Yet another moving to SoFL thread, but slightly different.... please advise (Miami: apartments, rental) - Fort Lauderdale area - Florida -Broward County - City-Data Forum

tryton11 · 01-31-2011, 07:43 AM

I know in most of these citydata forums that there are countless threads that are from people moving there and need info about the area. Mine is one of these, but my situation is different than others, so I thought I'd post a fresh thread with hopes of honest and helpful feedback. Thank you in advance..... so away we go.....

I am in my early 30's (but act more like I'm in my mid-20's), married to a 23 year old and I work for Starwood Hotels. I know there are a ton of hotels in the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood and even Miami area for me to transfer to, so I feel fine on the transfer front there. My wife bartends and should not have too much trouble finding a bartending gig.... I hope. We are originally from NYC and moved to Charlotte a few years ago and am kinda over the landlocked feel of Charlotte (mountains 1 1/2 hours away and the beach 3 hours away). We both moved here without jobs and swear we will never do that again, though she might do that since getting a bartending job with her experience and looks shouldn't be too hard.

So let's say that I have my job lined up, and she slides into a position rather quickly, what neighborhoods should we be looking at. We want to be close to the beach (on it would be ideal)and a friend that is from the area told us the best bet is to be "east of the highway" for safe and beautiful places (not really sure what she meant). We are looking to rent a 2 bedroom, either a house or apartment/condo in the $1000-1500 range, about 1100 sq. ft (or more), dog friendly and in a safe area, preferably close to some areas of interest. By areas of interest, I mean we don't want to be in the suburbs surrounded by car dealerships and/or Target strip malls. We like to go out to bars, but being in the industry, we are not into clubs, poppin' bottles in the v.i.p. and are not scenesters. We just like to go out to neighborhood pubs, cafes, chill places and preferably away from the old folks/tourists, though I know there are a lot in Florida. We live in the downtown part of Charlotte and are able to walk to a ton of places, and having lived in NYC for awhile, we like being able to walk to places or at least have short drives.

Thank you for reading through my long-winded post, but I wanted to put as much of my personal info out there so that I could get the best options of areas to look. It doesn't necessarily have to be Ft.Lauderdale, but I like the proximity to Miami and it seems a little less hectic. We are planning on driving down for a few days soon to check it out since we aren't going to be moving until the end of 2011, but any solid advice would be very appreciated.

Thanks in advance everyone!

Momma_bear · 01-31-2011, 07:50 AM

If you do not want to be around old folks and tourists it will be very difficult to live near the beach in Fort Lauderdale. That's where the old folks and tourists want to be. You should be able to find a rental that meets your criteria as long as your dog is not big. It won't be ON the beach in that price range. Most buildings restrict dogs to smaller breeds.

Also-you have to drive almost everywhere here. There are some neighborhoods that are sort of walkable but most places require automobile transportation.

Delray is a very nice community but there are tons of old folks there. The downtown is walkable and close to the beach.

tryton11 · 01-31-2011, 08:13 AM

Thanks MommaBear.... I've seen your advice in several threads and appreciate the insight. I agree and doubt we can afford to live on the beach, but close to the beach works for us. Downtown might be a good move since it will fill that "metro" feel that we are used to. I've heard good things about Delray, but it might be too far of a commute for me to Hollywood or Miami for the job. Is No. Miami Beach considered okay? I saw a few places in and around that area, but am hesitant because I don't want to be too caught up in chaos, traffic, suspect neighborhoods, etc. Thanks again for your advice though!

Momma_bear · 01-31-2011, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tryton11

Thanks MommaBear.... I've seen your advice in several threads and appreciate the insight. I agree and doubt we can afford to live on the beach, but close to the beach works for us. Downtown might be a good move since it will fill that "metro" feel that we are used to. I've heard good things about Delray, but it might be too far of a commute for me to Hollywood or Miami for the job. Is No. Miami Beach considered okay? I saw a few places in and around that area, but am hesitant because I don't want to be too caught up in chaos, traffic, suspect neighborhoods, etc. Thanks again for your advice though!

I am not that familiar with Miami. When I go to Miami it's usually to attend something in particular. I don't know that many people who live in Miami though. I have a number of friends who live in PBC.

You might be able to find a hotel job near Delray and I am sure your girlfriend can find a bartending job.

Chanel24 · 01-31-2011, 12:36 PM

Downtown Fort Lauderdale is too expensive for your budget since you want a two bedroom. I would recommend Hollywood or Delray. If you can get a job in Miami, the drive form Hollywood is doable - otherwise, you might enjoy living in Delray and working there. Good luck

hesmyhusband · 02-02-2011, 01:40 PM

Depending on your dog's size/breed, you may trouble finding an apartment close to the beach (no place to walk your dog for potty breaks). Many of the apartments that advertise "pet-friendly" have breed restrictions (even mixed, not just pit-bull) or will only accept dogs under 25 lbs.

We moved to south Florida almost a year ago and settled on an apartment that puts us less than a 10 minute drive to beach-side parking and is within walking distance of several restaurants. You'll definitely want to visit in person before making your choice as landscaping, security, neighborhood make a big difference here, and online photos are very misleading!

I don't know anything about Miami, as we live in north Ft. Lauderdale, right at the border of Pompano Beach, but we've been very happy in this area. (We are east of US1, also known as Federal). Any kind of nightlife, shopping, eating is only a few minutes drive away, and we much prefer the Ft.Lauderdale/Hollywood airport to MIA.

I'd warn you about the driving here, but if you are originally from NYC you'll be able to take it in stride.

Good luck with your move!

tryton11 · 02-03-2011, 06:20 AM

thank you hesmyhusband. Sounds like the area you're in is exactly what we are looking for. I too have no desire to live in MIA and the 30-40 min. drive from Ft. Lauderdale is just fine by me to still dip into town for some fun. I have a funny feeling the dog part will complicate things (he's a 75 lb yellow lab), but hopefully I can find something with the same distances that you speak about from the beach, restaurants, etc. without being in a crappy neighborhood. I just found out that there are several hotels like the W and Westin's in Ft. Lauderdale which would be awesome to not have to commute to Hollywood (though it isn't far) or even down to Miami. I can't wait to come down there and put visuals with descriptions. Google and random searches only provide so much information. I really hope the Ft. Lauderdale area is what we are looking for.