Is anyone HAPPY in Boca and/or Wellington??? (Miami, Royal Palm Beach: foreclosure, condo)

[UFalumna]

I moved to Wellington with my family as a teenager and went to Wellington High School and always found it very pleasant, no real complaints. I remember not even thinking about the reputation of the area but being reminded of it whenever I'd talk to someone at college (University of Florida, Go Gators!) who knew of Wellington and they'd give me this look like I must automatically be a snob. But truth be told most people I've encountered in Wellington have been totally friendly and not "uppity" at all. Maybe there's a lot more self-made wealthy and harder working people in Wellington who know the value of a dollar and perhaps Boca consists of more "old money"? Just a thought, I was a sociology major so I tend to analyze things a lot, anyone else have thoughts on this?

[House4Sale]

I'm American born but of Polish decent.

[JohnVosilla]

Originally Posted by UFalumna

I moved to Wellington with my family as a teenager and went to Wellington High School and always found it very pleasant, no real complaints. I remember not even thinking about the reputation of the area but being reminded of it whenever I'd talk to someone at college (University of Florida, Go Gators!) who knew of Wellington and they'd give me this look like I must automatically be a snob. But truth be told most people I've encountered in Wellington have been totally friendly and not "uppity" at all. Maybe there's a lot more self-made wealthy and harder working people in Wellington who know the value of a dollar and perhaps Boca consists of more "old money"? Just a thought, I was a sociology major so I tend to analyze things a lot, anyone else have thoughts on this?

I think perceptions of the county from the outside goes back to the oldest and wealthiest of money from the prior Gilded Age found on the island of Palm Beach on a par with Park Avenue and Beverly Hills..

[Zoo Animals On Wheels]

Wow, your post brought it all back for me.

I moved to Boca from the midwest in '92. Just like you, I loved the warm winters, palm trees, ocean, cultural diversity and events, etc.

But over the years, things changed. As the area became more crowded, the fact that most of the population was unbelievably cranky, whiny, and rude became more pronounced (I know NYers don't consider themselves rude. But to the rest of the U.S., they are). The traffic became unbearable. Trying to do anything at any time other than first thing in the morning was a crowded, long, miserable wait (think the DMV, the checkout line at Publix, etc.).

Then the hurricanes came; first Frances and Jeanne in '04, then Katrina and Wilma in '05. Like you, we had our power out for several days. No A/C. In the summer. In Florida.

All the while, housing prices were shooting through the roof, along with insurance and property taxes.

Finally, one day we said "enough." Relocated to the midwest two years ago, and, while we definitely miss the warm winters (and Kyojin Buffet...yum!), we can honestly say that is ALL we miss about South Florida.

Warm winters and palm trees are enough for some people. That's fine. But we found that for us, it wasn't worth the numerous trade-offs.

Originally Posted by paperguy63

I have to agree with finsfan13. I was a transplant from Illinois. We lived in an area about an hour south of Chicago. I moved with my family in 1978. I was glad to leave the cold of the mid-west to an unincorpotated area of Ft. Lauderdale. I have always lived in the general area of So. Florida. Tamarac, Sunrise and now Boca Raton. I would not move here today. In fact we are looking to leave for all the reasons described above. Yes the area is beautiful. Large trees, lots to do. Plenty of shopping and events to keep you busy year round. It's the PEOPLE. It's as if they are deserving of some sort of higher treatment than the others around them. It is a totally selfish "me" mentality. Not to mention the spoiled kids driving daddies 780 BMW. No work ethic, no manners. It is all me first. Let one of them serve you in any kind of retail setting and you will know exactly how absolutly spoiled they are. Here is a link to the latest South Palm Beach County school scores from bocanews.com Boca Raton, FL - BocaNews.com - Local news and information for the city of Boca raton. The best thing for me is that the property we will sell has just about doubled in the 7 years of living here.
3BR., 2BA, Den, Fam, Liv, Din, 2Car,
2188sf under air,
Private Water Lot with nice open pool.
Built in 1980. Comps are $410K.

Between the property taxes and the high hurricane insurance I can't justify the area anymore.

Oh, did I mention the 8 days of no power after Wilma visited in'05?
And 3 days after Jeanne and the 5 days after Frances in '04
(We escaped Hurricane Andrew )

[elfyum]

Boca kicks! (I was gonna say Boca rocks, but someone beat me to it! )

[nibor]

Originally Posted by mom2jess

Hi again,
So, I've been looking around these boards and getting a little freaked out. It seems a lot of people are extremely NEGATIVE about Fl...especially the Miami area.

