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Alright...Maybe I should have said stay out of "Sorrysota" forever. I second what she just said. The prices of homes, insurance and property taxes is enough to drive someone right out of here. You get to a point where you are stuck in your home. We paid 350K for our home 3 years ago which is now worth about 500K in the current market. Our insurance is out of control and property taxes about 4,500 a year. Talk about un-affordable. Yes, you could move to Lakewood Ranch which by the way IS very cookie cutter and people there think they don't stink if ya know what I mean. We looked there too when it was developed and gave it a big thumbs down. I do admit sometimes while driving over the ken thompson parkway bridge I feel like I am living in paradise and I have all this at my disposal why would I want to leave? Well, thats easy. Once I am snapped back into reality of old people central, rednecks and the like I assure myself this is not the place for me. Do yourself A favor and come for the weekend or maybe week and make up your own mind
Alright...Maybe I should have said stay out of "Sorrysota" forever. I second what she just said. The prices of homes, insurance and property taxes is enough to drive someone right out of here. You get to a point where you are stuck in your home. We paid 350K for our home 3 years ago which is now worth about 500K in the current market. Our insurance is out of control and property taxes about 4,500 a year. Talk about un-affordable. Yes, you could move to Lakewood Ranch which by the way IS very cookie cutter and people there think they don't stink if ya know what I mean. We looked there too when it was developed and gave it a big thumbs down. I do admit sometimes while driving over the ken thompson parkway bridge I feel like I am living in paradise and I have all this at my disposal why would I want to leave? Well, thats easy. Once I am snapped back into reality of old people central, rednecks and the like I assure myself this is not the place for me. Do yourself A favor and come for the weekend or maybe week and make up your own mind
Cookie cutter has sprung up on Anna Maria with the advent of two rentables on one lot, the wave of the building future there...and now, believe it or not, they are going the "own a piece of the island" time share route with some of the condos that aren't selling...lol...god help...and AMI has been very resistant to change....it's totally losing the island feel that the old timers have fought to keep....what a shame!
Nancy Lynne, I've lived in Sarasota since '89. Regarding "cookie cutter" developments: When acreage is sold, usually several developers divide up the property for their own neighborhoods. Certain developers have specific recognizable styles, and their houses may reflect that "family resemblance." Also, certain architectural styles come in and go out of fashion. I live in South Gate, a 1960s neighborhood, and most of the houses here are single-story ranch houses with lanais and terrazzo floors. The second-generation of homeowners are moving in as the original owners, in their eighties, are moving out. The "newbies" are remodeling the homes to reflect the colors and landscaping of 2007. Lakewood Ranch, being a new community, has that look already.
I am a single woman, and I've never met so many wonderful women in one community. I've lived in Chicago, New England, and New York, and the women I've met here are authentic, intelligent, and friendly. That may be because most of us are transplants.
I go to the theater, ballet, and opera. I feel very satisfied with the cultural activities here.
The city is undergoing tremendous change right now, with a lot of buildings and developments springing up like mushrooms. The traffic congestion during season requires patience, but the city is easy to navigate . . . except for downtown, where the roads follow the curve of the shoreline and end up with dead ends and surprises.
I wouldn't be concerned about your youngster. He won't be the only kid in town.
