Ticket Editor: Why Sarasota, Bradenton area is best place to live in Florida and all of U.S.
While joyfully eating my way through the region's best restaurants for burgers, I paused to report on actor Scott Baio, known for his roles in "Happy Days" and "Charles in Charge," relocating here and joining the list of famous people with homes in Sarasota-Manatee. Indeed, we live in a popular area, recently ranked at No. 1 on U.S. News & World Report's list of best places to live in Florida and No. 5 in the country.
Green Bay secured the first position, with U.S. News highlighting the city's "affordability" and noting that it may not suit those averse to long winters and heavy snowfall. I detest the cold and could never live in Green Bay. In fact, the idea of even visiting anywhere in Wisconsin makes me want to step outside and immerse myself in the glorious embrace of the warm Florida sun.
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Huntsville, Alabama (No. 2), Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina (No. 3) Boulder, Colorado (No. 4) also ranked ahead of Sarasota. While they are all nice places, none of them offer the sugary white sands and beautiful bodies of water populated by adorable dolphins and manatees that we have here on the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to naming us the fifth best place to live, U.S. News & World Report has the Sarasota metro area ranked as No. 2 for fastest growing places, No. 7 for safest places to live, and No. 11 for best places to retire.
According to U.S. News, when determining its list of best places to live, it compared "the 150 most populous metro areas in the U.S. based on affordability, quality of life, desirability and job market." If affordability is removed from the equation, Sarasota-Manatee probably takes the top spot. Yes, it's expensive to live here, but I guess that's the price of residing in paradise.
Here's my newly updated list of reasons why Sarasota-Manatee is the best place to live.
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10 reasons why the Sarasota and Bradenton area is the best place to live in the U.S.
1. Weather
Sure, you could say this about any coastal place in Florida, but it bears repeating: that nearly daily dose of sunshine and utter lack of ice-cold temps is the No. 1 reason people from the rest of the country continue to relocate here as if we are giving away waterfront property. And while our summers sure get balmy, it's hot in August up north, too; and at least we have a nice Gulf of Mexico breeze to enjoy while seated in the shade of a palm or banyan tree here in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
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2. Beaches
Siesta Beach has been named the best beach in the U.S. twice by Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman, and the country's second best by Tripadvisor earlier this year. And, really, we have nine other nearby beaches in Sarasota-Manatee that are just as nice.
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3. Restaurants
I can walk to a handful of excellent, and a couple dozen really good, restaurants from our office in downtown Sarasota, including Indigenous by two-time James Beard-nominated chef/owner Steve Phelps, who is renowned for seafood dishes as well as one of the region's best burgers. There are many more choice spots within an easy drive south to Venice or north to Bradenton or Anna Maria Island, with another James Beard nominee, Jose Martinez, at his Maison Blanche restaurant close by on Longboat Key. It’s hard to imagine an area this size anywhere else in the country that has as many outstanding dining options, with many right on the water.
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4. Arts scene
It’s also hard to imagine another metro area our size with such a vibrant arts scene. Take your pick: nationally acclaimed museums such as the Sarasota Art Museum and The Ringling, art galleries, orchestras, opera, ballet, and a lengthy list of professional and community theater companies. All, by the way, expertly covered by my colleague Jay Handelman.
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5. Parks and preserves
While the beaches get the most love, exploring the great outdoors at places like Myakka River State Park, Nathan Benderson Park, Robinson Preserve and Bradenton Riverwalk can be equally charming. And often much more thrilling, especially if you start climbing towers, traversing canopy walkways or visiting the river banks populated by sunbathing alligators!
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6. Things to do
Every week I easily assemble a list of the Top 5 things to do in Sarasota-Manatee. This weekend, for instance, when activities typically slow down as we exit tourist season, we have a beach volleyball tournament on Siesta Key as well as dragon boat racing and a vegan food festival happening at Nathan Benderson Park in the University Town Center district. Meanwhile, the city of Bradenton is celebrating its 120th birthday with events in the Village of the Arts and downtown on and along Old Main Street. Also, we have Damon Fowler, a national blues star with deep local ties and a rock star resume, playing a free show Sunday afternoon in Sarasota at Big Top Brewing Company. Yes, there's lots to do here!
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7. Breweries and nightlife
In addition to our restaurants and bars, Sarasota-Manatee has an impressive list of breweries, including the award-winning Big Top and Motorworks in Bradenton. And then for nightlife, we have destinations such as the Gator Club in downtown Sarasota and Beach Club in Siesta Key Village, a pair of local legends that continue to attract the seen-and-be-seen crowd, including cast members from the MTV reality show "Siesta Key" that originated in Sarasota.
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8. Proximity to Champa Bay
And for sports fans, we're just about an hour drive away from the home hockey arena, football field and domed baseball stadium of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Rays. Yes, a trio of such successful franchises that our Tampa Bay region has been dubbed "Champa Bay," and we get to be a part of it, without having to actually live in hectic Tampa or St. Petersburg.
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9. SRQ Airport
After being featured in Time magazine’s list of The World’s 100 Greatest Places of 2021, Sarasota County returned to the national media spotlight in 2022 with an article in the Wall Street Journal. The author, a veteran food and travel writer, mentioned the MTV show "Siesta Key," Siesta Key Beach, The Ringling museum, and other attributes such as the arts and shopping before concluding that "Sarasota is also home to an unusually user-friendly airport, with direct flights from Boston, Chicago, New York and other cities." Yes, as Sarasotans, we often take Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport, aka SRQ, on the Sarasota-Manatee County line, for granted. But really, it remains among the most stress-free airports in the nation.
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10. Lots of celebrities live here
Look, even if you never run into Stephen King at the local bookstore or have lunch next to Dick Vitale, it’s nice to know celebrities do live here. I mean, if it’s good enough for them, it must be good enough for us regular folks, right? And, who knows? I did once witness two other Sarasota celebrities, rock legends Brian Johnson (AC/DC) and Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers Band), playing together at a fundraiser at the old Five O’ Clock Club, which is now Brady's Neighborhood Bar.
Who lives here? Most famous celebrities with homes in Sarasota and Bradenton area
Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Why Sarasota, Bradenton area in Florida is best place to live in U.S.