I'm at a loss. Are there people out there who love where they live? Are some of you folks out there happy in the Boca and Wellington areas? I'm concerned. My husband and I really need to relocate and we felt Fl made the most sense since we have a baby, and her young cousins live in Boca. Cost of living while expensive, is a lot less than we currently deal with (Long Island NY is absolutely out of control where we live. Taxes are INSANE and housing costs are through the roof). While Wellington and Boca are not considered inexpensive, we are used to much more expensive prices, so we can swing it there. (To give you an idea, where I currently live a decent house that is not a shack starts in the high 6s and low 7s) We are tired of that type of stress and want to leave and go where family is. As mentioned in a prior post, we can probably spend a max. of 450,000 on a home in either Boca or Wellington without being house poor, if you know what I mean. But, I'm definitely alarmed by some of the posts I've seen.

Are any of you with families actually HAPPY?

Thank you!
Becky

My family moved to Wellington about a year ago from Long Island. We are very happy here. Everybody I have met is so nice, that, at first, it was a little weird to me--- I'm used to the obnoxious Long Islanders I've dealt with for 10 years (I'm not saying all LI's are obnoxious, but there are many people who are just down right rude and all about themselves). It was nice to come to Well and have a man hold a door for me and my children while in their stroller.

I have been to the Oakmont Estates neighborhood (out of sheer curiosity) and found out through some research that the EPA has deemed the soil safe and clean at this point, and people are moving into the neighborhood. I think the groundwater is still in question-- I don't really know more than that.

I haven't seen any landfills here in Well, so not sure what the other person was referring to about the arsenic and lead in the landfills.

The only bit of advice I can give you is to RENT FIRST!!! Don't get sucked into the hype that it's a buyer's market, you can get a great home at a great price, etc. The housing prices aren't going to rise any time soon, trust me. There is such a surplus of homes it's ridiculous. at least if you rent first you'll have the time to really see what suits you best under no pressure and w/o feeling regret for possibly buying into a community that turns out not to be where you want to raise your child.

Good Luck!!

[Bette]

I live in Boca, happy. I live in a family friendly community where everyone knows each other (by choice) - over 300 homes - we do not have much movement in our neighborhood b/c people stay. Usually about 12-15 sell per year and this has been consistent through all these years.

[AbbySFL7]

Honestly, you couldn't pay me to live in Boca. Knowing the people that live there, and the traffic, etc. I wouldn't go near it, especially not with kids. However, Wellington is great. I don't live there but if I could choose anywhere in Palm Beach County it would either be Wellington or Jupiter. Wellington has plenty to do, a few good hospitals, a huge new mall, fantastic schools, and great neighborhoods. It feels safe and it's clean. Traffic is good and there's more room to move around and actually breathe. Not a far drive from anything, and a great place to raise children.

If those places interest you, check out Palm Beach Gardens/Jupiter area. It's a really great area with more great schools and neighborhoods/weather/beaches, etc.

[faithfulFrank]

(I know NYers don't consider themselves rude. But to the rest of the U.S., they are).

Not all of us. It is a little known fact that there is a WHOLE STATE called New York state right above NYC and Long Island. It's full of farmland, forests, and nice, kind people.

Frank D.

[fishwiz]

" If you have a baby, and a cat. 3 storm or higher is threatening the area...get out of town asap! Trust me, I sat thru a cat. 3 storm down here, and I almost threw up. I asked the kids next door if it was just me or did they also feel like throwing up. The 12 year old little girl told me she felt like throwing up during the storm, too. All the kids were sick! I would never subject a baby to a storm that is a cat. 3 or higher after what I experienced. It was frickin scary! Even my cat pooped on himself during the storm. I couldn't really give him a bath at first cause we had no water for a few days. But when the water returned I had to give both of us a very cold bath. He still managed to stink after I wiped him off. I don't think you would want to give your child a bath in cold water either. Water heaters don't work without electricity. Yeah, I would head up north asap! "

OH WOW! sorry but that made me laugh. It is really stressful. I have lost weight from worry when a hurricane comes.
Go with BOCA. They have an excellent park system for your child to enjoy. Great beaches, free nature center and more!!!