We recently moved from Sarasota due to job relocation, and I miss it terribly. Yes, there are lots of retirees. Yes, there are seedy areas. Yes, there are snobs. Yes, there is snowbird traffic. However.... I disagree with the posters who found no friendly people or decent neighborhoods. We lived in a friendly, old fashioned neighborhood with a mixture of housing prices. Definitely not uppity or rich. Normal, working people with children, mixed with retirees and young families, mixed with whites, blacks, hispanics, all living peacefully together in a true neighborhood. We looked plenty before finding our place. But let me tell you, looking for a house in our new neighborhood was just as much work in our new town in Missouri. There is good and bad everywhere. I do understand the frustration and misery of the true Sarasota natives who have seen the changes brought about by the increased population of outsiders. I was one of the outsiders too, and most of the population there is from somewhere else. But I found that to be a plus, not a minus. There are many, many areas that never accept outsiders, but Sarasota is not one of them. We found most everyone to be friendly. But we also greeted people with a friendly smile and greeting. Some people just subscribe to the notion of the best defense is a good offense, and appear rude at first, but after getting to talk with them, they almost always came around. It seems to be an east coast thing. No one should live where they are unhappy. Life is way too short for that kind of frustration. It's all about choice. It really is a choice of where one lives. We live in a wonderful and big country. It's sad to read all this anger and frustration in this forum. I, for one, miss my Sarasota friends and neighbors, and value the time I had with them and Sarasota.
I meant to say something about North Port, since there are some here looking at that area because of price. Please visit the area before moving. There are lots and lots of places for sale there, many quite reasonable. There is probably a house for sale on any street you go down. That alone might be a red flag for some, but also consider the commute for work, play, or shopping (other than Walmart) one may have. It might not bother some, but that was what stopped us from buying there, and we moved instead to Sarasota even though it was more expensive. Again, all about choices. We all make them.
Sarasota actually gives you a lot for what little you pay. Trying to find something comparable will end up costing you a lot more, like parts of San Diego or whatnot. It's not perfect, but I've seen people pay a lot more for a lot less.
Here's the real deal...I was BORN and RAISED in "Sorrysota"
I am now 34....I am married with a one year old and we are getting out of this retirement community as soon as humanly possible. I will list the good and the bad for you.
GOOD- Amazing beaches & good schools despite what others say.
BAD- ALL OF IT BESIDES THE ABOVE. Too many old people, Boring, No good shopping, No good restaurants, Housing prices on the retarted side and the list goes on.
Do yourself a favor and stay OUT of Florida forever!
Interesting as I too have been living in Sarasota for basically 30 years.
I'd agree in regard to the school system and the recreational activity in terms of boating, beaching, fishing, etc.
In terms of no good shopping and no good restaurants I'd disagree as could name a dozen wonderful places to eat, hang out, watch a game, etc.
Additionally you have the entire spectrum of shopping for discount retailers and outlet malls to highend designer stores on Saint Armands Circle.
Prices on homes are now quite attractive with plenty of nice homes available. Take the Gulf Gate area for example, kids can walk to school and you can get into a 3b/2b home for $220k to $300k. Or head south to North Port and build a new 3b/2b home from $180k on a wooded home site and walk to schools, golf courses, shopping, etc.
Listen to the people who don't like Sarasota. In fact, all of Florida is a dirty mess. I left California - HUGE Mistake. My girl left Pennsylvania - also a big mistake. The people who like Florida tend to like it for several reasons. They have lots of money and live in gated communities and are therefore blind and insulated from the harsh realities of the junkyard neighborhoods ALL around them. They also tend to be retired and sit in the comfort of their air-conditioned living rooms and don't get out much, except to play BINGO. Those employed in the medical fields tend to make good money like everywhere else, so they too don't grasp the economic realities of trying to make a living in Florida. The other people who tend to like Florida are rednecks, hicks and uneducated slobs that drive horribly, and don't take care of themselves or their houses or their yards or their kids, so be prepared to deal with a lot of lawlessness and disrespect. Would you trust the opinion of an uneducated hillbilly? Would you trust the opinion of someone who doesn't get out much? Florida is full of pedophiles. Florida is full of criminals. Florida is full of cheapskates. Florida is full of flakes. Florida is full of bugs. You'll spend a small fortune in chemicals. Florida's water stinks of sulfur. The air smells like a swamp. If you use your computer regularly, you better get used to the unreliable power grid, constant power outages, and you’ll spend a small fortune in surge protection, brown out protection, or in replacing expensive electronics.
