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This is a balmy, nonchalant place, often overlooked by tourists who choose to visit nearby Sarasota.  It is also mostly safe, and for a Florida beach town, it is relatively affordable, with a cost of living that meets the national average.   The median home price is $175,000 (although homes near the Gulf, along the Intracoastal Waterway and overlooking a golf course are much more expensive).  Residents are mature (nearly 60% are age 65 or better) and nearly evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, something not often found in conservative Florida.  Snowbirds flock to Venice in the winter, and during the high season, seeing people younger than in their 60s or 70s is a rarity.

As would be expected, much of life here revolves around the water, and Venice Municipal Beach is long and clean (and parts of it are even dog-friendly).  Venice also has the distinction of being known as the "sharks' tooth capital of the world," with fossilized shark teeth in great abundance along the shoreline (the annual Sharks' Tooth Festival is the town's biggest celebration).  The 700-foot long Venice Fishing Pier is a great spot to spend the afternoon (no fishing license required), and birders will love the Audubon Rookery, home to great blue herons and great egrets.    At least 13 golf courses are in town or very close by.

Venice also has some very good restaurants and a beautiful downtown with 100+ retailers, most locally owned (the entire downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places).  Two public libraries, one of which is a National Literary Landmark, provide books, an interlibrary loan program, a genealogy department and computers with Internet access.

The theater and music scene is active, too.  Venice Little Theatre is one of the country's largest community theaters.  The Venice Symphony performs during the high season, and musicians perform nearly every night at the Venice Beach Pavilion.  The Venice Opera Guild is an offshoot of the Sarasota Opera and mounts an annual production.  Beyond that, though, nightlife is very quiet.  

SCAT (Sarasota County Area Transit) operates 24 fixed bus routes throughout the county, with limited service in Venice (seniors ride for $1.25).   It does make a stop at the local Wal-Mart, though.  Para-transit service is also available.

Senior Friendship Centers, a well-established, non-profit organization with a network of centers throughout southwestern Florida, operates The Friendship Center in Venice and provides a wide array of services and activities, including lifelong learning classes, home-delivered meals, health clinics and social get-togethers.

Venice Regional Medical Center is a top-rated facility.  It is accredited by the Joint Commission, is a primary stroke care center and was voted a Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospital by Thomas Reuters in 2009.  It is also award-winning for patient safety and surgery excellence.  It has 310 beds and accepts Medicaid and Medicare patients.

Venice experiences a humid subtropical climate. There are two seasons, rainy (June through September) and dry (October through May). Summers are especially muggy, but it is humid even during the dry season. Winter temperatures are in the 50s, 60s and low 70s, and summer temperatures are in the 80s and 90s. The sun shines 250 days of the year. Bugs are a reality year round (but that is why they invented screened-in porches).   The air and water quality rankings are below the national average.