Is anyone HAPPY in Boca and/or Wellington??? (Miami, Pembroke Pines: HOA, insurance)

[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

[House4Sale]

You couldn't pay me to live in Miami. I live in Boca and I love it. Wellington is having some problems with arsenic and lead in water and landfills. Landfill you might be able to get around but water? That would be in the whole system I would think. You decide.

We left Boca for Central FL and were transferred back to Boca. The house we are selling in Spring Hill is a mansion compared to what we can afford here but it's a trade off.

[dreamofmonterey]

mom2jess- you will enjoy Boca. It has beautiful neighborhoods, some excellent restaurants- we lived there for 8 years. Just stay north of Deerfield Beach.

sunny

[rkumar3]

I live in Delray... just orth of Boca and love it. I am very sure you will LOVE it here... life is beautiful in Paradise

As for as all the nay sayer... remember 'Grass is always greener on the other side'

[twistedsista1]

I came down from the frigid north four years ago and moved to Boca, sight unseen. I chose Boca beacause I wanted an "A" school system for my son. Since then, I have discovered many other things that make Boca an ideal city for me - parks and recreation, shopping, the arts, mild winters, and of course the beach. My son enjoys year-round skating, biking, fishing, and surfing. (Ice hockey is available if he gets homesick!)

Property isn't cheap but I paid less than I would have up north (contrary to what NAH would say). I rented initially, and then bought a new town house with fenced yard and lots of amenities. I paid 205,000 (in 2005) and consider that a bargain. My HOA fee (237) is also considered inexpensive. I don't have the huge insurance costs I would have in a single family dwelling.

I must admit that hurricane Wilma knocked me for a loop, but it wasn't enough to send me packing. (Francis and Jeanne didn't bother me as much.)
I love it here and I'll take a Florida summer over a Boston winter EVERY year.

As for the naysayers - to each his own. I hope they find their special place (and move) soon.

[jeremiah29:11]

Originally Posted by House4Sale

You couldn't pay me to live in Miami. I live in Boca and I love it. Wellington is having some problems with arsenic and lead in water and landfills. Landfill you might be able to get around but water? That would be in the whole system I would think. You decide.

We left Boca for Central FL and were transferred back to Boca. The house we are selling in Spring Hill is a mansion compared to what we can afford here but it's a trade off.

This is a perfect example of someone giving false information. I have lived in Wellington for 5 years and I know exactly what this person is referring to. We have a small area of land that used to be a skeet shooting range. It was later developed into a new home community by Centex Homes. In fact, the community sits on the edge of Wellington, not near the heart of it. If you go to www.palmbeachpost.com and search for "Oakmont Estates", you will find all of the information - correct information. Anyway, this small area of land was found to contain lead and arsenal but the EPA is still out on if the levels are unsafe. In fact, I passed the community yesterday and they were busy building their clubhouse amoung the high end homes. I'm guessng they know something we don't because they will not be allowed to have any one live there without this being cleared through the EPA.

Anyway, Wellington is awesome. Crime is almost non-existant. The people are very friendly. It is laid back for sure. We have family all over Florida from Ocala, Vero Beach, Port St. Lucie, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Pembroke Pines, to Tamarac. We spend a lot of time in these areas and Boca has a much different feel than Wellington. Wellington is smaller, cozier, and newer. It is a delightful place to raise the kiddos. It's sad that the cost of living is forcing many to relocate. We have wonderful schools, restaurants and churches. 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. It really is great here. You won't be far from your family either. I was in Boca today and it took me 25 minutes to get there during rush hour. West Palm also have Cityplace and well, I just love that place! You can check it out at www.cityplace.com. My hubby is from Long Island and he loves it here. He likes to visit NY but he loves our cozy corner of the world. There's a reason Money Magazine had this to say of Wellington in 2005:

Wellington was ranked seventh “most desirable place to live” in the Eastern United States with a population under 100,000 by “Money Magazine.” It is called “The Village of Wellington” and offers a high quality of life in a very attractive natural environment – with big city amenities and a small-town friendliness. Wellington is a relatively new town – started in 1977 – and lies just west of the Florida turnpike, 14 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean and 15 minutes from downtown West Palm Beach. This is a planned community of approximately 20,000 residents and is a well-known equestrian community. The city has outstanding equestrian programs, events and activities. Horses are seen everywhere – gazing in fields and on private property. An annual “Winter Equestrian Festival” is a popular event in Wellington that attracts people from all over. Other recreational pursuits in Wellington include golf, tennis, biking and hiking. With the nearby Atlantic coast beaches and over 315 acres of lakes, water sports such as swimming, boating, sailing, fishing and water skiing are quite popular as well. Wellington’s southwestern border is the Everglades and a short drive takes you to all the designer boutiques, restaurants, nightlife and other exciting attractions of Palm Beach.