Those who are saying North Port is so great - FORGET ABOUT IT! We live there and it is a bore. It's butted up against Port Charlotte, which is a criminally infested ghetto and harbors the oldest per-capita population in the entire nation. There are no decent shopping malls in the area. Average age is about 65. The gal who said the average age of North Port is 38 is WRONG, WRONG WRONG! The average age in North Port is about 55. She probably thinks it's 38 because she sits in her living room, in her air-conditioned house, in her gated community (where he average age is slightly younger) and chokes herself off from reality.
In recent times, the crime rate in Orlando has skyrocketed. Coming back from a very nice vacation in beautiful North Carolina, where the people are better educated, better dressed, look healthier and drive better, we were suddenly assaulted by the rude drivers, tailgaters, and drunks on the roads almost immediately after crossing the border from Georgia back into Florida. Then we made a wrong turn on Florida's poorly designated Freeways. (California's and North Carolina's freeways rock! They have decent signs and give ample warning about upcoming ramps, whereas Florida is the cheapskate state and feeds you to the wolves). At any rate, we ended up driving through Orlando. I was not impressed. The people were rude, rough, dressed like hoodlums, and drove like your typical Florida idiots.
Just about all the jobs in Florida are service-oriented or construction related, and the pay is HORRIBLE. Floridians complain about the illegal Mexicans that are driving down the pay for construction work - such that if you are white or black, it's tough to earn a decent wage - but these same hypocrites will just as quickly hire Mexicans to do work on their homes because they get the work done more cheaply. The homebuilders in Florida are criminals. They too hire sub-contractors at dirt-cheap rates, so that the subs can only survive by paying Mexicans dirt-cheap wages. Some of the homebuilders are good - like Tenbusch Construction in North Port, but good luck with most of the rest. They build cracker-box houses with sloppy workmanship and expect to sell them for $300K.
Good luck trying to make a living, especially when the doctors and dentists charge the same high rates as everywhere else, so when you are lucky to make $13/hr slaving away in the sweltering heat without any benefits, you still have to pay $3000 for a root canal, gum work, and a crown. I'd rather live in the high-cost of living area that I left in beautiful San Diego, where the jobs are plentiful (biotech, computer-related, research and development, engineering, construction, shipbuilding, government contracting, Fortune 500, etc.) and there are NO hurricanes, NO bugs, the streets have sidewalks and are well lit, compared to Florida's dark streets full of cracks and potholes. Yes, so many die-hard Floridians will tell you Florida is so great because of the sun, the beaches, and that there is no personal income tax. But consider this. Without a personal income tax, the state has to find other ways to make things work, or they don't work at all. Look at the schools. Florida's teachers receive some of the lowest pay in the nation. Is that who you want teaching your children? And then the police and firefighters are grossly understaffed. Is that who you want protecting your family and home? I lived in San Diego for 25 years. During that time, I never suffered a burglary and aside from the normal door dings from people in parking lots, my vehicle remained undamaged. In the 3 years of hell that I have been subjected to in North Port, Port Charlotte, and Florida in general, my truck door was smashed in, my girlfriends car was significantly dented in a parking lot, I have suffered from having to deal with the stupidest of employers and co-workers, my life has been a financial struggle, the house was broken into, we have a drug dealer living across the street and there are many others throughout the area, the people are RUDE, RUDE, RUDE, they drive like morons, they are overweight, don't wave at you to say "hi", they stare at you, and I could go on and on.
If you are a redneck, uneducated, beatnik or slob, you will fit right in with Florida, but otherwise, if you are an active person, like to work with and play with educated people, good luck trying to find that in Florida. Recently Miami was rated as having the rudest drivers in the nation. But I can tell you first hand; it applies to the entire state. Granted, San Diego had it's share of crime, but since moving to Florida, I have never seen so much criminal activity in my entire life and I do not feel safe living in this bug infested swamp of a hurricane zone.
