Possible Job in Miramar (Miami, Hollywood: rental, condo, crime)

[iamharley98]

I will hopefully be getting a job in Miramar but I have no idea where to live. I have 3 kids and need a 3 bedroom home. What are the good areas to live in and what are the areas to avoid. I am open to any commutable location. The rent has to be reasonable the job does not start out paying much.

Any thoughts thanks?

[westondailyphoto]

West Miramar, Pembroke Pines and Weston are all nice areas....

[compelled to reply]

Good- West Miramar (west of Red Rd)
west Pembroke Pines (West of University Dr but the further west the better)
Weston
Cooper City
west Davie (west of University Dr)

Meh (not great but nothing to be scared of)- East Pembroke Pines
Most of east Miramar
most of west Hollywood
most of east Davie

Bad- Pembroke Park, Dania Beach
Hallandale and Hollywood between US1 and I-95
Miramar between University Dr and Palm Ave doesn't look bad, but absorbs crime from Miami-Dade, also areas right at the fringe of Pembroke Rd, east of University are shady

It sounds spotty, but really it's as simple as staying west of University Dr (exception Miramar), although the schools are better as you head further west.

My personal ranking would be

1. Tie Weston/Cooper City
2. West Davie
3. West Miramar
4. West Pembroke Pines
...989899090. If you have kids, the rest.

These are ALL of the areas in Broward County that are within 30 minutes of Miramar. Traffic getting to any point in Miramar should not be an issue at any time, save for an occasional accident. Keep in mind that Miramar borders on Miami Gardens, one of the poorest, most crime ridden cities in the whole country. You will not want to live south of the Broward County line, save for maybe Miami Lakes which is attractive but expensive and lacking in the high schools.

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

1. Tie Weston/Cooper City
2. West Davie
3. West Miramar
4. West Pembroke Pines
...989899090. If you have kids, the rest.

What is the current reputation of the Hollywood Hills schools? One of my friends grew up there and graduated HS in the early 2000's... she always spoke of the schools as good there. Have the demographics changed or something? I always thought that area was very nice-looking on the residential sidestreets.

[compelled to reply]

The demographics are the same, that and Emerald Hills are both very nice looking. I think you could probably get a good education at any school, but "in general", that area is not known for it's schools. I think that the nicest parts of Hollywood are either the Oak Point/Emerald Hills area, or anything east of US1.

[dodiebee]

"Reasonable Rent" is relative. I lived in Broward County for 28 years, we experienced "sticker shock" when we were looking for a place to rent in 1978 (relocating from western PA). We now live in Valdosta GA and still can't believe how affordable it is compared to South FL. The rental rate for a single family home will run you alot more than a condo or townhouse. I agree with "compelled to reply" you should concentrate your search west of University Dr and north of Pembroke Rd. When our kids were school age we relocated from Miramar to Cooper City because of the schools. Pembroke Pines is more affordable, but, the schools are very crowded (at least they were 4 years ago). Hollywood has some very nice neighborhoods, but, also some less desirable areas. You really can't go wrong with Weston, but, it is not as close as your other options. My top recommendations are Cooper City (I'm biased), West Davie, West Pembroke Pines and West Miramar. THINK WEST!

[AttilaLaczko]

As a father of a young family, I am always thinking about their education. From what I have seen, the best bet for a family are Weston (all A-Rated schools from elementary through to high school), Cooper City has a similar situation. If you are considering Hollywood Hills and have the funds for a private school, check out Nativity - they are ranked 5th in the COUNTRY! First for math and science!!! Check out GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community.

Weston has planned communities, Cooper City and Hollywood - less so, especially Hollywood.

With the economy having taken a slide down, please be aware of how to make yourself less a victim of crime. Especially when it comes to smash and grabs. DO NOT keep belongings in the car, or in plain sight. Valuables should not be left in the car, and if you are going to store items in the trunk, try to get them in there before you are in public and displaying to a thief the contents of the trunk. One gentleman I know used his keyless device to open the trunk so that he and a partner could leave attache cases and the like. They came back from lunch and found the items stolen. The police officer told them that thieves are now tracking/capturing the frequency or signal from a keyless device and using them to open a car, the trunk!! The least affected people to crime are those that exercise best practices to keep from being easy targets.
I bring my laptop with me and sit it by my side!
Miramar is nice, west of I75, and you can look up the schools at the website I listed above. I like being closer to I75, I595, so Weston is my first choice.
Good luck!

[heydade]

I would avoid ALL AREAS of Miramar...except for antyhing WEST of SW 184 Avenue. That really is the only nice pocket in Miramar. BUT...the traffic heading east during rush hour in the morning from 184 ave past I-75 is pure gridlock....it will easily add 10 minutes into your commute time. That is the only drawback. I would try to purchase or rent in WEST DAVIE (West of Flamingo RD) Good luck !

[Lost in Translation]

Originally Posted by iamharley98

I will hopefully be getting a job in Miramar but I have no idea where to live. I have 3 kids and need a 3 bedroom home. What are the good areas to live in and what are the areas to avoid. I am open to any commutable location. The rent has to be reasonable the job does not start out paying much.

Any thoughts thanks?

Anything west of I-75 in Miramar or Pembroke Pines is good. But you have to be open to living next to people of all kinds of ethnic backgrounds. If you are non-hispanic caucasian, and you are not fond of diversity, then I'd stick with Cooper City or Davie.