Another family relocating south and seeking advice

[MovingSouth2020]

Hi again - to chime in on the topic of the beach, yes - we understand that the beach will not be out our back door when considering living in western Broward however, as ruski pointed out correctly, our focus is on being close to the school - in this case American Heritage - Plantation. We do not want that daily commute for our kids just so that perhaps, on some weekends, when they don't have activities to attend or friends houses to be at, and the stars align perfectly, we can find our way to the beach with relative ease.

Coming from a part of Massachusetts where it easily takes us over an hour to drive into the city and more to get to the beaches, we welcome a 1/2 hour drive to enjoy a recreational activity. We currently spend around 2 hours every day in the car commuting with the kids and we have no intention of doing that again...so beach or no beach, the closer to American Heritage the better....even if it is "boring" sometimes

Thanks again for all the thoughts you folks have been willing to share - I am starting to gain confidence that what we are looking for does exist!

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by blueherons

Hahaha! OMG I can't think of too many people that would cycle in South Florida. At least not my end of Broward County. My girlfriend actually got run over on her bike on Las Olas.

I live on Las Olas two miles from the beach and in season it takes me 20 minutes because of the traffic and longer if the bridge goes up. I am so much closer to the beach than those who live in Weston yet certain times of year, I don't get there faster.

Cycling is huge out in and around Weston. There are also multi-use paths all through Davie. I go on 20 mile rides all the time and see lots and lots of people, nature, etc. It's a lot of fun. We also have the levy greenway that's a gorgeous ride overlooking the Everglades, very cycle friendly roads, sidewalks, and paths all over, and the best mountain biking in Florida right here at Markham Park. I would never cycle if I lived East, it's just not setup for it and is quite dangerous I'd imagine outside of a couple of spots like Hollywood Broadwalk which has the bike path.

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by MovingSouth2020

Hi again - to chime in on the topic of the beach, yes - we understand that the beach will not be out our back door when considering living in western Broward however, as ruski pointed out correctly, our focus is on being close to the school - in this case American Heritage - Plantation. We do not want that daily commute for our kids just so that perhaps, on some weekends, when they don't have activities to attend or friends houses to be at, and the stars align perfectly, we can find our way to the beach with relative ease.

Coming from a part of Massachusetts where it easily takes us over an hour to drive into the city and more to get to the beaches, we welcome a 1/2 hour drive to enjoy a recreational activity. We currently spend around 2 hours every day in the car commuting with the kids and we have no intention of doing that again...so beach or no beach, the closer to American Heritage the better....even if it is "boring" sometimes

Thanks again for all the thoughts you folks have been willing to share - I am starting to gain confidence that what we are looking for does exist!

And good thing for you is, it's not boring at all out by American Heritage. Tons and tons of stuff just a short drive away. Everything from some of the best restaurants and theaters to indoor skydiving, Sawgrass mall, BB&T Center, farmers markets, and the best parks in South Florida. Other than the beach, the reality is that the western areas actually tend to have more of the things you want on a regular basis and more convenient to get to them. Some people really do love living downtown and that's fine, I get it, but that doesn't mean the western areas are desolate. Quite the opposite. I think South Florida is a tad unique compared to many suburbs of large cities as it's really compact, and the suburbs here have no shortage of "city" things.

You will have NO issue finding what you want for your budget. It not only exists, it exists in abundance. Most people are looking for that with a $400k budget. Having a $650k budget makes this as easy as can be. That's pretty much every higher end-middle class neighborhood in Broward County! We don't have high wages here, so $650k is pretty big budget for this area and gets you a lot.

[ruski]

Originally Posted by BNBR

And good thing for you is, it's not boring at all out by American Heritage. Tons and tons of stuff just a short drive away. Everything from some of the best restaurants and theaters to indoor skydiving, Sawgrass mall, BB&T Center, farmers markets, and the best parks in South Florida. Other than the beach, the reality is that the western areas actually tend to have more of the things you want on a regular basis and more convenient to get to them. Some people really do love living downtown and that's fine, I get it, but that doesn't mean the western areas are desolate. Quite the opposite. I think South Florida is a tad unique compared to many suburbs of large cities as it's really compact, and the suburbs here have no shortage of "city" things.

You will have NO issue finding what you want for your budget. It not only exists, it exists in abundance. Most people are looking for that with a $400k budget. Having a $650k budget makes this as easy as can be. That's pretty much every higher end-middle class neighborhood in Broward County! We don't have high wages here, so $650k is pretty big budget for this area and gets you a lot.

Don't forget the The American Dream Miami mega-mall that will be built in the coming years 15-20 minutes South. You should be able to add downhill skiing to your cycling hobby.

https://www.thenextmiami.com/america...etion-in-2025/

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by ruski

Don't forget the The American Dream Miami mega-mall that will be built in the coming years 15-20 minutes South. You should be able to add downhill skiing to your cycling hobby.

https://www.thenextmiami.com/america...etion-in-2025/

Totally forgot about that. I'll wait until they actually break ground... For now I'm waiting to see if the full Metropica project is ever finished.

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by ruski

Don't forget the The American Dream Miami mega-mall that will be built in the coming years 15-20 minutes South. You should be able to add downhill skiing to your cycling hobby.

https://www.thenextmiami.com/america...etion-in-2025/

Given our demographic, I don't know how that ski slope will make any money.

[StarryKnight1]

I don’t know, I go skiing all the time

Then again, I travel the world frequently and actually leave South Florida / Weston every once in awhile, so that tells me exactly what I need to know.

Then again, why even bother posting when people rip me to shreds for having a different opinion from the pack. Yes there are people that find living in Weston to be a living hell and as such do not live there. The horrors.