Is Broward County That Bad??

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

compelled-

I never said that Miramar was "bad", I just said to avoid it. You seem to be confusing my post with others. You paint Miramar with such a pretty brush, but I have driven through on many occasions and it is not very nice. Sure there are some nicer sections with gated communities the further west you go, but those are the newer commuties out further by I-75. Everything east of Red Rd. is seedy. Its not just Miramar either, it extends eastward to Hollywood and Miami Gardens.

And for the life of me I cannot understand why someone would want to live so far west out in west Miramar. It is at least 22 miles to commute to Fort Lauderdale and probably 30 miles to downtown Miami.

About Plantation, I wasn't taking into account the schools. But otherwise, Plantation is a very nice suburb. Its not fake looking like Weston with all of the gated communities. But it has more natural beauty to me. Also there is a mall, easy access to highways, and is the most centrally located suburb in Broward being so close to Fort Lauderdale. The houses tend to be larger and so do the lots. Not sure what "mixed" areas you are referring to. I did acknowledge that eastern Plantation has some sketchy neighborhoods as I already outlined. But those are far east. The rest of Plantation is very nice and very middle-class.

What is "fake looking " ... please explain .. is it clean , green , manicured , safe and orderly ... I lived in Weston for four years and loved it ... now I live in a similar place called Parkland , which I guess is also "fake looking " in some eyes .. again please explain ... and I also love gated communities and after living in three over the past twelve years ... Valencia , CA .. Weston and now Parkland I would not have it any other way ..... I could swear that I have seen gated communities in Plantation as well ... are these also "fake looking " .... just curious ?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

compelled-

I never said that Miramar was "bad", I just said to avoid it. You seem to be confusing my post with others. You paint Miramar with such a pretty brush, but I have driven through on many occasions and it is not very nice. Sure there are some nicer sections with gated communities the further west you go, but those are the newer commuties out further by I-75. Everything east of Red Rd. is seedy. Its not just Miramar either, it extends eastward to Hollywood and Miami Gardens.

And for the life of me I cannot understand why someone would want to live so far west out in west Miramar. It is at least 22 miles to commute to Fort Lauderdale and probably 30 miles to downtown Miami.

Some detail issues (Hallandale is to the east and Miami Gardens is to the south), but fair point, east of Red Rd is not top notch. I just saw the area being listed next to NW Ft. Lauderdale and places like that, when I think the "mixed" list is more fair. As far as the location, the west side has an advantage if someone works in Miramar proper, Doral or Hialeah (turnpike extension), or downtown Miami for that matter (turnpike extension to 95 express). East Miramar, while not exactly a top choice place, is also safer than other areas that you could pick up a home for under 150k. Weston and Cooper City are undoubtedly better options, however, but it really all just depends on where you work and how much you have to pay.

About Plantation, I wasn't taking into account the schools. But otherwise, Plantation is a very nice suburb. Its not fake looking like Weston with all of the gated communities. But it has more natural beauty to me. Also there is a mall, easy access to highways, and is the most centrally located suburb in Broward being so close to Fort Lauderdale. The houses tend to be larger and so do the lots. Not sure what "mixed" areas you are referring to. I did acknowledge that eastern Plantation has some sketchy neighborhoods as I already outlined. But those are far east. The rest of Plantation is very nice and very middle-class.

There are shoddy apartments mixed with with nice homes right down 5th St east of University, and also many areas that resemble the areas I addressed in the first paragraph. This area is also stones throw from Deepside, which really isn't that far east. Since the eastern areas of Plantation are a little inconsistent and close to Deepside, you could be surprised at the level of property crime that occurs in that area. I do agree that the level of "natural beauty" to be found in this part of Plantation in particular is higher than Weston other newer areas, and the charm comes with age. The area with the original "Plantation" style mansions along Cypress Rd is probably my favorite looking area in west Broward. West of University is mostly 1980s built stuff and looks just like any upper middle class area in west Broward except with more trees. Maybe less plastic looking than Weston or west Miramar, but not that much. What is advantageous though is that there are a few communities without homeowners associations. My point being is that parts of Plantation are appealing, but so is Davie right across 595, yet that lands the "mixed" list.

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[harttogo]

West Miramar, west of the I-75 is beautiful. Check it out around the new county park on 172 Ave. I`ve been told that honeyhill rd in Dade will never have a north-south road allowing auto access into Miramar.

[SoFlaLEO]

Originally Posted by thrillobyte

Looking at the map, I see Coral Springs in the north, Miramar to the south, Weston to the (surprise) west, and Hollywood to the east. What areas are these segments likely being shot in? Better question, what areas harbor the most crime & drugs? Doubtful Fort Lauderdale, Pompano & Deerfield Beach.

Google Image Result for http://www.broward.org/greenways/images/map/Municipalities_map.jpg

Weston is rich/upscale.

Don't go EAST of the turnpike if you're in Plantation (other than that little area its also very upper middle class)

Sunrise has a mix of nice and ghetto.. hard to say wheres where they're doing a lot of re-zoning.. buying up trailer parks and such.

