Pompano address - good area?? (Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs: apartments, rental, crime)

[troycrystal]

SE 6th ave, pompano beach near Atlantic and 95. I believe the neighborhood is called Garden Isles. Anyone familiar with the area? Relocating from Texas with a 2 kids, 11 and 9yrs old.

[BrowardPB]

Originally Posted by troycrystal

SE 6th ave, pompano beach near Atlantic and 95. I believe the neighborhood is called Garden Isles. Anyone familiar with the area? Relocating from Texas with a 2 kids, 11 and 9yrs old.

This area is nice but tends to be victimized by those from less-off areas who would rather steal than earn, with many thoroughfares for which to make a quick escape. While the area is in close proximity to the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) Pompano district station, this can give a false sense of security, as on-duty deputies aren't just waiting at the station to respond to calls...They are generally out handling current calls and must be called in from elsewhere in the zone or surrounding zones when a response is needed. It would probably be a good idea to pull crime stats going back a few years for this particular area from the sheriff's office records department, and compare it to areas in Texas you're familiar with and comfortable with so you have an apples-to-apples comparison.

As for fire-rescue, although Pompano Beach Fire Rescue handles on-average more calls per unit than any other agency in the county, they have one of the best response times, and the nearest station (first due-in) to Garden Isles is co-located with BSO right across Cypress Road. However, it only takes one working structure fire to tie up most of the city, creating a potential mutual-aid situation and increased response times from outside cities after only a few more calls completely deplete the city's resources.

Public safety aspects aside, if you have a house on a canal in Garden Isles, you have ocean access...It's not "deep water" though, meaning there is at least one fixed bridge (the US-1/Federal Hwy bridge, and potentially the 6th Ter/11th Ave bridge if you choose a house behind it) between you and the ocean). Publix Supermarket is also right across Cypress Road, and there are many dining opportunities up and down Federal Hwy.

Don't have any kids, so maybe someone else can help out with the schools.

[sofla951]

^I wouldn't say it tends to be victimized......its pretty rare in my experience living in Garden Isles and also now Cypress Harbor. The canal system in the area makes it very maze-like and hard to get away quick unless you know the area very well.

[troycrystal]

Thanks for the advice. We are moving from Dallas in June and are considering a furnished vacation rental home for the summer to allow us time to find the perfect home. My daughter is a competitive gymnast and we need to be somewhat close to Coconut Creek. We really liked Parkland ( very similar to where we live now ) but we also like the feel of East Fort Lauderdale.

[Nolefan34]

The neighborhood is decent, but borders the rougher part of town. Once you go west of Dixie Highway, the neighborhood declines rapidly. The public schools in Pompano are subpar according to what I've heard on these boards. The rule of thumb is that the eastern half of Pompano Beach from Dixie Highway to the ocean is nice but the western half on the opposite side of Dixie Highway is dumpy, crime-ridden and dangerous in many parts.

I am a big fan of Eastern Pompano Beach. There is plenty of shopping, you're never more than a mile from the beach, and the housing costs are more affordable than Fort Lauderdale or other parts of Broward County. You also get an old-Florida feel as opposed to the generic Mediterranean cookie-cutter feel of much of the rest of South FL. The traffic isn't bad at all in Pompano compared to other parts. I-95 would be the exception as it gets jammed up during rush hours. But the local roads are easy to navigate. All streets are in a grid pattern. You can take back streets to avoid major highways.

Now, if schools are an issue I would strongly consider Coconut Creek or Coral Springs. The schools are better there from what I've heard. Coral Springs might be a little far west for your taste since you want to be close to the beach. But Coconut Creek isn't far.

[SierraDog]

We looked at homes in the area. What turned me off about the area is the prevalence of some seedy multifamily housing and apartments scattered in amongst the single family homes. The waterfront homes are desirable, but I am not a huge proponent of BSO's policing and we became aware of some crimes in these waterfront areas.
Recently, an American Airlines pilot was murdered in his waterfront home in the 700 block of Southeast Seventh Avenue,and that murder has not yet been solved.

If you like East Pompano, I would consider searching east of U.S. 1 if possible.

I spend a lot of time in Coconut Creek and I think it seems quite nice and family friendly, but definitely has a more sterile suburban feel.

[jwfla422]

Originally Posted by troycrystal

Thanks for the advice. We are moving from Dallas in June and are considering a furnished vacation rental home for the summer to allow us time to find the perfect home. My daughter is a competitive gymnast and we need to be somewhat close to Coconut Creek. We really liked Parkland ( very similar to where we live now ) but we also like the feel of East Fort Lauderdale.

Why not live in Coconut Creek? We've lived here for 17 yrs. While I don't love South FL because of a few "particular personal" reasons, I'd choose this area over East Pompano in a heartbeat. This is a nice neighborhood to raise a family, schools are pretty good in comparison to East Pompano. Parkland is probably even better. Much nicer area out here than East Pompano IMHO...unless you're going to live on the beach and send the kids to private schools I'd recommend this area.

[Nolefan34]

I agree with jwfla422. Coconut Creek is a much nicer family oriented area than Pompano Beach. While I am a big proponent of East Pompano, I would not want to raise a family there. It is better suited for young professionals, or couples just starting out with their first home, or retirees.

[ck33060]

I have lived in Garden Isles for 11 years and have had no issues with crime. It is a beautiful area and well maintained. I previously owned property and lived in Coconut Creek but moved after I kept smelling the dump trash site even when I had the air conditioning on. When it rained, the smell was intolerable. I would not move back there for that reason. I believe crime is higher in Coconut Creek than Garden Isles. Now is the time to buy in Garden Isles because the price of houses have dropped significantly.

[Nolefan34]

Pompano is a great area. But you have to admit, the houses are mostly older and smaller than the ones in Coconut Creek. Pompano Beach was built decades ago and Coconut Creek was more of an 80's/90's development. So in terms of "nice", Coconut Creek takes the cake over Pompano. But in terms of proximity to the beach, entertainment, coolness, etc. I'd award that to Pompano Beach.