Can West Palm Beach really be that bad? (Orlando, Palm Bay: 2009, apartments)

[Tungsten_Udder]

Originally Posted by Mary bedard

I personally would stay away from anything North of Northlake Blvd.

Just wanted to check if that was a typo . . . it sounds more like you might say that you'd stay away from anything south of Northlake (and that's a far more common sentiment around here). If you live in Jupiter and like it there, like working there, etc., you are north of Northlake. Interesting info in the rest of your post though.

Just for the OP, just south of Northlake is Riviera Beach, which, on the east end, is a bit of a ghetto area--it's had lots of problems, it's one of the highest crime areas, etc. That continues south through parts of West Palm Beach near downtown (including Good Samaritan's neighborhood), but there are many ritzier sections next to the problem areas--I might RIGHT next to them, like the next block in many cases--and many other non-ghetto areas south of Northlake that most folks would have no problem living in. For one, the closer you are to the Intracoastal the ritzier it's going to be--even in Riviera Beach and the northern part of West Palm Beach. There are a lot of million-dollar plus properties there. Also, as you go south through downtown WPB, it gets more posh, lots of new condos, lots of historic areas, etc.

St. Mary's, by the way, is more or less in the middle of some of the problem areas of Riviera Beach (well, or kind of on the northwest side of it), but I worked there for awhile, too (in the business office), and given the way the hospital is situated, it doesn't seem to be in the middle of that neighborhood.

I have a friend who worked as a physical therapist at Good Sam, and I don't remember her saying that she disliked working there, exactly, but I know she's much happier at work now--she's also at Jupiter Medical Center now.

[Prettygyrl777]

Some areas of Riviera Beach are a little scary. I live in Palm Beach Gardens and I commute to Riviera for work. I absolutely love my job but I'm not a fan of that area. Last Wednesday, I decided to venture out for lunch and I'm sitting at a stop light minding my own business and out of my peripheral vision, I see a homeless woman standing a couple inches away at my drivers side window. She was holding an empty Dunkin Donuts cup, knocked on my window and started shaking it at me. I freaked!! I couldn't believe it. No one else seemed to pay any attention but it really caught me off guard. The woman stared me down the entire time (and I couldnt drive away). All I could do was sit there and hope the light would change! It's terrible enough in the day, I can't IMAGINE what it's like after dark. I will say, however, that with 2 hospitals literally right down the street from each other and several drug treatment centers in the area, this would be a great place to work for those in the medical/counseling field (but I just wouldn't live there). Definitely check out the newer areas in West Palm Beach if you're set on moving that far south in the palm beaches.

[PBCboy]

Originally Posted by Prettygyrl777

Close to 100% of the areas of Riviera Beach are a little scary.

I fixed the quote for you.

[luckysnp]

WE moved here from Atlanta 8 years ago. If you like 7 months of gorgeous weather in the winter, if you like tropical landscaping, if you like great seafood, if you like beautiful beaches and water, if you like low traffic, you will like WPB. However if you dont like rude new yorkers, you will hate it here.

[faithfulFrank]

Originally Posted by luckysnp

WE moved here from Atlanta 8 years ago. If you like 7 months of gorgeous weather in the winter, if you like tropical landscaping, if you like great seafood, if you like beautiful beaches and water, if you like low traffic, you will like WPB. However if you dont like rude new yorkers, you will hate it here.

All New Yorkers are not rude. I do not consider myself rude. We do not all have a Brooklyn accent, and most of us have NEVER even seen NYC. Most of NY is rural, scenic, with many nice mountains, the Great Lakes, the finger lakes, etc. I have deer and turkeys in my yard all the time. My county has more cows then people. I've never taken a taxi. Just as Florida is a big state, so is NY.

Frank D.

[imagardener]

Originally Posted by faithfulFrank

All New Yorkers are not rude. I do not consider myself rude. We do not all have a Brooklyn accent, and most of us have NEVER even seen NYC. Most of NY is rural, scenic, with many nice mountains, the Great Lakes, the finger lakes, etc. I have deer and turkeys in my yard all the time. My county has more cows then people. I've never taken a taxi. Just as Florida is a big state, so is NY.Frank D.

I grew up in WPB (a while ago). It was the New Jerseyites I found rudest, not all of them but they are just not as polite. About 10 years ago we visited Rome and Florence, Italy and guess what...same discourteousness. I connected the dots and think it's a cultural thing. They don't realize that their behavior is offensive.

