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Sarasota, a culturally diverse, family oriented community, is young a city compared to the surrounding areas. The average age of residents in Sarasota is 44. The city tends to be conservative and very safe. Downtown is booming and the city has made plans to keep Sarasota’s focus on its spectacular bay front. There are an abundance of sports activities to compliment the healthy lifestyle our residents maintain. There are non-smoking laws in place banning any indoor smoking in any building with the exception of bars that are not serving food.
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Sarasota Culture
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Sarasota offers a wonderful and diverse selection of culture. Our area is a Mecca for the Arts offering award winning theaters, symphonies, museums, the ballet and opera. Fine arts are bountiful and within easy reach of our many communities.
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. This beautiful facility was built in 1968 and is owned and operated by the City of Sarasota. The Van Wezel offers a mixture of theater, music and dance…averaging around 140 performances a year. Visit them at www.vanwezel.org
Asolo Theatre. The word Asolo comes from Asolo, Italy where a lovely eighteenth century theatre was purchased by the estate of John Ringling and moved to Sarasota, Florida in the 1950s. This theatre, where Eleanor Duse once performed, became home to a summer theatre company founded by Florida State University in 1960. This company, known as the Asolo Theatre Festival, was warmly embraced by the Sarasota community and in 1966 became a year-round, professional L.O.R.T. Theatre. Visit them at www.asolo.org.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Known throughout the world, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was completed in 1929. The galleries were opened to the public in 1930. Upon his death, John Ringling bequeathed his entire estate and his collection to the people of the State of Florida. Visit them at www.ringling.org.
The Sarasota Opera. Beautifully restored to its original beauty, the Sarasota Opera House is a cornerstone of Sarasota’s Theater Arts District. It also offers an education wing and library. Visit them at www.sarasotaopera.com.
Sarasota Ballet of Florida. The Sarasota Ballet is able to offer their audiences a continuous dance season from April through September. Visit them at www.sarasota-o.com/ballet.
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is located on 11 bay-front acres and offers a collection of more than 6,000 orchids, a museum, a bountiful collection of color plants and 7 greenhouses. Visit them at www.selby.org.
Florida West Coast Symphony. The Florida West Coast Symphony offers a wide range of performances from Ensembles, to the Symphony, to the Sarasota Music Festival, to the Florida West Coast Chamber Orchestra as well as four resident chambers…all for your enjoyment. They also have one of the most extensive education programs of any orchestra in the country. Visit them at www.fwcs.org.
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Sarasota Education
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Students in Sarasota County consistently rank above state and national averages with children attending excellent public and private schools, colleges & universities in close proximity. Sarasota adult population is well educated and PTA attendance and participation within the district is abundant. Sarasota County school district is the only district nationally ranked in the state of Florida. There are public school programs for the educationally gifted, mathematically gifted, and artistically gifted. I personally sit on the PVA School board and help develop the gifted program at one of the local elementary schools. I am heavily involved in local education department and will be happy to help answer any questions you may have. I personally know this was the most prevalent factor for choosing Sarasota for my family to relocate to.
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Sarasota Employment
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Sarasota has achieved national recognition for a high quality of life that business, industry, families and homeowners alike will see benefits from. Sarasota is touting to be the next Silicon Valley, CA which is located on the best coast. High Tech businesses that were started in northern states are relocating to this area in droves due to the ability to reside anywhere with the Internet's growth. The Sarasota area is home to Tropicana , Sun Hydraulics Manufacturer, FCCI Insurance, and Progressive Glass Technologies which all distribute internationally as well as many smaller but rapidly growing technology companies.
