Five Hundred years ago the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon discovered a magical land filled with beautiful vegetation and mineral springs and called it the land of flowers - La Florida - the land with the Fountain of Youth. More than four hundred years later in 1975 a group of Ukrainian explorers from the northern United States and Canada rediscovered the same fountain of youth and established the St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Religious and Cultural Center commonly known as Oseredok in North Port. Gradually many more Ukrainians migrated to this part of Florida from the Midwest, Northeast, New York area, and even from California. The community has evolved to be a vibrant and strong group of Ukrainian Americans who manage to maintain their Ukrainian roots while enjoying the wonderful things that this Southwest Florida part of paradise can offer.

The Oseredok expanded to include the St. Andrews condominium apartments, and eventually the community got so large that a new church for the Ukrainian Catholics had to be built in 1992. St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church is now the shining jewel of our community, with traditional architecture, paintings and icons, a wonderful young pastor and a great choir.(See Churches).

Our community has not only the church related activities, but there are many Ukrainian organizations such as the largest branch in the United States of the Ukrainian National Women’s League, the Ukrainian American Club of Southwest Florida, the Ukrainian Language Society, the Men’s Social Club, the Ukrainian American Veterans organization, and numerous others. (See Organizations and Calendar). The original founders of this community had a premonition that the Sarasota area had much more to offer than just the Ukrainian Oseredok. It turns out that it is a cultural jewel of Florida, with a very sophisticated environment. The Ringling Museum is a renowned art gallery of Renaissance and Baroque art. In addition there is the Sarasota Opera, the Sarasota and the Venice symphony orchestras, and the annual Sarasota Film Festival is nationally renowned. (See Cultural Environment). The Southwest Florida area is one of America's most desirable places to live, work and raise a family, especially due to its outstanding school system. The sparkling white sand beaches of Siesta Key have been rated consistently the best in the United States. The clean air and sunny climate have made it world famous as a center for the good life. In fact, Forbes has named Sarasota one of the best places for business and careers, and Money magazine recognized it as the nation's best small city, one of the best places to retire, and one of the cities with the best health care systems.

Our corner of paradise extends from Greater Sarasota, including Bradenton, Osprey, Venice, Nokomis, North Port, Englewood, Ft. Myers and Naples. This region is easily accessed by air via Tampa, Sarasota or Ft. Myers international airports. There is even the opportunity to bring automobiles from the north via the very convenient auto train.

It is a diverse area with big city amenities and small town ease of living. In addition to no state income taxes, the Southwest Florida environment offers great real estate values, relaxed low density traffic, year round golfing, tennis, boating and fishing, retirement communities, and great upscale shopping.(SeeBenefits & Attributes andSports).

Indeed, because of the wonderful climate, the cultural environment, the friendly and active Ukrainian Community, those of us who are lucky to live here are having too much fun to think about getting old. Retirement is not a state of mind here – it is a state of permanent vacation. Just imagine that people love to come here as tourists. We who live here know better. We stay here permanently. We have indeed found Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth.

So, we urge you to

• Come for a vacation to see how much fun you will have here

• Come back and buy a small place as a snow bird

• Settle permanently in a gorgeous home by the water or on a golf course - and live happily ever after