Please tell me about the new Pembroke Pines... (Miami, Fort Lauderdale: fit in, rent)

[rkumar3]

From the above list Pembroke Falls will be my first choice. I like it because this way you don't have to deal with peak hour rush that you will face is GP or any other community that is on the west side of I-75. Not to mention it is a very well kept community with a very lavish club house, pools etc.

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Really LOL - the area you are talking about is the old Pembroke - the are I'm talking about is right next to Weston - but has everything like you said - I really liked it but I was only there for a few hours - I'm trying to imagine the getting robbed scenario. How could that happen, everything is gated and there is really no place to walk to. That is awful all the same.

I liked the diversity of the area! I loved Weston but there is nothing there. Where in Miami do you Live Princess? I liked that it was pretty central 25 minutes from Ft. Lauderdale and 30 minutes from Miami - the schools in the area that I was looking at were all rated very well. I'm hoping to get there to see what element comes out of the schools.

Chelsa ... Pembroke Pines is not right next to Weston .. they are at least 6- 7 miles apart . Weston is nicer , more upscale and has better schools IMO .. when we lived in Weston we rarely ventured into Pembroke Pines except to the Muvico every once in a while or a Cuban restaurant that we liked on Pines Blvd . Pembroke Pines is nice and in some areas just as aethestically pleasing as Weston or Parkland .... but you have a thug element in some areas that you do not have in Weston ... you also have a large Cuban population that you do not have in Weston ... not saying that is good or bad , but when I am in Pembroke Pines it sometimes feels like I am in Miami .... I leave it up to you to tell me if that is good or bad ?

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by fauve

The idea with Pembroke Pines is to try to stay west of 75 and get your kids in the lottery program. My husband taught in the charter middle school the first year it was opened and not impressed, but it was their first year. Ive never heard another negative thing about the place.

We lived in Grand Palms for 5 years. You get a LOT more house for the money and similar surroundings to Weston Hills Country Club in GP, and this is how we ended up there. We moved FROM Weston in the Ridges. Ironically, the people who bought our house were also from the Ridges.

Both areas are heavily Hispanic, but I would say that Pembroke Pines very generally speaking is Hispanic from Dade County (2nd generation middle class Cubans) and Weston is Hispanic from South America (primarily Venezuela) and probably more upper class. GP was somewhat of an exception to this rule, as it seemed more Anglo (Jewish) and South American on whole. Older areas of Weston and the new Pembroke Pines (like GP and Chapel Trail) have more of an Anglo presence due to the large shift from Dade County in the early 90's following Hurricane Andrew.

I would highly recommend Grand Palms because of one simple reason - it is right next to 75 and the commute from the western reaches to 75 can be a nightmare in the morning. If you do end up in downtown Miami, Pembroke Pines will shave ten minutes from your commute as opposed to Weston and you would save at least another ten to fifteen minutes by living in GP. I commuted there and it took me 45 minutes, though this was before P Pines was fully built out.

Last thought. House-price wise, Western Miramar must be a buyer's paradise right now. It is also another exit closer to Miami... Western Miramar would definitely be 2nd generation Cuban on whole.

Good post and I agree with everything you state .. except I believe that Weston still has a much higher white non hispanic presence than Pembroke Pines and much of it is Jewish from the NE .. and yes you are correct with the heavy South American presence ... but many of the Venezuelans have moved out , having gotten themselves over their heads and you are now seeing more non hispanic whites as well as Colombians , Argentines , Brazilians and wealthier Mexicans in Weston . I always felt that Weston was simply a nicer , safer more upscale area than Pembroke Pines .

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

Pembroke Pines is just south of Weston. It is nice as long as you stay west. The eastern areas of PP are not as upscale as the western areas. Schools are better in the west also. PP is less expensive than Weston, even in the more upscale western parts of PP.

IMO Weston makes an easier commute to Fort Lauderdale, but PP makes an easier commute to Miami. For couples that have one person working in each location PP is pretty nice. It is heavily Hispanic in the western areas (as is Weston).

I don't like PP because it is very congested. However, for those looking for a little bit more house for the same money the western area of PP might make a nice home. It's also closer to Miami if that matters. There are some nice developments in the western parts of PP. The eastern part is pretty icky.

Also a good post ... yes Weston is also very hispanic .. but I simply always found the hispanic population in Weston to be better educated and more affluent then in Pembroke Pines .. we had great neighbors from Argentina , Venezuela and Colombia when we lived there .. while Pembroke Pines seems to be more mono culture ( Cuban ) .. I also never saw the many hispanic youth ghetto wannabees in Weston that I saw in Pembroke Pines . Again I simply feel that Weston is a better investment and a better place to raise a family .

[Raffeer]

[quote=MisterNY;13312130]

Grand Palms (so so. One of the first communities built there). I don't like the fact that it's a one entrance, one exit place. Feels too confined imho.


That one 24 hour manned entrance may well be why GP has had, by far, the lowest incidents of crime of the communities west of 75. GP also has two fire roads (only fire dept has access).

