Someone knows the BEST neighborhoods in Ft Lauderdale? (Miami, Coral Springs: housing, rent)

[bostonbaby]

After hearing all this threads about Miami, I decided we are going to the north! Someone knows the best neighborhoods in Ft Lauderdale?
A schools, close to the beach, cute houses, safe for our boys? Please please tell me names since I live in Boston is hard to research! Thanks

[prosperitypreacher]

you are making the right decision as ft lauderdale and broward is really the suburbs of miami.you are still close to the city but not with as much crime and nonsense.Broward has a better element of people.

[lorenzo_w2000]

depends on your price range.... the best areas would be Weston, Parkland, parts of Plantation, parts of Coral Springs.... for the most part, the further west the better.

[vvolin]

I am not sure I would consider FTL suburbs of Miami, but it is nothing personal, just an opinion. FTL has quite a different character from Miami. It lacks the Latino feel and the international appeal. It is a little less chaotic, less of a party animals as compared to its neighbor. FTL can be different depending of where you live. The beach corridor is beautiful. Victoria Park and Coral Ridge have good elementary schools (it all comes down to middle school, though). Virginia Shuman Young Montessori Magnet is in Victoria Park, but it is a lottery and you can get in also if you live in other towns in Broward County. Away from the beach, you can still find decent public schools (they say...) in Weston, Parkland, Coral Springs. You loose the beach, which to me is the main attraction here. But you buy more house than along the coast, which can be cost prohibitive to most people. Hollywod has very nice neighborhoods along the intracoastal, then it gets a little rougher west of I-95. But remember: it is all relative. What may look rough to me, may not be at all to someone else. We all have different standards. What I provided you with is information based on my standards. I expect a lot in terms of schools (in fact I chose private) and I can not stand the more western side of Broward County, with its gated communities, huge mansions, anonymous strip malls, entire neighborhoods sitting on land that was Everglades not long ago (although I live on top of mangrove soil....) I rather live in a smaller house on the intracoastal than lose myself in an eternal sequence of identical neighborhoods out west. As for safety, unless you live in a gated community you will not find it for your children in South Florida.

[lauralei2]

Check out Cooper City, located in southwest Broward. We have wonderful schools and we are a small city. We have many different lovely communities with some gated neighborhoods. I personally don't live in a gated one, though. Careful though, the new housing being built on the old Waldrep Dairy called "Montxrra" is extremely close to high tension wires and the fuel line to Miami Intl Airport runs right through it.

http://coopercityfl.org/

[WallyCleaver]

Unless your gay Ft. Lauderdale is a NO-GO (although I do all my grocery shopping there because it takes me more time to get out of a Miami grocery store). Unless your stupid Dade is a NO-GO.
Sodom and Gomorrah.

[tallrick]

I vote for southwest ranches, or something west of highway 27. Too bad it's all super bubble priced!

[WallyCleaver]

Sorry for the negativity. It becomes a reflex in Dade. I've ceased to use my turn signals or yield to pedestrians....

[lauralei2]

Originally Posted by tallrick

I vote for southwest ranches, or something west of highway 27. Too bad it's all super bubble priced!

Nothing but a mobile home park west of Highway 27 in Broward, though....and the Everglades.

I agree, Southwest Ranches is nice, but most people are priced out of that area though.

[belladee]

sure southwest ranches is the place to be if you can afford it. There is land out there so it gets really expensive.

Try cooper city or pembroke pines (west of university) it is still pricy there but not as bad. Like 400-500K. Davie and plantation are also nice.

Weston is also great. (that is where I would move my family if I could afford it) same price as above