. My oldest is heavily into the arts. On Thursday we're going to a New College Art show in the downtown Sarasota area. My middle girl is into skim boarding and going to the beach as much as she can. Yesterday we spent most of the day with our homeschool group at the beach. My little one is into gymnastics and this morning was her day at the gym. There's always something going on for them to do. I actually have to limit what we do to get some school work weaved into the day.

On your question about the new homes as compared to Jupiter. There are plenty of newer homes in Sarasota. It just depends on where you're looking, what your requirements are and what price range you're looking in.

I have spent quite a lot of time over on the other coast but have never actually been to Jupiter. I usually go over to the Ft Lauderdale area when I travel over there, because I have family in that area.

I've been to Hobe Sound quite a few times and up in New Smyrna for surf trips with the kids. New Smyrna, is incidentally, the Shark Capital of the World but you probably have as much chance getting stuck by lightning or winning the lottery as getting bit by a shark in FL.

I find the west coast of FL way more laid back than the east coast. I also like the beaches better over here-the warmer, calmer, white sand beaches. As opposed to the rougher, colder waters of the Atlantic. If you asked my kids they would probably say they like the Atlantic side better, the waves are generally better.

So, as you can see, I think there are pluses and minuses to both coasts.

On the other two places-Colorado and Virginia. I've been to both. Colorado is way too cold for this FL native.

We spent Christmas in Williamsburg two years ago. I remembered going there as a kid and being fond of the area. Surprisingly, my kids didn't really care for it. I, personally, think it's a neat little town with a lot of character. Now, living there is a totally different story. Two years ago was also the first time I saw snow. I could probably go another 38 years without seeing it again.

I'm a FL girl to the bone. I love my beaches and Sarasota

Last edited by SoFLGal; 05-03-2011 at 10:17 PM.. Reason: Grammatical Error
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Old 05-03-2011, 11:28 PM
 
Location: Old Town Alexandria
14,496 posts, read 26,510,816 times
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Good posts. We lived in Boca for 9 years, visited Vero Beach and Jupiter, (Orlando way too similar to NYC so thats out)...Vero is beautiful beach but a bit quiet/mostly retired.

Any time we visited Tampa/Clearwater or Sarasota it seemed to have a nicer pace. I'd trade a cold winter (and 600.00 heat bills) for any bug issue, palmetto bugs in S.Florida usually stay in the trees (if you are lucky, lol).

Good luck deciding.
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Old 05-04-2011, 12:21 AM
 
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
4,563 posts, read 7,427,687 times
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I guess I'm a more practical person, because what I got from your post was that you would both need to find jobs wherever you plan to move, correct?

Have you and your wife checked into the state of FL licensing requirements, as both nurses and contractors have education and licensing requirements here?

Contractors in FL have a huge book of building codes to learn and exams to pass in order to get a contractor's license here, especially since the last big upgrade in building codes in 2007 due to hurricane building standards changes. I know a couple of contractors and have heard from them how difficult the exams are.

Not trying to discourage you, just want you to know what hoops you may have to go through to work here. You may find yourself doing handyman jobs while you go through the process to become a licensed contractor. Basically anything that alters the exterior of a home here in FL requires a licensed contractor to do the work as building permits must be pulled.

We have beautiful beaches here and Sarasota is considered a go to place for winter visitors, but if you run out of money, your options are very limited.

You can both check out the licensing requirements at the official FL web site at MyFlorida.com - Home


As to climate, I've visited Colorado in both summer and winter, the winter temps were brutal (and I used to live in the midwest, so have experienced winter many, many years). I thought the humidity was very dry in Colorado, especially when compared to Florida. Humidity in FL can hit 90% every day for weeks during the months of July through Sept. Colorado's mountains were breathtaking, while FL is basically flat. Colorado has rivers and lakes, we have the ocean/Gulf of Mexico. Colorado has 4 seasons, we have 2 - hot & wet or dry & warm, with occassional cool fronts passing through for a few days. Colorado has brush fires and so does FL. Colorado has blizzards and we have hurricanes, tropical storms. We also have some of the most spectacular sunsets I've ever seen.

So, it all comes down to what area/climate appeals most to the both of you. As for things to do, all of the 3 areas you are considering are urban, with recreational opportunities for young families.

I've helped quite a few transplants to FL find homes over the years, and the ones that seem to be the happiest are those that took the time to actually visit Sarasota, more than one trip, and got to know the area before they made the decision to move here. I think you will have an easier time making your choice if you spend a few days in each of your targeted locations & take along a "tick list" of must haves, like to haves & would be nice to have features for your next home town.

You can also start reading the on line versions of the local newspapers for all 3 targeted areas to get a feel for what's going on. Our local paper is the Sarasota Herald Tribune at Sarasota Florida News, Sarasota Weather, Sports and Business | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Herald-Tribune

The more information you gather first, the easier I think you will find it to be to make the final decision. Best of luck to you and your family.
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Old 05-04-2011, 08:18 AM
 
Location: Sarasota, FL
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I know all of these areas well except Colorado.

I cannot even believe you're considering VA Beach. I just don't see how that fits in with your description at all. I'll leave it at that.

As for Fairfax, I lived in Falls Church for years, and what I found was that there's really no reason to live there either. It's just a DC suburb, nothing more. Certainly doesn't strike me as "family oriented."

Have you considered taking a little trip at some of the beautiful spots between VA and FL? I mean, there are some places in the Carolinas that anyone would be lucky to live in.

You might find a sort of "best of both worlds" feel to the Outer Banks or Charleston or even Greenville (or even Savannah, GA, for that matter).

Just my two cents.
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Old 05-04-2011, 11:59 AM
 
Location: Rogers, AR
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We have lived in Charlottesville, VA/ Rogers, AR/Goodyear, AZ/Dade and Broward County, FL/ and now Sarasota. I would choose Sarasota. Second choice would be Charlottesville. I think this kind of decisiosn is so personal you are going to find it hard for someone to help you since youwill probably get a gazillion differing opinions. I would say that between west or east coast FL I would go with west coast.

after moving around so much with my family of 4 plus a small zoo of pets, I have found that really it doesn;t matter where you live physically as long as you are together. I knwo it's corny, but anyplace can be wonderful or awful and it all depends on the way you see it.
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Old 05-04-2011, 12:41 PM
 
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This was a lot of help, thank you! We are leaning towards moving back to the westside of Colorado Springs,CO and looking to possible buy our retirement home between stickley road and I think sunset blvd near sarasota memorial hospital, siesta beach, and wholefoods-prices are bargins currently.
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