Boca Raton FL vs Weston FL (Miami, Hollywood: real estate, apartments, townhomes)

[The561bro]

Are they both some of the wealthiest South Florida communities?

Which one would you prefer to live in?

[straight shooter]

They are both wealthy for the most part but I wouldn't say wealthiest. I prefer Boca out of the two, it is close to the beach among other things. Weston is to cookie cutter and monotonous for me. It is also very far west.

[ruski]

Weston doesn't have bad areas

[wizrap]

According to Wikipedia, Boca and Weston are practically even -- Boca is ranked 47th in the state in per capita income and Weston is ranked 50, with only $1000 separating the two (this was as per the 2010 census). Boca's per capita income was $45,628 and Weston's was $44,736. The richest city in Florida, and Palm Beach County, as a comparison, was Fisher Island, at $236,238. Jupiter Island was second, both in Palm Beach and the state, at $200,087. In Broward, the richest city was Oak Point, which is actually a census-designated area in Hollywood. It's per capita income was $86,225, good enough to be considered Florida's 12th wealthiest "city." Sea Ranch Lakes is the second wealthiest city in Broward County, with per capita income of $60,088, and that puts it in 27th place in the state. Sea Ranch Lakes is technically a "village."

[wizrap]

PS: I live in Weston and I love it. Very well run city. I enjoy visiting the beach, but I'm not much of a beach person where I have to be there every weekend. I see hawks, ospreys, woodpeckers, ibis and herons both in my neighborhood and in the parks. It's very beautiful here and I enjoy seeing nature amidst the suburbs.

[shamrockfisher]

I have lived and worked in both and each are excellent places to live. They are similiar in certain ways but also very different. As far as income or wealth, each area has its share of top 1% tax payers but charting that against other communities is always difficult. Both have middle class professionals and young or somewhat lower income earners as well as there are apartments and townhomes in each.
A family with young children would be happy and feel safe in each. Weston absolutely feels more inclusive or in a bubble when you are there due to its overall design throughout and lack of major roads or highways passing through it instead of near it, like the Sawgrass. Weston also has many activities, parks and sports leagues for children within arms reach to its residents.
Boca, being on the water and, in my opinion, with the best beach areas in South Florida is fantastic. Also, the bridges spanning the intercoastal waterway with boat ramps and inlet and the prescence of AIA, US-1, I-95 and the Turnpike all passing through it give it much more of a city feel than Weston. Although, incorporated, Weston to me feels more like a collection of cohesive neighborhoods that form a nice community rather than a fully serviced city.
Great schools and people in each but hands down I prefer Boca for all the extra options, business center, events, east location, and somewhat of an isolated feel from other areas north and south of its borders. I will add that it is a shock on most days to find yourself in manageble traffic in Boca compared to the rest of Broward and Dade County. Weston, of course, has very manageable traffic as well.
One more thing in comparison, Weston certainly has a much more prevalent hispanic influence so that may be a plus or minus for some. I do find Boca is surprisingly diverse and most ethnicities are represented in some fashion.

[ruski]

Originally Posted by wizrap

PS: I live in Weston and I love it. Very well run city. I enjoy visiting the beach, but I'm not much of a beach person where I have to be there every weekend. I see hawks, ospreys, woodpeckers, ibis and herons both in my neighborhood and in the parks. It's very beautiful here and I enjoy seeing nature amidst the suburbs.

I am the kind of a person where I have to be at the beach every single weekend, and I usually succeed at that.

And I prefer living in Weston and taking a ride to the beach.

[shamrockfisher]

Originally Posted by ruski

I am the kind of a person where I have to be at the beach every single weekend, and I usually succeed at that.

And I prefer living in Weston and taking a ride to the beach.

It is certainly doable from Weston whether you take 595 or the Sawgrass north and head east from there. The beaches from Boca to Hollywood/Hallendale, some of the best and most varied in Florida or I dare say, world, are more easily accessible from there than any beach trip for most of the residents of Miami who live in the suburbs. This fact is lost on most people who live in Miami and claim the water and beaches as one of the benefits of living in Miami.

I find where I live in Boca, however, east of 95, feels like living in a beach town. I am able to stop by the beach or ICW to fish this time of year or go to the beach and play with the kids, excerise, or even look for turtles hatching throughout the year, a less than 10 minute endeavor that we frequently utilize. For me personally, that is worth it's weight in gold, but Weston is a fantastic oasis to reside in as well and should not be eliminated as a place to live by saying it is too far west for weekend beach access.

[AlexRodriguez]

Both are wealthy communities. The difference between the two is that Weston is safer than Boca and as previously mentioned, Weston has no bad areas, whereas Boca has some not so good areas. Boca is closer to the ocean, but Weston is the best situated city in South Florida with 3 highways around it.

I live in Weston and recommend everyone to come and see what a great city Weston is.

Good luck!

[shamrockfisher]

Originally Posted by AlexRodriguez

Both are wealthy communities. The difference between the two is that Weston is safer than Boca and as previously mentioned, Weston has no bad areas, whereas Boca has some not so good areas. Boca is closer to the ocean, but Weston is the best situated city in South Florida with 3 highways around it.

I live in Weston and recommend everyone to come and see what a great city Weston is.

Good luck!

Weston is the best situated city in South Florida with 3 highways around it? Now you are pushing the envelope. 595 can be a nightmare to get into FTL. Where does I75 south take you? Pembroke Pines, Miramar? No winners there and then a 20 minute drive to Doral or even worse, the west side of Miami Dade. North on Sawgrass? 20 minutes north just to get to Coral Springs? Not much going on in between. West? Better have an air boat cause its all swampland, which by the way, Weston rules would not let you keep at your house.

Basically, you are within a 35 minute to an hour drive to most places in South Florida but not really close to anything including what most people desire most: The ocean water, beaches and best restaurants, shops and event places in South Florida. Good luck enjoying the Weston "town center" for entertainment or getting away from the dozens of pre-teens and teens with nowhere to go.

Bad areas in Boca, where? I've been here for years and never seen them. It is not like Miami or Lauderdale where the neighborhoods east are always next to bad areas or you have to drive thru bad areas to access the highways.

Obviously, you are comparing Weston to your experiences living in Dade but it is no match to Boca nor situated even remotely well. If anything, that is the most common complaint about Weston for people who consider it, it is too darn west, cookie cutter and boring. As a real estate agent you should be aware of that.