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I'm a single female, 39, just received very good job offer in Plantation. Considering a move from Santa Monica, CA to Ft.Lauderdale area. I have 2 dogs- a lab and a pointer. Flew down to Ft. Lauderdale this weekend to find a place and was shocked at some of the neighbourhoods, the concrete jungle of downtown Ft. Lauderdale and other places that accepted dogs, the lack of street lighting in Victoria Park and the general sketchiness of the areas. I am a professional and wonder if I should move? Will it be difficult to meet other single professionals? Any suggestions/thoughts.. Where can I find a dog friendly neighborhood (i.e with grass and can walk) while still being urban enough?
Hi. I can hopefully shed some light on your questions, as I am in your general demographic and also have dogs
I think your main question should be whether this career move will benefit you and meet your goals. Is this a company you can see yourself with in 5 or 10 years? How does the compensation compare to other positions and companies?
It can be difficult to find a nice apartment or condo that is large-dog-friendly and in a good area. Since you'll be working in Plantation, I might consider a rental condo or townhome in East Plantation which would put you very close to work. Plantation is very dog friendly with many parks, including a huge dog park at Seminole Park which is considered one of the best in the area. From East Plantation, it is a short 15-20 minute drive to Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale (the downtown area with bars, restaurants) and the beach. Living and working in Plantation while playing in Fort Lauderdale might work well for you, as you'd avoid a commute.
It can be tough meeting new people, as with any large city, but I've found meetup.com groups offer an excellent opportunity to meet like minded young professionals.
The best place to live (if you can afford it) is Las Olas. There is a lot of nightlife there. The rents are high, but coming from CA, I'm sure you will think its cheap. It is somewhat "urban" being in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, although nowhere in Fort Lauderdale or Broward County is truely urban except for maybe 5 blocks in downtown around Las Olas.
East Plantation is ok in some areas, but can be sketchy as you go further east. I would chose West Plantation over East. Plantation in general is a suburbia, so I'm not sure you'd like it.
Overall, singles are generally best off living further east in areas like Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, and the beach areas. That is where lots of singles live. Commuting from downtown Ft. Lauderdale to Plantation is a breeze. You are going the opposite direction of the traffic.
The best place to live (if you can afford it) is Las Olas. There is a lot of nightlife there. The rents are high, but coming from CA, I'm sure you will think its cheap. It is somewhat "urban" being in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, although nowhere in Fort Lauderdale or Broward County is truely urban except for maybe 5 blocks in downtown around Las Olas.
My only reservation with recommending Las Olas is that OP has two large dogs; I am wondering if any of the buildings around Las Olas allow larger dogs. Primarily I have seen "purse dogs" in the Las Olas area. I think that, if any buildings do, perhaps the older buildings around Venetian Isles. Being in a low-rise building would be much easier with large dogs (I know from experience!)
Another option if OP is interested in renting a home with a yard, is a rental home in the Croissant Park or Tarpon River area. These are nice walkable neighborhoods that have much less expensive rents than the homes in Victoria Park. OP could rent a nice single family home for the cost of a rental condo around Las Olas. River Reach condos are nice (and full of young singles, I've had friend who lived there) but I have a feeling they have a weight limit for dogs which OP's canines may exceed. These locations are quite close to Snyder Park which has Bark Park Dog Park and the dog swimming pond OP would be able to commute to Plantation easily along SR 84 or Davie Road.
My only reservation with recommending Las Olas is that OP has two large dogs; I am wondering if any of the buildings around Las Olas allow larger dogs. Primarily I have seen "purse dogs" in the Las Olas area. I think that, if any buildings do, perhaps the older buildings around Venetian Isles. Being in a low-rise building would be much easier with large dogs (I know from experience!)
Another option if OP is interested in renting a home with a yard, is a rental home in the Croissant Park or Tarpon River area. These are nice walkable neighborhoods that have much less expensive rents than the homes in Victoria Park. OP could rent a nice single family home for the cost of a rental condo around Las Olas. River Reach condos are nice (and full of young singles, I've had friend who lived there) but I have a feeling they have a weight limit for dogs which OP's canines may exceed. These locations are quite close to Snyder Park which has Bark Park Dog Park and the dog swimming pond OP would be able to commute to Plantation easily along SR 84 or Davie Road.
