Why you'd want to live in Longboat Key

Longboat Key is an upscale area just south of Anna Maria Island between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The 10-mile-long island is almost entirely residential and features impressive homes alongside the Intracoastal canals that lead out to the open Gulf. This is by far the most mellow place to live in this whole area. There is a quaint downtown district that showcases restaurants, shops, and beach bars.