Wisconsin vs SW Florida!!

[smiledoc1]

Originally Posted by loudo2002

OK here is my situation. My wife got a job offer from a company in Bradenton for 4,000 more than she makes here in Appleton Wisconsin.

The new comapny is head and shoulders better than the one she is currently with.

I have exactly one year of school left up here in WI to finish my teaching degree. If we move down there, I would have to transfer to USF in Tampa to finish....not a huge problem if it doesnt extend me being in school too much longer.

We are both in our low 30's with a 2.5 year old daughter.
We know NO ONE in FL and would be completely on our own, as opposed to here we have family gallore. However, we kind of want to set a new course for ourselves in a new and WARMER area.

So here our my questions
1. We have a budget of around 200,000 for a house and we NEED to be in an area with younger families that we can make friends with. We've done research on Parrish and east Bradenton area. Is this possible on that budget? we'd like a 4 bedroom so when family comes we have plenty of room. A pool or community pool would be nice too.

2.How far is Parrish to USF in Tampa? I am a Phy Ed Major and the Sarasota branch does not deal with that degree so i am forced to drive to tampa. Any other USF info would be helpful.

3 How are the taxes and other such things like heating and air conditioning costs? Up here, we rarely use the air and use the crap out of the heat! Is it cheaper to run an air conditioner all summer or the heat all winter? I saw on realtor.com that taxes on a 5 acre lot with a nice house (not that i would ever want anything that big) were around 5800 dollars, and then on the next page a 1/2 acre lot was 4700.....that doesnt even make sense to me! Is there a ballpark figure on taxes for a 200k house?

So all in all, I would just like to hear about the area...especially younger family types, that can chime in with any advice.

Thanks
Lou

I agree that heat is much more expensive than A/C. Ceiling fans make all the difference when it comes to A/C. But the when the cost of oil was close to $4.00/gallon and we have a cold winter, we can easily go through 1100 gallons. And our house is only 17 years old.
As to taxes, our taxes in Sarasota are pretty much what they are here in central Massachusetts.

[ZaraZoteBuccaneer]

Originally Posted by loudo2002

...We are both in our low 30's with a 2.5 year old daughter. We know NO ONE in FL and would be completely on our own, as opposed to here we have family gallore. However, we kind of want to set a new course for ourselves in a new and WARMER area.....
....
...So all in all, I would just like to hear about the area...especially younger family types, that can chime in with any advice.

Thanks
Lou

I wanted to throw you my support for moving to SWFL and let you know there's a lot of younger people on this specific forum, some of which have also just recently moved down (and have been trying to forever). You're going to find the Sarasota area is really starting to grow in the demographics of couples in their 30's-40's and it's a great sign that the area is able to retain broader ages than they have in recent past.

Not to say it's all old people!... I refer to call it mature....
I like an older crowd. I always have felt more comfortable hanging out with people 20-30 years older than me. I think Sarasota has a mature sofisticated multi-cultural vibe and everyone knows how to live a truly great life.....
am I digging a hole here???
Help!!
I just like the people and think it's great that there's younger people moving in too!!!
I know some of my friends are thinking..... "uh huh.... so now I'm old?" .....yup

You're already getting some absolutely terrific advice - and I'm not living there yet to help speak from experience. I think you're picking a good safe area to zero in on for commute and housing and all of that, just don't forget to search out recommendations on schools either. You're only a few years away from needing to touch on that topic and so you may want to ask a few things about schools, or look at other threads that have been started.

As a fellow poster, I can relate to what you're saying about a warmer area - I live in Minnesota - have ties to Wisconsin - and really get excited every time I find another northern family reaching out for support in Sarasota. I'll be hoping the best for you and your family. Keep staying in touch with everone on City Data!