Good place to live. - 3/4/2021

Good climate, affordable housing, close to beaches.

[Comment on this Posting]

Typical Bedroom Community - 8/8/2020

Your typical suburban bedroom community. Affordable housing, most commute to jobs elsewhere, little sense of place, no real downtown. But like a lot of these types of communities, it is a safe, affordable place to raise a family.

[Comment on this Posting]

I have lived in many places - 2/11/2017

North Port offers the best in overall climate, low taxes, affordable housing, easy access to a wide variety of shopping, good schools, good medical care, low crime, and close to beaches.

[Comment on this Posting]

Accuracy - 6/4/2016

I was really excited when I found your site but that quickly faded when I started to see inaccuracies. First, your overview for North Port is not accurate. While you list "cost of living" as one of the "cons", your data shows that the cost of living is approximately 12% lower than the rest of the country. The population isn't accurate either. Please update.

[Comment on this Posting]

LOVE IT HERE - 1/23/2016

North Port may be the lat affordable coastal town in Florida. Great fishing, great beaches, great restaurants and good neighbors. We moved here two years ago from the East Coast. It is much more friendly and safer. The people here speak English too. This is more of a mix of Midwest people and blue collar people. Not the snobs and rude people we found on the East Coast after living there for over 20 years. We have a great Farmers markets here and 15 minutes up the road in Venice. You can find a festival or other free activity about every weekend within 30 minutes. We live here October through May and the weather is perfect. We live in Western North Carolina June through September so we miss the hot season. Both our neighbors live here year around. They work in the area and one has children in the local schools. They love it here too. Cost of living is much lower here than the East Coast. It cost us over $200 per month for lawn care over there. Here we have our grass mowed three times a month for $50 We can catch a mess of fish anytime we want. You can fresh water fish on the Myakka River or Saltwater fish in Charlotte Harbor from our canal home. I have caught many Snook and Large Mouth bass from the same place then go half a mile toward the Harbor and catch Redfish, trout and even grouper. Real Estate is going up some but you can still find a nice home on a saltwater canal for under $250,000

[Comment on this Posting]

What's not to love about North Port??? - 9/16/2014

I moved here 10 yrs ago and have seen so much growth and change over the past ten years and it's all been positive! We are right off the interstate for easy access to anywhere on the west coast, yet we are within an easy drive from some of the best beaches in the US (Dr Beach named Siesta Key #1 )not to mention the amazing quaint feel of Boca Grande with it's beautiful whites sand beaches. Our schools have been listed as tops in the state with our high school in the top 20. Our city ranks in top 20 safest cities in the state. We have seen tremendous growth, but it has been smart growth as it still has that small town feel. When I first moved here I needed to travel 30-40 mi to of anything other than go to a grocery store. Now I barely travel more than 5 miles. The city continues to grow and has recently added a 24hour ER that's affiliated with Sarasota Memorial (again rated one of the best in country). As we continue to grow, it is my hope we have a full fledge hospital in our near future. Other than that, what's not to love about North Port??

[Comment on this Posting]

a great town - 6/1/2014

I haven't seen any updated reviews about North Port, but after living in the Greater Miami area for a number of years, North Port is a wonderful town with quite a bit to offer. I find it very laid back whenever I come over to this part of the state to see my children and grandchildren. As a matter of fact I plan on relocating here very shorty as this town has very much to offer with NEW Stores all around and the housing market being on the mend, you just cannot beat it!!

[Comment on this Posting]

Suburbian Florida Lifestyle - 7/11/2012

I moved to North Port from Venice FL 2 years ago and really like it. The town doesn't have a lot to do if you like bars and stuff. But the city is always putting on celebrations and there are 2 family centers. Teens who are the drug free youth get a free yearly membership. we are in a safe quiet town, with reasonable home prices and 15-20 minutes from the beach, and 10-15 minutes from Port Charlotte mall.

[Comment on this Posting]

Quality of life - 10/5/2010

I moved here in December 2002. This is a bedroom community town. Most people who live here are retirees or people who commute elsewhere to work. The majority of jobs are in retail, grocery and service industries. A large number of service industries closed during this recession. My first home dropped 80 percent in value in the past 2 years. Because of the large percentage of Repo's here I've been unable to sell that house. My current house was bought in Aug 2008 and has dropped 20 percent since then. Unfortunately North Port property taxes have not dropped to reflect this. The rest of the county is more responsive to the current values. This town has historically been highly resistant to industrial expansion and resisted new business. We just lost our city manager. He oversaw more growth during his short tenure than we had before. We need younger and more agressive people on the city council or North Port will become like the ghost town communitys I see on the news about parts of Arizona.

