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Old 03-05-2009, 01:50 PM
 
77 posts, read 295,872 times
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Hi again all!!

I've posted several threads on here about our upcoming relocation to south florida. After everyones great feedback I thought we decided on Weston but now we might consider Parkland again. We are a family of 4 with 2 small children. Schools are extremely important to us as is safety and family friendly activities for the kids. DH will commute to Medley and is willing to travel up to an hour so now Parkland is in the running. Many of you have strongly suggested Weston as the place to be, but can anyone tell me why we should pick Weston over Parkland (besides the commute time difference). DH has a collegue that lives in parkland and raves about it and it's excellent public school system (all of them...elementary, middle and HS). We're not sure if we can swing private. Are there any major differences between the two towns?

We have a 2.5 yo and a newborn. I will SAH so I'll be looking for a very family friendly town where I can meet other mommy friends.

Thanks again all!
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Old 03-05-2009, 01:56 PM
 
2,113 posts, read 5,054,496 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newmommy7890 View Post
Hi again all!!

I've posted several threads on here about our upcoming relocation to south florida. After everyones great feedback I thought we decided on Weston but now we might consider Parkland again. We are a family of 4 with 2 small children. Schools are extremely important to us as is safety and family friendly activities for the kids. DH will commute to Medley and is willing to travel up to an hour so now Parkland is in the running. Many of you have strongly suggested Weston as the place to be, but can anyone tell me why we should pick Weston over Parkland (besides the commute time difference). DH has a collegue that lives in parkland and raves about it and it's excellent public school system (all of them...elementary, middle and HS). We're not sure if we can swing private. Are there any major differences between the two towns?

We have a 2.5 yo and a newborn. I will SAH so I'll be looking for a very family friendly town where I can meet other mommy friends.

Thanks again all!
The only difference that I see is that Weston has slightly more entertainment options i.e. restaurants , a town center and is more international than Parkland with a larger affluent Hispanic population . I live in Parkland and love it there ( I think I have mentioned that before )
and used to live in Weston and loved it there as well . Again the only real difference is that your Anglo population in Parkland is approximately 80% and in Weston it is 50% ... good luck
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Old 03-05-2009, 02:03 PM
 
77 posts, read 295,872 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rock Newman View Post
The only difference that I see is that Weston has slightly more entertainment options i.e. restaurants , a town center and is more international than Parkland with a larger affluent Hispanic population . I live in Parkland and love it there ( I think I have mentioned that before )
and used to live in Weston and loved it there as well . Again the only real difference is that your Anglo population in Parkland is approximately 80% and in Weston it is 50% ... good luck
Thanks Rock-- Is it true that the schools in Parkland are all great? I've heard (on another thread) that if my daughter doesn't have the latest 'gucci bag' she won't fit in.... Is this the case?

Any great developments we should consider? We do NOT want to be in a development with a golf course because that seems to increase the HOA fee and we don't golf so it's a waste. Any others that are very nice developments with just a clubhouse/pool/playground that we should research.

Thanks again!
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Old 03-05-2009, 02:11 PM
 
Location: Boston MA, by way of NYC
2,763 posts, read 6,735,890 times
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Heron Bay for either Coral Springs and/or Parkland will be really nice. Personally, I was not the biggest fan of Parkland, but didn't spend as much time there as I did in Coral Springs. I really liked the Whyndam lakes development.
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Old 03-05-2009, 02:15 PM
 
8,377 posts, read 30,783,258 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newmommy7890 View Post
Thanks Rock-- Is it true that the schools in Parkland are all great? I've heard (on another thread) that if my daughter doesn't have the latest 'gucci bag' she won't fit in.... Is this the case?


Thanks again!
This is true. Weston is a tad less like this (not to say that it still isn't a little like that), and the schools are "ranked" exactly the same to better. Other than that, I would say the biggest difference is the shopping (more shopping), the relative lack of old growth trees/bald cypress and pine trees in Weston, and the demographics (more Hispanic, has the largest Hispanic population in Broward County).
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Old 03-05-2009, 02:18 PM
 
3,043 posts, read 7,674,595 times
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Parkland will take more than an hour to Medley. This is really an unacceptable commute. Weston is pushing it and will take at least an hour, probably more because of traffic. Parkland will take more than an hour and a half, and if gas prices go back up, you will be in big trouble. Mileage-wise it's huge. If this is a white flight kind of thing (altho the Hispanics in Weston are by all measures "white"), take a look at Pinecrest in Miami.
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Old 03-05-2009, 02:55 PM
 
995 posts, read 3,919,793 times
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Take into consideration of the toll expenses for Parkland. Practically, you will need to pay $1.00 each way on Sawgrass Expwy.

Another thing to consider is that Parkland is still developing. But Weston is pretty much done. There are pros and cons to each.

I found Parkland to be more upscale than Weston and was out of our budget. If I had the money, then I'd consider it. But the commute will kill me.
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Old 03-05-2009, 03:19 PM
 
77 posts, read 295,872 times
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Thanks all for the info...

According to mapquest, it looks like a 45 minute commute from Parkland to his office in Medley. Is the highway traffic that bad that it increases the drive time?? Highway travel??
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Old 03-05-2009, 03:21 PM
 
Location: Boston MA, by way of NYC
2,763 posts, read 6,735,890 times
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You know Ace - I heard the same thing about Parkland (a little more upscale), but from my experience in looking at homes there are a bit cheaper than in Weston. I'm not sure why that is exactly. Any ideas? I definitley found Parkland to be more sprawled out than even Coral Springs, which is spread out. I like the idea Weston being a closer nit place. Is it a town in Iowa where everyone knows everyone, no. Just from what people are saying it is a bit more neighborhoodish than the other places. Does that make any sense?
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Old 03-05-2009, 03:28 PM
 
Location: Boston MA, by way of NYC
2,763 posts, read 6,735,890 times
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I will tell you that is a complete lie! That is from experience. When I was during xmas - traffic to Miami was bad and that was with people on vacation can you imagine when it is peak time? Don't go by mapquest. You are from the Island LIE in the morning going toward the city - you get my drift. Listen people do it every day, maybe he will just get used to it. Just ask yourself how cranky is he when he has had to sit in 2 hours of traffic, then make your decision.

I like Weston a bit better because the surrounding cities are just as nice as Weston. I don't think that is exactly the case with Parkland and Coral Springs. My experience is that asthetically everything in Broward is beautiful so, it is hard to tell a nice area from a bad area. That is why I based everything on schools. I assume those areas are nicer if the schools are better.
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