Married Lesbian looking to move - advice please

[Mr. Lee]

I would agree on Wilton Manors, that it is definitely worth looking at to see if it might be a better fit as far as shopping etc. Las Olas is more high end and WM is more of a hometown feel with many more stores to shop in and homes for less money.

[regal1]

Welcome AjMed,
I do hope you were not turned off, or offended by the people here In the States, because of the RUDE Reply you received from the the first person that replied. Majority of us here are quite nice, and cool.
I have done a 2 year investigation and research about which area to buy a home in South Florida, which would be Gay friendly for my Partner and I. Everyone's response right away when they hear you are Gay is to move to Wilton Manors. Not bad advice, but just because it happens to be the Gay Mecca, doesn't mean it's the only area to live in if you happen to be Gay. My extensive search has lead me to much info about area's which would be accommodating and friendly to the gay people. I also have made some excellent close friends which have been kind enough to supply me with their personal input and trusted info about the people in the areas that would be best for the Gay community.
I had been advised that the area's that surround Wilton Manors would be a good investment because of the expanding Gay population that is migrating to the area, especially individuals within the age range of 35-55 years old.
Wilton Manors is rather overpriced and expensive because of it's name and reputation as being the Gay Mecca, but the surrounding area's are very affordable and people on a budget who wish to be near Wilton Manors are buying homes in those surrounding neighborhoods.
I personally have had to limit my price range due to financial circumstances, and was willing to spend up to 140,000 dollars. But I found a beautiful home for 98,000 dollars. The area's that I have researched and studied which would be best suited for those who are Gay and wish to live amongst liberal individuals are the following:
1- Oakland Park- got to be careful because currently going through gentrification, and eventually will be the next WM
2-North Andrews Gardens- North of Oakland Park
3-Victoria Park- South of Wilton Manors, but must be careful about sections and area's that border for safety
4-Coconut Creek- very nice, cool area, not that far from WM
5-Palm Aire- also nice, but need to check out sections
6- Tamarac- my personal favorite-because that is where I have found my home, and is exactly 4 miles from Wilton Manors, so this way I can enjoy going to the Gay Mecca, but not being immersed in it 24/7 because I am not into clubbing and partying, but when you just want to chill and hang out, its so close to be free and chill with your own kind and whoever else wishes to enjoy the community of people that hang out in Wilton Manors. It is nice though, when you have had your fun of dinning, walking around, and shopping you can go to your home away from the Gay Mecca-Wilton Manors an chill. I have already found out that there are 42 Gay couples that own homes within my neighborhood, an its growing, because of the affordability and the close proximity to Wilton Manors.
If you would need any further assistance please feel free to contact me and will try and help you out as best as possible.
CHEERS
Regal1

[AjMed]

Originally Posted by regal1

I do hope you were not turned off, or offended by the people here In the States, because of the RUDE Reply you received from the the first person that replied.....
If you would need any further assistance please feel free to contact me and will try and help you out as best as possible.
CHEERS
Regal1

Thank you so much for your lovely response.
I've not been turned off, I value (nearly) all the responses I've had. I've found them to be very helpful.

My wife and I have a realtor that told us that she thought Tamarac was too suburban for us as we'd really like to be in walking distance of shops and cafes. I was interested in Tamarac as the synagogue is there. I'm not religious, but I thought it would be nice to be able to visit there from time to time.

Las Olas seems very expensive and on reflection, we'd rather have a family single over a condo. WM isn't out of our price range (although we've only looked at photos so far) and we'll be viewing properties in the last week of May.

Dania Beach has a lesbian bar but our realtor said there's not much happening in that area.... I suppose we'll just have to visit and see for ourselves.

Thank you again for your help, I really value the information.

[regal1]

Hello AjMed,
My partner and I are Jewish, are traditional followers, and that is what we liked about Tamarac and the close proximity to Synagogues and 4 miles to Wilton Manors. I do hope that when you are here you will check out and drive through Tamarac, because I personally believe that it will be a lovely community filled with GLBT individuals, and many others who are Straight/hetero, and open minded individuals who don't have to live in a area with everyone being labeled. I wish I could arrange to meet you when you are here, but will be in New York, finishing up business on the selling of my home in NY, and wont be back until June. Either way I hope you keep in touch and would love to know what you decide, and hope we can meet, and hopefully have you over for Rosh Hashanah, and prepare you a lovely authentic traditional festive Meal.
As for K9Veteran, I don't know what you are trying to convey in your message, because it sounds like a intimidating expression of dislike. Gay flags are not used to attract and signal other Gays to hang out and party, or to tell straight people to beware that there are Gays here so enter at your own risk. I know many people who are straight and supportive and they display the Gay flag proudly as support, but not for attracting or defining that this is a Gay Zone.
Don't really understand your point either on the Versace Murder, and Gay on Gay crime and that the area is not 100% safe. There are no places in this World, leave alone the USA that can be called 100% safe, and the rate of crime concerning killings of person by another person seems to be straight on straight murders, and the incidence of heterosexual Men killing there ex-wives, and children seems to be growing tremendously high as well.
In summary, murders, killings, and crimes cannot and should not be classified in categories defined by sexuality, unless its a HATE CRIME.
Great Day To All
regal1

[Don163]

To Aj Med: in your original post one of your requirements was the proximity of services that you'd be able to walk to, is gay gay friendly , with 300k as your upper limit. If you live close to Wilton Drive, the main commericial area for the city, you'd be able to walk to nearly all of your everyday needs: doctor, dentist, supermarket, bars, restaurants , hair cutter, etc. There's no other place in Broward County that offers as compact an area providing all these services all with easy walking distance of each other (Las Olas included). As far as being gay friendly, Wilton Manors has a gay mayor and gay majority city council including a lesbian. The last census ranked it 2nd behind Provincetown MA in the numer of same sex households. There are a number of women owned businesses ( restaurants, bars, shops) where you will be able to meet other lesbians. Also as another writer mentioned the Pride Cener is only a few blocks east of Wilton Dr. Finding a single family one under 300k may be a challenge. Take a look at real estates web sites and you'll get a clearer picture of home prices in the area. A nice single family home in Wilton Manors will most likely be in the 350-450 k range. A nice single family close to Wilton Drive will almost certainly be in that range. Condos and townhomes will be less expensive and can easily be found for 160k and up. Good luck with your search.

[Schnauz]

I am a professional lesbian in my 30's also, me and my partner have been together almost 7 years and we like it here. You will also. You don't have golive right in Wilton Manors, we live in Plantation... depending on what you are looking for you can live in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Riverside, Victoria Park or something rue suburban like Plantation. Wilton Manors is a fe minutes away if we ever feel "gay". There are lots of nature/outdoor things to do and overall it is a nice little area.

[HellaGoose]

I would also recommend Coconut Grove or South Miami as other options for you...lgbt friendly areas with lots of shops, but not the craziness of South Beach. Wilton Manors as others have suggested may also fit the bill. I would also check out Lake Worth and Delray Beach in Palm Beach County...Lake Worth has a bit more of a quirky vibe.