[Comment on this Posting]

Have a self-sustaining or VERY secure job!! - 8/1/2010

North Port is a nice, mostly quiet bedroom community for families but jobs are scare here. The heat in the summer is OPPRESSIVE and you better find a place with a pool or you will be imprisoned in your own home from about May through October. The beach is 30 minutes away, but the water temps are so warm, it's not even refreshing. There is a HUGE flying grasshopper problem here and there are billions of them. They destroy plants and bombard you as you mow your lawn as they fly up out of the grass. Oh, that's another thing... I highly recommend having a riding lawn mower if you have more than 1/8 of an acre to mow. Not bad in the cooler months, but in summer, mowing by hand can literally kill you. The city has a mall nearby, (not a great one, but they have Sears and a Macy's and a few others. It's called Town center at Port Charlotte, FL if you wish to Google and learn more about it). There is a lot of undeveloped lots here, so you may have only two or three homes on your whole street and the rest of the lots are HEAVILY wooded, so you better like bobcat, raccoons, possums, wild boars and various other wild animals. I'd probably like it here if there were more jobs and it wasn't SO HOT in the summer. I hear the elementary schools are pretty good here, but do not know much about them. The roads are horrible here too. DEFINITELY pay North Port a 3-4 day visit before showing up with a rental truck full of furniture!

[Comment on this Posting]

Armpit of Southwest Florida - 5/20/2010

I have to agree with the majority of the other posters on here and say that North Port HAD a really good chance of being a great town. Unfortunately the massive new construction housing boom that began here in 2006 did not last, and when the economy turned sour in 2008, the homes that were in construction just were left abandoned, half-built with weeds and garbage scattered all over the lots. Many people have foreclosed here and the houses remain vacant, which open the door for drug-addicted squatters to break in, live in the house for weeks, sometimes months without the banks even knowing, (or caring) that their "interest" is being occupied and used for criminal activity. What's worse, if you plan on moving to this armpit, be prepared for horrible infrastructure. The roads are chock full of pot holes that the city simply will not fix the road, they simply drive a asphalt truck over the holes and fill the hole. This results in a very bumpy drive on all side (residential) street and perpetual wheel alignment expense. The city government has their priorities ALL backwards supporting projects that do not benefit the citizens in the short term which is what is needed NOW, rather they spend money on grand schemes that supposedly will pay of decades from now. The main two access routes in and out of the city are Interstate 75 and US highway 41 (aka Tamiami trail). US 41 is a stoplight and congestion nightmare and it takes me 55 minutes to drive 25 miles to my job in Venice. It is lined full of retiree trailer parks, and communities which results in elderly drivers entering 41 at a crawl slowing traffic. It is the most stressful commute to work I have ever experienced. Taking I-75 takes people way out of their way most times, and during snowbird season (from late October through April), even the interstate looks like a parking lot with average speed 55 during the day, when it is posted at 70. As far as recreation in North Port, well, you better buy yourself a grill and a house with a pool because that's all you're going to be doing unless you like Rays baseball spring training and eating at chain restaurants such as Olive Garden, Carrabba's and Hooters. There's really not much else to do here. This past winter was pretty cold dipping down into the 30s a few times, but we never get snow. Just enough to kill off all of your landscaping in a week's time costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars to replace. Then, after the brief "cooler" season which this year was January to March, it goes right back to hell's kitchen and temps to the 90s nearly everyday. It's so hot you cannot breathe outside and sitting outside to enjoy a BBQ is only an option from December to April. May to November tit's so hot and humid here that it's just miserable. This is where a pool is a great perk, HOWEVER, count on a very high power bill here with Florida Power & Light. The define "for profit corporation". It's a 30 minute drive to the nearest beach, (Manasota Beach), so you do not get any ocean breeze this far inland to help cool things down. The drought from January - August when hurricane season starts ensures you a brown, dormant lawn and from August through December, you can count on daily thunderstorms with dangerous, I mean WICKED lightning, tornadoes and heavy rain which also keeps you indoors. I feel as if I am a prisoner in my own home here because of the weather conditions outside. Out of the last year, I would say I spent 20% of the year enjoying outdoor activities at the most. Lastly, the crime rate here is pretty bad also. We've had our share of murder and other violent crimes, but property crime, (mainly burglary) is the chief concern. An alarm system on your house, and a big dog along with owning and training with firearms is highly recommended. Also, many thieves steal the central air units off the sides of your house to sell the copper wire out of them. If you leave your house unattended for more than a day, you better have someone looking after it. Anyway, I hate to have all negative to say, but short of one great neighbor that I have, I have very little positive to say about North Port. I have only lived here for a year and a half, and am actively seeking employment out of state to relocate out of here. Between the miserable heat & humidity, the Huntsman spiders (the size of coke cans) making their way into your home, the snakes, the fire ants etc, it has just become clear to me that living in Florida is no longer a plus. (Unless of course you can afford to live directly on the beach and on the east coast side where it's ten degrees cooler on average). I have lived all over Florida over the last 25 years, looking for the "perfect" spot, and I was brought to North Port by low rent for a fairly decent home. I can see now why the rent is so low and soon will be lower. This place will soon be a ghost town at the rate things are going. TIPS: 1) IF you move here, make sure you like to be indoors, and or have a pool. and 2) don't count on a strong economy or job stability nor city infrastructure. The data on Sperling's is GROSSLY inaccurate. Unemployment is at least 25%. Groceries are high and IF the schools spend that much on their kids, you wouldn't know it by their education. Where's the money going? I'd never make this mistake again.

