Thinking of relocating to Sarasota- is it family friendly and welcoming???

[seasidejules]

Originally Posted by Old Man Winter

In this market you can get a heck of a nice home for 300k, dont come here saying we got 700k to spend, youll spend it on a home worth 300k

Since I am a realtor myself I take offense to your statement. Do you think a real estate agent would be so eager to take advantage of someone? And do you really think someone with $700k to spend would be so stupid not to do their homework.

I think I would have gotten a lot more helpful responses if I had posted that we had no money, no job and no clue. Those people appear to get lots of help but heaven forbid a business owner move town and bring money and jobs.

[seasidejules]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

Palmer Ranch sounds like a good bet for you. I wrote a blog about it on my profile. Laurel Oaks might also be a good fit. If you wanted to be a little closer to Pine View School you could check out The Oaks. You'd have a lot to chose from in the price range.

Sarasota county has one of the best school systems in the state of Florida. It also has Pine View School for the Gifted, which was ranked the top school in Florida and one of the top schools in the Nation. It is a public school and the requirements are that you live in Sarasota county, have an IQ of 130 or more, pass the achievement tests required and have teacher recommendations. I have two children that attend PV and we are more than pleased with the school. It services grades 2nd-12th. Here's some more info on that subject:
Welcome to Pine View School
Pine View School - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Public Elites - Newsweek.com
Pine View wraps up perfect Olympics | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Florida | Southwest Florida's Information Leader
America's Best High Schools: Gold Medal List - US News and World Report

There are many other fantastic school in Sarasota county. Here's a website where you can see how the schools are rated:
School Accountability Report...
or www.GreatSchools.com

Alright, if I were checking out schools other than Pine View these are the schools that I would look into. The state has them ranked in this order.

Southside services most of the downtown area south of Main St. North of Main would be mostly Booker school district. The Palmer Ranch area is mostly Ashton school district. There are other schools in the area but these are ones that I have either had personal experience with or I have friends that have kids in the schools.

For Elementary
Southside Elementary
Venice Elementary
Ashton Elementary
Cranberry Elementary (North Port)
Taylor Ranch (southern Sarasota county)
Lakeview Elementary
Gulf Gate Elementary
Laurel Nokomis Elementary (mid Sarasota county)
Tatum Ridge Elementary
Garden Elementary
Phillipi Shores
Fruitville Elementary
Englewood Elementary (southern Sarasota county)

For Middle
Sarasota Middle

High School
Riverview

thanks so much for all the info

[Heidig1970]

That's funny reading this. I am from BR, went to LSU, lived in uptown New Orleans, moved to ATL, lived in Brookhaven, now live on Pensacola Beach, might be moving to Sarasota and mother of two boys. WOW! Seaside is one of my favorite places!

[DaCounselor]

"Ideally we would like an upscale mid size city with low crime and good schools on the coast and within 2 hours of a major city. Top on the list so far is Sarasota but concerned it may be too old and possibly unfriendly to newcomers?"
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I don't know if you have been to Sarasota yet but it isn't a mid-sized city, it's very small. You would be within an hour of Tampa but Tampa really isn't a major city. I would check out both areas and see for yourself, it may be that your definitions of what is mid-sized and what is major are different than mine...

Regarding Sarasota being too old, I am usually down there during a portion of snowbird season and there is no question it is a very popular destination for the older set.