You Should Know These Sarasota-Manatee Neighborhoods
Whatever your passion, we guarantee you’ll find a neighborhood in the Sarasota-Manatee area where you can pursue it.
We’ve always been a town obsessed with Sarasota real estate. However, in this year’s climate of lockdowns and chaos, our homes are more critical than ever. They’re havens of comfort and protection, outlets for our restless do-it-yourself energy, and wise investments during this time of historically low mortgage rates.
Here’s our guide to finding the ideal neighborhood for you in Sarasota or Bradenton, as well as a peek at who’s buying in this booming real estate market and the year’s top sales.
Are you a newcomer to Florida looking to make new friends and see the sights? Do you yearn for the serenity of the great outdoors? Is it important to you to step outside your door and into the hustle and bustle of city life? (Relatively speaking; we’re not in New York City.) Are you a boater? Are you a birder? Are you a cyclist? Whatever your passion, we guarantee you’ll find a neighborhood in the Sarasota-Manatee area where you can pursue it.
To get you started, here are 26 fantastic neighborhoods.
Longboat Key is ideal for island hoppers.
This barrier island, which was once a winter refuge for retired Midwest CEOs, exploded after younger one-percenters discovered they could conduct business from anywhere using their laptop computers. Fashion designer Michael Kors created a stir in 2014 when he bought two large Gulf-front lots for $6 million for his summer retreat. Ohana, a Polynesian-inspired family compound on the market for six years, sold for $11.4 million in 2019. This summer, a Gulf-front estate on the north end of the key sold for $13 million plus $1, breaking Sarasota County’s all-time residential MLS selling record by that dollar. When “Serenissima,” a $19.75 million listing, closes at the end of the year, the record will be broken. Pre-construction prices for The Residences at St. Regis, a 69-condo complex on the site of the late, beloved Colony Beach and Tennis Resort, range from $2 million to $10 million.
Casey Key
This lush tropical nine-mile-long island is separated from the mainland by a historic swing bridge that has been one of the area’s most exclusive and attractive enclaves, with affluent homeowners flying their private jets in and out of Venice Airport. This is the place to be if you want to live next door to author Stephen King. The most expensive properties are those with an acre or more of land between the Gulf and the Bay; a flurry of sales this summer were in the $1.5 million to $5.7 million range. Last December, Casey Key sold “Villa de Paradiso,” a gated Mediterranean estate with 200 feet of Gulf frontage, for $8.75 million, the highest selling price in ten years.
Siesta Key, a small island off the coast of Florida
Forget about the notorious MTV “reality” show with the same title. Siesta Key is laid-back and family-friendly, with a constant sense of vacation thanks to its vibrant Village restaurant scene and world-class beaches. (Siesta Beach has twice been designated the best beach in the United States.) Siesta Key is a popular landing spot for visitors to Sarasota because it is more eclectic and affordable than the other barrier islands in the region. Prices range from the low $400,000s for a one-bedroom beachfront condo in the Palm Bay Club to the $10.5 million for a waterfront mansion on Flamingo Road, the key’s second-highest selling ever.
Anna Maria is a city in the state of Florida.
This small town on Anna Maria Island’s northern tip, with a full-time population of 1,800, is known for its beachy ambiance, but it isn’t trapped in time. Many modest 1960s-era concrete-block dwellings have been purchased by developers and converted into multi-story mega vacation rental homes in the last decade. Nearly 70% of homeowners now rent their homes out. This means a steady stream of weeklong tourists who ride their bikes down scenic Pine Avenue to shop, dine, and stroll down to the city pier. All of this enchantment comes at a price: In 2018, the city was named to Zillow’s list of 24 U.S. cities with a $1 million median home price.
Multiple Esplanade Communities
Esplanade communities—Esplanade at Siesta Key, Palmer Ranch, Artisan Lakes in Palmetto, and two great areas in Lakewood Ranch: Esplanade Golf & Country Club and Esplanade at Azario—national homebuilder Taylor Morrison hit on a winning recipe. Thousands of new homes are available as a result of their collaboration. They have large, bright clubhouses with resort-style pools, fitness centers, and other facilities, like on-site activities directors, much like the many other active adult communities springing up across the country.
