Advice for a Young Professional (Fort Lauderdale: crime, neighborhoods, college)

[Alana0000]

I am thinking of moving to Ft. Lauderdale. I am a female, single and a young professional. Do you recommend moving here? What areas are good to move to? I would like an area where I am meet people easily and somewhere safe. Thanks!

[Papillons2]

If you are looking for a major metropolitan area (three-county population of 5.5 million) with cultural diversity, year-round warm weather and outdoor activities, excellent beaches, dining and nightlife, major college and pro sports and a tropical/Caribbean vibe, you should like Fort Lauderdale. You have to be able to handle traffic, congestion and crime that are typical of (or maybe even a little worse than) most big cities. There's typically heat and humidity from the beginning of May to the end of October, sometimes longer. And if you are offended by people speaking Spanish, Creole, etc., you may not be comfortable here. It's also important to have work lined up before you move here and that your income is sufficient to defray the cost of living (which is lower than the metro areas in New York and California but higher than most areas in the Midwest, South and Southwest).

Downtown Fort Lauderdale/Las Olas Boulevard is a good area for young professionals. You also might like the Port Royale development on the far northeast side of the city.

[Mr. Lee]

I second the Las Olas area as a great place to live and for meeting people.

[Tulippsy]

Why don't you send out some resumes to employers in the cities you're interested in moving to? When you get an interview, you can check out different neighborhoods while you're there. And if you don't garnish any interest, you can scratch that city off your list.

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by Tulippsy

Why don't you send out some resumes to employers in the cities you're interested in moving to? When you get an interview, you can check out different neighborhoods while you're there. And if you don't garnish any interest, you can scratch that city off your list.

The OP would need to get a local address or PO box. Employers don't really look at out of state job applicants for a lot of jobs. Everyone wants to move to South Florida.

[Tulippsy]

The OP is looking a several cities for relocation. I was merely suggesting she base her choice on where she might find employment. My husbands' company routinely interviews people from out of state. I don't think it's that unusual unless you're applying for a job at Walmart or something.