Pretty certain I'm moving to Ft Lauderdale. Have questions (Jacksonville: crime rate, houses)

[jhlcomp]

I failed to mention that my property taxes are $4,000 a year. Example - let's say you buy a $250000 home which is quite modest by our standards. With homestead exemption of $25000, your taxes will be $3679. Check with your auto insurance to see what your rated will be. Base that on zip code 33326 (Weston) and see what it is.

[Nolefan34]

username>

You are correct that the area is very patchy. Most of Broward County is not dangerous. But there are many areas I'd call "seedy". There is above average crime here. Not bad in the murder department, but lots of mid-grade felony type stuff like car-jackings, burglaries, thefts, vandalism, robbery, assault, etc. There is also a high amount of drug activity due to our close proximity to Miami, the drug import capital of America for Cocaine.

The worst areas of Broward County to avoid are:
1. City of Fort Lauderdale- Sistrunk Blvd corridor, located in Northwest quadrant of the city between downtown and NW 31st Avenue.
2. Pompano Beach- Anything west of US1 and east of I-95, with a few exceptions.
3. Hollywood- Particularly the northern section around the US1 corridor between Hollywood Blvd and Griffin Road in Dania Beach.
4. Lauderhill/Lauderdale Lakes/North Lauderdale area- This is the northwest suburb of the city of Fort Lauderdale. Basically an extension of #1, but not quite as bad.
5. Miramar- East Miramar particularly, and the areas around the Broward/Dade County line that are west of I-95 can be really bad. The city of Miami Gardens, just across the county line was rated in the top-10 most violent cities in America this year.

These are just some sections of Broward County that are bad. The rest of the county isn't that bad, and there are some really nice suburbs. But it is very patchy as already mentioned. You can be in a great area one minute, then drive across a highway intersection and you're in a bad area.

[HowGoesIt]

I spent some time in Detroit a few years back and remember Grosse Pointe being a very nice town. A comparable area in south Florida would be Parkland or Boca Raton.

Just a warning on property tax down here, it's sky high. I have a coworker who has a McMansion in West Miramar (decent area, poor schools) and she pays $12,000/year. I'm not sure what her hurricane insurance is, but I imagine it's on the high side. Note: the further west you go, the lower the insurance is.

[compelled to reply]

This needs some correction.

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

username>

You are correct that the area is very patchy. Most of Broward County is not dangerous. But there are many areas I'd call "seedy". There is above average crime here. Not bad in the murder department, but lots of mid-grade felony type stuff like car-jackings, burglaries, thefts, vandalism, robbery, assault, etc. There is also a high amount of drug activity due to our close proximity to Miami, the drug import capital of America for Cocaine.

The worst areas of Broward County to avoid are:
1. City of Fort Lauderdale- Sistrunk Blvd corridor, located in Northwest quadrant of the city between downtown and NW 31st Avenue. - This should be second place
2. Pompano Beach- Anything west of US1 and east of I-95, with a few exceptions. - This needs to be changed to west of Dixie Hwy and north of Atlantic Blvd. This should also be number 1.
3. Hollywood- Particularly the northern section around the US1 corridor between Hollywood Blvd and Griffin Road in Dania Beach. -I would agree with this, including its ranking.
4. Lauderhill/Lauderdale Lakes/North Lauderdale area- This is the northwest suburb of the city of Fort Lauderdale. Basically an extension of #1, but not quite as bad. - Agree except that North Lauderdale isn't bad sans a couple of blocks. Anything that isn't an apartment there is fine.
5. Miramar- East Miramar particularly, and the areas around the Broward/Dade County line that are west of I-95 can be really bad. The city of Miami Gardens, just across the county line was rated in the top-10 most violent cities in America this year. You are confusing east Miramar with West Park/Pembroke Park. You transition into much better areas as you cross State Road 7. Miramar has crummy parts (Sherman Circle, RIGHT off of Pembroke Rd and RIGHT off of State Road 7 on the east side) and some ok sections with spillover crime issues (River Run, areas south of the turnpike), but the rest of the area is fair to downright nice. This definitely should be replaced by Pembroke Park/West Park/Carver Ranches.

These are just some sections of Broward County that are bad. The rest of the county isn't that bad, and there are some really nice suburbs. But it is very patchy as already mentioned. You can be in a great area one minute, then drive across a highway intersection and you're in a bad area.

This is misleading too. It's actually very simple, stay west of University Drive, it's the school districts that are a patchwork.

