Mid 20's gay couple wanting info on Broward/Palm Beach County (Miami: neighborhoods, subdivisions)

[anzi351986]

My boyfriend and I are thinking about moving to Florida from Ohio within a year or so and just want to have some information on what are some good, "gay-friendly" areas, neighborhoods and/or cities in South Florida. We just got back from our trip to Florida (visited the Daytona Beach area during Bike Week) and decided that we are now ready and will be financially stable enough to leave Ohio and its cold and "unpredictable" weather behind and get on with the rest of our lives. Basically, after living in Ohio for all our lives we want to say "goodbye" to long, cold, gray winters that keep us trapped inside for almost 6 months out of the year and want to have a more active, outdoors lifestyle.

ANYWAYS, to get to the point, we decided that although we think that Florida, in general, would be able to offer us a good "outdoorsy" lifestyle, but we both stated that Daytona Beach is just not a place where we would want to live.....we went to one of the only (and presumably best) gay bar in town and let's just say that we had a good time there because it was just us and nobody bothered us, but the scene, or lack there of, is very different than the strong, significant and vibrant gay-friendly that we have here in Ohio.

So, what we are looking for is a community with a strong gay or gay-friendly community that is (1) affordable, (2) not too far from the beach and isn't too gay i.e. Wilton Manors. I, personally, don't have any qualms with Wilma and what I've read about it, but my boyfriend, however, had a stigma about it and Ft. Lauderdale in general. He thinks that they are too gay, not suitable for gay couples and he calls the whole area the "HIV capital of Florida" and the US for that matter.

My bf's dad told us that he wants to move in the Ft. Lauderdale area and would consider anywhere north of there all the way up to West Palm Beach area. We both know and are in agreement that Miami is out of the question. I speak Spanish fluently and have a job currently that requires that I be bilingual, but my bf doesn't speak a lick of Spanish. We'd also like to visit Miami Beach, but KNOW that visit is the key word and would be a terrible, expensive place to live.....and, once again, is not oriented towards a gay, male couple.

Any suggestions, opinions, stories, experiences, anecdotes, etc. is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Lithium1330]

Well, do you & your bf prefer city living or suburb living. If Wilton Manors proper is too gay for you to live in but still want to live near downtown/ft laud beach/etc., you can always consider something in the surrounding subdivisions (Poinsettia Heights, Victoria Park, Rio Vista). You'll find they're relatively gay-friendly, but there is a better chance you will be surround by a more diverse neighbors; single, couples/married, young prof, old/retired, etc..
You can also look further south towards Miami in Aventura/North Miami or right downtown Miami (as long as you don't go too far from downtown Miami, you can have downtown Miami living without knowing a word of Spanish) - close to the bay/water. If you head north, you may also want to consider City Center in West Palm. G'luck!

[StilltheSame]

Lithuim is correct. You may also want to look in the old Hollywood area, Rio Vista and that area. Anything north of Palm Beach - I would not recommend - Florida is quite different (excluding Orlando and Tampa) north of SeFL.

[carrypositive]

Oakland Park is perfect around Federal and Florinada for you.

Gay, but not too gay. VERY SAFE and CLOSE TO THE WATER>

[StEt0417]

Oakland park, Victoria park, rio vista and wilton manors i think are the best if your looking for a gay community all are close the to the highway and close to the beach