Sarasota ranks 12 for best beach towns to live in

A new WalletHub report released Wednesday ranks Sarasota and it’s barrier islands as one of the best beach communities in which to live in the country.

The report looked at 227 beachfront communities throughout the nation. Sarasota ranked number 12 ! see link to view all rankings ~

WalletHub’s rankings

“It makes sense since we do have a good quality of life here,” says Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County. “It shows the value of some of the early rankings that we pushed really hard. It seems to snowball as more people recognize what assets we have.”Indeed, Sarasota seemed to benefit in the report chiefly for its “Quality of Life” score, which ranked at No. 3 among beach towns, behind only Naples and St. Augustine and just ahead of Santa Monica, CA, Key West and Miami Beach. Sarasota also scored respectably in “Affordability (ranked No. 40) and “Education & Health” (ranked No. 55). Notably, the report also called out Sarasota for its high number of nightlife establishments, restaurants and coffee shops per capita.

We realtors agree the report mirrors how buyers treat the region. For anybody considering a vacation home or a place to retire, Sarasota is on everybody’s radar.

For many buyers the beach is the initial draw that gets them here and as they spend more time in Sarasota they find out how beautiful the area is and discover the cultural arts, golf courses and boating opportunities.

Many weekly visitors eventually become full time residents.