Questions about Sarasota (Tampa, Orlando, Port St. Lucie: appointed, spring break, apartments)
Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice areaManatee and Sarasota Counties
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi everyone I have been researching Sarasota Florida for some time now along with Delray Beach and Melbourne Florida. I am looking for a smaller city under a 100 thousand residents. With a cute downtown, that’s close to the beach with some nightlife. (Nothing as crazy as Orlando or St. Pete) My questions about Sarasota are are the following.
1. Do the two main beaches Siesta Key or Lido beach get very crowded? What is the parking situation like during season and not during season? (I really enjoy the beach)
2. What is traffic like compared to larger city’s like Orlando or St. Pete?
3. What are the residents like? I know it’s a very affluent area are the people down to earth or snobby?
4. What are areas to avoid In the city meaning higher crime areas.
5. The last question is something I’ve always wondered. Where is there a stronger breeze from the ocean on the Gulf side on the West or the Atlantic on the East Coast?
I suggest clarifying between the City of Sarasota, Sarasota County, or both...you'll get better answers.
1) YES! ...during season, & particularly weekends, or weekdays when the weather's nice...78+ w/ Sun. If you arrive by 9:45 you can find parking nearly every time at any beach in sw FLA. Siesta Key has a mamouth parking lot, but Lido doesn't. I don't like the long walk to the waters edge at Siesta Key, so I hardly ever go there. Oh, & Spring Break's a zoo at Siesta Key beach, but again, lots of parking upto 9:45 am...the kids don't wake up early. Locals know when Spring Break is, so avoid most beaches. (March 30th to April 7th this yr). May 1-Dec 1 the beaches are uncrowded.
2) traffic here is a breeze compared to Orlando, Tampa, & SE FLA. I've never found Downtown St. Pete to be that bad either...just central & Northern Pinellas County...Ulmerton Rd can become a parking lot, & most points North of there all the way up to Tarpon Springs. St. Pete is the most liveable city I know of in FLA. I hate high density urban areas, but even I could live in Downtown St. Pete...or Downtown Sarasota. Wifey wanted a new master planned community w/ all the amentities, so I wound up in Southern Sarasota County...ugh.
3) People here are nicer than most New Yorkers & most people who live near NYC, but not as nice as most true Southerners like you'll find in small towns throughout the South. Mostly White, 50+'ers, City of Sarasota leans left of center, County leans Right of center...w/ few extremes. Due to demographics, dangerous crime is minimal. You'll see some homeless people in urban & suburban retail areas. I don't see much snobbery in the County, but in Downtown Sarasota, Longboat Key, Lido, & Siesta, there's some. IMHO...Longboat Key has the most nasty people for some reason, but there's not much reason for others to go there anyways, so we're not exposed to them much...except for at St. Armands Circle.
4) areas to avoid...Just North of Downtown. the Rosemary District is transitioning into a nicer area, but some homeless there, so I won't go there after dark. North of Fruitville Rd starts to get dicey after dark, & North of 6th is best to avoid. Near the Bay's okay, like near Van Wezel performing arts center, but just East is best to avoid. The map shows it as Gillespie Park and North Sarasota. All along Tamiami Trail (aka 41) North of the Van Wezel is seedy. You'll see some homeless peeps Downtown, but there's a visible police presence too, so I've never felt unsafe in downtown Sarasota near Main. Our homeless are generally not aggressive like I've encountered in San Fran, & NYC, & ATL.
5) Much stronger Ocean breezes in SE FLA than here, & they are much cooler too due to the cool waters of the Gulfstream. Summer's here are brutal..."feels like" 100+ days are common, & "feels like" 110+ not rare. The 1st Summer or Two seem bearable, but after that, it starts to wear on you, and you'll want to escape for a week or more a few times each Summer. I left for 6 weeks last Summer, and this Summer, I'm stretching it out to all of July & August.
I've lived in: Tampa (Harbor Island), North St. Pete, Bradenton (Lakewood Ranch), Venice (near Braves stadium), Boca Raton, & am in Jupiter, Vero, and Port St. Lucie often to see friends & family. I've lived in FLA on/off for 40+ years...attended college in FLA (age 17-22)...now semi-retired in South Sarasota County.
