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Old 07-12-2011, 07:26 AM
 
Location: Ohio
52 posts, read 101,296 times
Reputation: 52

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We're moving to Florida in the spring. Sarasota/North Port/Bradenton/venice area (we were going to narrow it down in a few months when we visit, strongly leaning towards Sarasota or North Port). But it turns out my employer has a location near Arcadia that I could transfer to. The original plan was for me to give up my job and my husband and our savings would provide until I could find one.
My cousin says "Arcadia is for rednecks" but she's only ever lived in large cities and has shallow tendencies. I don't mind rednecks but I also don't want to live in a gigantic trailer park of a town. Any suggestions on areas we should look into? I don't mind a drive-time of up to 40 minutes give or take. I'm just looking to rent for the first year, at least. I don't mind semi-rural, nor do I mind living in the city. I don't care much for the idea of living in cookie-cutter suburbia...We're a vegetarian/vegan family (socially liberal, but we're not IN YOUR FACE about it, and are pretty accustomed to living in primarily conservative areas...)
I've been pondering this for a few weeks now. Ravenously searching rental and sale listings and using google maps to determine drive-time and photos and descriptions and costs to get an idea about "quality" of the area, but nothing compares to real live people and their opinions.

thanks in advance
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Old 07-12-2011, 07:53 AM
 
17,535 posts, read 39,141,385 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StickyRice! View Post
We're moving to Florida in the spring. Sarasota/North Port/Bradenton/venice area (we were going to narrow it down in a few months when we visit, strongly leaning towards Sarasota or North Port). But it turns out my employer has a location near Arcadia that I could transfer to. The original plan was for me to give up my job and my husband and our savings would provide until I could find one.
My cousin says "Arcadia is for rednecks" but she's only ever lived in large cities and has shallow tendencies. I don't mind rednecks but I also don't want to live in a gigantic trailer park of a town. Any suggestions on areas we should look into? I don't mind a drive-time of up to 40 minutes give or take. I'm just looking to rent for the first year, at least. I don't mind semi-rural, nor do I mind living in the city. I don't care much for the idea of living in cookie-cutter suburbia...We're a vegetarian/vegan family (socially liberal, but we're not IN YOUR FACE about it, and are pretty accustomed to living in primarily conservative areas...)
I've been pondering this for a few weeks now. Ravenously searching rental and sale listings and using google maps to determine drive-time and photos and descriptions and costs to get an idea about "quality" of the area, but nothing compares to real live people and their opinions.

thanks in advance
I do not believe you would like Arcadia. It's just a small, rural town with nothing that you said you wanted in your previous posts, which I remember reading before. No way in heck would I personally live there.

I believe you will be far happier in Sarasota, which seems to have most of what you are looking for.
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Old 07-12-2011, 08:30 AM
 
Location: Ohio
52 posts, read 101,296 times
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Is that a reasonable drive? I know it's about 40+ minutes according to google, but it looks like I'll have to go over a bridge to get to and from work...is 40 minutes a realistic idea of what my drive-time would be from work to Sarasota every day?
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Old 07-12-2011, 08:48 AM
 
Location: Ohio
52 posts, read 101,296 times
Reputation: 52
It seems like maybe North Port would be a good compromise...not too far from Arcadia, and not too far from Sarasota...I'm used to having to drive at east 30 minutes (usually more like an hour) for entertainment or decent grocery shopping. =)
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Old 07-12-2011, 08:55 AM
 
Location: Pennsylvania
52 posts, read 110,274 times
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Depends on where in SRQ you're living. The closer you are to the interstate the better if you want to commute to Arcadia from SRQ/Bradenton.
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Old 07-12-2011, 09:17 AM
 
17,535 posts, read 39,141,385 times
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If you were to live somewhere around Gulf Gate in southern Sarasota, you could take Clark Road (72) all the way in, about 44 miles, probably one hour. I don't know how long from North Port, you really can't take the interstate there.
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Old 07-12-2011, 09:25 AM
 
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
4,619 posts, read 7,541,245 times
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Having been to Arcadia several times (I have a friend that moved there from Sarasota), I can share with you my impressions. It's definitely a small town (about 7000 people), it seems very similar to the farm town where I grew up in the midwest in that most everyone knows everyone else. Some people love that. My friend does. On the flip side of the coin, a popular source of entertainmenet is talking about what everyone else is doing. There's not a lot to do in Arcadia, the main attraction is the row of antique shops in the main business area of town. People from here sometimes make trips to Arcadia to go through the little shops. Many of the locals do their socializing through their churches, according to my friend. The big event of the year in Arcadia is the rodeo. A lot of the locals work for the sod farms, orange groves or the nearby prison.

You may have trouble finding a rental in or near Arcadia. Housing, whether you're looking to rent or buy, seem to be difficult to find in Arcadia as there is little new construction. Yes, you will find mobile homes in the area, quite a few as a matter of fact.

As to driving to Arcadia from the Sarasota area, the roads do a lot of winding as you go further east, there are also small hills, which can make passing difficult if you get behind a slow driver as it's all 2 lane highway. You also have to watch out for the huge phosphate trucks that travel back and forth all year round and trucks hauling oranges in the winter months. Realistically, travel time is more like 50 minutes.

If the choice were North Port or Arcadia, I'd pick North Port.
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Old 07-12-2011, 09:51 AM
 
Location: Punta Gorda and Maryland
6,103 posts, read 15,091,177 times
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I don't think that you will like to live in Arcadia. It is a place where you would like to visit from time to time. They have a rodeo there. It is a farm town, and it's population is not well off (for the most part). I grew up in a small town, and there really is not a lot to do there - I concur with the others that posted. The farm hands are not well off, or well educated as you would expect. I don't know about redneck, but if you consider everyone drives a truck a sign of rednecks being present - then you may have that impression of Arcadia.

They have some very old buildings and antique stores there. You would be in the middle of Orange country!

North Port has a lot more of what you want - I think, and is well situated to reach many areas you would like to visit and travel to and from.
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Old 07-12-2011, 10:09 AM
 
Location: Ohio
52 posts, read 101,296 times
Reputation: 52
Doesn't sound too different from the towns I live in around here haha, thanks so much for the info, guys...An hour from Arcadia? yeah that's too far of a commute, so it sounds like something like a midpoint between the 2 is my best option...any other town suggestions are MORE than welcome!
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Old 07-12-2011, 10:20 AM
 
17,535 posts, read 39,141,385 times
Reputation: 24289
You could try Myakka - another rural area, but right between Arcadia and Sarasota/Bradenton.
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