My husband and I happened to fall into the Sarasota lifestyle when he accepted a job offer the Cincinnati Reds to work at the Spring Training facility in Sarasota back in 2007.

We were immediately struck by the beauty, excitement, friendly people, laid-back attitudes, and great food. Our little family of 4 found a place to live on Siesta Key and spent two years living in paradise.

At that time the kids were school-aged, and I homeschooled them. The education options in Florida were plentiful. I could homeschool, homeschool plus enroll them in a public-school class, sport or music program, homeschool plus enroll them in a private school class, put them in school, and more. We weren’t here long enough to try these out but I found the homeschool community was like an extended, caring family so we maintained our original plan. The kids benefitted with loads of events, opportunities for private classes with other homeschoolers, sports, music, science fairs and more. That’s one thing I enjoyed about Sarasota at that time.

The lifestyle in Sarasota can be quite joyful and our little family had great fun and made wonderful memories. The Cincinnati Reds soon left for Arizona and my husband accepted another job which took us on a couple of moving adventures. We spent almost every year vacationing in Sarasota to enjoy the area and visit friends.

We are back!  With Sarasota as #1 on our list of great places to live, my husband and I moved back recently after our boys graduated from college and we are now living on Longboat Key; Siesta Key’s calmer, sister island.

We are back to enjoying the Sarasota Lifestyle that many people can only enjoy for a week, a month or a couple months out of the year. I’m truly blessed.

So, why do I like living in Sarasota?

• Pleasant year-round weather
• The Great Florida Birding Trail’s multiple locations
• Numerous and healthy dining-out options
• Friendly people
• Natural beauty
• Proximity to the Gulf and ease of beach access
• Shopping venues from mega-upscale to tacky-tourist traps (which can be fun)
• Active and diverse art community
• Farm markets and food trucks that are actually fun to attend
• Wide variety of coffee shops
• Bountiful outdoor activities for both land and water
• Accessibility to 3 airports
• State Parks, and local parks, too
• Flora and fauna (I’m both a flowering-tree and shorebird fanatic)
• Drawbridges (I like them)
• Walkable nature of the neighborhoods, barrier islands and downtown

If you are not yet a resident or second-home owner, but vacation here in Sarasota, please let me know why you like it here. I can help you find a home to fit your Sarasota Lifestyle.

Eileen Saunders, Realtor with Michael Saunders & Company 662-404-0816 (m)