Relocating to Bradenton, Sarasota in FL (Tampa, Orlando: transplants, rentals, condo)

[aamit4]

Hello:

I am new to this forum. i need info on the Bradenton, Sarasota area; currently living in Chicago. I have a Job offer in Bradenton,Fl and family considering moving there. Could someone please provide info regarding jobs, economy, employment, schools, crimes? i saw bad and good things about these two town. Is it hard to find a job in this area? for someone in accouting and engineering. Are there big companies or employer there? How is the housing in terms of renting and buying? Would it be worth to move to any of these are? are there any other region you would recomend?

Thank you in advance.

[Sunshine Rules]

Hi,

I've lived in the area for 30 years, worked for several years in Bradenton and have lived in south Manatee county (Bradenton area) for the past 8 years, so if you have specific questions about the area, please post them here & I will answer what I can for you.

For general information, city data has some good, general info & statistics on their website on cities such as Bradenton.

You can get more info by reading the local newspaper online at www.bradenton.com.


For school info, the Manatee schools website is: School District of Manatee County Florida


Although Bradenton's official city population is similar to Sarasota, Bradenton lives more like a small town than Sarasota. Housing tends to be more reasonably priced in Bradenton than Sarasota, but prices have been rising steadily for the past 3 years in both cities. Bradenton's oldest section is located near the downtown, the city has been working to revitalize the downtown area over the past few years. The downtown area is now host to a number of small bars, restaurants and shops. Riverwalk, a large park with a skateboard park, walking trails, benches, play areas and an amphitheater, which runs along the river in downtown Bradenton has become very popular since it opened last year. It is the site of local events, concerts, etc just about every weekend throughout the winter months.

Bradenton does have access to several nice public beaches on Anna Maria Island. Anna Maria Island is also popular with visitors looking for good local restaurants offering seafood & other styles of cooking.

West and south Bradenton are made up of a number of neighborhoods of a variety of price ranges, although generally the further west you get (closer to the beaches) the more expensive it gets. Bradenton has quite a few smaller, older condo communities at reasonable prices, you'll also find a number of 55+ mobile home parks in Bradenton, mostly off of 53rd St just east of 14th St W or along Cortez Rd. You'll find little newer construction homes in west or south Bradenton, most newer construction is east of US301, running both west and east of I75. There has been quite a building boom of late in the area closer to University Parkway and Lakewood Ranch, with a number of deed restricted communities with amenities being built. I can name 6 new construction neighborhoods within 10 miles of my home, not counting Lakewood Ranch. So there is quite a variety when it comes to housing in this area.

There is not a lot of manufacturing in our area, but Bradenton would probably have more options for engineers than Sarasota. Sun Hydrolics is expanding their plant. Tropicana is another big employer. There are other smaller manufacturing companies scattered throughout several industrial parks in the south Manatee county area between 15th St E and US301. While unemployment numbers are slowing dropping, I still would not recommend anyone that needs employment to move here without either (a) having a job lined up already or (b) having sufficient funds to live at least 8 or 9 months so that you have a cushion until you find employment.

Having family in Chicago, I can tell you that most transplants have "sticker shock" when it comes to wages here vs "up north." I used to work in human resources a number of years ago and did wage surveys for the large company I worked for. In general, both wages and benefits tend to be lower here in most categories of employment because of what they call the sunshine factor, ie more qualified people wanting to come to FL to work than job openings.

Rental rates have been rising, especially the last 2 years, and demand is strong for rentals. Housing prices are also finally on the rise again after several years of dropping and/or stagnant prices. If you are not certain whether you will stay in the area, it makes sense to rent instead of buy for now.

I happen to like living in this area, it's big enough that there's lots of things to do (especially in Sarasota), but small enough for those of us that don't want to live in a big metro area like Tampa or Orlando. Sarasota has a fairly decent downtown area for a town it's size, with quite a selection of restaurants, bars, art galleries, etc. Where we're located in Bradenton it's also an easy trip across the Skyway Bridge to St. Pete if you want a larger town for work and/or play. I know a number of people that live in Bradenton and work in St. Pete.

If you like doing outdoor activities this area has lots of options for you.


My best suggestion is do as much research as you can and then come down to check things out in person.

[Dollydo]

I agree with Sunshine Rules, spot on!

Take your time exploring the area before buying, many nice areas to consider.

I too, am originally from Illinois, and I just love this area! Good Luck!

[ess.ess.ess.esq.]

Sarasota and Florida rely on tourists and retirees for the economy . So, if your field does not play into that, jobs are scarce. It would also be a good idea to visit Sarasota for a week in late June or July, because you need to have a good idea of what the heat and [more important] humidity levels are for 6 or 7 months of each year. You then have a basis for deciding if that is what you want. Be sure to bring SPF 50 sunscreen. The intensity of the sun is several times what you are used to in the Windy City! Good luck with your decision!