[Comment on this Posting]

North Port, FL - 1/17/2010

I have been a resident of North Port Florida on and off since 1989. 6 other family members also live and own houses in North Port, FL. There are no jobs here at all and over 90% of the residents commute out of North Port for employment. Although the unemployment rate stated is 11% that figure is grosly underestimated. The true unemployment rate is more like 30%, when you count self employed. Most of the residents owned small service type businesses that have long gone under and did not qualify for a claim to be counted in the statistics for unemployment. The city is very expensive to live in and the cost of living you have stated is again grosly under what true costs of living are in this community. Taxes rose over 500% in 2006 forcing out most of the longtime residents. (they added a cobblestone street!!!!????) Add this to the ridiculous rise in insurance after hurricane Katrina and most were forced completely out. Now 2010, the vacancy rate of homes is staggering. One of my sisters and myself were both laid off and are in process of losing our homes to foreclosure- as are most people I know. Nobody here has neighbors anymore. They have packed up in the night and left. The home prices in my opinion are low, but still unworth any value with the exclusion of retirees. This state will rob you while you dont know its happening. Food costs are also higher than most other states, as is gas. DON'T EVER THINK YOU COULD RAISE KIDS HERE AND SEEK EMPLOYMENT- IT WON'T HAPPEN. The pay rate has always been stuck in the 1970's here and it is not uncommon for people to make 18K a year with a 4 year degree. We are all leaving as soon as we can.. run, run far away. The city managers are a mess and won't allow business's in without loads of redtape, they ruined the Lexus/Mercedes plant concept that would have employed 1000's. They make any business jump threw hoops and most companies bail at the restrictions. North Port could have been a nice town and was growing nicely until the city bit the hand that fead them- THE PEOPLE/RESIDENTS/BUSINESS

[Comment on this Posting]

North Port Is Bitter Sweet - 8/5/2009

I think North Port is a great place to live if you don't have to earn a living. We moved here 7 years ago when things were just beginning to develop. We have been in construction for the last 20 years and basically fell into the boom of the housing development, which was great. The problem is that now that the economy has taken a turn, building has esentially stopped. If you are not in the medical field, own your own business, or are retired, it is very difficult to provide for your family here. North Port has come a long way in the last few years, it really is a nice place to live. We have many new schools, restaurants, and places to shop. You still have to drive 15 minutes to get a Starbucks which would be okay if you could afford it. North Port is currently updating streets and planting trees. It is much nicer than when we moved here. I have not heard positive things about the middle school or the high school but I have no first hand knowledge of this because my kids are still in elementary school. All in all North Port is a lovely place to live but because of the construction situation we are being squeezed out. For anyone reading this, it is a perfect time to buy a house because so many of US are losing ours. Happy hunting!

[Comment on this Posting]

North Port - 10/11/2008

There really is no culture here, unless you are all about wally-world (wal-mart), 'Joe six-pack', football, and Apple-Bee's on a Friday night is liv'in high on the hog. Recreation: a skate park for kids. Local YMCA pool, and of course the beach. (after all, it is Florida).

[Comment on this Posting]

3-1-2008: Wait to buy a house here. - 3/1/2008

The housing market continues to drop. Wait on buying a house, you will get a better deal if you do. If you just can't wait, negotiate, it's a buyer's market right now and very little is selling.

[Comment on this Posting]

Small town atmosphere - 10/10/2007

North Port is a great place to live in Florida, close to Venice, Fort Myers and the beaches. This area has a great small town atmosphere and low crime rate. The local police force is visible and helpful. We have really enjoyed living in this area

[Comment on this Posting]

Pushing out middle class. - 1/19/2007

The "city" of North Port is a large suburban land mass that is part of Sarasota county. Mostly families moving to this area, but have to commute half hour to hour for a good paying job. Was a retirement community and still has that mind set as far as permitting and code enforcement goes. High property taxes that pay for decent schools and many new businesses and schools being built in this area. Fuel prices close to average for Florida, $2.27-3.00+/gal. Rent for a 3/2/2 close to $1300, housing prices rise and fall with the "tides," average of $200,000 for 3/2/2. Insurance rates are also high do to past bad hurricanes that destroyed much of neighboring Port Charlotte, Charlotte county. "City" government seems to be pushing for entire town to be a restricted community for those who make more than 60k a year, which is almost impossible to do in this area. A transitional town that may be great in another 10 years when everything is built and established.

[Comment on this Posting]

Life in North Port FL - 9/25/2006

North Port is growing with families and is still populated by a large percentage of retirees. There is not a whole lot happening socially unless you are a retiree. We just got a Walmart and Home Depot and that seems to be the most exciting thing around North Port. It is an excellent location if you are a retiree or are a family with kids and you don't mind commuting to work outside of the city.

[Comment on this Posting]

schools - 8/2/2005

north Port has 3 Elementary schools school # 3 Cranberry Elementary 2775 Shalimar Terrace • North Port, FL • 34286 Principal: Ms. Linda A. Daniels Assistant Principal: John Carey

[Comment on this Posting]