Is anyone HAPPY in Boca and/or Wellington??? (Miami, Tampa: crime, homes)

[2goldens]

This thread makes me want to move to Wellington instead of Port St.Lucie! Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

How is the job market? I'm reading the One Stop Career Center online. Are there other resources?

[baysidequeens]

Hi everyone! My husband and I are looking to buy in Wellington. We have been down there from NY to look at properties and we were steered away from Olympia, Black Diamond and Versailles though we loved a lot of the homes we saw in these communities. We were told by realtors that Olympia, inparticular, has gang activity. Has anyone heard about gangs in these communities or is it just hype? Are there any desirable gated communities in Wellington? Thanks for any input!!!

[michellelf]

Never heard anything about gang activity. VillageWalk is nice.

[Lawlady]

Florida is wonderful as long as you have a job that pays enough or are retired and don't have to worry about a paycheck.

[Kim918]

Originally Posted by baysidequeens

Hi everyone! My husband and I are looking to buy in Wellington. We have been down there from NY to look at properties and we were steered away from Olympia, Black Diamond and Versailles though we loved a lot of the homes we saw in these communities. We were told by realtors that Olympia, inparticular, has gang activity. Has anyone heard about gangs in these communities or is it just hype? Are there any desirable gated communities in Wellington? Thanks for any input!!!

I just moved from FL last year and from what I heard about those communites, especially Olympia was that it was pretty a ghost town. Investors bought houses and they are either in foreclosure or rented. I don't imagine a lot of ppl that paid good money to live there want to live with so many renters. Those homes are expensive. I don't know about gang activity, but I bet there are vandals of vacant homes. Probably just Wellington kids with nothing better to do.

[Bobstar]

"Hi everyone! My husband and I are looking to buy in Wellington. We have been down there from NY to look at properties and we were steered away from Olympia, Black Diamond and Versailles though we loved a lot of the homes we saw in these communities. We were told by realtors that Olympia, inparticular, has gang activity. Has anyone heard about gangs in these communities or is it just hype? Are there any desirable gated communities in Wellington? Thanks for any input!!!"

Don't buy anything!!! Rent for at least a year.

[Manny561]

Originally Posted by baysidequeens

Hi everyone! My husband and I are looking to buy in Wellington. We have been down there from NY to look at properties and we were steered away from Olympia, Black Diamond and Versailles though we loved a lot of the homes we saw in these communities. We were told by realtors that Olympia, inparticular, has gang activity. Has anyone heard about gangs in these communities or is it just hype? Are there any desirable gated communities in Wellington? Thanks for any input!!!

olympia has no gang activity. i dont why i keep hearing this. the actual village of wellington(past the mall) has gang activity. olympia has none. its as simple as that. no one that has parents who can afford a house in olympia wouldnt even be allowed to join a gang. however it is extremely lame. theres nothing to do, and it takes forever to get anywhere. you waste a gallon of gas just getting out of the community.

[Kim918]

Originally Posted by Manny561

olympia has no gang activity. i dont why i keep hearing this. the actual village of wellington(past the mall) has gang activity. olympia has none. its as simple as that. no one that has parents who can afford a house in olympia wouldnt even be allowed to join a gang. however it is extremely lame. theres nothing to do, and it takes forever to get anywhere. you waste a gallon of gas just getting out of the community.

Allowed to join a gang? Somehow, I don't think kids check with their parents first before joining gangs. Aside from that, I really don't think there is real gang activity in Wellington either, maybe some punk kid wannabes but that's about it.

[NIKILOSADA]

Originally Posted by baysidequeens

Hi everyone! My husband and I are looking to buy in Wellington. We have been down there from NY to look at properties and we were steered away from Olympia, Black Diamond and Versailles though we loved a lot of the homes we saw in these communities. We were told by realtors that Olympia, inparticular, has gang activity. Has anyone heard about gangs in these communities or is it just hype? Are there any desirable gated communities in Wellington? Thanks for any input!!!

My sister moved to Wellington in 2002, and in 2004 I sold my house in Miami for a ridiculous price, and purchased a home in Wellington. I paid cash. The people super nice, with eclectic, non-pretentious stores, like Coconut Grove in Miami and Soho used to be.

I made a killing on the purchase back in 2004. 4,800 sq. ft. and 1.2 acres with a stall for 8 horses. I love being away from the planned communities that look like ghettos, and with high association fees.

My sister in Miami is selling and moving over here. Miami has deteriorated, and when you drive back there it looks like a third world country. South Beach life is gone, and so are the clubs, even the ocean drive hotel restaurants with waiting list in the past now offer 4.99 breakfast, and two for one dinners before 7pm; and the hound you every time you walk pass the hotels. My sister calls the new class of people flaunting cash: Trash with Cash. Her home has lost 40% of what she could have sold it 4 years ago, and a condo she purchased to flip did not occur and is stuck with a 416,000 condo selling in the low 200,000

I don't have association fees since is in acreage parcels. Right now the prices have dropped dramatically. You would not believe homes with 5,000 sq ft and over an acre of land, with high-end finishes, next to excellent schools for under 450,000.

There is also a lot of development in Royal Palm Beach with excellent stores, and reported to be building the largest polo grounds in the US.

The Mayor of New York purchased a $ 10M home for his daughter who plays Polo. The New York Magazine rated Wellington as the 2nd or 3rd best upcoming city.

[greenish grey]

Originally Posted by jeremiah29:11

We have a beautiful mall that is only a few years old. There are lots of things being built around it. We are about to get our own Whole Foods (yippee!) and just got our 2nd SuperTarget. I love the cultural diversity.

First, I am glad you love where you live. My family relocated to Wellington when I was seven years old, and I have some grievences with my hometown.

I agree, the schools are good schools. Your kids will recieve an excellent academic education here, although they will learn very little about "cultural diverstiy" as Wellington is 80% white. Ditto for class diversity and gratitude for their blessings. Wellington's median income is almost twice that of Florida's, so the taxes allow schools here to ditch their textbooks every couple years for new ones at the whim of the county, while our distant neighbors in Belle Glade (13% white) are stuck with outdated (or without) materials.

If you are moving to South Florida from up north, prepare yourself for a culture shock. Rather than large cities, we have sprawling suburbs where you can observe the lingering effects of segregation, alive and well.

Wellington is a clinically pretty environment. My friends and I grew up sheltered, privileged, with our own mall and two super-Target. The result? (I speak for myself) Young adult(s) with inflated senses of entitlement, totally detatched from reality.

If you want to shelter your kids from ugly issues like poverty and the consequences of indifference, by all means move to Welly-World and buy a McMansion.

I mean, it's an okay place... But consider blessing your kids with a modest lifestyle, diverse community, humility, and some street smarts.