West Villages Improvement District: Awards and Recognition

https://www.venicegov.com/government/city-manager/awards-and-recognition
July 15, 2020

USA Today Best Coastal Small Town
The City of Venice placed No. 3 in USA Today's 10Best Coastal Small Town Readers' Choice contest for 2020. A panel of experts partnered with USA Today 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees -- each with a population of fewer than 25,000 people as of the last census -- and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote in July. The online contest was also promoted by Visit Sarasota County. USA Today’s listing calls Venice “the perfect setting for swimming, fishing, boating and basking in the Florida sun.”

2020: Best Beach Towns to Live In
In June, Venice was ranked a Best Beach Town to Live In for 2020 in a study from personal finance website WalletHub, coming in at #17 on the list of 191 cities. Cities were evaluated on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education/health and quality of life. Each of those were measured on a total of 63 indicators of livability.

2020: Best Places to Retire in Florida
Venice made a Florida for Boomers list of 25 Best Places to Retire in Florida in June, coming in at #5. The listing reads in part: "In addition to beautiful beaches, Venice is also known for all kinds of exciting ways to enjoy the great outdoors. It is a fabulous destination for boomers interested in exploring arts and culture, boutique shopping, or a wide range of outstanding restaurant choices."

2020: Venice recognized for retirement preparedness
In April, Venice was recognized by LendEDU for having some of the most financially prepared residents when it comes to retirement. Each city was ranked according to its average household income from retirement, and Venice ranked No. 9 in the state of Florida and No. 102 nationally with an average household income from retirement figure of $34,383.15. LendEDU, an online marketplace for financial products, licensed data that derives from the U.S. Census Bureau and analyzed over 20,000 U.S. cities for this study. Check out the full report.

Safest Cities in Florida 2020
SafeWise named the City of Venice the 17th Safest City in Florida in an April listing of the state's 50 Safest Cities. Its report lists Venice's violent crime rate as 1.1 per 1,000 people and the property crime rate as 13.8 per 1,000 people. SafeWise is an independent review site of home security systems.

2020: Best Places to Live on the Coast
In April, Coastal Living Magazine voted Venice in the top 10 Best Places to Live on the Coast. The listing calls Venice a "resort-forward little city of 23,376 — a low-key beauty on the Gulf with Mediterranean architecture and 14 miles of bone-white beaches" and touts the Downtown Beautification Project completed in 2019: "New rows of tall palms shade upgraded sidewalks (with ADA-compliant curbs), while median strips lush with hibiscus, jatropha and jasmine add tropical verve to Venice's lively center for food, drink, shopping and arts."

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964