36 on the overall Best Places to Live list, Tampa is experiencing a population boom like many other places in Florida, having grown by 7.07% from 2014 to 2018 due to net migration. Violent crime is especially low here. If you love the beach Marco Island is one of the best places to visit or own a home in Florida. Punta Gorda is on our best places in Florida for boating and fishing and our best places for golfing list. Condo with a View of the Blue Water Gulf. so are local rescue services Venice still only has a population of 22,000, but like anywhere in Florida that’s desirable, tourists greatly increase the number of people actually in town especially in the winter. Marco Island Florida is easily within the top 10 best places to live in Florida. With the traffic, I’d choose not to drive, and Sarasota County has a good bus system, and I’d rather rent or buy a small mobile home. More than half of the 25 oldest counties in the US (by age of the head of household), are located in Florida. Of course it’s just a short drive to Fort Myers when you desire more options or to access a major employment market. These other lists may also be of interest to you…, The best places to retire in Florida in 2019, Good luck Christy The Cheapest Best Places to Live in Florida, 5 Best Places for Golfers to Live in Florida, The 4 Best Places to Live in Florida For Boating and…, The 5 Safest Places to Live in Florida 2020. But in areas like this where you can walk from many of the homes to the beach, you’re not just buying a home, you’re buying a lifestyle. Unfortunately according to FBI reporting its crime rates are higher than the national average and therefore not eligible for any of our best places to live in Florida this. Cape Coral also has hundreds of miles of canals and thousands of waterfront homes with boating access to the river and Gulf of Mexico by boat. Sarasota just made another ‘best places to retire’. Make sure you visit the island portion of the city which is separated from the rest by the intercoastal waterway. Venice has a small historic downtown and parks within walking distance to Gulf of Mexico beaches. Due to it’s current popularity, the place you choose to move to in Southwest Florida may be a very different place in 5 years due to explosive growth, building and development. We now live in New Port Richey, both 75 years almost young and have adopted our grandson who is now 10 going into the 5th grade next year. April, March and December are the most pleasant months in South Beach, while August and July are the least comfortable months. North Port Florida is located in Southwest Florida less than an hour north from part Fort Myers. I would move but I can not sell a my house and I have lost over $500,000 in equity. Sarasota in Southwest Florida, is not on any of our best places to live or retire lists. The water of the Gulf of Mexico on the southwest coast of Florida is mostly clearer, warmer and calmer than the Atlantic waters along the east coast of Florida. Located on Tampa Bay, which is connected to the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa draws many retirees to its shores and has a median age of 42. In your opinion, which are the safe, conservative towns for a single career woman? Check out the best cities to live in Florida. People moving to Florida today, choose a place based on what it looks like right now. Fort Myers Beach is a short distance from the major city that it gets his name from, but there’s a world of difference between the two. Of course, before you move to Florida, you’re going to have to think carefully about where you want to live. Venice has everything from multimillion dollar beach and waterfront with boating access homes and condos to mobile homes. There are highly desirable areas in Southwest Florida where you can buy or build a brand new home for less than anywhere else in the state. The median home price here is slightly higher than the national average, but worth every penny. Cape coral is a best place to raise a family in Florida. Naples is a nature lover’s paradise with easy access to the Big Cypress National Preserve, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Everglades National Park, the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, the 10,000 Islands national life wildlife refuge and Picayune Strand State Forest. Naples is an all around great place to live and worth looking into. Venice Florida is not just one of the best places to live in Southwest Florida but it’s one of the best in the country overall. In a recent year this island town 17,000 people that attracts lots of tourist, had only two reported violent crimes in the entire year. Like all of our best places, low crime rates and other high quality of life scores make Punta Gorda one of the better places to live in Southwest Florida. It is beautiful but as a boater you will find it difficult to navigate the bay, the beach on Lido is eroding so bad that the sand is washed out under buildings. Beaches, low taxes and a warm climate make a lot of areas in The Sunshine State an attractive place to put down roots. Naples Florida is located on Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast about an hour drive south of Fort Myers and about two hours from Miami by way of the I-75 also known as Alligator Alley in this part of Florida because it runs through the everglades. Much of Southwest Florida is flat and is just above sea level. Venice Florida is about an hour north of Fort Myers Florida and about an hour south of the Tampa St. Petersburg area. It’s one of safest places to live the US. as stereo Florida is located on Southwest Florida’s coast about a half hour drive south from Fort Myers. A higher number of older residents may have something to do with the lower crime rates for the area. Bonita Springs offers residents and tourist many parks involving islands and beaches such as the Bonita Beach Park, the Barefoot Beach Preserve Park, Little Hickory Island Beach Park, Lovers Key State Park and others. Student test scores here are substantially higher than the national average, even though student to teacher ratios are higher than average. Fort Myers Beach has more places to dine or get a drink for the size of the town than other places in Florida. Venice Florida is about an hour north of Fort Myers Florida and about an hour south of the Tampa St. Petersburg area. They’re more than double the national and Florida average. Close to VA would be great. We now have a stucco home and high HOA and living expenses. North Port Florida is One of the Best Places to Buy an Affordable New Construction Home. With its miles of coastline, beautiful beaches, the everglades and happening hot spots like Miami and the Keys it is no wonder Florida natives are so proud of their home state. It’s one of the fastest growing areas in Florida due to the still high number of vacant lots that are ready for builders to buy and construct brand new construction homes. The side effect of this is massive flooding for those of us not part of new development and in my town, Sarasota, we actually have developers building homes on toxic land. If you’re one of the many people were moving to Florida and looking for a place to buy a nice home, possibly a brand-new home, for a lower price and in area with good schools and low crime rates, North Port is worth a look. The town was very small, everyone knew everyone, the waters we’re pristine and full of life, and the cost of living was more then affordable. DO NOT MOVE HERE. The property crime rate is also substantially lower than the national average. Cape Coral itself does not have Gulf beaches but you could be laying on the sand listening to the surf with just a short drive. I’ve lived in Venice, Florida from 1982-1999, and now live out of state. This has been one of the easiest regional best place’s lists to to create. If that wasn’t enough, Naples also has Gulf of Mexico white sand beaches. Now I’m afraid of flooding and coyotes. If you’re looking to make a transplant down South and want to enjoy all that the state has to offer consider one of our 15 best places to live in Florida. Because much of this area is flat and just above sea level, the additional threat of storm surge from hurricanes can result in more disruption from evacuations and damage during the six month hurricane season that lasts from June 1 to November 30 every year. I now go to Haley in Temple Terrace. It is nothing like it was. _____ _____ It’s especially preferred by people moving from Midwest and people 55+ from all over the US when relocating for retirement. The 10,000 acre Etereo Bay preserve state park is offers all kinds of water sport activities in calm clear warm water such fishing, kayaking and sailboarding. Venice is one of the “best of the best” places to live in Florida today with very high quality of life ratings such as lower crime, higher performing schools and great job availability, shopping dining and recreation options, etc. This puts many Southwest Florida homes in zones that will require expensive flood insurance in addition to regular homeowner’s insurance to protect against financial loss. The population, development, and traffic has increased exponentially over the years. Because of this large supply of lots, builders are able to offer brand-new homes sooner in Cape Coral for lower prices than just about anywhere else in Florida.