THE SEDUCTION OF A City
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16 SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2018
Did You Know?
Sarasota County is made up of over
42% water, has 13 public beaches
and over 35 miles of beachfront.
Manatee County has six blue-wave
certified beaches, two wineries, the
oldest working fishing village in the
state and 32 local parks.
from the executive editor
“The city is what it is
because our citizens
are what they are.”
- Plato
WHAT EXACTLY DOES “CITY LIFE” MEAN? To me, a city’s core strengths
dictate how much its residents love life there. If its core strengths have been
developed well and cared for, city life gives us a better sense of belonging
through easier connection with other people, programs, businesses, and the
necessities of life.
If you live in the heart of one of our nation’s biggest cities, I would think your
city life might feel foreign even to the “outsiders” who live in the burbs just a
half hour away. Whether your drive takes you on the Long Island Expressway
to enter New York City, or it takes you on the dreaded 405 into Los Angeles,
taking that trip to experience true city life just might be too much for you. But
can the same be said for our town? If you live east of I-75, does heading west
to get to Downtown Sarasota give you hives?
Well, if you’re of an age where you find our high season traffic tough to deal
with, then you may not be too interested. But for the vast majority of us,
experiencing city life in a town of our size is not only easy, it’s mandatory!
After all, we have a need to feel connected; to go where others go; to
experience what others do. Unless you are totally antisocial, it’s inherent
in most of us. The question is this: Do our residents have a true sense of
belonging?
You bet they do.
We don’t just have one core strength as a community, we have several.
Beautiful beaches. Outstanding arts and culture. Powerful and productive
community foundations. Philanthropic residents. Strong business leaders.
There’s been significant investment in parks, schools, arts and social services
that are important to many people. How could we not feel connected?
And it’s only getting better (or worse, depending on your point of view).
Forbes Magazine’s 2017 annual list of America’s fastest-growing cities places
Sarasota at #6 out of 25 metropolitan areas across the country experiencing
the biggest surges. Southwest Florida’s economy has outpaced the nation
with employment growth, construction, home sales and tourism all
expanding. In 2016, the gross domestic product of Sarasota-Manatee jumped
3.5% in 2016 and when the 2017 figures come out soon, a 4.5% growth is
expected.