Sarasota & Gulf Coast neighborhoods
Twelve local guides to the cities, islands and communities we know best, covering lifestyle, housing, insurance considerations and what to watch for.
Sarasota
Arts, bayfront living and a walkable downtown
Bradenton
Riverfront revival with the island next door
Lakewood Ranch
Golf, gated villages and a town-center Main Street
Wellen Park
New-build living with a brand-new downtown
Siesta Key
Quartz-sand beaches and island Village life
Lido Key
St. Armands Circle, Lido Beach and island calm
Longboat Key
Gulf-to-bay estates, condos and quiet island luxury
Anna Maria
Old-Florida charm at the north end of the island
Holmes Beach
The middle of Anna Maria Island, beach to bay
Bradenton Beach
Bridge Street, the pier and easy-going beach life
Nokomis
South-county beaches, trails and a slower pace
Palmetto
Manatee River living and value close to Bradenton
Neighborhood comparison.
Our own read of how each area feels, on a scale from ○○○ (least) to ●●● (most). Use it to shortlist, then talk to us about the specifics.
| Area | County | Beach | Walkable | Dining | Quiet | Golf | New builds | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarasota | Sarasota County | ●●○ | ●●● | ●●● | ●○○ | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●○○ |
| Bradenton | Manatee County | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●● | ●●● |
| Lakewood Ranch | Manatee & Sarasota Counties | ○○○ | ●○○ | ●●○ | ●●● | ●●● | ●●● | ●●○ |
| Wellen Park | Sarasota County | ●○○ | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●● | ●●○ |
| Siesta Key | Sarasota County | ●●● | ●●○ | ●●● | ●○○ | ○○○ | ●○○ | ○○○ |
| Lido Key | Sarasota County | ●●● | ●●● | ●●● | ●●○ | ○○○ | ●○○ | ○○○ |
| Longboat Key | Sarasota & Manatee Counties | ●●● | ●○○ | ●●○ | ●●● | ●●● | ●○○ | ○○○ |
| Anna Maria | Manatee County | ●●● | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●● | ○○○ | ●○○ | ○○○ |
| Holmes Beach | Manatee County | ●●● | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●○ | ○○○ | ●●○ | ○○○ |
| Bradenton Beach | Manatee County | ●●● | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●○ | ○○○ | ●○○ | ●○○ |
| Nokomis | Sarasota County | ●●○ | ●○○ | ●○○ | ●●● | ●●○ | ●●○ | ●●○ |
| Palmetto | Manatee County | ●○○ | ●○○ | ●○○ | ●●● | ●○○ | ●●○ | ●●● |
Still deciding?
Our two-minute quiz ranks these neighborhoods against your lifestyle, budget and pace of life.