Sarasota ranks second in country for people looking to move

Derek Gilliam | Sarasota Herald-Tribune

From some of the best beaches in the state to quality schools and an abundance of activities, it's not surprising that Sarasota is a popular destination where people daydream of becoming a resident.

But it is still somewhat shocking that Sarasota, with a county-wide population of only about 450,000 residents and fewer than 60,000 inside city limits, was the second most popular location in the country for people to compare with their current location.

Besides Naples and Sarasota, every other location ranked in the top 10 had urban populations with cities exceeding 300,000 residents.

Yet, Sarasota routinely ranks at the top or near the top of national real estate rankings in increases in price and as a destination to move. Sarasota also was recently ranked as the best place to live in Florida by U.S. News & World Report, and has topped that publication’s best place to retire list multiple years in a row.

According to data from PODS, a national moving company, Sarasota topped its list of fastest-growing cities in the country in 2021.

And it appears that Sarasota will place highly in 2022. According to the first three months of data, Sarasota is the most popular Florida destination, with only Austin, Texas, having more people check out the pros and cons of selling their house and moving somewhere else. 82% of people looked to move out-of-state, with Florida at the top for most searches. One out of every seven searches had the Sunshine State as its destination.

California had the second most searches, followed by Texas. The top 10 searched cities included: Austin, Sarasota, San Diego, Denver, Nashville, Tampa, New York, Naples, Charlotte, and Seattle.

New Jersey, California, New York, Illinois, Ohio and Massachusetts were "the top states looking to flee to Florida."

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If you’re considering a move and would like to discuss detailed information about market trends in your neighborhood with Siesta Key’s top-selling agent, please contact me for a confidential consultation; I look forward to discussing your real estate goals with you. For a full report on Siesta Key and the Sarasota-Manatee area that is sent regularly to my private client list, please contact me at [email protected] or 941.928.3424.

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