A public art commission for the Fruitville Library and a residency at the Manasota Key artists’ retreat The Hermitage brought Robertson here, and the arts are part of the reason he’s staying; he and wife Kathryn love singing in a church choir and hope to perform together in a concert band, as they have in Scotland. Robertson, 56, also relishes the friendships he’s made here. But the best reason for spending six months of the year in Sarasota, is, he says succinctly, “sun.”

Bangkok, Thailand
Juthamas (Lee) Kengjanworakul
Waitress

For 29-year-old Lee, who first came to the United States as an exchange student, Sarasota is a lovely, “quiet city,” not like the hustle of Bangkok or New York, which she dislikes. When she’s away from Pacific Rim, where she works six days a week, she prefers to spend her time relaxing with American-born husband, Lance, or reading children’s books to improve her English. Her ultimate goal: to receive her master’s degree in informational technology, right here at USF Sarasota-Manatee.

Dusseldorf, Germany
Dirk Meyer
Orchestra conductor

Moving from a “big, happening city” like Dusseldorf to Lansing, Mich., where he got his master’s and doctoral degrees at Michigan State, was a big adjustment for Meyer, 30. Moving to sunny Sarasota from frigid Lansing was not. As assistant conductor of the Florida West Coast Symphony, he says he couldn’t be happier, either with the city or the “very, very good” musicians he works with. In a few years from now, though, he says he’ll have to move on to a bigger market—“that’s just the nature of this job.”

Osaka, Japan
Ayako Nakahira
Dancer

It’s been a long route to Sarasota for Nakahira, 26, from her ballet school days in England to dancing with companies in Europe, Canada and Japan, where she met new Sarasota Ballet artistic director Iain Webb. Now Webb has brought her to perform in the corps de ballet here, with a schedule that leaves her too busy to do much else besides enjoy the occasional dinner at home with friends. Intensely focused, she admits, “I don’t like going out”—but our weather and beaches should eventually draw her out of the studio.

San Juan, Puerto Rico
Dr. Myrdalis Diaz-Ramirez
Pain management doctor

Thirty-something Diaz-Ramirez and her engineer husband first came to Sarasota in 2001, then moved to Portland, Ore., when he got a great job there. In 2003, Sarasota Memorial Hospital asked her to direct its new pain management center. “It’s a great hospital and Sarasota is cosmopolitan,” she says—and they like coastal cities. And since she was pregnant with twins, they wanted to be closer to family in Puerto Rico. He’s now a stay-at-home dad for their 18-month-old boy and girl, and from their downtown condo, they enjoy walking to festivals, concerts and restaurants.

Matamoros, Mexico
Iram Rodriguez
Boxer

Rodriguez’s family came to this country as migrant workers, but they settled in Bradenton, where Iram started running with a tough crowd. Then he found the Arena Mexicana Boxing Club and coach Aaron Avalos, who saw “phenomenal” potential beneath the anger. Now captain of his boxing team, Rodriguez, 21, has earned his GED, mentors other kids at the club and hopes to turn pro soon. Boxing teaches you to overcome any obstacle, he says: “You get a hard punch and have to figure, how are you going to come back from that?”

Belfast, Ireland
Fiona Crawford
Associate director, Roskamp Institute

Crawford, 39, who has a Ph.D. in the molecular genetics and molecular biology of Alzheimer’s, does everything from clinical and research work to management at Sarasota’s Roskamp Institute, which she says is making significant strides against the disease, “with a drug in clinical trials and other promising approaches.” Though she admits, “I’m married to my work,” the outgoing scientist is also “a huge opera fan,” who loves Sarasota’s “European feel,” with culture, independent restaurants and a centralized downtown, “where people walk around, pop into shops and greet each other.”

Gottingen, Germany
Sebastian Kulessa
Mechanical design engineer

Career and climate drew Kulessa, 29, to Sarasota, where he works in international product development and design at RoBrady Design and basks in year-round warm weather. While he misses family and friends in Germany, he has no regrets about the move. “I’ve lived in different places in Europe, but I like it here the most,” he says. “I really like my job, and I go snorkeling, swimming, running on the beach and boating.” He also enjoys Sarasota’s nightlife, with one quibble: “The clubs close too early!”

Milan, Italy
Andrea Morara
Restaurateur

Morara met wife Cristina, a former casting director, while auditioning for a role, and the two experienced what Italians call il colpo di fulmine—love at first sight. After working together in Italy—he’s held jobs as a model, actor and restaurant partner—they moved to the United Sates to be closer to her family. Last summer they opened the charming Ca’Rina Expresso and Wine Bar in downtown Sarasota, and they say they’re determined to infuse Sarasota with the Italian flavors—and lifestyle—they love. “Sarasotans are welcoming, engaging and friendly,” Morara says. “I immediately felt at home here.”