Family friendly communities other than Lakewood Ranch? (Sarasota, Bradenton: sales, crime)

[mdnd19]

Relocating from NJ. Looking for safe, family friendly towns in Sarasota County with good schools. I've gotten a LOT of recommendations for Lakewood Ranch. I will certainly look into that, but I'm just wondering, what OTHER communities/towns do people recommend? Thanks!

[beach43ofus]

No, not really. Lakewood Ranch is the ticket for families. Its in Manatee County, and its huge. Its like a city up there. You'll have plenty of choices there. It will take you several weekends to see all of the neighborhoods that fit your search parameters.

Several posters on this forum are Realtors who are very knowlegable about Lakewood Ranch. Just search Lakewood Ranch in the search window and see who the frequent posters are, and read some of the posts and you'll find out who they are.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

No, not really. Lakewood Ranch is the ticket for families. Its in Manatee County, and its huge. Its like a city up there. You'll have plenty of choices there. It will take you several weekends to see all of the neighborhoods that fit your search parameters.

Several posters on this forum are Realtors who are very knowlegable about Lakewood Ranch. Just search Lakewood Ranch in the search window and see who the frequent posters are, and read some of the posts and you'll find out who they are.

I agree^^^. There is just nothing else even close to having what Lakewood Ranch has in the area.

[bbronston]

I agree that Lakewood Ranch is the low hanging fruit but you can visit our state’s Department of Education website and view the Accountability Reports for Sarasota County schools (and Manatee County if you want) and see which schools have the best ratings and why. These are very detailed reports and worth a look. Decide which schools you want, visit the county school website to see the area covered by those schools, and then search those areas for listings. For safety, look at CrimeMapping.com once you’ve settled on a listing or group of listings for accurate info regarding reported crimes. Even LWR has some crime so no place is crime free.

You can also use Google to see local parks and other rec areas nearby.

[44moving2fl]

I disagree about Lakewood Ranch. When we moved here from New England realtors tried to steer us to Lakewood Ranch because we have school age kids. But we moved to be near the beach so Lakewood Ranch was out. There are many family friendly areas in Sarasota. We chose St. Armands Key and while it is not a family neighborhood there are more families moving in. My kids love being able to walk to the circle and beach. Some other family areas are the neighborhoods around Southside elementary, Siesta Key, and Gulfgate We also know families that moved from Lakewood Ranch to be closer to the beach. Lakewood Ranch either appeals to you or it doesn't, check it out and see, but there are other options!

[boissoneau]

Originally Posted by mdnd19

Relocating from NJ. Looking for safe, family friendly towns in Sarasota County with good schools. I've gotten a LOT of recommendations for Lakewood Ranch. I will certainly look into that, but I'm just wondering, what OTHER communities/towns do people recommend? Thanks!

Keep in mind of course that "Lakewood Ranch" is NOT in Sarasota County mostly (they are expanding however south of University east of I 75 INTO Sarasota County. "Lakewood Ranch" is not a town or a city, its completely unincorporated, it's a planned massive "community" with mixed use).


Lots of newcomers aren't told correctly about geo-political "subdivsions" around here. The City of Sarasota itself is a very small (physical) "city" land mass. Sarasota COUNTY contains The City of Venice, The Town of Longboat Key, and The City of Northport (the largest city in Sarasota County and the fastest growing in population). Manatee County is huge in land mass and contains cities such as The City of Bradenton, The City of Palmetto, The City of Bradenton Beach, and The City of Anna Maria, The Town of Longboat Key is also partially in Manatee County. Again, Lakewood Ranch is not a town or city, its essential services are provided in their entirety by Manatee County - no other entity - including the Public School System.


Please do consult a current, accurate online or physical map to actually KNOW where you actually live
One deliberate distortion in this area is quite an old one - intended to obfuscate the truth: DO NOT confuse mailing addresses with geo-political distinction/location. US Postal Service mailing addresses often do not coincide with which county or city you actually live in. People living in Lakewood Ranch often have a "Bradenton Mailing address", and there are many areas within MANATEE COUNTY that have a USPS "Sarasota" mailing address! Yes, I know, it's screwed up and has been intentionally for over 35 years for a variety of nefarious reasons it seems to me as a Floridian not a newcomer.


