You’ve got this mental picture of the Sarasota/Bradenton/mid-Gulf coast area of Florida. White haired retirees who couldn’t quite afford Naples but wanted to be close enough to the action of Tampa Bay for their grandkids to not feel exiled when they came to visit. In some ways, that picture’s pretty close. The pace is a little slower than Tampa/St. Pete, the prices a little lower than the private enclaves further south in Naples. Yet as a home of great golf communities, the Sarasota area’s not only cooler than the bustling cities to the north, its hotter as a housing market than any other area, anywhere.

Information from the National Association of Realtors has Bradenton and Sarasota ranked 1-2 in home price appreciation in the first quarter of 2005 over the first quarter of ’04, Bradenton up over 45%, Sarasota up over 36%. Even with those soaring home values, the cost of living is still lower than many northern markets. In recent research from the National Golf Foundation, the area is among the Top-25 in the country in all 3 of its listings of golf accessibility, the most number of public golf holes per resident, the number of private holes per resident and the total number of holes per resident with a Top-10 ranking in the private holes list. Nearby Punta Gorda, which qualified as its own area in the NGF study, ranked 6th in the number of public golf holes per resident, and Golf Digest recently named Punta Gorda the 3rd best place to play in the country- using accessibility, weather, value and quality of the golf as criteria.

But golf course community life in the Sarasota is so much more than numbers. Whether its in the unique residential areas of the four barrier islands- Casey Key, Lido Key, Longboat Key and Siesta Key- the new golf course condo communities, waterfront estates or Spanish-style bungalows, there’s an architectural style or amenity package to fit your desires. When Sarasota was named Money Magazine’s “Best Small City” to live in 2000, the beaches and weather were obvious attractions, but so were its own symphony, ballet and opera companies, surprising affordability and expected strong job growth, and with its own airport, you could join the growing number of people who commute to work, in northern states. But the rising home prices mean the secret’s out on this retreat that’s hotter, and cooler, than other great golf communities, all at the same time.