Good Luck! I'm sure if you come for a visit and spend a few days in both areas, you will KNOW which is the right fit for your family!

[Pcorrell]

Welly World rocks. I've lived here since 1991. I have lived halfway around the world and back, lived out West, lived in the North East, lived in "fly-over" country, and nothing - NOTHING compares to this community. It is, IMHO, as perfect as it gets. Great place to raise a family. A bit pricey, but worth every penny to me.

[House4Sale]

Anyone wanting to read the articles re: Wellington water/land situation should access it through the Sun-Sentinel and see for themselves. I did not make this up. I wouldn't do that. People ask and if I have knowledge, I post. All should decide for themselves.

[jeremiah29:11]

House4Sale - I understand where you are coming from. There is some truth to what you said but it is unfair to paint the whole Village of Wellington as arsenal and lead laden when it's only unique to one isolated community - especially since the final verdict is still out.

Pcorrell - I agree. Wellington is the best community in all of South Florida.

Where else can you find a small, bedroom community with so much to offer? It's safe, friendly, and quiet yet we have things such as the Cultural Trust of the Palm Beaches which has plans to bring amazing things to our community(www.culturaltrustpb.org) (broken link), or the world's biggest horse show which attracts even royalty, and it's fun to run into the occasional celbrity. We also have every restaurant you could want - if not, it's on the way. Or you can drive 20 minutes to CityPlace.

My family is not affluent but Pcorrell is right, it's worth every penny to have a place like Wellington to raise my children. You are welcome to ask any info - I will help in anyway I can.

[Angelrocks]

Boca Raton rocks! There are many rich people there. If you can offer your services to these type of individuals, you can make a fortune!

You'll become rich yourself; Just get into the right business.

I saw a beautiful home, I believe the asking price was 429k for a really nice home with a fireplace. Only thing to be careful of is property taxes and insurance. Plan on spending at least 1k a month on property taxes and insurance for a 400k home. I think you will find much better schools in Boca, as well.

I love Boca! It's safe. I can even leave my purse in the car with the doors unlocked, and nobody has ever tried to break in. Obviously I don't have a dime in there - but just to prove my point - it's safe!

I love Boca! It's one of the best place in Florida to live, and yes we have single family home a mile from Boca! And our family has a condo right off of A1A in Boca. I love going there! It's a great place. This area does rock! But, once you go outside the "Boca Bubble," headed south, it's quite different. I still want to move though.

I have just had it with the hurricane situations here. Look your going to need to plan on getting a lot of hurricane supplies. If your home doesn't come with shutters, your going to have to buy them, like me. Which costs a lot of money. I believe if you get new I would say at least 10k to 15k for that. Then plan on getting a good generator and portable air conditioner. You need all the hurricane supplies:

4 five gallon gas cans
Hurricane Shutters
Flashlights
Generator
Coleman Gas Stove
TV that runs on batteries
Radio that runs on batteries
Tarps
Portable air conditioner
phone that doesn't work on electricity
generator for your laptop (how else will you pay your bills if the post office and banks are closed?).
An emergency hurricane fund (not all creditors care if you've just been thru a natural disaster. I learned that after Wilma).
If you have allergies from working outside get a mask and allergy medication (trust me both my next door neighbor and I had an allergic reaction to working outdoors after the hurricane). Regularly we could both work outdoors without this problem, but there was something in the air that caused both of us to get a really bad allergic reaction).
And a chain saw (to cut down trees).

And whatever else I forgot to put on that list. I had to pay about 5.5k for our supplies but that is cheap. I got used hurricane panels. Just make sure you get it. Trust me I know what I am talking about. It will make life a lot easier, especially if your without electricy, a phone and gas for weeks. (and trust me, gas can run out fast when your trying to get needed supplies or help somebody else in trouble during that time). It's not easy to find gas then. I remember looking at ten hr lines, literally miles and miles long.

If you live in a development that is powered by a generator, for example: our families condo on the beach...since the people who run the building (by the way with many wealthy owners) couldn't find enough gas for the generator...they told everybody they had to leave the building due to the gas shortage. It makes sense to have alternate plans for condos/highrises if they run out. Plan on having extra money for a hotel just in case.

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!