Re-locating from Santa Monica to Ft. Lauderdale? CULTURE SHOCK !!!! All of Broward has become dicey last 10 years. Good area then BAM! Bad area! Homeless people and Deadbeats roam around Federal, from 17 St to Sunrise Blvd. at all times of the day and night. VP is over-rated and houses small, and crowded. Street lighting sucks there. Stay in Santa Monica .... Montana and Ohio streets are heaven out there!!!
Hi. I can hopefully shed some light on your questions, as I am in your general demographic and also have dogs
I think your main question should be whether this career move will benefit you and meet your goals. Is this a company you can see yourself with in 5 or 10 years? How does the compensation compare to other positions and companies?
It can be difficult to find a nice apartment or condo that is large-dog-friendly and in a good area. Since you'll be working in Plantation, I might consider a rental condo or townhome in East Plantation which would put you very close to work. Plantation is very dog friendly with many parks, including a huge dog park at Seminole Park which is considered one of the best in the area. From East Plantation, it is a short 15-20 minute drive to Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale (the downtown area with bars, restaurants) and the beach. Living and working in Plantation while playing in Fort Lauderdale might work well for you, as you'd avoid a commute.
It can be tough meeting new people, as with any large city, but I've found meetup.com groups offer an excellent opportunity to meet like minded young professionals.
Where exactly do you live? Condo? House? How did you go about finding it? Will I find Plantation too suburban? any specific recommendations on buildings/ complexes I should look into?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nolefan34
The best place to live (if you can afford it) is Las Olas. There is a lot of nightlife there. The rents are high, but coming from CA, I'm sure you will think its cheap. It is somewhat "urban" being in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, although nowhere in Fort Lauderdale or Broward County is truely urban except for maybe 5 blocks in downtown around Las Olas.
East Plantation is ok in some areas, but can be sketchy as you go further east. I would chose West Plantation over East. Plantation in general is a suburbia, so I'm not sure you'd like it.
Overall, singles are generally best off living further east in areas like Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, and the beach areas. That is where lots of singles live. Commuting from downtown Ft. Lauderdale to Plantation is a breeze. You are going the opposite direction of the traffic.
That was my impression- but my concern was the safety of walking at night in those areas with my dogs. They are older and sometimes have to go at 1am and when I drove around at midnight one night in Ft. Lauderdale and Hollywood I really didn't feel safe. I found the streets poorly lit and the areas with homes very dark at night.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SierraDog
My only reservation with recommending Las Olas is that OP has two large dogs; I am wondering if any of the buildings around Las Olas allow larger dogs. Primarily I have seen "purse dogs" in the Las Olas area. I think that, if any buildings do, perhaps the older buildings around Venetian Isles. Being in a low-rise building would be much easier with large dogs (I know from experience!)
Another option if OP is interested in renting a home with a yard, is a rental home in the Croissant Park or Tarpon River area. These are nice walkable neighborhoods that have much less expensive rents than the homes in Victoria Park. OP could rent a nice single family home for the cost of a rental condo around Las Olas. River Reach condos are nice (and full of young singles, I've had friend who lived there) but I have a feeling they have a weight limit for dogs which OP's canines may exceed. These locations are quite close to Snyder Park which has Bark Park Dog Park and the dog swimming pond OP would be able to commute to Plantation easily along SR 84 or Davie Road.
Some of the buildings near Las Olas do allow big dogs but quite frankly I found the demographic a little young for me- like straight out of college. Not to mention that there is little in the way of grassy areas to go out and walk my dogs- it was much more concrete than I am used to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chester Foster
Re-locating from Santa Monica to Ft. Lauderdale? CULTURE SHOCK !!!! All of Broward has become dicey last 10 years. Good area then BAM! Bad area! Homeless people and Deadbeats roam around Federal, from 17 St to Sunrise Blvd. at all times of the day and night. VP is over-rated and houses small, and crowded. Street lighting sucks there. Stay in Santa Monica .... Montana and Ohio streets are heaven out there!!!
It definitely was a culture shock and making me second guess moving. I found decent buildings among slummy ones. Literally one block was nice and the next very sketchy. There are a lot of homeless in Santa Monica but they are harmless. They are laid back and quite friendly. What I saw in Florida was a much harsher looking slum population... it was rather scary.