We also took a drive-trip to upper New York State recently...WOW what a beautiful area. Watkins Glen State Park is a national treasure. I rate it next to the Grand Canyon it's so gorgeous (that's a pun on the fact that it's a "gorge"). The whole area filled with lakes and waterfalls. And yes the locals were nice.
It's not nice to make generalizations but when it looks like a duck, etc. Just make sure your generalizations are true.
BTW I find southern NJ'ites pretty nice.

[imagardener]

Originally Posted by lunarose

Hi. My husband and I live in Philadelphia, PA and are looking to relocate to the Palm Beach area. He is an emergency room RN and I am a massage therapist, no children or pets. Since he works 12hour shifts, we need to be close to the hospital. Good Samaritan is at 1309 N Flagler in WPB. I keep reading horror stories about WPB and just can't believe that whole area from Lake Park down to Lake Worth can be mainly druggies, prostitutes, rude, uncaring neighbors and noisy,crime ridden neighborhoods. ....... Most of the apartment complexes online look beautiful but all the WPB reviews I read are horrible. Palm Beach Gardens, Royal Palm Beach and Wellington are just too far and expensive for us. Any insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. HELP!!

I grew up in WPB and my brother is a cop there. When he retires in a couple years he's outta there. Of course he sees the worst of it but drugs are the root of most of WPB evils and drugs cut across all socio-economic levels.
Of course there are "safer" places in WPB. Do your research online, look at the FDLE sex offender site and locate the ones who bother to register. That's what we did when we were looking for a new home. If you get a job offer they should point you to the safer places to rent.

DON'T BUY until you have been there for a year or more and get to know the neighborhoods. Good luck.

BTW I know Philly and feel it's safer than WPB generally. Just doesn't has Florida weather and beaches.

[Tungsten_Udder]

Originally Posted by faithfulFrank

We do not all have a Brooklyn accent, and most of us have NEVER even seen NYC.

Although as someone who loves traveling, sightseeing, etc., it's always difficult for me to empathize with that "mindset". Heck, there are people who live in New York City who have never been to some of the other boroughs! There are folks who live in Manhattan and have never been to the Statue of Liberty, who have never even ridden the subway, etc.

My limit has pretty much been "How far can I drive in the time I have available and still be able to see some things at my destination?" and/or "How much can I afford to do?" So I've traveled all over New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, a bit of West Virginia and even a bit of Canada regularly since I've lived here. I've done some further "weekend" trips from this location, too, but even though I had a cab driver once tell me that he drove from NYC to Chicago in 8 hours (averaging almost 100mph including stops??!), even going to Ohio has been pushing the boundaries of a weekend trip for me, as I average about 50mph including stops when doing road trips.

Anyway, I agree that not all New Yorkers (including folks from New York City) are rude . . . it's just the ones who live in Boca.

No, I'm just kidding.

I think.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by imagardener

I grew up in WPB and my brother is a cop there. When he retires in a couple years he's outta there. Of course he sees the worst of it but drugs are the root of most of WPB evils and drugs cut across all socio-economic levels.
Of course there are "safer" places in WPB. Do your research online, look at the FDLE sex offender site and locate the ones who bother to register. That's what we did when we were looking for a new home. If you get a job offer they should point you to the safer places to rent.

DON'T BUY until you have been there for a year or more and get to know the neighborhoods. Good luck.

BTW I know Philly and feel it's safer than WPB generally. Just doesn't has Florida weather and beaches.

Pretty good advice. If I were a cop I'd probably be disillusioned with where I lived too!

But, I remember NOT feeling safe when I visited Philly. I was accosted by a beggar in the underground mall!

[Tungsten_Udder]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

But, I remember NOT feeling safe when I visited Philly. I was accosted by a beggar in the underground mall!

Someone else said something about that above, also. I don't really get feeling unsafe being asked for money by a(n apparently) homeless person. They're not likely to do anything to you, they just need money and they're hoping you'll help them out. Some do not want to take "No" for an answer if you choose to not help them out, but that's understandable, too. They mostly get "No's" and it gets to be frustrating.

Usually homeless people are in far more danger from others (and the environment, and the inability to eat, get health care, and the fact that many have mental problems that led to them being homeless in the first place, many have substance problems, etc.) than folks are in danger from them. There have been many infamous incidents, including in Florida, of people beating up or even killing homeless people--they see the homeless as a good target as they're often difficult to identify and people figure that no one cares about them. Here's just one recent example: Florida Issues: Witness: I watched as homeless man was beaten to death