Reviews & Comments
Salisbury, MD
re: Climate - 10/14/2007 -
5/20/2010To Anah: I have JUST the place for you. Ever hear of Venice, Florida? Venice LOVES retirees and has an amazing beach. Right up the road is Sarasota for your cultural needs and there is plenty to do for retirees all over SW Florida. It's literally Retiree Heaven.
North Port, FL
Armpit of Southwest Florida -
5/20/2010I 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.