ISO family friendly, no HOA (urban?) neighborhood (Tamiami, Sarasota: sale, insurance)

[trogdor2016]

We were searching the forum for family friendly neighborhoods and the ones that keep popping up are Lakewood Ranch, Palmer Ranch, etc. Are there any urban neighborhoods that could be family friendly - good schools, reasonably safe, etc. We were looking around on zillow and Arlington Park, Southgate and Ridgewood Heights seem to be pretty walkable, close to amenities, and the schools are highly rated (7-10) etc. What do you guys think of these neighborhoods? Are these retirement communities or are there families and working professionals there as well? Any other suggestions? Thanks

[Picshooter]

You are correct. Arlington would be a good choice.It's a nice mix of families & retirees. Close to everything you could need.

[Sunshine Rules]

Gulf Gate would be another one, especially the NW section closer to the mall and all of the little, local shops/restaurants south of it.

The Arlington Park - South Gate area, which was already mentioned, would also be on my short list.


If you are not into HOAs, Lakewood Ranch is all mandatory deed restrictions and HOAs. Restrictions will limit the number of household pets to 2 in most (but not all) communities, you will be restricted in colors you paint your home and what you can plant in your yard.

[SoFLGal]

I would suggest you also check out Grand Palm and Stoneybrook of Venice. Stoneybrook of Venice has inline skating, basketball, baseball, a full time activities director, lagoon style pool, splash fountain, hockey rink, movie room, sand volley ball courts, tennis courts.

Grand Palm is one of the new Neal communities and has a gym, resort style pool, tennis, basketball, two dog parks, bocce ball, volleyball, 28 miles of walking trails

[Picshooter]

Well color me amazed. I wonder how we ever survived raising 3 kids in a regular neighborhood in the City of Sarasota.
I checked out the Grand Palm website, and I still say no thank you. I can entertain myself. While there is a "open field perfect for playing baseball or kickball" you still have to go elsewhere for organized youth sports.
Arlington Park has a great pool, and the Y is close if you should so desire.

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

I would suggest you also check out Grand Palm and Stoneybrook of Venice. Stoneybrook of Venice has inline skating, basketball, baseball, a full time activities director, lagoon style pool, splash fountain, hockey rink, movie room, sand volley ball courts, tennis courts.

Grand Palm is one of the new Neal communities and has a gym, resort style pool, tennis, basketball, two dog parks, bocce ball, volleyball, 28 miles of walking trails

[trogdor2016]

I also "discovered" Indian Shores / Sapphire Beach today. Any thoughts on this one ? I saw some posts saying that Tamiami trail in that area can be iffy. But is it really that bad, or just so-so ? (Although schools in the area don't seem to be that great, but if I understand Sarasota system you can go to any public school, no ? )

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by trogdor2016

I also "discovered" Indian Shores / Sapphire Beach today. Any thoughts on this one ? I saw some posts saying that Tamiami trail in that area can be iffy. But is it really that bad, or just so-so ? (Although schools in the area don't seem to be that great, but if I understand Sarasota system you can go to any public school, no ? )

Indian Beach is one of my favorite areas of town. We actually live in Whitfield Estates, bayside and LOVE it here. Don't discount the north side of town. We have never had any issues despite being two blocks off the "north Trail."

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Picshooter

Well color me amazed. I wonder how we ever survived raising 3 kids in a regular neighborhood in the City of Sarasota.
I checked out the Grand Palm website, and I still say no thank you. I can entertain myself. While there is a "open field perfect for playing baseball or kickball" you still have to go elsewhere for organized youth sports.
Arlington Park has a great pool, and the Y is close if you should so desire.

I agree with you there. I prefer non gated or HOA but I have clients that really love Stoneybrook and Grand Palm. The OP also asked about schools. The Venice schools are consistently getting high marks from the state.

The OP also did not mention a budget. The homes around the hospital in the more urban areas are not cheap and many are older and have higher insurance rates. If they're looking for more of an urban feel I would suggest downtown. I would also suggest investigating all of the schools in the downtown area-elementary, middle and high, as with anywhere that's chosen.

Here are some areas to search for the quaint, unique, historical homes. Keep in mind some of these areas are only a few streets.

Avondale-around Alta Vista St, Brewer Pl, Irving, Lincoln

Badger Heights-S Osprey Ave, Loma Linda

Bayview Acres- off of Bayview and Siesta Dr

Bungalow Hill-Just slightly south of Hudson Bayou, between Orange Ave and Osprey Ave. Pomelo Ave (I lived there as a teen before it was the cool area to live in ), Citrus Ave (I have two friends who live on this street and love it), Orange Ave and some of Alta Vista.

Desoto Park-Hibiscus St, Clematis St. Many mid century and early century homes.

Then you have Floyds-which encompasses Loma Linda St and Prospect St.

Pinecraft-If you're looking for reasonably price, craftsman type bungalows-look to the Pinecraft area. Many of these simple homes were built by the local Amish community, who still live in the area. The streets you might find the bungalows on are Gilbert, Kruppa and Good.

Poinsettia Park- Many of the flower streets are located here. Oleander, Goldenrod, Rose, Magnolia and Webber. Most of the historical homes in Poinsettia Park were built in 1926 when it was established.