Davie.. Don't go downtown its slumsvile if you leave Davie rd. but the surrounding areas are fairly wealthy.

Cooper City is upper/middle class.. but theres so many rich spoiled kids that they get into drugs and crime anyways and think they're thugs.

Coral Springs is a nice area.. don't know much about it dont go up that way.

[heydade]

Originally Posted by eger

I lived in what I call the "real" Miramar for 18 years (1976- 1994) until they started building out West. I was held up at gunpoint twice, jumped by a gang, had my house broken into and car stolen. That was the icing on the cake that caused my parents to sell their house. Miramar and Pines have changed for the worst over the years.

They cleared out Pompano right off MLK and Powerline road, removed all of the crack houses, and built new section 8 communities. Unfortunately a lot of the overflow started creeping into North Broward. I remember when the only bad area of Coral Springs was Riverside Dr/Woodside Dr. near Sample Rd. Because of the large amount of rental communities (some that have moved to section 8) Coral Springs has been on the decline. I don't think Parkland will ever have these issues due to the small amount of rental communities within the city.

Eger...I keep telling people about Miramar, but some insist that Miramar is still nice. It's not and west of Red Road leaves nothing to be desired as well. Only west of SW 184 ave is true care-free living. And that is a relatively small pocket. That is the only place I would live in Miramar....west of 184 ave.

[heydade]

Originally Posted by harttogo

West Miramar, west of the I-75 is beautiful. Check it out around the new county park on 172 Ave. I`ve been told that honeyhill rd in Dade will never have a north-south road allowing auto access into Miramar.

Westbound honeyhill road is Miramar's turf...eastbound is Miami-Dade county turf. Honeyhill runs east/west, not north/south. Honeyhill road empties out into DOT/Turnpike land at the end of the community of Viscaya in Miramar....another hell hole full of thugs/home invasions, theft, assaults...you name it, Viscaya breeds it ! I used to live in Viscaya in 2001-2002. I moved out and have not looked back since. That was the best decision I could have made from a safety standpoint.

West Miramar has some areas I would not move into. Monarch Lakes overall is very nice. These are the developments off Monarch Lakes BLVD..which runs west from Flamingo Road and empties out into Miramar Parkway at SW 136 Ave. Trilogy is also decent...this is off Pembroke RD west of Flamingo (although the water plant gives off some nasty smells depending on the wind). Nautica (main entrance of Miramar Pkwy and another off SW 172 ave) has some shady areas in it. Riviera Isles off of 172 ave has some shady areas as well....foreclosures did a nasty beating to this area. Many of the homes are inhabited my renters that don't care of the home or the surrounding area. Silver Shores off of Dykes north of the parkway....again, some shady areas. I for one would NOT live there. Silver lakes off SW 178 ave is so-so. Most of the nicer areas of Silver Lakes are actually to the north in the Pembroke Pines section of Silver Lakes. Hunington off SW 148 Ave and Lakeside Drive...that entire large quadrant...behind the Humana building....is decent. This is the nicest area in Miramar that is technically east of I-75...if you had to live east of I-75. The newest addition is Sunset Falls which is across from Sunset Lakes. You can get to it from SW 172 Ave or SW 184 Ave. Very nice....but I was in the area not too long ago, and I literally saw about 4-6 cars on cement blocks with the rims missing. I am not exaggerating. That's just some of Miramar for you to consider.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by heydade

Eger...I keep telling people about Miramar, but some insist that Miramar is still nice. It's not and west of Red Road leaves nothing to be desired as well. Only west of SW 184 ave is true care-free living. And that is a relatively small pocket. That is the only place I would live in Miramar....west of 184 ave.

I think that if someone worked for Pembroke Pines, Cooper City, Parkland, Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach, or really any other city good or bad, they probably would be somewhat jaded because they know EVERYTHING bad that occurs within city limits. Low crime does not mean no crime. If a city with 100,000 people has two burglaries a day or if there is a robbery once every three days, that's actually pretty good compared to average. Point being, even a "safe" city has some crime going on. I seriously doubt the "average" person in west Miramar is going to be frequented by armed thugs or even burglars. It's no worse than Pembroke Pines, Plantation, or honestly the majority of the US. Still, there are safer communities, like Weston, Cooper City, Parkland, etc, but they are in a different price point. Even in those areas though, where the "rate" of crime is lower, the fact is that once every day or two, somebody is probably getting burglarized somewhere in these cities. This isn't just South Florida; it's pretty much the same way in most US urban and suburban communities.

About Viscaya, yes, that is a crappy community, and it makes sense considering it's extremely isolated location right on the county line.

[lauderhillnative]

you have to know that most "reality shows" are scripted.

[franktank232]

Is Lauderdale Lakes ghetto? I noticed that they park cop cars in front of the SuperWalmart there and that i accidentally drove over a piece of a shopping cart (sorry rental car).

[SoFlaLEO]

hahahaha we were just talking about Lauderdale Lakes last night.. if you want action get posted in LL.