Pinecrest vs Weston (Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Kendall: HOA fees, private school, gated communities)

[newyork47]

Yes, I was thinking of the private schools Pinecrest up in Ft Laud and Ramson down by Pinecrest.

Originally Posted by Sugah Ray

I think the poster is talking about private schools so they are considering living in Weston and sending their kids to Pine Crest or living in Pinecrest and sending them t Ramson. He has the spelling right.

OP Pinecrest is an older neighborhood and most homes are not gated. Pinecrest is closer to the coast(no beaches though) Weston is a younger neighborhood and it is extremely gated and cookie cutter. Also Weston is right next to the Everglades.

I think Pinecrest has more character but gated communities are always safer. The commute to Weston is a almost twice the commute to Pinecrest

[himain]

Originally Posted by newyork47

Yes, I was thinking of the private schools Pinecrest up in Ft Laud and Ramson down by Pinecrest.

Again OP, what is your budget for a house?? This will answer the question and then we can truly help you

[newyork47]

I will be selling my home up in NY suburbs, so I will have a budget of 800-900K. NOTE: all my info is coming from the internet and real estate sites. I hear there has been a big migration of English speaking families to the northern suburbs. I was thinking about private schools because I heard the public schools in SouFl are questionable. Weston does seem cookie cutter but the homes seemed cheaper and the communities appear more family oriented and safe. Pinecrest seems to have more diverse architecture. Seems closer to Doral (where the job is at) But does Pinecrest or the surrounding neighborhoods have a family-community environment? Moving down to Fla will be a big change for my family and I want them to be able to fit into the community. While some may think it is cookie cutter, Weston seems to be family oriented. Does Pinecrest have that vibe where neighbors know each other? Would be nice to have a commute under 45 minutes though I heard traffic is a nightmare.

[newyork47]

Thank you all for your suggestions and feedback!

Originally Posted by JacobMAX

First off, regarding the beachside neighborhoods; they're generally not family friendly and I would certainly not recommend it to a family from out of state with two teens, except possibly Surfside, Bal Harbour, Key Biscayne and probably the Lagorce/41st St area on Mid-Beach (Miami Beach) in Miami-Dade, and in Broward none really (the ones there would be too far).

The commute to Weston would not be great at all, but completely doable. To Pinecrest and neighboring areas would be less and generally okay.

Summing up, generally I'd recommend either the S Dixie Hwy/SE Dade area (that would be most of Coral Gables, most of South Miami, Glenvar Heights, Pinecrest, East Kendall and Palmetto Bay - all quite nice, family friendly, reasonable commutes, and okay regarding speaking only English - although anywhere in Dade (and SoFL) Spanish would be helpful and necessary, but necessary only in a few areas really). Now, SW Broward (that'd be Weston, as cited, plus West Pembroke Pines, most of Cooper City, most of West Miramar (west of the I-75), and also parts of West Davie - all as good if not better than the areas I noted here in Dade).

[ruski]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

In all fairness, have you been to Pinecrest? Weston is a good area to live in but Pinecrest is the obvious choice for someone who does not like "cookie cutter".

Was that one of the OP requirements?

Someone else brought up cookie cutter issue and I am just defending Weston a little bit, because it is a beautiful cookie cutter

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by newyork47

New Yorker who is thinking about accepting a new job in Doral. Family with two boys, 12, 14. We do not speak Spanish. Concerned that we will not find a nice family neighborhood. Can anyone tell me about the neighborhoods and commute? Wanted the boys to attend good schools and heard Ramson and Pine Crest were two to consider. So I thought about Pinecrest and Weston neighborhoods. Is Fort Lauderdale safe? Do any of the beach communities offer family environment? Thanks so much.

Pinecrest School and the village named Pinecrest are not in the same place. Pinecrest School is in Fort Lauderdale. The village of Pinecrest is in Miami about 40 miles south of Pinecrest School. Pinecrest School is a very nice school. The village of Pinecrest is lovely. But they are not in the same place.

