Las Olas vs Lighthouse Point for a single young person? (Fort Lauderdale: rent, college)

[allyvip]

I know Las Olas has the superior night life, but I don't do bars and clubs. I'm more concerned w/ local amenities and good restaurants.

Las Olas is much more expensive.

Does it justify the premium for a young single person who is more into a laid back lifestyle?

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by allyvip

I know Las Olas has the superior night life, but I don't do bars and clubs. I'm more concerned w/ local amenities and good restaurants.

Las Olas is much more expensive.

Does it justify the premium for a young single person who is more into a laid back lifestyle?

Las Olas is more expensive for a reason, it is more in demand because it offers more.

I run to the beach and back, ride my bike everywhere, have tons of fantastic shopping and dining within steps of my front door.

[Papillons2]

Those are two pretty nice places you're looking at. Have you visited them? Probably the only way to know for sure which one you'll like best is to spend some time in both areas.

If I were single and could afford it, I'd probably spend the extra bucks and pick Las Olas because of its superior walkability and convenience to everything. You don't have to be into the bar/club scene to appreciate it.

Lighthouse Point is great in its own way, but it's more geared toward affluent families and retirees. I don't know that there'd be much of a singles "scene" or a lot of like-minded younger people there. But it may appeal to you if you prefer a less urban lifestyle than Las Olas. There's plenty of fine dining in northeast Broward, and you'd be minutes away from the Intracoastal and not far from the beach in Deerfield (which is one of my favorites).

So check them both out and see which one fits within your comfort zone.

[Mr. Lee]

If you would like some of the advantages of Las Olas but with a lower price and not that far away then you might wish to check out places on or off 17th street Causeway. Here is a link to some in that general area.

[SierraDog]

The bars and restaurants around the beach in Deerfield (just north of Lighthouse Point) tend to have a young feel and a surfer-ish vibe. I think part of that is due to the proximity to Boca and FAU college kids... Versus Las Olas which has a more pretentious, toney atmosphere and restaurants which are overall fairly expensive (with the exception of a few casual spots). Your money will definitely go further on rent in the Lighthouse Point and Deerfield areas. Also check out the thread about Galt Mile, that may be a good location too, if you're a beach person.

[Nolefan34]

I've never thought of Lighthouse Point of being a singles area. If anything, it is a snowbird area. Deerfield and Pompano along the beaches are overrun with retirees and Canadian snowbirds. There is a younger crowd mixed in, but not the heavy concentration like you see in Las Olas.

The "young areas" of Broward are Las Olas, Fort Lauderdale Beach, downtown Hollywood, and Plantation/Davie. The rest of Broward has young people, but is predominantly family areas. Boca Raton is very young these days as well. The Mizner Park area is full of young people.

If you're not into nightlife and bars, there's no point in spending extra $ to live in Las Olas. The only advantage it has is the abundance of bars, nightlife, and restaurants concentrated on and around the area. You may as well look somewhere on the beach.

The 17th Street Causeway area is decent and very close to Las Olas, but is predominantly swamped with tourists. The Publix there is great. But I feel like the only local around when I go there. I suppose its a good place to live considering the amount of restaurants there. You're close enough to Las Olas and the singles scene.