Pomelo Place and Pomelo Park-Alta Vista, Bahia Vista, Novus are streets in this neighborhood. It abuts the Bungalow Hill area.

Burns Court-This area was developed by Owen Burns in the 1920's. Hence, the new restaurant in Burns Court called Owens Fish Camp. Many of these small, brightly colored, Spanish style bungalows are on the National Register of Historic Homes.

Towles Court-Like Burns Court, The Towles area has some great, funky places. Towles court is home to many of our local artists: towles court artist colony Towles court was home to Mr. Gillespie's third home and his "Golf Hall". He named one of his courses The Links and today the main street running through the Towles area still bears the name Links Ave. In the 1920's Mr. Towles came to town and turned this section into an area for the business people and seasonal tourists. In the mid 30's and 40's this area was home to many migrant workers. And in the early 1980's Mr Olivieri had a vision of turning the area into a quaint little downtown neighborhood. In 1995, the first artist came to Towles court and now there are over 200 artist, shops, galleries, funky cafés, etc in the Towles Court area. Many are now paint bright, vibrant colors.

If you're looking for charming downtown condos then look at The Frances Carlton condos at 1221 N Palm Ave. They were built in the mid 1920's and are with in walking distance to downtown and Marina Jack's. Most are very small (under 1000 sq ft).

The Orange Blossom Towers located at 1330 Main St is another great historical condo building still standing. Built in 1926, these condos are much larger then the Carlton condos but the price tag is much larger as well. Most are in the range of 4000 sq ft.

Granada Park-Flores Ave, Jacinto Ct, Palonia Ct, Camino Real. Great neighborhood with lots of old oaks trees lining the streets and some of the earlier Sarasota homes dating back to the early 1900's are in this neighborhood. It's situated right over the north Siesta Key bridge.

Husdon Bayou around Bay St has some quaint old Spanish Hacienda style homes.

Laurel Park is more of an "up and coming area"-Laurel St, Ohio PL, Oak St., Morrill St- There are several little 2/1's built from 1922-1925. It was first established in 1905 by Mr. John Gillespie when he built a 9 hole golf course in Laurel Park as well as the first home in this neighborhood.

McClellan Park is one of my favorite areas and it dates back to 1916 when it was founded by two sisters. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Sarasota. The story goes that the McClellan sisters hired architects to divide "the park". McClellan Pkwy now runs through the middle of this area. During the early 1920's the sisters planted many palm trees, oak and other tropical plants. Many of these plants and trees still remain. There have been many archaeological finds in the McClellan area and it's thought to be an area of Native American significance. Many of the streets in this area are named for Indians-Mietaw Dr, Sioux Dr, Seminole Dr, etc. One of Sarasota's first schools McClellan Park school was built here.

Morton Terrace-runs mostly along Floyd St. Mr. Morton (as in the local Sarasota gourmet grocer Morton's grocery store) was one of the earlier residents of the Sarasota area. The HB Williams home is in the Morton area. It's located at the corner of south Orange and Floyd. It was designed by Thomas Reed Martin and is of Mediterranean architecture. Reed was a prominent architect in the early 1900's in Sarasota. One of his first projects in the area was designing "The Oaks" for Mrs. Potter Palmer. I remember my grandmother talking about him. His office was located on Main St at the time.

These few areas would not be with walking/biking distance to the downtown areas.

Sapphire Shores and nearby Sarasota Bay Park- My ex-MIL lives in Sapphire Shores and has for around 50 years. She has the coolest historical home and loves the area. Some of the streets are Edwards Dr, Acacia Dr, Hickory Ave, Brywill Cir, Ixora Ave and Bay Shore Rd.

The Bay Haven/ Indian Beach Area is cool-This area would include Indian Beach Dr, Virgina Dr, Tennessee Ln.

The Vamo area-across the street form the Westfield Mall also has a few historical homes. I would consider this a transitioning area with a mix of newer homes, craftsmen bungalows and duplexes.

On Siesta Bay Island is an awesome area-This includes streets like Norsota Way, Hamilton Ave and there is currently a home fore sale on Anglin on Bay Island. The price is reasonable but it needs some work.

Keep in mind that the insurance on the older homes can be off the charts. Especially if you have to purchase flood insurance (on the islands). An example is the home on Anglin (on Siesta). The best quote I could get is $8k per year, not including flood.

I remember my grandmother talking to me about many of the areas I mentioned and I suppose that might be where some of my great love of the historical homes of Sarasota comes from.

[trogdor2016]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Indian Beach is one of my favorite areas of town. We actually live in Whitfield Estates, bayside and LOVE it here. Don't discount the north side of town. We have never had any issues despite being two blocks off the "north Trail."

We were actually looking around that area too (there were a couple of homes near that bearded clam restaurant) and a few directly east of trail. But gravitating towards indian beach (at this time) between the two since it seems to have a bit more restaurants / shops / etc nearby.

[trogdor2016]

wow. Thanks for that detailed breakdown SoFlGal. Yeah, forgot to mention... the budget is up to 300K (single family home) and that's if we really love it. Ideally something less than that.