southwest ranches (Miami, Hialeah, Fort Lauderdale: estate, condos, zoned)

[chocolateandmusic]

Would you consider it part of small-town America?? I'm looking for a small town to move to and I saw the website and it looks very rural and has a small land area for being in such a busy county? Is the town true to the data?? And are there ANY businesses there at all? or just houses? Are there schools, places to eat like mickey D's or anywhere to eat at all for that matter? Or is there JUST houses??? thanks!

[compelled to reply]

No schools, no businesses, just a lot of churches ranging from Jewish temples to mosques to baptist, a mix of "Rich and redneck", homes ranging from mobile homes to 50s style concrete block homes to sprawling estates. Zoned for schools in Weston, Davie, Pembroke Pines or Cooper City, generally regarded to be the best in Broward County (no school ranks less than a "9" out of "10" on Greatschools.com), and close proximity (never more than 10 minutes) to Weston and Pembroke Pines, both which have plenty of shopping and dining ranging from ethnic to upscale to chains. You can also find a Mickey D's in Davie off of 148th ave. bordering on Southwest Ranches and I believe there is one on Flamingo Rd. in Cooper City. It's basically a little rural enclave within a generally nondescript upper-middle class suburbia. If you can afford it, it's a very nice area to settle in within one of the most stable suburban regions in Florida. It's really nice.

But would I consider it a part of small town America? No. More like a microcosm of America. It's actually a diverse little oasis, but it's lacking the integral town center to complete that "small town America" feel. If you can afford it though, I don't know what else more you could want out of a location, considering it has very low crime, it's 20 minutes to Fort Lauderdale, 15-20 minutes to the beach, and 30-40 minutes to Miami, it has a rich blend of cultures (even Redneck culture, which just adds all the more to the mix), you have very good dining and shopping as soon as you step out of city limits, a city council that won't micromanage your life, zero traffic, large plots of land/room to breathe, down to earth people, and a mixture of home styles. And it's within South Florida's climate and clean air. I don't know, I couldn't picture wanting anything else out of a location. And if you have to live in Southeast Florida, Broward is certainly cleaner than Dade and less superficial and safer than Palm Beach County.

[tallrick]

There is no small town feel anywhere south of Lake Okeechobee. While Southwest Ranches is a place I would like to live in (tallrick approved) the prices are way out of line. The area has become a wealthy suburb for people looking to escape the ugliness and unpleasantness of all communities developed since the 80's. There are NO condos, NO zero-lot line homes, and No shopping centers within SR. Southwest (sunshine) ranches is what suburban Florida was supposed to be.

[PBCboy]

Originally Posted by tallrick

(tallrick approved)

Holy ****, I never thought I'd see this.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by tallrick

(tallrick approved)

You should make a list of other Tallrick-approved cities. This is not something that is heard commonly.

[Momma_bear]

My assessment of SW Ranches is the same as the other folks. I live in Weston, close to SW Ranches. SW Ranches is just houses. It's not really a small town, but rather an enclave within suburbia that has a more rural look than the rest of Broward. The lots are big, there are few planned subdivisions and few rules about what houses have to look like. Like much of SW Broward it's pretty expensive, especiallly since all of the houses are on large lots.

[tallrick]

Although none of them pass the value test, here are the areas I would live in if they came down to real-world prices:

Loxahatchee
Horse Country (Sunset-Bird-turnpike-137ave MD County)
Redland
Davie (certain parts)
West Homestead (away from city limits)

If there is more than 300 feet between homes and no homeowner's association, and all homes are on public streets I consider it a good neighborhood. A wacky tourist attraction or flea market is a huge +.

Tallrick's most hated :

Doral
Country Walk
Hialeah
Aventura

Southwest Ranches is at the top of the "would live in" list.

[chocolateandmusic]

Originally Posted by tallrick

Although none of them pass the value test, here are the areas I would live in if they came down to real-world prices:

Loxahatchee
Horse Country (Sunset-Bird-turnpike-137ave MD County)
Redland
Davie (certain parts)
West Homestead (away from city limits)

If there is more than 300 feet between homes and no homeowner's association, and all homes are on public streets I consider it a good neighborhood. A wacky tourist attraction or flea market is a huge +.

Tallrick's most hated :

Doral
Country Walk
Hialeah
Aventura

Southwest Ranches is at the top of the "would live in" list.

Oh yeah I hate those places! Especially Doral....I've been there and it's really...ugh...