[csmith0846]

Hello, I currently live in Boston, MA and I'm planning on relocating to either Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach or Jacksonville in about 6 months. I'm a single female in my mid 20's and will be moving on my own and was hoping for a little guidance in making my decision. I'm looking for more of a city type setting, but still want to be very close to the beaches.

My main concern is safety. I've read through a lot of threads and it looks like every city has its good areas and bad areas, but overall which city would be my best bet as far as crime is concerned.

I work in HR and have already started networking for positions but I wouldn't mind some advice on which city is the best as far as careers are concerned. (which city will provide the most initial opportunities and opportunities for career growth...the bigger the companies the better)

I know a few people in each area, but for the most part won't have any kind of social network. Which city would one recommend as far as being able to meet individuals in social settings.

If you have any more insight on any of these options, please let me know! The more information the better

[crystalblue]

ft lauderdale is the place to go

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by csmith0846

Hello, I currently live in Boston, MA and I'm planning on relocating to either Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach or Jacksonville in about 6 months. I'm a single female in my mid 20's and will be moving on my own and was hoping for a little guidance in making my decision. I'm looking for more of a city type setting, but still want to be very close to the beaches.

My main concern is safety. I've read through a lot of threads and it looks like every city has its good areas and bad areas, but overall which city would be my best bet as far as crime is concerned.

I work in HR and have already started networking for positions but I wouldn't mind some advice on which city is the best as far as careers are concerned. (which city will provide the most initial opportunities and opportunities for career growth...the bigger the companies the better)

I know a few people in each area, but for the most part won't have any kind of social network. Which city would one recommend as far as being able to meet individuals in social settings.

If you have any more insight on any of these options, please let me know! The more information the better

Well, if you are looking for HR positions there should be plenty in both Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale, and a bit less in the West Palm area.

If you are looking for a place to meet people, Fort Lauderdale is the place. People here come from all over the place, from all different backgrounds, but aren't so self insular like you might find in West Palm area. Jacksonville has a more conservative/military oriented persona and is socially more Southern, but people are much more mannerly and friendly up that way. All and all, West Palm reminds me of Long Island socially, Jacksonville reminds me of any medium sized Southern city in that respect, and Fort Lauderdale is very moderate, diverse, and open minded with something for anyone socially.

As far as which city is safest, Jacksonville and Lauderdale are a tossup, and West Palm is VERY dangerous. Comparing the countys of Duval, Palm Beach, and Browrad, Duval County has the highest crime rate by far (highest in the state) and Broward has the lowest (around the natl. average), but there are problem areas and good areas in all three areas. All and all, I say to rule out West Palm, visit the other two cities, round up a job before you move to either one, and pick whichever puts you in the most comfortable financial situation. I think Fort Lauderdale is a social winner, but it's so expensive that Jacksonville might be a more practical bet.

I can't really tell you what areas are safe in Jacksonville specifically, but in greater Fort Lauderdale, areas west of the major roadway University Drive are almost universally safe, and it gets a LOT spottier east of that.

[csmith0846]

Thank you very much...good information....to be honest, I'm more familiar with Fort Lauderdale and was leaning more that way, but I will look into jacksonville a bit more and I'm totally going to cross West Palm off my list.

Thanks again and if anyone has anymore information/opinions, feel free to let me know!

[wpbmom]

We moved to west palm after college, have been here 10 years and have loved it. From Boston by the way. I'd probably agree as a single person Ft. lauderdale probably is a better way to go, more to do.

West Palm Beach can encompass lots of other areas to people and unincorporated parts too. It's a sweeping statement to say WP is VERY dangerous. We have lived here 10 years without a single incident. Like any city (inc. FTL) there is crime mostly in the poorer neighborhoods etc. It's all relative and there is crime in just about every city in S FL.