Doral is far from Weston. It is about 30 miles and the traffic will likely make the commute from Weston to Doral take over an hour. I am not an expert on Miami neighborhoods but if you are going to be working in Doral you probably want to stay in Miami Dade county.

[JacobMAX]

Originally Posted by newyork47

I will be selling my home up in NY suburbs, so I will have a budget of 800-900K. NOTE: all my info is coming from the internet and real estate sites. I hear there has been a big migration of English speaking families to the northern suburbs. I was thinking about private schools because I heard the public schools in SouFl are questionable. Weston does seem cookie cutter but the homes seemed cheaper and the communities appear more family oriented and safe. Pinecrest seems to have more diverse architecture. Seems closer to Doral (where the job is at) But does Pinecrest or the surrounding neighborhoods have a family-community environment? Moving down to Fla will be a big change for my family and I want them to be able to fit into the community. While some may think it is cookie cutter, Weston seems to be family oriented. Does Pinecrest have that vibe where neighbors know each other? Would be nice to have a commute under 45 minutes though I heard traffic is a nightmare.

Pinecrest and neighboring areas (East Kendall, South Miami, Palmetto Bay and Glenvar Heights) are all definitely family oriented especially in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest and South Miami; when I lived in Pinecrest (and Dadeland - East Kendall technically) there was a good vibe between neighbors and people were friendly and nice (mostly), also all spoke English fluently (Hispanic people, Asian people too, etc.); living and going through the area frequently for nearly the last decade, I've never - besides I think one, or only two time(s) - had to speak in Spanish, all other times people spoke English well enough/fluently.

I don't know if Weston is as (or even more) family friendly and with a good all-encompassing environment; but people here who live in/near the area will know more about that. Also I should note that Weston and most of SW Broward are also very diverse (probably nearly as diverse as the areas I've went through here in SE Dade).

Lastly, with your budget, you'd have no issues getting a nice well sized house in any of the places mentioned. If you're fine with exurban/somewhat rural style areas, I'd personally recommend living in Southwest Ranches, just in-between West Pines and Weston. One of the best areas in SoFL by far, fact. Decent commute, doable. The other areas are nice and safe too, I'd pick Pinecrest as the second choice and Weston as the third.

[relocatingresearcher]

Someone i know recently moved to weston. Says it's nice. Lots of stay-at-home moms and lots of diversity....lots of different languages.

I am in same boat as the OP. From most recent pre-planning visit to Miami, i really liked the Pinecrest, coral gables, east kendall section, if you will. Really like the feel of Dadeland Mall as the go-to family mall. I liked that you're still close to the miami offerings, but not too close if you're trying to get settled in as a family as opposed to a single person. Was not impressed by the private schools locations in central miami. Did like some south publics and dont forget about florida virtual school offering if you get in a jam...if you have a stay/work-at-home.

Up north is an offering of new, suburban areas but I really felt like i was like where the hell are we? Probably wouldn't be feeling tnat way come evacuation time for a hurricane though! (Assuming north would be the evac direction). And i am not against cookie-cutter. Actually, if i could have cookie-cutter in the area i mentioned that i like, we'd already made a purchase by now.

[ruski]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

Pinecrest School and the village named Pinecrest are not in the same place. Pinecrest School is in Fort Lauderdale. The village of Pinecrest is in Miami about 40 miles south of Pinecrest School. Pinecrest School is a very nice school. The village of Pinecrest is lovely. But they are not in the same place.

Doral is far from Weston. It is about 30 miles and the traffic will likely make the commute from Weston to Doral take over an hour. I am not an expert on Miami neighborhoods but if you are going to be working in Doral you probably want to stay in Miami Dade county.

Disagree on over an hour. I used to commute to Doral from Weston. It usually was 40-45 min.

[ruski]

Originally Posted by JacobMAX

I don't know if Weston is as (or even more) family friendly and with a good all-encompassing environment; but people here who live in/near the area will know more about that. Also I should note that Weston and most of SW Broward are also very diverse (probably nearly as diverse as the areas I've went through here in SE Dade).

Weston is the epitome of family oriented.