Best place to live when working in Ft Lauderdale? (Fort Lauderdale: rental, home)

[ugotafrnd]

I may be moving to the Fort Lauderdale area to physically work in Ft Lauderdale. That being the case, with commuting in mind, where would be the best places or suburbs to consider purchasing a home, and to send two children to high school. Obviously, desire some place safe, with high quality schools and access to entertainment and recreational areas. Thanks in advance for any suggestions and guidance.

[compelled to reply]

What part of Ft. Lauderdale? If it's towards Downtown I would say either Davie (west of University Dr), Cooper City or Weston, if it's towards Cypress Creek area, than Parkland, Coral Springs or Boca.

Oh, and please don't buy a home right now. You lose no matter where you buy. Also, high quality schools depends strongly on where you are coming from. I have to say that each of the high schools around here have some kind of glaring flaw to them. For Cypress Bay in Weston it's the serious overcrowding, for Cooper City HS it's the facilities (improving) and also there is a lot of drugs, for Western HS (Davie) it's their building and facilities, for Stoneman Douglas in Parkland it's their overcrowding, and Coral Springs/Taravella/Coral Glades has a lot of "wannabe gangsters". In Boca schools, it's the rampant materialism. Those schools are all safe, have good teachers and staff, high levels of parental involvement and are far from disastrous, but also very very far from perfect. Davie probably has the friendliest students, Boca probably has the least crowded schools, and Weston probably has the highest level of parental involvement, and Cooper City has a balance.