A rising trend among house hunters in Southwest Florida is to look east towards the Everglades for quiet neighborhoods where they can find spacious homes and plenty of land to call their own. To this effect, Myakka Valley Ranches in Sarasota offers more than just large single-family homes; it also provides families with an opportunity to live a wholesome, equestrian lifestyle.

The Myakka Valley Ranches neighborhood is located seven miles east of I-75, not far from Clark Road. This exurb sits right next to northern section of the pristine Myakka River State Park, one of the most important nature preserves of Florida. For fans of horseback riding and the great outdoors, living at Myakka Valley Ranches is a dream come true. It bears noting, however, that Downtown Sarasota and the beaches are still within a half-hour drive from this community.

At Myakka Valley Ranches, home shoppers will find that the minimum lot size is five acres. The single-family homes range between three and six bedrooms, and some are more spectacular than others. The larger estates are built on 4,000 square feet of interior space, and many properties feature barns, cabins, swimming pools, separate parking garages, chimneys, greenhouses, and more. As of mid-2015, a Florida ranch-style house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms built on a seven-acre lot was listed under $260K. A remodeled six-bedroom estate could be negotiated for less than $600K during the summer of 2015. Since many of these properties are custom-built, pricing will vary greatly in this neighborhood, but buyers can generally expect to get a lot more home than elsewhere in Sarasota County.

Living at Myakka Valley Ranches means being able to keep horses, plant vegetable gardens, raise hens, and enjoy the numerous saddle trails that skirt Myakka State Park. Some lucky homeowners enjoy a creek running past their homes and connecting to the state park; to this effect, there are two parks and even a canoe launch in this neighborhood.