The city of Sarasota is located in Sarasota County on the west central coast of Florida, and is famous for being the cultural center of Florida and home to its own opera, symphony, ballet, and several Equity theaters. For a comparatively small city, Sarasota has a great climate, excellent cultural facilities, low crime rates, low unemployment and class.

The name of the city probably derives from the Spanish sarao sota, which means “a place of dance”. While Sarasota may not be as famous as other Florida cities like Miami, St. Petersburg, Tampa, or Orlando, it is the ideal place for all the conveniences of a big city in a small package, and is considered a thriving community with lots of Art.

Sarasota has a wide range of events and attractions that attract art-minded tourists who are interested in more than just the usual theme parks or shopping malls. Sarasota also has 35 miles of sand and several beautiful keys on the Gulf of Mexico that are well known to sun and fun lovers.

Much of Sarasota County’s recreation and leisure venues are in, on, or around the Gulf of Mexico or Sarasota Bay. Sarasota County has 35 miles of shoreline, which includes 13 public beaches. A wide variety of activities and facilities are offered, including ample parking, restrooms, showers, shops, lifeguards, shelling, fishing, surfing, parasailing, volleyball, and other beach sports. Siesta Key Public Beach is one of the largest and most popular beaches in Sarasota County.

For those looking to buy homes in Sarasota, the median sales price for an existing single-family home is about $ 129,400, but the median price for all residential properties is $ 161,000. In the $ 115,000 to $ 165,000 range, prospective homebuyers will find attractive three-bedroom / two-bathroom properties with two-car garages.

Sarasota is part of the Sarasota-Bradenton metropolitan area, where the median price for existing single-family homes was $ 129,400 in 1999, up 9 percent from 1998. Homes in gated exclusive villages cost from $ 200,000 and up. Condos account for about 30 percent of residential sales in Sarasota, and many are of the two-bedroom / two-bath type.

Whether single-family or condo, prospective homeowners value owning a property on the water at the highest level. “The boardwalk is where the top prices are,” says the Sarasota Association of Realtors. For people moving to the area, access to water often takes on added importance and, on average, most people want waterfront homes in Florida.

With low unemployment and an attractive incentive program to attract and keep businesses, Sarasota County’s economic outlook is vibrant. Although the majority of city workers are employed, many work in service industries. On the other hand, the city’s annual business revenue is approaching $ 450 million and 8,000 jobs in Sarasota County are related to the arts.

Sarasota is considered to be a relatively peaceful city, and Florida’s crime rate places the Greater Sarasota area at the bottom of the list of violent crime-infested cities in Florida. The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 566. The number of murders and homicides was 5. The violent crime rate was 10.4 per 1,000 people, which is one of the lowest in the state of Florida.

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