[username243]

Well an interesting turn of events emerged here. When confirming the location, I have been informed the same position is open in the Tampa office. I basically have my choice right now of Plantation, Tampa or Dallas. (I have no desire to go to Texas)

I'm thinking Tampa maybe a better option for me. The pros are it seems a little more laid back than south Florida. It's close to Lakeland which is a pro. It's closer to Orlando which I'm certain I'll be going to often when the kids become a little older. It still has the beaches. From what I've read it has a decent night life. Not much into "nightlife" but still like it occasionally. It's closer to Valdosta (I don't consider that a pro )

Am I off base with my assessment of Tampa? What are the pros of south Florida vs. Tampa?

[ruski]

Why is Lakeland a pro?

Personally I want to rip all my hair out when I drive on Forida's west coast.

Sure, traffic can be crazy on east coast, but everyone is way TOO laid back on the west side.

Beaches are quite nice in Tampa/Sarasota. Nicer and cleaner than east coast beaches. But no waves.

[username243]

Originally Posted by ruski

Why is Lakeland a pro?

Personally I want to rip all my hair out when I drive on Forida's west coast.

Sure, traffic can be crazy on east coast, but everyone is way TOO laid back on the west side.

Beaches are quite nice in Tampa/Sarasota. Nicer and cleaner than east coast beaches. But no waves.

Tigers spring training is in Lakeland.

I actually prefer smaller waves. I'm a novice boater and don't need to capsize.

[alwaystraveling25]

Originally Posted by username243

Tigers spring training is in Lakeland.

I actually prefer smaller waves. I'm a novice boater and don't need to capsize.

Hi Username,

I grew up in Metro Detroit (lived there for 22 of my 27 years) and I wanted to give you an honest comparison of Tampa and Fort Lauderdale to Metro Detroit.

I'm not exactly in the same boat as you (single gay guy here), but as a Michigan native I think I have a pretty good handle of how they compare. Think of South Florida as Metro Detroit: You have your Bloomfields/Troy/Rochester (Palm Beach County - WPB and Boca), your Royal Oak/Ferndale/Grosse Pointe - (Broward - Fort Lauderdale, surrounding suburbs, Intercoastal area) and finally your Detroit/GP (Miami-Dade - some really, really rough areas and some areas with homes in the millions of dollars).

I think you would like South Florida better (particularly Fort Lauderdale) because it has a similar pace of life to Metro Detroit. I have been on the "west coast" as the natives of Florida call the Gulf area to visit my uncle in Fort Myers/Naples and although it is a lot "newer" looking, it's a very slow pace of life and not very exciting. A good friend of mine (a single female) lives in Tampa and is okay with it, but she is bored a lot on the weekend since there is not a ton to do there (she's from Lansing, MI originally).

Think of South Florida as Metro Detroit and Tampa as more of a Grand Rapids or Lansing. There is stuff to do in Tampa, sure, but it's not the biggest nightlife/arts/restaurant/activity place in the state.

It makes sense for me to live here, given my situation, but it may make more sense for you to go to Tampa. Ask yourself: would I be happy living in Lansing? or Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids? If your answer is yes, go to Tampa. if your answer is no, Fort Lauderdale it is.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by alwaystraveling25

I have been on the "west coast" as the natives of Florida call the Gulf area to visit my uncle in Fort Myers/Naples and although it is a lot "newer" looking, it's a very slow pace of life and not very exciting.

I agree with you all, but just wanted to add that Tampa is a LOT different from Fort Myers and Naples, and is actually a lot OLDER looking than Ft. Lauderdale. Many areas in and around Tampa actually look like Michigan, and you can't say the same for really any area around Broward County. Tampa also has a lot more going on than the SW coast, and also more than Ft. Lauderdale independent of the rest of South Florida, for that matter.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by ruski

Why is Lakeland a pro?

Personally I want to rip all my hair out when I drive on Forida's west coast.

Sure, traffic can be crazy on east coast, but everyone is way TOO laid back on the west side.

Beaches are quite nice in Tampa/Sarasota. Nicer and cleaner than east coast beaches. But no waves.

In my experiences, Tampa/St. Petersburg drivers are FAST compared to the ones down here. South Florida is the land of left lane hogs doing 55 in a 70 zone, and people here creepy s-l-o-w-l-y from a green light, if they even go at all. In Tampa, it's not uncommon to have another driver logged up your ass as you go 70 in a 55 zone in the right lane, or have some quasi-redneck in a pickup truck ride your bumper from a stop light. Drivers in Tampa/St Pete drive very differently from points to the north and south, and tend to drive pretty aggressively!