There are many family friendly very nice areas, NOT within Lakewood Ranch, such as those newer and brand new subdivisions being built west of I-75 including University Park and all around northern Lockwood Ridge, Honore, etc.


Feel free to direct message me if you like. I'm not a sales person but I know several native Floridians like me who are totally knowledgeable about what's likely to come down the pike.

[beach43ofus]

^^^ One of the best posts I've read in quite a while. GREAT advice...knowing where you are looking, and what the implcations are. Also, delineating mailing address from actual address. Also, if you have school aged kids, know where w/in the school cluster you are looking at or buying because if you are near the outer boundary, your children could get re-zoned to different schools. You want to be nearer the center of a school cluster's zone to avid being bounced out due to population growth.

I lived in Lakewood Ranch,and had a Bradenton mailing address but didn't live anywhere near the city of Bradenton. Now, I have Venice address, and don't live near the city of Venice, but several miles away from the city limits.

I prefer not to live in any city, but in unincorperated County places. I don't like the added layer of government city's bring. I think very little of the City of Sarasota's governenment, but dont know enough about the City of Bradenton to comment, but they must be better than City of Sarasota.

[craigiri]

It's all a matter of lifestyle. Lakewood Ranch is one of those places that seems to divide people into "yeah, that's what I want" and "NO WAY EVER would I live there". The easiest way to describe it to someone who is not familiar is that it is a vast development "from scratch"....sort of a more real world version of Disneys "Celebration", which was supposed to be the idea of a planned town.

It all depends on where you come from and what you imagine your perfect place is. My wife and I have always been "anti-development" and have never even lived in a subdivision. We prefer fee simple and and not some vast planned complex.

LWR is sorta like a version of a vast gated community...and while much it is isn't actually gated, the fact that it is all "out there" makes it similar.

As others have mentioned, if you are moving here for water, access to cultural activities and a more diverse community (economically and otherwise), then you might prefer living in other areas. The areas south of Ringling (Paver Park, Arlington Park and all the way down to Southgate and Gulfgate) have some nice areas, parks and decent schools close by. A completely different lifestyle from LWR and the Mall.

Most people have set preferences for this type of thing. A friend of our mentioned LWR to us when we were looking and his wife immediately screamed at him (these people know us well and know it's not our cup of tea)....he cowered and said "well, I'm only telling them it's there" (they live a block from the beach).

To the OP...if you would express more of your likes and dislikes and needs I think others could help more! For example, whether or not you are commuting and to where and what the draw of the Sarasota area is (water? Just the warmth?), etc.

[Sunshine Rules]

Originally Posted by craigiri

It's all a matter of lifestyle. Lakewood Ranch is one of those places that seems to divide people into "yeah, that's what I want" and "NO WAY EVER would I live there". The easiest way to describe it to someone who is not familiar is that it is a vast development "from scratch"....sort of a more real world version of Disneys "Celebration", which was supposed to be the idea of a planned town.

It all depends on where you come from and what you imagine your perfect place is. My wife and I have always been "anti-development" and have never even lived in a subdivision. We prefer fee simple and and not some vast planned complex.

LWR is sorta like a version of a vast gated community...and while much it is isn't actually gated, the fact that it is all "out there" makes it similar.

As others have mentioned, if you are moving here for water, access to cultural activities and a more diverse community (economically and otherwise), then you might prefer living in other areas. The areas south of Ringling (Paver Park, Arlington Park and all the way down to Southgate and Gulfgate) have some nice areas, parks and decent schools close by. A completely different lifestyle from LWR and the Mall.

Most people have set preferences for this type of thing. A friend of our mentioned LWR to us when we were looking and his wife immediately screamed at him (these people know us well and know it's not our cup of tea)....he cowered and said "well, I'm only telling them it's there" (they live a block from the beach).

To the OP...if you would express more of your likes and dislikes and needs I think others could help more! For example, whether or not you are commuting and to where and what the draw of the Sarasota area is (water? Just the warmth?), etc.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I think Sarasota County has better schools than Lakewood Ranch - that is what I have always been told but not really sure if that is true. Lakewood Ranch is a little too plastic for me but there are many who love it - I prefer to be near the beach