Does anyone have any specific building suggestions in these areas? Now that I am back in Cali I can't drive up and down the streets to look. The realtors have sent me pictures of houses but its really hard to tell. Are there any rental complexes that anyone thinks would be a good fit? In Santa Monica there is a complex called Archstone that is pet friendly and a lot people move in when they first get to Santa Monica. I am a big fan of the short complexes- much easier with dogs (and my dogs love to look out the window and bark at passerbys which is great in a short complex). Any suggestions??
Where exactly do you live? Condo? House? How did you go about finding it? Will I find Plantation too suburban? any specific recommendations on buildings/ complexes I should look into?
That was my impression- but my concern was the safety of walking at night in those areas with my dogs. They are older and sometimes have to go at 1am and when I drove around at midnight one night in Ft. Lauderdale and Hollywood I really didn't feel safe. I found the streets poorly lit and the areas with homes very dark at night.
Some of the buildings near Las Olas do allow big dogs but quite frankly I found the demographic a little young for me- like straight out of college. Not to mention that there is little in the way of grassy areas to go out and walk my dogs- it was much more concrete than I am used to.
It definitely was a culture shock and making me second guess moving. I found decent buildings among slummy ones. Literally one block was nice and the next very sketchy. There are a lot of homeless in Santa Monica but they are harmless. They are laid back and quite friendly. What I saw in Florida was a much harsher looking slum population... it was rather scary.
Does anyone have any specific building suggestions in these areas? Now that I am back in Cali I can't drive up and down the streets to look. The realtors have sent me pictures of houses but its really hard to tell. Are there any rental complexes that anyone thinks would be a good fit? In Santa Monica there is a complex called Archstone that is pet friendly and a lot people move in when they first get to Santa Monica. I am a big fan of the short complexes- much easier with dogs (and my dogs love to look out the window and bark at passerbys which is great in a short complex). Any suggestions??
Well, considering south florida's homeless population are face-eating cannibals, you may want to re-consider.
jk jk
but seriously, dont be so afraid. You seem like a fragile little bug who at the slightest little breeze will be knocked off course and die.
like honestly, broward is mostly fine. I've lived there for years, I've never encountered any violent crime and haven't had anything vandalized or stolen. Perhaps im lucky? Anything "east of 95" is going to be pretty stable. Heck, even a lot of "west of 95" is stable as well.
Las olas area, Victoria park neightborhood are nice.
Plantation, Cooper City, Coral Springs, Pembroke Pines are good as well.
Perhaps consider Boca Raton, like 20 mins north of fort lauderdale. Very nice, safe, not slummy at all.
Where exactly do you live? Condo? House? How did you go about finding it? Will I find Plantation too suburban? any specific recommendations on buildings/ complexes I should look into?
I am in a single family neighborhood in East Plantation (to map the area, map just west of Florida's Turnpike and west of University Drive, off of Peters Road). This area is known as "East Plantation", "Old Plantation." The area is 99% single family homes with some condo buildings, townhomes and apartments around Broward Blvd. east of and near University.
It is a suburban area, certainly, but you have the combination of green space and parks; proximity to your work; and a quick drive to downtown Fort Lauderdale on surface streets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by allaboutmydogs
Some of the buildings near Las Olas do allow big dogs but quite frankly I found the demographic a little young for me- like straight out of college. Not to mention that there is little in the way of grassy areas to go out and walk my dogs- it was much more concrete than I am used to.
I am with you as far as the demographic around Las Olas. A lot of younger people who are there to be part of the "scene."
There are a few newer apartment complexes off Sunrise Boulevard and U.S. 1 (Satori is one) which is pet friendly. I have been there and there are numerous doggie "disposal stations". While not as trendy as Las Olas or Vic Park, this area is still heart of Fort Lauderdale's retail and restaurant area with lots of amenities (Publix grocery store right down the block, gym across the street, etc.), and is a short bike to the beach. Probably a pricey place, but I think it could be a good option for you. I have linked to Satori below:
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and Sea Ranches come to mind. It's urban enough, good to live overall, not shoddy looking or something, not too expensive also. But it's not far from dreadful ghetto neighborhoods. Weston would be good also, but it's very suburban, although it has some mid-rise buildings and a urban-style trendy town center.
But I personally would think a lot before doing this move, as South Fl. is definitely not for everyone; I stayed here for almost a decade, but nowadays I can't bear to live here no more, it's fine overall (has quite a few issues though), but not my type personally.
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OP would be able to commute to Plantation easily along SR 84 or Davie Road.