I believe the low wages of Florida drive out the educated people, leaving behind the dregs, the scammers and the unscrupulous. Contractors in Florida have a reputation for ripping you off. Also, I think that Florida, for whatever reason, tends to attract a certain kind of person - rude, uneducated slobs full of tattoos and addicted to cigarettes and drugs and alcohol. I also think that people who are willing to live where hurricanes can rip your life apart, are themselves a more transient type of person. I still have friends from Colorado and California, but when I leave Florida (soon) I don't intend on staying in touch with hardly anyone from this hellhole.
Get yourself on an Internet search engine, like Google, and do a search on phrases like "I Hate Florida" or "Florida Sucks" and make note of the number of matches. Then do the same for any other state. You will quickly discover that Florida matches more than just about all of the 50 states. Florida has a bad reputation and it's for good reason. Before leaving California, people tried to warn me, but I was naive. One friend even said, "There's a reason they are called Floridiots". So don't listen to what the die-hard Floridians have to say. By-and-large, they are rednecks or super-conservative old, cranky people who have lost touch with reality.
Listen to the people who don't like Sarasota. In fact, all of Florida is a dirty mess. I left California - HUGE Mistake. My girl left Pennsylvania - also a big mistake. The people who like Florida tend to like it for several reasons. They have lots of money and live in gated communities and are therefore blind and insulated from the harsh realities of the junkyard neighborhoods ALL around them. They also tend to be retired and sit in the comfort of their air-conditioned living rooms and don't get out much, except to play BINGO. Those employed in the medical fields tend to make good money like everywhere else, so they too don't grasp the economic realities of trying to make a living in Florida. The other people who tend to like Florida are rednecks, hicks and uneducated slobs that drive horribly, and don't take care of themselves or their houses or their yards or their kids, so be prepared to deal with a lot of lawlessness and disrespect. Would you trust the opinion of an uneducated hillbilly? Would you trust the opinion of someone who doesn't get out much? Florida is full of pedophiles. Florida is full of criminals. Florida is full of cheapskates. Florida is full of flakes. Florida is full of bugs. You'll spend a small fortune in chemicals. Florida's water stinks of sulfur. The air smells like a swamp. If you use your computer regularly, you better get used to the unreliable power grid, constant power outages, and you’ll spend a small fortune in surge protection, brown out protection, or in replacing expensive electronics.
Those who are saying North Port is so great - FORGET ABOUT IT! We live there and it is a bore. It's butted up against Port Charlotte, which is a criminally infested ghetto and harbors the oldest per-capita population in the entire nation. There are no decent shopping malls in the area. Average age is about 65. The gal who said the average age of North Port is 38 is WRONG, WRONG WRONG! The average age in North Port is about 55. She probably thinks it's 38 because she sits in her living room, in her air-conditioned house, in her gated community (where he average age is slightly younger) and chokes herself off from reality.
In recent times, the crime rate in Orlando has skyrocketed. Coming back from a very nice vacation in beautiful North Carolina, where the people are better educated, better dressed, look healthier and drive better, we were suddenly assaulted by the rude drivers, tailgaters, and drunks on the roads almost immediately after crossing the border from Georgia back into Florida. Then we made a wrong turn on Florida's poorly designated Freeways. (California's and North Carolina's freeways rock! They have decent signs and give ample warning about upcoming ramps, whereas Florida is the cheapskate state and feeds you to the wolves). At any rate, we ended up driving through Orlando. I was not impressed. The people were rude, rough, dressed like hoodlums, and drove like your typical Florida idiots.
Just about all the jobs in Florida are service-oriented or construction related, and the pay is HORRIBLE. Floridians complain about the illegal Mexicans that are driving down the pay for construction work - such that if you are white or black, it's tough to earn a decent wage - but these same hypocrites will just as quickly hire Mexicans to do work on their homes because they get the work done more cheaply. The homebuilders in Florida are criminals. They too hire sub-contractors at dirt-cheap rates, so that the subs can only survive by paying Mexicans dirt-cheap wages. Some of the homebuilders are good - like Tenbusch Construction in North Port, but good luck with most of the rest. They build cracker-box houses with sloppy workmanship and expect to sell them for $300K.
