Opinion on Neighborhoods (Jupiter, Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens: hotel, homes, elementary school)

[MorlonWiley20]

Hello All,

We are a young family moving from the Northeast into Palm Beach County for work. We have a daughter who is 6 years old. I’ll be working in a hotel in Downtown West Palm, and my wife will be working from home. Our budget is a max of $800K, though we are open to spending less and renovating something. We are used to a city lifestyle, and are hoping to keep that feel somehow. We are also interested in a family oriented community with good schools and activities for the kids. We are also trying to avoid a gated community if at all possible (though we know all this is tough). We fled the cold and drove around this week and saw several neighborhoods we liked.

We were hoping to get some positives/negatives for each if possible, especially from people who live in these communities. We’ve been lurking on this site for a while and greatly value the opinions here:

1. North Palm Beach: We liked the community aspect of the area and location to downtown West Palm. The school situation is a little unclear.
2. Flamingo Park/So-So: We loved this neighborhood and proximity to Downtown. We are a little worried that it is too wealthy for our budget level, and that the schools, after elementary school, are not strong.
3. Lake Park Shores: Seemed like this area had a strong sense of community and the schools were decent. We did like the homes, and some areas seemed hit or miss.
4. Wellington: Strong schools but the gated community aspect scares us a bit. Also looks like the commute can be lengthy
5. East Boca: We love the schools, but know the commute is lengthy. Also, where do normal families hang out? We went to Mizner Park, and it seemed like retirees driving $200K cars LOL.

Thank you for the help!

[BVG_Steve]

Originally Posted by MorlonWiley20

Hello All,

We are also interested in a family oriented community with good schools and activities for the kids. We are also trying to avoid a gated community if at all possible (though we know all this is tough).


Thank you for the help!

if this is important to you than a gated community is probably the best bet. Flamingo Park is not going to suit your needs in this regard and most non gated communities will not either, especially with your budget. A gated community in either Jupiter, PBG or Wellington .

[skylinet]

Wellington does have non gated communities a little further West in your price point. Many are large lots as well. Should be able to get downtown in less than 30 minutes.
Flamingo Park/Soso you should be able to find something in your price point, El Cid would be on the high side. There are some regulars on the form that live there.

Did you check out Palm Beach Gardens/Jupiter at all? Some great areas that would fit a lot of what you're looking for.

[TriMT7]

Perhaps the Abacoa area of Jupiter can strike a balance for you. It is un-gated. Good schools. It's not a city environment like So-So or Flamingo Park.

If you move to either of those areas you will find kids and family stuff going on, but yes, after elementary the schools are not as good as suburban areas. You'd likely have to set aside some money for private.