Area Guides
Explore Southwest Florida
From Gulf Coast barrier islands to growing inland towns, each area has its own personality. Pick one below to see what everyday life looks like, schools, beaches, dining, commute, and real estate.
Area Guide
Bird Key
A local's guide to living on Bird Key in Sarasota, FL, the residential island between downtown and St. Armands. Waterfront homes, deep-water...
Area Guide
Lido Key
A local's guide to living on Lido Key in Sarasota, FL, Gulf-front condos, Lido Shores architecture, St. Armands Circle at your doorstep, the...
Area Guide
Venice
A local’s guide to living in Venice, FL, the historic island city in southern Sarasota County. Downtown charm, Gulf beaches, shark teeth, go...
Area Guide
Siesta Key
A local’s guide to living on Siesta Key, FL, home to one of America’s top-ranked beaches. The village, the real estate (condos, luxury & vac...
Area Guide
Longboat Key
A local’s guide to living on Longboat Key, FL, the exclusive barrier island between Sarasota and Anna Maria. Luxury condos, gated communitie...
Area Guide
Anna Maria Island
Anna Maria Island, FL: 8,100 assessed parcels, 158 condo complexes, build years from 1905, read from the county roll. What the age of the st...
Area Guide
Nokomis & Osprey
A local’s guide to living in Nokomis & Osprey, FL, quiet, value-friendly coastal communities between Sarasota and Venice. Beaches, Casey Key...
Area Guide
North Port
A local's guide to living in North Port, FL, the fast-growing city in southern Sarasota County home to Wellen Park, CoolToday Park, and atta...
Area Guide
Englewood
A local's guide to living in Englewood, FL, the laid-back coastal community straddling Sarasota and Charlotte counties, known for Englewood ...
Area Guide
University Park
A local's guide to living in University Park, FL, the established gated golf community between Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota, with a 27-hole c...
Area Guide
Bradenton
A practical guide to living in Bradenton, FL, riverfront neighborhoods, golf communities, suburban neighborhoods, cost of living, and what t...
Area Guide
Parrish
A practical guide to living in Parrish, FL, the fast-growing corridor north of Lakewood Ranch and Bradenton. New construction, family commun...
Area Guide
Palmer Ranch
A practical guide to Palmer Ranch in Sarasota, established gated communities, proximity to Siesta Key, top schools, and who this master-plan...
Area Guide
Downtown Sarasota
A practical guide to living in downtown Sarasota, walkable urban living, cultural attractions, bayfront condos, and historic neighborhoods. ...
Area Guide
Palmetto
A practical guide to living in Palmetto, FL, waterfront neighborhoods, new construction at Artisan Lakes and Coasterra, value-driven living ...
Area Guide
St. Petersburg
A guide to living in St. Petersburg, FL, arts, waterfront living, downtown culture, and real estate in the Sunshine City on Tampa Bay, from ...
Area Guide
Tampa
A guide to living in Tampa, FL, the Gulf Coast metro hub with a booming downtown, pro sports, diverse neighborhoods, and a strong job market...
Area Guide
Wimauma
A guide to living in Wimauma, FL, a fast-growing area in south Hillsborough County with new construction, rural character, and proximity to ...
Districts
Where people actually go
The dining, shopping and town-centre districts these communities are built around, and which communities each one serves.
Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota County
Waterside Place
Lakewood Ranch's waterfront town centre, and the newest of the Ranch's commercial cores. It sits on the Sarasota County side of Lakewood Ranch, which surprises people who assume the whole of the Ranch is in Manatee.
Sarasota, Sarasota County
University Town Center
The largest retail and dining destination in the two counties, on University Parkway between Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch. For a buyer the relevant fact is position: it sits almost exactly between the two, which is why communities in both market themselves on being close to it.
Lakewood Ranch, Manatee County
Main Street at Lakewood Ranch
The original Lakewood Ranch town centre, and the one most residents mean when they say they are going into town. Older and more established than Waterside Place, and laid out as a conventional main street rather than around water.
Sarasota, Sarasota County
St. Armands Circle
The shopping and dining circle on St. Armands Key, between downtown Sarasota and Longboat Key, a short walk from Lido Beach. It functions as the dining district for Lido Key and the south end of Longboat Key, neither of which has much of its own.
Venice, Sarasota County
Downtown Wellen
The town centre for Wellen Park, built around Grand Lake at the entrance to the community. It matters more than a typical town centre because Wellen Park is far enough south that the alternative is a drive into Venice or North Port.
Bradenton Beach, Manatee County
Bridge Street
Bridge Street is the centre of the Historic Old Town District in Bradenton Beach, at the south end of Anna Maria Island. The City of Bradenton Beach describes it as the place the original wooden bridge from the mainland came ashore, which made it the bustling centre of the young town until a new bridge at 5th Street North moved the traffic and the attention elsewhere.
Sarasota, Sarasota County
Rosemary District
The Rosemary District sits immediately north of downtown Sarasota, off Boulevard of the Arts around Cocoanut, Orange and Lemon. Visit Sarasota County describes it as a small, quiet offshoot of downtown transformed over the past decade by new businesses, new public art, revitalised parks and infrastructure work.
Sarasota, Sarasota County
Southside Village
Southside Village runs along Hillview Street about a mile south of downtown Sarasota. Visit Sarasota County describes it as family friendly and walkable, a few blocks of restaurants and small boutiques rather than a destination strip.