Yes, Sarasota has its challenges and pet peeves, but it keeps collecting national accolades for its beaches, gardens, arts, food and giving, reminding us why so many people choose to build a life here.

Some of the most recent: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens was selected by TIME as one of the “World’s Greatest Places” in 2024—one of only eight in the United States and the only Florida location in its category. Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) earned the top spot in the “Best Resort Airport 2025” category in USA Today’s reader polls. And when the wider city comes into view, Sarasota sits at No. 11 on the 2024 U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Places to Live in the U.S.” list and No. 18 on the “Best Places to Retire” list.

The annual Forks & Corks Food & Wine Festival was recently ranked among the top 10 wine festivals in the country. For families choosing a place to live, Sarasota County Schools again earned an overall “A” district grade in 2025, reflecting sustained academic strength.

We’re also a top charitable community, ranked as a “major center for nonprofit growth and employment, outpacing state and national trends,” according to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s 2025 “State of the Nonprofit Sector Report.” Considering Sarasota is a mid-size city, we hit way above our weight in giving, with successful fund-raising campaigns collectively raising hundreds of millions of dollars for Selby Gardens, Sarasota Orchestra and the new Mote SEA.

In 2025, Southern Living named Siesta Key one of the “Best Beach Towns in the South,” a nod not just to its sugary quartz sand but to the easy blend of neighborhoods, cafés, shops and calm waters that keep people lingering long after sunset. Travel + Leisure also included Longboat Key on its list of “10 Best Islands to Visit in the South.”

But what these rankings don’t capture on their own is the texture of local life. The richness of Sarasota’s arts scene means you can move from an experimental black-box performance one night to a full classical program the next. You might find yourself on a weekday in a dive bar where the regulars know the bartender by name and your dog is a welcome guest. On a weekend, you can float in the clear Gulf waters at Siesta Key Beach. Oh, wait, that was ranked, too. It was No. 42 in the world on “The World’s 50 Best Beaches 2025” list.