Good luck trying to make a living, especially when the doctors and dentists charge the same high rates as everywhere else, so when you are lucky to make $13/hr slaving away in the sweltering heat without any benefits, you still have to pay $3000 for a root canal, gum work, and a crown. I'd rather live in the high-cost of living area that I left in beautiful San Diego, where the jobs are plentiful (biotech, computer-related, research and development, engineering, construction, shipbuilding, government contracting, Fortune 500, etc.) and there are NO hurricanes, NO bugs, the streets have sidewalks and are well lit, compared to Florida's dark streets full of cracks and potholes. Yes, so many die-hard Floridians will tell you Florida is so great because of the sun, the beaches, and that there is no personal income tax. But consider this. Without a personal income tax, the state has to find other ways to make things work, or they don't work at all. Look at the schools. Florida's teachers receive some of the lowest pay in the nation. Is that who you want teaching your children? And then the police and firefighters are grossly understaffed. Is that who you want protecting your family and home? I lived in San Diego for 25 years. During that time, I never suffered a burglary and aside from the normal door dings from people in parking lots, my vehicle remained undamaged. In the 3 years of hell that I have been subjected to in North Port, Port Charlotte, and Florida in general, my truck door was smashed in, my girlfriends car was significantly dented in a parking lot, I have suffered from having to deal with the stupidest of employers and co-workers, my life has been a financial struggle, the house was broken into, we have a drug dealer living across the street and there are many others throughout the area, the people are RUDE, RUDE, RUDE, they drive like morons, they are overweight, don't wave at you to say "hi", they stare at you, and I could go on and on.
If you are a redneck, uneducated, beatnik or slob, you will fit right in with Florida, but otherwise, if you are an active person, like to work with and play with educated people, good luck trying to find that in Florida. Recently Miami was rated as having the rudest drivers in the nation. But I can tell you first hand; it applies to the entire state. Granted, San Diego had it's share of crime, but since moving to Florida, I have never seen so much criminal activity in my entire life and I do not feel safe living in this bug infested swamp of a hurricane zone.
I believe the low wages of Florida drive out the educated people, leaving behind the dregs, the scammers and the unscrupulous. Contractors in Florida have a reputation for ripping you off. Also, I think that Florida, for whatever reason, tends to attract a certain kind of person - rude, uneducated slobs full of tattoos and addicted to cigarettes and drugs and alcohol. I also think that people who are willing to live where hurricanes can rip your life apart, are themselves a more transient type of person. I still have friends from Colorado and California, but when I leave Florida (soon) I don't intend on staying in touch with hardly anyone from this hellhole.
Get yourself on an Internet search engine, like Google, and do a search on phrases like "I Hate Florida" or "Florida Sucks" and make note of the number of matches. Then do the same for any other state. You will quickly discover that Florida matches more than just about all of the 50 states. Florida has a bad reputation and it's for good reason. Before leaving California, people tried to warn me, but I was naive. One friend even said, "There's a reason they are called Floridiots". So don't listen to what the die-hard Floridians have to say. By-and-large, they are rednecks or super-conservative old, cranky people who have lost touch with reality.
Okay...take a deep breath. You are comparing San Diego to Port Charlotte and N. Port. That is beyond ridiculous. Compare to Jupiter or Boca Raton or Parkland or New Tampa.
I've traveled all over California....it has more than its share of Port Charlottes.
And I just googled 'I hate California'......15 million variations. I hate Florida 3 million.
Coming back from a very nice vacation in beautiful North Carolina, where the people are better dressed
I had to laugh at that one. One of the reasons I could never move to NC is because the shopping there is total crap. They don't even have a Bloomingdales in Raleigh, let alone real designer clothing stores.
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I Like Living in Sarasota!
ex Sarasotan
