Metalcoffin

Starting a little early research. My wife and I are considering moving in the next few years to the Sarasota area. Not knowing the area I have no idea what area's are good to live in, low crime, etc. From what I gather so far Venice and North port seems like a nice spot to settle down in. Thanks in advance for any help.

JaGlAr

Sarasota is extremely ritzy and during the housing boom it had the highest growth in the country of like 35%. There is a lot of money there and crime is very low. It also has the country's best beach with Siesta Key. Great all around area if you like living near/on the water!

Metalcoffin

Right on, thanks for your feedback. I've noticed there are some pretty lavish and expensive homes, and for the most part everything looks nice, even in the more affordable area's. Chances are when I transfer it will be in the Sarasota area, but it seems we'll be traveling to St. Petersburg/Tampa area's quite often. Considering looking around Brandenton, what are your thoughts?

JaGlAr

Depends on what you are looking for. Brandenton is nice too, but a lot smaller and further away from things to do. I live in Riverview which neighbors Brandon. Everything is at my finger tips here and if I want to venture over to St Pete I can either head down I75 and hit I275N or better hit the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway that will take me right over. I can be in downtown in less than 10 min plus I can be at the gates of Universal Studios in 45 min (doing 85mph in my M3 of course :D). It is hard to go wrong with any areas on the West Coast of FL. They are all unique from one town to the next and crime has never been an issue for me since I have lived here since 2003.

Metalcoffin

Convenience to everyday necessities(grocery/department stores) and less than 30minute commute to work are going to be my two deciding factors. I work for Marriott but I'm not certain on which property I want to transfer too. Would like to stay in the Ritz-Carlton family which is located in Sarasota but am open minded to other properties if a better opportunity presents itself. Eventually we'll just have to come down and visit to get a feel for the area. Just trying to do a little research and pick a few area's to check out before we do. Thanks once again for your input.