Florida Real Estate Network Venice Home Page

Venice
The Greater Venice Area lies in Sarasota County Florida on the Gulf Coast. It sits directly on the Gulf of Mexico, just south of Sarasota and is one of the few cities that is not separated from the Gulf by a barrier island.
The City of Venice is divided by the Intracoastal Waterway into Venice Island and the Mainland. "Venice Mainland", east of the Intracoastal, is threaded by the Tamiami Trail (US 41).
Venice is 71 miles south of Tampa and 55 miles north of Fort Myers. Most of the year temperatures seldom drop below 70 degrees.

Yes, the city was named after Venice Italy. To preserve the original ambience of Venice, the city created a Historic Venice District and an Architectural Review Board to ensure that new construction or modification of existing buildings conform to the northern Italian renaissance style of the city's original architecture. The town’s designation as a Florida Main Street City by the state further assures that Venice's heritage will be preserved.
Venice supports a fast growing and diverse economy. The range of business is wide. Real Estate is affordable, and the quality of life is outstanding.
Some basic facts about the area
Demographics:

The Population is 30,000
Median age is 51

The top employers are

The School Ddistrict
Venice Hospital
City Government

Weather

The summer temperatures average 89 degrees
Winter temperatures average 79 degrees

Recreation

This area may be a sleeper for most people relocating to Florida; it’s perhaps not even on your radar, but it should be! When you think “recreation” think about this: Venice has all the fantastic cultural advantages of Sarasota less than half an hour away, not to mention Sarasota’s shopping and dining diversions!
Yet it’s safely tucked into its own quiet, lovely, and private corner of Florida, and with its own array of outdoors-dominated recreational opportunities, including:

Fishing and water sports, which would appear to dominate the main activities here.
But then there’s also 14 golf courses and many tennis courts.
And Venice has over 20 bike trails, and numerous walk paths
There are 12 parks and 5 local beach park facilities!
There’s over 13 miles of beaches, which by the way I find are more pristine and less impacted than most other Florida beaches
Myakka River State Park, maybe the best state park in Florida, is just a few miles east of I-75. (The Myakka is one of just two official Wild and Scenic Rivers in Florida, but is very accessible, since the park itself is laced with 40 miles of boardwalks, trails, and tram tours into some of the best wilderness areas.)

Housing and the Cost of Living
As of Sept 2005 per an MLS search: A 2/2 home started at a price of $135,000. It goes up from there, but you get the picture: Venice is affordable.
The cost of living index comes in at 98, putting it below the national average.
Education
Extensive information about the schools in this area is online at the state's Department of Education (http://www.firn.edu/doe/doehome.htm).
In conclusion
Venice was originally started as a retirement community and has evolved to have it’s own identity. The neighborhoods generally appear new and are well maintained. There is an active Arts community and the Old Downtown offers unique shops and restaurants.
And of all Florida, the Venice area stands out as one of the most desirable spots. It has a good mix of relaxed but yet has the facilities needed for a quality life style and yet remains a great place to open a business and raise a family.

To see more specific information go to Sarasota general info links to the left.