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Sarasota History
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Sarasota first became a "modern" town in the 1880s when the town was promoted in Scotland by the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company in 1885. It was a breath of fresh air, promising an abundance of fertile land, plentiful citrus groves, and affordable housing. Scottish families looking for a new start boarded steamer ships and set sail for Sarasota. Unfortunately, upon their arrival, the town was little more than a frontier camp. Needless to say, most of them left. But among the hardy souls who stayed to complete their dream was John Hamilton Gillespie, a Scottish aristocrat, lawyer, and member of the Queen’s Bodyguard for Scotland. It was this man who is believed to have built America’s first golf course, right here in Sarasota. Quite an entrepreneur, Mr. Gillespie also built the upscale DeSoto Hotel on Main Street for tourists and prospective investors. For his efforts, he was later elected as Sarasota’s first mayor in 1902. "Paradise for the Pampered" as early as the 1910s, Sarasota began attracting some of America’s most wealthy, who, with their own style, helped to define the county of Sarasota. Today’s Historic Spanish Point was once the posh waterfront winter estate and gardens of Bertha Palmer, widow of Chicago developer Potter Palmer. That’s not all—what is now Myakka River State Park was once Palmer’s 30,000-acre ranch in eastern Sarasota, called Meadowsweet Pastures. Sarasota - the Circus Town John Ringling, of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, made his mark on the community with much more flair. Not only did he and his wife Mable build a magnificent Venetian-style mansion on Sarasota Bay, named Cà d’Zan (house of John), but they went a few steps further in positioning Sarasota as "Florida’s Cultural Coast." John and Mable needed a place to house their ever-growing collection of works by Peter Paul Reubens and other masters of 17th-century Italian and Flemish art. We know that collection today as the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, one of America’s most famous art museums. Ringling’s influence didn’t stop there. As a developer and dreamer, Ringling used his circus elephants to help build the first bridge from the mainland to St. Armand’s Key, which he developed as a commercial and residential center. In 1927, the circus’ winter quarters were moved to Sarasota—branding the area as a "circus town". These artistic and influential individuals have created the cultural and upscale community Sarasota is today.
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Sarasota Housing
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Sarasota has an average annual temperature of 61-83 degrees making the use of out door areas a focus on the home design. There are a wide variety of homes, price ranged from $90,000 to the multi millions. You can choose to enjoy a view of the Gulf of Mexico from your lanai or the 18th fairway. Maintenance free villas are becoming popular with the retirees who migrate from the north to enjoy our moderate tropical winters.
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Sarasota Lifestyle
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You’ll find glorious beaches, beautiful boating, barefoot living, fabulous food, and endless golf available within minutes. Families can enjoy the use of this all year long with our magnificent weather. The Sarasota area is a Mecca for the Arts with award winning theaters, symphonies, jazz clubs, museums, the ballet and opera. We have many historical buildings, state of the art health facilities and universities including the world-renowned Ringling School of Art and Design. Sarasota boasts the best in every area including outstanding shopping. Sarasota was named "the Best Small Town in America" by Money Magazine in 2000. Our world famous Siesta Key Crescent Beach was rated as having "The Best Sand in the World" by the Travel Channel for 2002!
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Sarasota News
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Search for "Sarasota FL" - Sarasota, FL - WSRZ
| Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pledged staunch support for Israel on a visit to Jerusalem on Wednesday, describing the Jewish state as a miracle. |
- Sarasota, FL - Oldies108.com
| Watch out for Katy Perry - she's taking the world by storm! Listen to the pop sensation's hot single "I Kissed A Girl" as well as four other tracks from her new album One of the Boys. |
- McNulty, John P. - WisInfo
| John P. McNulty, age 65, of Sarasota, Florida, formerly of Menasha, passed away Friday morning, July 18, 2008. |
- Harloff created and lost fortune as tomato farmer - HeraldTribune.com
| Roger Harloff turned hard work, attention to detail and risk-taking into a multimillion-dollar farming operation in Manatee County. |
- Plays By Gubbins, Huff and Wells Explored in Steppenwolf's First Look Fest July 23-Aug. 10 - Playbill
| Steppenwolf Theatre Company's 2008 First Look Repertory of New Work, featuring three developmental productions of new plays, begins July 23 in Chicago. |
- Outskirts Press Announces The Road to a Triumphant Life: a... - PR.com
| Orlando, FL, July 18, 2008 -- -- Journey through Nick's World tells the story of a man whose willingness to overcome impossible odds sustains him through an abusive childhood, abject poverty, the horrors of ... |
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Sarasota Recreation
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Sarasota County’s abundant social, cultural and recreational activities and facilities offer an amazing selection of opportunities such as youth team sports (soccer, football, cheerleading, crew, and Little League to name a few). Sarasota also boasts over 50 public community parks, 14 private golf courses, 26 semi-private golf courses, and 3 public golf courses. We have access to 13 public beach facilities most with recreation areas including picnic facilities and playgrounds.
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