I just need to stick up for a city that gets bashed b/c of stories in the bad parts of town in the news. Those of course are the ones that the news mentions of. I don't have statistics or anything, just my personal experience and how safe I feel here. I am just one person who has had a great experience here.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by wpbmom

West Palm Beach can encompass lots of other areas to people and unincorporated parts too. It's a sweeping statement to say WP is VERY dangerous. We have lived here 10 years without a single incident. Like any city (inc. FTL) there is crime mostly in the poorer neighborhoods etc. It's all relative and there is crime in just about every city in S FL.

You know, this is very true, and it's true that a lot of good areas down here are incorporated and a lot of good areas up that way are unincorporated. Certainly a harsh generalization on my part, but I have always heard about an obsessive amount of burglary and property crime in the "nice" parts of PBC, especially in non-gated communities. I actually have a family member who experienced a burglary, and they live way west of Jog in Boynton Beach. Not to say property crime doesn't exist in "good" areas down here, but there seems to be less of it. Regardless, you can even live in Liberty City in Miami, down Sistrunk in Fort Lauderdale, or in Tamarind in WPB, and if you have some street smarts, not become a victim of crime. Even in the worlds worst places, the majority of residents are not victims of crime.

[TriMT7]

I think a lot of people who contemplate moving to West Palm Beach need to be steered into the "right" areas of the city, or the suburban communities of North, South, and Western Palm Beach County (Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Boca Raton), or the right neighborhoods in the City of West Palm Beach itself.

To write off the entire county is a disservice. There really IS some great beauty, opportunity, and culture here.

THE zicode to avoid in Palm Beach County is 33407. Just as everyone who loves and lives in New York City knows you don't go above... what? 110th? 120th? street? same thing with Palm Beach County. And really, there is generally NO reason to venture into those areas anyway.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

I think a lot of people who contemplate moving to West Palm Beach need to be steered into the "right" areas of the city, or the suburban communities of North, South, and Western Palm Beach County (Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Boca Raton), or the right neighborhoods in the City of West Palm Beach itself.

To write off the entire county is a disservice. There really IS some great beauty, opportunity, and culture here.

THE zicode to avoid in Palm Beach County is 33407. Just as everyone who loves and lives in New York City knows you don't go above... what? 110th? 120th? street? same thing with Palm Beach County. And really, there is generally NO reason to venture into those areas anyway.

I would like to thank you for clarifying more after my harsh generalizations. Not sure what I was thinking that night...

[riveree]

I can't speak for the other cities since I've never lived in either, but Jax is quite nice .

I moved to Jax from NYC and while there are parts of Jax I would NOT live in - and not so much due to crime issues, BTW, but more cultural issues - there are many GREAT places to live in Jax.

Conservative? Military-focused? Yeah, you can find those enclaves if that's what you're looking for. If you want to be surrounded by military families and culture, then you can live in Mayport or out by NAS Jax (Westside/Orange Park). If you are looking for church-focused, conservative communities you can look to the outer edges of the county and into Clay county.

But if you have no interest in the above, no problem, Jax is NOT a typical 'military city'. I go about my daily business with no encounters of anything remotely 'military' in flavor and I think the same can be said for most Jacksonvillians.

The crime issue is real in Jax, as it may be in the other cities you're considering (again, I don't really know those cities). Crime in Jax tends to be very localized and much of it can be avoided by not living in or near our NorthWest region of the city.

The city itself has a lot going for it and I'm really happy with the progress of the last few years and the general direction the city is going .

[compelled to reply]

The crime issue is real in all three of the cities. Jacksonville is probably the safest overall by a thin margin, Lauderdale the least violent (Believe it or not) and WPB the most dangerous. I don't think Lauderdale is a great bet for the future; it seems to be beginning a downhill trend again after finally going on an upswing for the past 5 years. West Palm Beach has some class-tension issues that will never really go away. Job market in general down here sucks. Jacksonville, on the other hand, is rapidly changing and growing and I hate to say it, but has a brighter future than Palm Beach County (West Palm) or Broward County (Fort Lauderdale). I still think Fort Lauderdale is the winner socially, but there are very real economic issues and growing crime issues down this way that make me question the future of this region.