Probably moving to Broward county -- opinions please! (Davie, Plantation, Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, Ft. Lauderdale) (Miami: apartment, to buy)

[mitya]

Just joined this forum although I've been reading some of the posts for a few days now. There are so many friendly, helpful people here it's truly astounding! I'm seriously considering a move to Broward county, but I'm still researching my options. I plan to go visit the area in a couple months, and meanwhile I'd greatly appreciate some opinions here.

A fairly central location in Broward is preferable since I'll need to commute all over Broward county on a regular basis and sometimes nearby cities in other counties like Boca Raton and Aventura. In terms of location it seems Davie or Plantation might be the most convenient place to live.

1) I'm a single male in his late 20s. I'm Jewish and would prefer a place with a sizable Jewish community especially for people in their 20s and 30s -- in other words a younger median age for Jews than in Boca Raton! Also, what cities in Broward (if any) have a notable Israeli and/or Russian presence?

2) I'd like opinions about Davie, Plantation, Pembroke Pines, Cooper City, Hollywood or Fort Lauderdale. Ethnic diversity is a plus, as most of my friends are from other countries, and it seems that Pembroke Pines has a very diverse population. Coral Springs and Weston look very nice too, but my concern is that their locations are not good for commuting and that they might be too remote for someone in his 20s.

3) I've read that Weston and Coral Springs are considered two of the best educated cities in Broward. Is there a more central city in Broward that has plenty of well-educated, young and artistic people... something like a "poor man's San Francisco" (I realize this is a stretch but you get the idea)? Even if most of the city is very different, I'm looking for a place that has nice pockets with artsy coffee shops and ethnic restaurants (not overrun by just Starbucks and McDonalds), an intellectual and multicultural community for young adults, a decent theater scene, some nice parks... I know that I'm asking for too much, so just give me the closest approximation South Florida has to offer. If one city better matches one criterion and a nearby city better matches another, that would be good to know as well!

I'm not looking to buy a home, and my range is around $1000-1200 a month for an apartment.

Thanks in advance!

[ruski]

If you want Russians in Broward, then look at Hallandale.

[Nolefan34]

mitya-

You named a bunch of random suburbs and cities. Being in your 20's and single, you would be happier living somewhere east of I-95. I would say Hollywood and Hallandale Beach are two good areas because of the large Russian Jewish populations there. The rest of Broward has a large Jewish population, but they are dispersed around with no centralized location.

There is nothing remotely like San Francisco here. If you mean you want an artsy area that is walkable, the only 2 places are Las Olas located in downtown Ft. Lauderdale and downtown Hollywood. The rest of Broward County you will find sterile and bland compared to those 2 subsections. The public transportation is limited to buses which take forever to get anywhere.

Coral Springs, Weston, Sunrise, and Pembroke Pines are family areas with not as many younger people. They are far west and not convenient to most of the nightlife which is located further east. I think you'd get bored out there.

Plantation and Davie are much more centrally located and good for commuting, but you'll contend with lots of traffic during the rush hours on 595 and 95. There are more young people in Davie and Plantation so I'd recommend you consider those 2 areas.

[Momma_bear]

Plantation has a sizeable Jewish population and is centrally located.

Aventura (in Miami Dade county) has a sizeable Israeli population, but an older demographic.

Part of Hallandale and part of Hollywood are near Aventura and also have a sizeable Russian and Israeli population. You have to be careful in Hallandale and Hollywood because there are some rough patches, but there are some lovely areas as well.

I would not recommend Davie or Weston for you. Both are nice but Davie does not have a large Jewish population and Weston is pretty far from the action that a 20s/30s single guy will want.

Although I love living in Plantation I think you might prefer to be in Hollywood or Hallandale. Hollywood in particular is closer to the beach and nightlife. You have to be careful in Hollywood as there are some pretty scruffy areas but there are nice areas also.

[mitya]

Thanks for the insight. Right now West Davie or Plantation are my top choices. I'll need to visit before deciding between them. It seems that Davie also has a sizable Jewish population, at least according to Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed and History of the Jews in southern Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, and also a lot of younger people there as Nolefan points out. I would have chosen Hollywood but it seems a bit too far from some of the places in West Broward I'll need to commute to. And if I'm in West Davie or Plantation I'm only about 20 minutes from Hollywood -- is that right, or would traffic make it much worse?

I was very excited about the move to South Florida until reading so many negative reviews here. It seems like the general consensus on this site is that South Florida sucks unless you're into bars and nightlife, which I'm not (being in an area that's good for singles is a priority, but I don't usually go to bars to meet them). And from what I'm reading, it sounds like I better be prepared for rude people and plastic people, and that people in South Florida are among the rudest and most materialistic in the country.

A lot of people comment about the anti-intellectual vibe in the area, and that's a serious drawback for me as well. I'm used to life in Boulder which I consider a well-educated, progressive city . I would hope that in a metro area with millions of people I'd be able to find people more like myself, but in terms of culture and personalities it seems I would prefer life in a city like Gainesville over any place in Southern Florida. But I don't have that option.

Well, I'll be checking out the area in June or July before deciding. I appreciate the responses.

[ruski]

Progressive -

George Bernard Shaw Defends Hitler, Mass Murder - YouTube

[sofla99]

Good luck in your move, you should definitely check the place out. I lived in West Davie for many years as well as in Plantation so both will be good choices for you. I think there is a sizable Jewish community around the central park area in Plantation. In Davie there is the David Posnack JCC so you might be able to get information about Davie Jewish Community from them. As far as Location, I really think Davie is located very well! You can get on to 595 or the Turnpike easily.

[Nolefan34]

I still think Hollywood is a better fit for you. The Jewish population is larger and more concentrated in Hollywood. The Jewish population in Plantation and Davie is spread out and not as recognizable.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

I still think Hollywood is a better fit for you. The Jewish population is larger and more concentrated in Hollywood. The Jewish population in Plantation and Davie is spread out and not as recognizable.

I'm in Plantation Acres and it seems really really Jewish around here.

[Olshansky]

Going to try and resurrect this thread after almost 4 years of inactivity...

I currently live in San Francisco and will be moving to Plantation in about a month for a new job. I'm a single male, Russian-Jewish, in my mid 20s. It seems like I'm in a similar boat to one that you were in a few years ago.

Mitya - I was wondering if you ended up moving there? Are you still there? Where did you end up living? Really any insight or information you have would be super useful.

Thanks,
Daniel