Welcome to Sarasota!
"Best Small City in the U.S.," Money Magazine
"One of the Top 10 Places to Retire"
Sarasota History
Sarasota is a jewel located on the west coast of Florida 60 miles south of Tampa. Sarasota's rich Scottish heritage came when many families immigrated from Scotland to America. Unfortunately, many were dismayed at what they found. They had been expecting a beautifully developed town but, instead, found frontier. Despite the hardships, some stayed. One of them was John Hamilton Gillespie, a Scottish aristocrat and lawyer. He built America's first golf course in Sarasota starting a long tradition of being "Golfer's Heaven." Riverview High Schools renowned Kiltie Band delights spectators with their Scottish Kilts and bagpipes.
Sarasota is known as Floridas "cultural capital" with numerous theaters such as the Golden Apple Dinner Theater, Florida Studio Theater, and Asolo Theater. We are also blessed to have the Sarasota Ballet, Florida West Coast Symphony, Sarasota Opera, Ringling Art Museum, and Van Wezel performing arts hall. Art galleries abound on Palm Avenue. Towles Court Artist Colony offers a unique lifestyle for local artists where they can live and work. You can enjoy over 40 studios and galleries. Every year the Sarasota Film Festival takes place with a gala dinner at the Ringling Art Museum.
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens offers a peaceful stroll through a natural park-like setting. They have over 20,000 plants from 214 families and more than 6000 orchids to enjoy. One of the primary goals of Selby Gardens is to educate people about plants. They received the prestigious award of one of "Americas Top Ten Botanical Gardens." Horticulture classes will be offered from February to May on such topics as Landscaping with Native Plants, Growing Orchids in SW Florida and Knowing and growing Bromeliads.
Sarasota's marvelous climate with an average year-round temperature of 72 degs. allows one to enjoy the outdoors all year long. From golf courses, beautiful beaches, boating, Polo and many kinds of sports, and plenty of sunshine, Sarasota is a place where you can stay young and healthy.
Beautiful barrier islands or Keys are connected to the Sarasota mainland. Sarasota has many local beaches to enjoy including beaches on: Siesta Key, St. Armands Key, Lido Key, Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach, Longboat Key, Lido Key, and Casey Key.
Sarasota Education
An important factor that families will look at is the proximity of schools in the area where a home is being considered for purchase. As most families have children, Sarasota schools provide ample K-12 education for children as well as colleges and universities for adults. The Sarasota County Schools system is the main provider of education in this city and it consist of a total of 24 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, 9 high schools, 5 Special Education schools, 1 Alternative school and 10 charter schools. There are also colleges, universities and higher learning institutions in Sarasota, they include:
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of South Florida at Sarasota
Ringling School of Art and Design, Sarasota
Argosy University International College, Sarasota
Keiser College, Sarasota
FSU College of Medicine
Sarasota Attractions
Sarasota is filled with a lively mix of delightful shopping and dinning which offers an immersive experience whether it´s the mainland or along the beaches and keys. There are also a handful of shopping centers providing a wide mix of retailers and stores, giving consumers even more choices.
Here is additional information on dining and restaurants in the area.
Details you should know about Sarasota County Taxes.
Sarasota FL Homes for Sale & Real Estate Tools
Begin your search for Sarasota County homes for sale and its many types of real estate available through the IDX on this convenient website. Search recently constructed homes, single family homes, town homes, beach homes, homes with boat docks, rentals and more. As a real estate agent serving Sarasota County, let me advise you with my experience and knowledge of the neighborhoods to simplify the process for you. Having a local specialist on board helping you will be instrumental to your success. |
Judee Taylor, REALTOR®
Judith K Taylor PA
Horizon Realty International
8652 State Road 70 East
Lakewood Ranch, Florida 34202
Direct: 941-342-9120
Fax: 941-866-7303
Judee@JudeeTaylor.com
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