[Shoegal1075]

Pembroke Falls? I'll have to check that out - the real issue I have is I don't know what you mean by east or west - I haven't acclimated myself to the area yet, but I don't want to get to know the area much better. I mean the part that I was looking at east of I75 was not far enough east that it should be a problem. I looked at the apartment complex Falls of Pembroke - would that be east or West? The complex was gorgeous but the reviews not so great. So that everything is in perspective guys remember that I am coming from NYC (Woodside) - not a horrible place as far as element but not a pretty place - I don't want to live in a pretty place with horrible people. That is the very distinct difference I find with New York and Florida. Funny that Compelled and Mister mentioned Section 8 because that was the first question I asked people when I was looking at their complex and you had to see their faces - I thought they wanted to die. I'm sorry if that is offensive, but I want to be around people who take pride in the money they are spending whether for rent or ownership. Furthermore, what is wrong with these owners - why would they rent to suspect people? I wouldn't rent to people I didn't think were going to take care of my place.

[Shoegal1075]

Originally Posted by Rock Newman

Chelsa ... Pembroke Pines is not right next to Weston .. they are at least 6- 7 miles apart . Weston is nicer , more upscale and has better schools IMO .. when we lived in Weston we rarely ventured into Pembroke Pines except to the Muvico every once in a while or a Cuban restaurant that we liked on Pines Blvd . Pembroke Pines is nice and in some areas just as aethestically pleasing as Weston or Parkland .... but you have a thug element in some areas that you do not have in Weston ... you also have a large Cuban population that you do not have in Weston ... not saying that is good or bad , but when I am in Pembroke Pines it sometimes feels like I am in Miami .... I leave it up to you to tell me if that is good or bad ?

I'll have to get back to you on whether it is better or worse - I don't know the area well enough and I know very little about the cubans. Weston is beautiful Rock I think more beautiful than any town/city I have been in Broward, but it is kind of annoying thinking that I would have to go to Plantation or Davie or Pembroke Pines to do all that I want when I could live in one of those areas that are nice. Now, keep in mind where I am coming from, everything right now looks beautiful to me. There are obvious places where things don't look great in SE Fl, but I don't think anyone would drive by the places I looked at and say "oh, this place looks like crap!" I still have more visits to make before any decision making is done. I was just pleasantly surprised by a place I had never considered before. The convenience of the area is very appealing and for the most part the people that I dealt with there, felt like what I deal with her in NY/woodside/astoria/jackson heights. People who don't necessarily make a ton of money but are definately comfortable and down to earth. I don't want to be looked at funny because I have my Salsa playing while I'm cleaning, I don't want to be judged because I yell at my kids. You get my drift. It felt very middle america. I could certainly be wrong, some more visits will tell me that. I still want to visit Cooper City and who knows after all of this Weston may still be the place I go. Thanks for all of the notes though. This is so very helpful and what I need because this is what you don't see.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

I'll have to get back to you on whether it is better or worse - I don't know the area well enough and I know very little about the cubans. Weston is beautiful Rock I think more beautiful than any town/city I have been in Broward, but it is kind of annoying thinking that I would have to go to Plantation or Davie or Pembroke Pines to do all that I want when I could live in one of those areas that are nice.

One of the things that I love about Weston is precisely that there are no large commercial malls here. Pines and Plantation do have all the large big box stores, but they also have all the congestion and nonsense that goes along with that.

Everything you need on a daily basis is right here in Weston. You don't have to leave Weston to have a meal or to buy groceries. There really are some advantages to living somewhere and letting the nearby cities deal with the affects of over commercialization.

[Shoegal1075]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

One of the things that I love about Weston is precisely that there are no large commercial malls here. Pines and Plantation do have all the large big box stores, but they also have all the congestion and nonsense that goes along with that.

Everything you need on a daily basis is right here in Weston. You don't have to leave Weston to have a meal or to buy groceries. There really are some advantages to living somewhere and letting the nearby cities deal with the affects of over commercialization.

Your absolutely right - it is all just so much to take in LOL - I have to really see what I want out of things and then go from there, but it is nice to know that I still have some options.

[MisterNY]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Funny that Compelled and Mister mentioned Section 8 because that was the first question I asked people when I was looking at their complex and you had to see their faces - I thought they wanted to die. I'm sorry if that is offensive, but I want to be around people who take pride in the money they are spending whether for rent or ownership. Furthermore, what is wrong with these owners - why would they rent to suspect people? I wouldn't rent to people I didn't think were going to take care of my place.

Cause they knew well and clear they could not afford both places. They figured they'd rent it to the Section 8 crowd, since the gov't would foot the bill. Greedy, slimy people like that just irk me..

Best advice I can give you is to come again, have a plan to visit all the areas we mentioned (if you have time), and see for yourself.

What ones likes about Weston or Pembroke Pines, another can dislike. It'll boil down to you and your likes/tastes. Good Luck!!