Lakewood Ranch’s Waterside
It’s difficult to choose the best neighborhood in this city-sized master-planned community because there are so many. The Waterside Place village center is one of the reasons the Ranch’s newest village, Waterside, stands out. Waterside broke ground in 2017 and will ultimately have 5,144 homes. With offices, stores, restaurants, and an eight-acre park on a small island accessible by a pedestrian bridge, it will offer a spot for people to meet and mingle. There will be a farmers’ market and other community-building activities. The Players Centre for Performing Arts will also build a new theater complex in this location.
Heritage Harbour is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
A public 18-hole Heritage Harbour Golf Club and Stoneybrook Golf and Country Club, as well as the massive private 27-hole River Strand Golf and Country Club, this developed master-planned Bradenton community on the south shore of the nature-filled Manatee River is a golfer’s paradise. Baseball diamonds, walking paths, a playground, and a lake pier can be found in the community’s Central Park. Did we note that this is where the region’s second Costco opened last year
Wellen Park’s Renaissance
Wellen Park, previously known as “The West Villages”, is rapidly growing in south Sarasota County, and was recently named the country’s third best-selling multigenerational master-planned city. Wellen Park is a major development with a population of 60,000 people expected. Currently, nine large-scale neighborhoods are under construction. Mattamy Homes’ Renaissance is one of them, with low-maintenance villas and single-family homes as well as, yes, resort-style facilities. Baseball fans will rejoice because it is close to the new CoolToday Park, the Atlanta Braves spring training home.
Southside Village is a great place for families.
Florida families flock to this long-established West of Trail neighborhood because of the diverse mix of homes on tree-lined streets, which includes bungalows, classic Florida ranches, and contemporary white-box residences. Its location is ideal for getting to downtown Sarasota, the bay, and the beaches, but the real draw is Southside Elementary School, which is regarded as one of the best public schools in the region. It also doesn’t hurt that Southside Village, with its boutiques and restaurants, as well as Morton’s Gourmet Market, is right in the middle of it all.
The Palmetto Area
With this Neal Communities initiative, we’re putting Wellen Park back on the list because of its many facilities, which include an adventure playground, resort pool, fitness center, biking, and walking paths, basketball, bocce, and volleyball courts. A real estate agent told us, “I showed a home to a woman with twin 9-year-old boys.” “They looked around at the basketball court, doggie park, water slide, and hiking trails, and one of them said to his mother, ‘Mommy, this is everything a boy might ask for.’” Taylor Ranch Elementary is close by, and Grand Palm is part of the Venice Middle School district. There will be 2,000 attached villas and single-family homes when completed, with prices starting at $287,000.
Lakewood Ranch’s Mallory Park
The 28 “villages” that make up the massive master-planned Lakewood Ranch (18,000 homes and counting) are a haven for families, maybe none more so than this DiVosta neighborhood of single-family homes and townhomes. Its pool and sports courts, as well as its proximity to Bob Gardner Park, A-rated Gullett Elementary, and the brand-new Dr. Mona Jain Middle School, are all appealing. It’s also reasonably priced, with rates starting at $254,000.
McClellan Park is a must-see for history buffs.
Many 1920s cottages have been extended and renovated to upscale standards in this leafy West of Trail neighborhood off South Orange Avenue, whose streets—Mietaw, Wewa, and Illehaw—are named for the Calusa Indians who originally lived here. There’s still a lot of newer construction. The broad range of prices, which range from the $500,000s to over $3 million, reflects the diversity. The proximity of McClellan Park to the Southside Village dining and shopping district is a major plus; a linear pocket park leads residents straight to Morton’s Gourmet Market, a foodies’ paradise.
Sapphire Beaches
Sapphire Shores draws artists and arts administrators, a smattering of New College and Ringling College faculty, and empty nesters who have breathed new life into the grand old neighborhood, which is bordered by Sarasota Bay and some of Sarasota’s most significant educational and cultural institutions. The original deed restrictions in 1924-1925 required Mediterranean, Moroccan, or Italianate architectural styles, and all 13 of the original homes were built in those styles.
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