would you live there? Any good engineering jerbs to be had in the area?

9/30/2009 11:36:04 AM

Definitely yes. Unfortunately no.

my hubs and I have had a "5 year plan" in effect for about 3.5 now that we were going to move to Florida (w/ a strong lean towards Sarasota area b/c he has family there) or the beach here in NC. We've had our eyes and ears on jobs and houses down there for about 2.5 years now, increasingly so in the past year. When it came down to it, while we could afford a house down there b/c just about everything is in foreclosure or priced really low at the moment, the job market was S-H-I-T.

Most people that I've talked to about the area say many commute to Tampa.

:/

9/30/2009 11:42:35 AM

Well, that was one option...commute to Tampa. I just don't know what's down there yet. This is a pretty recent development.

9/30/2009 2:31:52 PM

any more input?

9/30/2009 7:27:11 PM

I live in FL and have spent a lot of time here as of late. Sarasota has a fun, quaint downtown scene. The area has put a lot into developing it into an arts scene lately. A short drive away is Longboat Key, which will provide some quality entertainment. The entire area is very nice, if you enjoy the lifestyle that is South Florida. There are a large amount of retired folks here, so driving can be quite a chore. One thing I have noticed, whether running myself or driving, is that there are a lot of active folks here, regardless of age. I do have a buddy who is an architect and lives in Sarasota who does not like it, but then again, he moved here recently and does not know that many people. I however, think it would be a nice place to live. Another good point is that land and houses are cheap here now. Good time to buy.

[Edited on September 30, 2009 at 9:54 PM. Reason : spelling]

9/30/2009 9:52:36 PM

I have lived in downtown Sarasota for about two years. I love it. Some of the best beaches in the world. The gulf is like bath water in the summer and you can swim year-round. You meet a ton of people from all over who come here on vacation. Plenty of nice restaurants and a decent amount of fun things going on considering it is a small town.

I love the weather. After living in Raleigh and working outdoors all summer I showed up here in August and it was a relief. The summers are long, but I have yet to see 100 degrees. I still do a lot of work outside and I really don't mind the heat and humidity although it is present and not to be overlooked. Today was absolutely gorgeous. From now until around April we well have lots of 'perfect' days.

As for employment. Well, not so much. This area took one of the hardest hit economically. Every sector has been effected and times are tough. It seems like every day I hear from someone about how they just lost their job. Business is down and crime is up. Multimillionaires have lost homes up and down the keys. Half of those guys where feeding off the market by flipping homes that are now in foreclosure and speckled all over the area. The rest of them lost money betting on those bad loans.

That being said. if one can find employment and has funds. There are some sweet deals on property going on right now.

Things are starting to look up and I'd bet that in a few years folks around here well be talking about the recension in a past tense. We dropped first and we'll recover quickly. This is a desirable place to live and ya'll ain't getting any younger. The Snowbirds have their session and it is just around the corner.

The Cock & Bull Pub is a rare little gem and I see a good number of engineer types in there early in the afternoon. That area east of 75 is where what little industry there is locally is to be found. Other than that you have some stuff in Bradenton (b-town). Check out Saint Pete. Not too bad of a commute. Maybe North Port?

I'll put my ear to the ground and if anything sounds good I'll keep you posted. could use a good mechanic round here...

9/30/2009 10:08:05 PM

hmm, thanks for the info boleeo. i just read it to my husband; we aren't giving up on our dream just yet, though we've accepted that it's bleaker from when we first started talking about it. hopefully one day. his uncle is one of the many w/o work down there; his aunt (nurse) is luckily still employed.

we know his aunt and uncle have been very happy with the schools in sarasota county as well.

9/30/2009 10:20:40 PM

Been there (Sarasota) with family once. Definitely would be a place that I would enjoy living. Like the other guy said, they have a lot of retirees, but they all seem chill.

10/1/2009 1:55:38 AM

Christ I hate Florida.

10/1/2009 8:54:03 AM

way to contribute there joel


this was last december in sarasota...GORGEOUS DAY!!!



[Edited on October 1, 2009 at 9:05 AM. Reason : ]

10/1/2009 9:02:41 AM

Well if I could nail down a jerb there making what I make here...I'd be gone in a flash.

10/1/2009 4:47:03 PM

forgive me, but I HATE summer. I can't imagine having to put up with a FL summer.

that, and the biggest backwards rednecks i've ever met were from that there panhandle.

10/1/2009 8:17:44 PM

sarasota isn't on the panhandle

10/1/2009 8:18:29 PM

my grandparents retired in bradenton and I used to stay with them every summer for like 10 years when I was a kid until a few years back they past and we had to sell their condo. They have a place on bradenton beach that serves all you can eat pancakes everyday. The water is a beautiful lime green color and sand is snow white except on venice beach where the sand is black. I love this area so much it kinda hurts my feelings thinking about it.

10/1/2009 9:53:12 PM

^^^We West Coast sucker
^^^^^ O'leary's!!! Love the spot. About a five minute walk from my place.

This area is more diverse than other parts of FL. Has aspects of a college town. New College of Florida (public) and Ringling College of Art and Design (private) are both solid institutions. They add a lot of caricature to the area. Lots of artsy shit. Went to see a play last night in fact.

Sarasota Blues Fest, Sarasota Film Festival, Vinyl Music Festival and of course every 4th of July is the Suncoast Offshore Super Boat Grand Prix ftw.

For those unfamiliar, John Ringling wintered the troop here back in the day. The circus culture is still quite prevalent. Ringling Museum of Art is a must see. My sister once leased an apartment built for 'little people' with 6' ceilings. Next door where trapeze artists. Quite the trampoline they have....

Selby Botanical Gardens specializes in epiphytes and has the largest collection of bromeliads in the world. For anyone interested in horticulture type stuff.

Thus ends my defense for the area.

This place is littered with folks that have one foot in the grave. Not only are they too fucking gone to remember their address. They take crazy meds and go out drinking and I swear.....Wrong way down four lane highways in the middle of the day, snooze through green lights, heart-attack in the middle of rush-hour kind of shit. I simply don't walk/bike/drive at certain times or locals.;

And the tourists... Please don't feed the sea-gulls..K!.thx
Oh, and ya'll think the bums are bad in Raleigh......actually I think they where worse on Hillsborough. I rather like them here. Mostly laid-back-out-of-work-scum looking for a 'job'. We get along. YMMV

Shit for Indian food. Shit for water, can you say "reverse osmosis"? Have you ever seen rats and raccoons digging through your trash at the same time?

There is no truly fresh sea food for sale in this town. Sure, you can order it at one of the numerous restaurants. But nothing like NC where you grab it off the boat.

Unless one has a boat... You can however hit up Whole Foods, or any number of local independent grocers. Captain Brian's is the best I've found.

Did I mention there is a farmers market down-town every Saturday that rocks. Best selection and prices hands down. They close Lemon Avenue till noon. I'll be there with cash in the AM....woot

10/2/2009 8:27:31 PM