Sarasota, FL Awards & Accolades

• 2024
  Sarasota Named the 2nd Fastest-Growing Place in the U.S. – US News & World Report  Siesta Key Beach Ranks as the #1 Beach in Florida. – Trip Advisor
• 2023
  Sarasota Named the #1 “Best Place to Live in Florida” – US News & World Report Siesta Key Beach Named the #2 Best Beach in the USA – Trip Advisor

Top 10 Reasons to Relocate to Sarasota

1. Sarasota is a Top-Rated City to Live In
   Sarasota was ranked as the # 1 “Best Place to Live” in all of Florida for 2024 by US News & World Report. This study focused upon several main factors including the happiness of local residents, housing affordability, employment opportunities, desirability index, and net migration rates. Sarasota commonly ranks as a top Florida city to live in each year for many of the reasons listed on this page. View Full Rankings List.
2. Florida Has No State Income Tax
   One big benefit of living in Florida is the lack of a state income tax. This means that you get to keep more of your hard-earned dollars. In place of a state tax, the state of Florida earns its dollars from the millions of tourists that visit our state each year through a 7% sales tax (state level) and a 5% tourist tax (county level) on revenues from rental properties and hotel stays that are for a term of six month or less. Once you become a Florida resident, you will be thankful for the tourists as they pay your share of the state taxes.
3. Sarasota is the Home of Top-Rated Siesta Key Beach
   The beaches of Sarasota County are among the most beautiful and most popular beaches in the entire state of Florida. Top-rated Siesta Key Beach, located on Siesta Key, is Florida’s top-ranked beach and was most recently named as the #1 “Best Beach in Florida” by TripAdvisor in 2024. The beach’s powder-like, sugar sand stays cool to the touch, even on the hottest of Florida’s summer days. View Siesta Key Beach.
4. Sarasota County is Home to Top-Selling Communities
   Sarasota County is one of Florida’s most popular relocation destinations on the gulf coast as it is home to Lakewood Ranch and Wellen Park, the #2 and #5 best-selling master-planned communities in all of Florida in 2023 (based upon mid-year sales). Palmer Ranch and Skye Ranch, situated between these two top-selling communities, are also popular choices for many upon moving to Florida. Click below to discover these growing communities.

   Lakewood Ranch
   (North Sarasota County) Discover Lakewood Ranch
   Palmer Ranch
   (Middle of Sarasota County, West of I-75) Discover Palmer Ranch

   Skye Ranch
   (Middle of Sarasota County, East of I-75) Discover Skye Ranch
   Wellen Park
   (South Sarasota County) Discover Wellen Park
5. Sarasota Real Estate is Very Strong The Sarasota real estate market has been very strong in recent years with all the people who want to call Sarasota their home. At the start of April 2024, the median Sarasota home price is $464,458 and the median Sarasota monthly rent is $2,790 per month. In many cases, Sarasota locals will tell you that owning a home in Sarasota is often cheaper than renting. This is because we are a beach-oriented town with a large supply of vacation rentals which often come at a premium price, especially in season. To find out exact housing costs and the best Sarasota neighborhoods to live in, contact Julie Larson, our Sarasota relocation expert listed on this page.
6. Sarasota Has Top-Rated Healthcare & Hospitals
   Sarasota’s area hospitals include Sarasota Memorial Health Care (SMH) and Doctor’s hospital. Sarasota Memorial is located just south of downtown and Doctors Hospital is located at Bee Ridge and I-75. Both are top-rated hospitals and have received numerous awards and accolades in recent years
7. Sarasota Offers a Year-Round Playground
   With an average year-round temperature of 73 degrees and 251 sunny days each year, Sarasota is a great Florida city to consider for the outdoor enthusiast. If you enjoy being on or near the water, try kayaking through the Lido Key mangroves, paddleboard in Sarasota Bay or explore the Intracoastal waterway by boat. If you enjoy walking or jogging in the Florida sunshine, take a stroll across the Ringling bridge or take a lap around Benderson Park (near the new UTC mall). Experience the view from the Ringling Bridge.
8. Sarasota Has a Strong Job & Employment Market
   With an unemployment rate at only 3.4% in the 1st quarter of 2024 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), Sarasota’s job and employment market has been very strong post pandemic. Top sectors of the Sarasota economy in the area include hospitality, healthcare, education, retail, trades and professional services. The Sarasota county employers include the local School Board, Sarasota Memorial Health Care (SMHC), Publix Supermarkets, PGT Industries and Sarasota County Government.
9. Sarasota is a Cultural Home for the Performing Arts
   Sarasota has been named Florida’s “Cultural City” with its active performing arts and theatrical scene. Since the early 1920’s, the city has enjoyed a strong connection to the famous Ringling family as the Circus Magnate, John Ringling and his wife, Mable, built their famous Ca’ d’Zan Estate Home and Ringling Museum of Art upon settling in the area. Their mansion and art museum are open daily as attractions to visit year round.
10. Sarasota Has Great Dining Options
    The greater Sarasota area offers a full array of casual sidewalk cafes to elegant, five-star restaurants. There’s also lots of cool, hip craft breweries and beer gardens to check out such as Mandeville, J Dubs, Big Top and Calusa Brewing. Many of these places are pet-friendly, offer live entertainment and some even offer corn hole and ping pong while you enjoy a fresh-crafted local brew. Downtown Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, St Armands Circle on Lido Key and Siesta Key Village are some of the popular, trendy destinations you’ll definitely want to check out