11 Best Places to Live in Florida

8) Sarasota

Sarasota came in at 14 on U.S. News & World Report list. The population of the metro area is 722,784 and the median income is $39,960. Sarasota is famous for its sandy beaches, especially Siesta Key which was named the best beach in the U.S. in 2015 by TripAdvisor.com. Business Insider rated it the best in 2016 and Forbes ranked it in the top ten beaches in 2016. Major employment industries include tourism, transportation and education. In 1927, the Ringling Brothers made Sarasota the winter headquarters for their circus. Today, residents and visitors can tour the Ringling estate which includes an art museum, circus museum, John and Mable Ringling’s 56-room mansion and the gardens. The grounds are also home to the Historic Asolo Theater which was built in Italy in 1798 and moved to Sarasota in the 1950s.