Last edited by beach43ofus; 03-02-2024 at 10:20 AM..
I suggest clarifying between the City of Sarasota, Sarasota County, or both...you'll get better answers.
1) YES! ...during season, & particularly weekends, or weekdays when the weather's nice...78+ w/ Sun. If you arrive by 9:45 you can find parking nearly every time at any beach in sw FLA. Siesta Key has a mamouth parking lot, but Lido doesn't. I don't like the long walk to the waters edge at Siesta Key, so I hardly ever go there. Oh, & Spring Break's a zoo at Siesta Key beach, but again, lots of parking upto 9:45 am...the kids don't wake up early. Locals know when Spring Break is, so avoid most beaches. (March 30th to April 7th this yr). May 1-Dec 1 the beaches are uncrowded.
2) traffic here is a breeze compared to Orlando, Tampa, & SE FLA. I've never found Downtown St. Pete to be that bad either...just central & Northern Pinellas County...Ulmerton Rd can become a parking lot, & most points North of there all the way up to Tarpon Springs. St. Pete is the most liveable city I know of in FLA. I hate high density urban areas, but even I could live in Downtown St. Pete...or Downtown Sarasota. Wifey wanted a new master planned community w/ all the amentities, so I wound up in Southern Sarasota County...ugh.
3) People here are nicer than most New Yorkers & most people who live near NYC, but not as nice as most true Southerners like you'll find in small towns throughout the South. Mostly White, 50+'ers, City of Sarasota leans left of center, County leans Right of center...w/ few extremes. Due to demographics, dangerous crime is minimal. You'll see some homeless people in urban & suburban retail areas. I don't see much snobbery in the County, but in Downtown Sarasota, Longboat Key, Lido, & Siesta, there's some. IMHO...Longboat Key has the most nasty people for some reason, but there's not much reason for others to go there anyways, so we're not exposed to them much...except for at St. Armands Circle.
4) areas to avoid...Just North of Downtown. the Rosemary District is transitioning into a nicer area, but some homeless there, so I won't go there after dark. North of Fruitville Rd starts to get dicey after dark, & North of 6th is best to avoid. Near the Bay's okay, like near Van Wezel performing arts center, but just East is best to avoid. The map shows it as Gillespie Park and North Sarasota. All along Tamiami Trail (aka 41) North of the Van Wezel is seedy. You'll see some homeless peeps Downtown, but there's a visible police presence too, so I've never felt unsafe in downtown Sarasota near Main. Our homeless are generally not aggressive like I've encountered in San Fran, & NYC, & ATL.
5) Much stronger Ocean breezes in SE FLA than here, & they are much cooler too due to the cool waters of the Gulfstream. Summer's here are brutal..."feels like" 100+ days are common, & "feels like" 110+ not rare. The 1st Summer or Two seem bearable, but after that, it starts to wear on you, and you'll want to escape for a week or more a few times each Summer. I left for 6 weeks last Summer, and this Summer, I'm stretching it out to all of July & August.
I've lived in: Tampa (Harbor Island), North St. Pete, Bradenton (Lakewood Ranch), Venice (near Braves stadium), Boca Raton, & am in Jupiter, Vero, and Port St. Lucie often to see friends & family. I've lived in FLA on/off for 40+ years...attended college in FLA (age 17-22)...now semi-retired in South Sarasota County.
Awesome answer thank you!!!
I am looking at apartments in downtown Sarasota Florida. I do lean conservative, you said that downtown is more on the liberal side? The other cities I have been researching are Delray Beach and Melbourne Florida. All 3 cities seem to have their pros and cons.
Awesome answer thank you!!!
I am looking at apartments in downtown Sarasota Florida. I do lean conservative, you said that downtown is more on the liberal side? The other cities I have been researching are Delray Beach and Melbourne Florida. All 3 cities seem to have their pros and cons.
The City of Sarasota leans left, but its not hard left in your face. Small stuff like metering public parking might put you off though...that tees me off...disgusting money grab imho...County residents should get an exemption sticker.
