Good Boca neighbourhood for families and good private school (Coral Springs: lease, condos)

[margekr]

Because we can live anywhere in North America so it's a broad choice of where to move to. I can't fly there at the moment but making a list of places I think would suit our family best based on other people's experiences.

Looking for a friendly not over the top community. Hope that answers your question.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by FL_Expert

Would you consider Jupiter better in that respect?

yes

[klaucka]

Originally Posted by margekr

Also, if not Boca, which other places would be more down to earth? Safe, family oriented with well rated private schools?

Jupiter.

[klaucka]

Originally Posted by margekr

I would. Could you share some feedback please on community, schools, friendliness etc?

We moved to Jupiter a year ago from the east side of Delray Beach (close to the ave). I felt Delray and Boca had more of the intense, flashy, South Florida vibe - with Delray definitely being the more touristy and Boca more family and wealthy retiree oriented but with that Kardashian vibe. While we were close to everything, with the growth there it was just getting to be too intense for us. There are also a lot of sober homes and rehab centers in Delray (less in Boca) that brought a cultural element we didn't want to deal with. Jupiter feels much friendlier amd family oriented, with still a bit of the more rustic feel than further south (not as many beach condos), and the public schools are at the top for this area. Yes there is a lot of wealth here but it doesn't feel as flashy. The big miss is the lack of a downtown area but the plus there is that it feels more like a town for locals v. tourists. There are also a lot of nice clean parks here and the water sports (e.g., scuba diving) are amazing. If you don't need to be close to an airport, Stuart is very nice with a small historic downtown, but without the intense party atmosphere of Delray, or attitude of Boca. I don't think the public schools are quite as good as Jupiter though.

[klaucka]

[quote=huitrecouture;62649075]

Originally Posted by margekr

So you chose Boca without ever being here now will rule it out just because of a couple of comments by strangers on the internet?

Why are you even moving here and what's driving all this stuff about kindness and friendliness?

Because for some people kindness and friendliness are important. I have lived here for 10 years and I agree with this comment. While I like living here, South Florida in general is not known for its family friendliness, tight communities, and being a laid back place to live. The northern part of what would be considered South Florida feels less money focused and less intense to me.

[City Guy997S]

Ok I'll put this in perspective:

My sister lived in Boca for 13 years. She recently moved to Missouri from out of state. She bought the house and told the seller they weren't moving in for 6 more weeks. Seller asked if it was ok for him to come back to the house and mow the lawn until they got to town. He used his garage code and came back to the house and mowed their lawn. He had left all his lawn equipment/garden tools in the garage as part of the house sale because he was moving to a condo.

Now if this was Boca: no chance of the courtesy cuts happening, no chance of equipment/tools being left behind and if the grass got an inch too long code enforcement or the HOA would be writing you nasty notes!

My last house in Boca, had a passive aggressive/ OCD neighbor who would cut his grass exactly one day after I cut mine (so his looked "fresher" I guess). We move out, I ended up listing the house a few months later. Jackazz next door stops mowing his lawn completely........... he didn't realize the house sold in 8 days but in case the deal fell through we never changed the MLS status to pending. So I had an inked deal and weeks later he has foot tall grass. He was a weird guy, in his late 40's and his mother would come over and do his laundry, hanging it on the clothesline.

[wizrap]

And my north versus South Florida story—when we bought our house up here in Gainesville, left for us on the kitchen countertop by the now former owners were their names, phone number, and address. “If you have any questions about the house, please feel free to call. And in case some mail doesn’t get forwarded, you have our address.” We couldn’t believe it.

Their thoughtfulness saved us about $300/$400 as their realtor had neglected to state they had a termite bond, and I was getting ready to set up a new inspection. I spoke to my realtor and we both felt that the house had been so well-maintained, they must’ve had a bond, and it was worth calling them. I called, got the name of the company, and got the bond transferred to our name. Money saved!

I also brought a leather dog leash to a tack shop to be repaired. When I go to pick it up I’m told “no charge.” What!!! The cobbler said it only took him mere minutes to fix. Felt it wouldn’t be right to charge the minimum rate ($15). I brought a second leash and insisted I pay for that one. They reluctantly charged me $7.50. So $30 in services cost me about $8.

This would never happen in SFLA.

[margekr]

Thanks, so you recommend North Florida then?

[wizrap]

Originally Posted by margekr

Thanks, so you recommend North Florida then?

North Florida definitely is more down to earth than South Florida, at least from my experience. We’re in Gainesville and the top private school here is Oak Hall. It is hot in the summer though. Lots of trees that provide shade but July, August and September consist of days with high temps and humidity.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by margekr

Thanks, so you recommend North Florida then?

No.

I find the comments here re: Boca to be incredibly harsh and fairly inaccurate. Yes, Boca has its flashy people - of course, it’s one of the wealthiest enclaves in the country. It also has a ton of middle and working class families as well. There are plenty of mansions, but also lots of condos, lots of townhomes, and even some low income public housing. The grocery store line could be a billionaire, a struggling widow, and a homeless person buying a bottle of water at the same time. Boca is *not* uniformly wealthy, and it is hardly as unfriendly as people here are alleging. It’s a beautiful, well rounded suburb with phenomenal public schools, and some of the best private schools in the world.

I would suggest east Boca over west Boca for you (within the city limits, and not unincorporated). That’s where you’ll find the most diverse crowd, both economically and racially. Western Boca is more gated and isolated communities, albeit beautiful.

As for Jupiter, I live here. It’s a stunningly beautiful town that’s slightly more laid back than Boca, but it’s a bit out of the way. Nearest international airport is PBI, which is great if you have to jump up to NY, but not so great if you have to go elsewhere. Fort Lauderdale Airport is about an hour away. Boca is far more convenient, located halfway between the two.

Highly highly recommend Boca, especially if you want good private schools. Take a visit.

Other areas of FL I’d suggest for families looking for good schools: Lakewood Ranch, Parrish, Sarasota (definitely go private school here) and Venice.