Fort Lauderdale (Coral Springs, Plantation, Davie: real estate, low crime, mobile home)

[OceanBreezes]

My husband got a job on Las Olas Blvd. Where do most people live who work in Fort Lauderdale for good schools/family areas? Also, what is the commute like for those places?

[OceanBreezes]

My husband got a job in Fort Lauderdale on Las Olas Blvd. It seems that many neighborhoods in Fort Lauderdale have a long commute so we are considering living in Boca.

Do many people from Boca work in Fort Lauderdale? Is is possible to commute in 30 minutes?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by OceanBreezes

My husband got a job on Las Olas Blvd. Where do most people live who work in Fort Lauderdale for good schools/family areas? Also, what is the commute like for those places?

For families, most people live in either Weston, Cooper City, Davie, Coral Springs and (to a lesser extent) Plantation.

From Davie-15-25 minutes (remember, the west is best, also the west is farthest)
From Weston- 30 minutes
From Cooper City- 30 minutes
From Plantation- 15 minutes (schools, particularly middle and high, are inferior)
From Coral Springs- 35 minutes

Davie is somewhat becoming the new Coral Springs, Coral Springs schools have gone downhill and Davie schools have gotten signifigantly better. The middle schools are particularly well rated, but the whole system is pretty good. The high school is the safest in the county. The area also has a rural characteristic to it, with equestrian areas mixed in with the suburbia. It also has a lot of mobile home parks, but don't let it turn you off, you usually have good people living there thanks to the extensive background checks it takes to live in those mobile home parks.

Coral Springs was named the 10th safest city in the United States in 2006. I don't really believe it, but it has a nice clean appearance, some decent restaurants, and pretty good (although declining) schools. This area used to be the definition of "family suburb".

Weston is an newer upscale, planned city with a large population of affluent Spanish-speaking people.Proportionally the largest Hispanic population in Broward County, actually. The elementary schools and middle schools are some of the best, with Eagle Point Elem. even earning blue ribbon status from the U.S government. Overcrowded Cypress Bay High school runs a tight ship and a college-like environment, but with 5500 students and an enrollment cap, all new students moving into Weston get sent to Western High School in Davie.

Plantation is pretty to look at and relatively safe, but it's lacking in the full school package.

Cooper City is "suburbia USA". The area actually has a sense of community, almost a small town feel. Great all around school system.



All of these have pretty low crime rates, low levels of local traffic congestion, and obscenely expensive real estate.