Delray Beach is very Liberal...Debbie Wasserman Shultz has been the U.S. House Rep in parts of Delray in years past, but they keep redrawing that district, so maybe not now. Look at the election results for that area....hard Left...& bad traffic there. My best friend lives near the Delray-Boca border, so I know that area well. Most apartments are out by I-95, where you'll get train noise (3 types of trains pass), plane noise from the Boca airport, & interstate noise pollution. You won't find better safer night life than along Atlantic Ave. though.
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
4,612 posts, read 7,529,570 times
Reputation: 6026
People often get confused by this -- the city of Sarasota has a population of about 55,000 so many consider it a smaller city. However, the metro area that surrounds the city proper is huge, it runs from the Manatee county line all the way to Venice, from the beaches to I-75 and now many miles east of I-75 as well. Unless you see the city limit signs you cannot tell where the city ends and the county begins. The entire Sarasota metro area has been estimated at anywhere from 380,000 to 460,000 depending on what "borders" are being used for the metro area. In other words, "Sarasota" does not live like a city of under 100,000 people. If that's what you're seeking you may be disappointed when you visit here.
The actual city of Sarasota has a good downtown area with lots of unique shops, restaurants (everything from burgers to fine dining) and art galleries, a marina and 2 great bay front parks. Because of the number of large, upscale condo communities in the downtown area, you'll find a diversity of people frequently the downtown area from many areas of not only the United States but other countries too, including many parts of Europe. There are quite a few new condo communities going up in the downtown area at this time, along with several more upscale hotels. However, all is not perfect. You'll also notice that downtown Sarasota has a number of homeless people as well. The city keeps trying to find solutions for the homeless population but it seems like nothing much gets accomplished in spite of the money spent.
If you're looking for more of a small town vibe (although also growing east of the city by leaps and bounds), you might try Venice just to the south of Sarasota and especially Venice Island. The historic Venice downtown has lots of restaurants, shops, etc. The beaches are also great, with Nokomis beach just north of Venice being one of my favorites. Although they have their crowded moments too, Venice beaches are typically much less crowded than Siesta Key or Lido beaches. Not much in the way of night life, you'd have to travel up to Sarasota for that. But Venice does tick off a lot of your boxes.
Venice Island is mostly 60+, so be aware. Beach parking lots overflow now like never before most weekends Dec 1st to mid April.
Venice has lost its hidden gem status.
Your 1st stop in Venice should be the Detweiler's grocery store on 41 aka Tamiami Trail. You'll probably leave & scratch Venice off your list.
I've been here 5 years now, & I'm starting to plan my exit. I doubt I'll still be here 5 years from now.
If I were to move into this area now, I'd go further South of Venice, because Venice will be unbearable in ~3 years. I'd go down by the new Beach Walk community or Boca Royale...down off of 776 closer to Englewood, & Manasota Beach. Not to Port Charlotte, or Rotunda though.
I like downtown Punta Gorda, but no beach proximity there. Fort Myers got devastated by Ian.
I'm not aware of any more hidden gems..Venice was one of the last.
Awesome answer thank you!!!
I am looking at apartments in downtown Sarasota Florida. I do lean conservative, you said that downtown is more on the liberal side? The other cities I have been researching are Delray Beach and Melbourne Florida. All 3 cities seem to have their pros and cons.
Melbourne isn’t upscale like Sarasota and Delray so it probably shouldn’t be in the conversation.
I’m biased towards Sarasota to be honest. I just like the city a lot, it’s very clean and has a great downtown for a city its size. It’s got a lot of what you want in a big city without the problems. Also, it’s really nice how it is so well connected to the beach. Delray is fine too, it just feels like a smaller town in a much bigger metro.
Quote:
Originally Posted by beach43ofus
Venice Island is mostly 60+, so be aware. Beach parking lots overflow now like never before most weekends Dec 1st to mid April.
Venice has lost its hidden gem status.
Honestly, 15yrs ago Venice was pretty boring when everything shut down at 5pm. It has come a long way, and maybe at the expense of its hidden gem status. That said, it’s no less charming I think.
There are lots of tourists in Sarasota, so you get to meet a lot of people from far away places . The other day I met a couple who lived up in Bradenton, at Lakewood Ranch, all the way down here on Siesta Key Beach. They said they were on vacation. We spoke briefly because they needed to get up early the next day to drive back home.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
