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vr2 is way offbase. Yes Pompano is the most dangerous city in Broward County. But if 100% of the crime occurs west of Dixie Highway, it doesn't apply to east of Dixie Highway. There is very little spillover from west to east. Pompano Beach covers a very large geographical area. West-East is like 2 different cities.
As far as Atlantic Blvd being depressing with closed businesses, that is WEST of Dixie Highway. The carwash joint is also West of Dixie Highway. Once you go East of Dixie Highway, businesses are all pretty much open and vibrant with few vacancies. Also, Atlantic Blvd is only one corridor of Pompano Beach. You left out all other areas such as US1 which has plenty of good businesses, shopping, and restaurants.
It sounds like you live on the beach and your daily travels only involve driving to/from I-95 on Atlantic Blvd. Of course that is depressing because once you go west on Atlantic past US1, the neighborhood tapers off and declines around Dixie Highway.
You also say you wouldn't recommend living in Hollywood or Fort Lauderdale. SO you ruled out the entire eastern half of Broward County which shows you are totally biased. You think the only way to live is in a gated community in Weston. Anything less is dangerous, unsafe, and unacceptable. Not everyone's ideal place to live is a gated community in a boring suburb. That is fine if that's your opinion. But some like a more diverse area with older architecture and a more gentrified feel.
vr2 is way offbase. Yes Pompano is the most dangerous city in Broward County. But if 100% of the crime occurs west of Dixie Highway, it doesn't apply to east of Dixie Highway. There is very little spillover from west to east. Pompano Beach covers a very large geographical area. West-East is like 2 different cities. .
Really? Ive never heard of this and I live in Pompano. I know people think Pompano is ghetto but most dangerous? I know that neighborhood right by Walmart is really bad!
Pompano is like any city in broward. Just like in Ft. lauderdale you have Victoria Park which is nice but then on the other side of dixie is all ghetto so does that mean your crazy for living there? Most of east broward is like that.
Or like how Miami Gardens is blocks away from Pembroke Pines. Or how East Miramar is rough and West Miramar is affluent. Or how Coral Springs and Tamarac border North Lauderdale and Margate. Or how Plantation borders East Plantation which is rough which borders west Fort Lauderdale which is really bad. The list goes on.
The ghetto car wash is EAST of Dixie, by the way. And there are tons of old, closed, depressing buildings all up Atlantic and US1, EAST of Dixie.
And yes, I would say 90% of the eastern half of Broward County is an undesirable place to live. The entire corridor almost all bad. And my point would remain the same, with substantially better places to live out west and only a 10 minute drive to anything east, why bother living in such declining and troubled areas?
Miami Gardens is blocks away from west pembroke pines? Care to display this on a map. Because I find this a VERY poor comparison to 1/8th of a mile from Dixie Hwy in Pompono.
To me it sounds like you bought in the area and are trying to justify it to everyone else. Accept reality. Pompano is a dangerous dump. Ask the next officer you run into how they feel about Pompano compared to the rest of the county.
You are right that the carwash is 1 block east of Dixie Highway. So what? There's nothing wrong with a car wash. The neighborhood 1 block east of Dixie isn't the best either but its better than West of Dixie Highway. Again, you don't have to live 1 block east. You can live 1 mile east and be fine and safe. You are making it sound like there is only 1 block of land east of Dixie Highway. There is almost 2 miles. Also, there are very few closed and depressed businesses on Atlantic Blvd east of Dixie Highway. There are lots of old buildings because Pompano is an older suburb. But you are confusing old with dangerous.
The fact that you believe 90% of the eastern half of Broward is a dump shows how wrong you are. There are lots of nice neighborhoods east of US1 in most parts of Eastern Broward County. The Central part of Broward is the dumpy part.
Also, it takes much longer than 10 minutes to drive from a western suburb east to the beach. It typically takes 35-45 minutes to commute from Coral Springs to the beach on Atlantic Blvd. It takes 10 minutes just to get from the beach to I-95. I think you are so far offbase on this subject its funny.
45 minutes to get to the beach from Coral Springs? I make this drive often since my office is in West Sunrise. It takes me 35 minutes to get from West Sunrise to Atlantic and A1A which is going North and East. From my condo in Tamarac down Commercial to Lauderdale by the Sea is roughly 20 - 25 minutes.
Maybe 10 minutes was off, but realistically, you are 20 - 30 minute drive from almost anything from out west. It only takes 11 minutes from 75 to US1 on 595, plus you have I95 and the Turnpike to go North or South. It's not exactly long or difficult to get from the West Suburbs to almost anything quickly out East.
I am not confusing old with dangerous, I'm merely pointing out that it happens to be both old AND dangerous. I have Broward cops in my family, I have a cop in my family who worked in Pompano until recently, I have a place in Pompano, I've been on a ride-along in Pompano, I know what goes on there. I'm not off base at all. Pompano is dangerous, even east of Dixie. You have a false sense of safety in that area, and I know this as a fact.
I said it takes 35-45 minutes from Coral Springs to the beach on Atlantic Blvd. 595 doesn't go anywhere near Coral Springs. You have to take one of the east-west local highways such as Atlantic Blvd, Royal Palm/Copans, or Sample Road. They all take at least 35 minutes from the western portion of Coral Springs to A1A and the beaches. The only time it takes less than 35 minutes is late at night. There are 100 stoplights in between and the drivers constantly weave in and out cutting you off trying to beat the next light. It is a miserable commute. You can take the Sawgrass to SW 10th Street as an alternative, but it doesn't go any quicker and you have to pay tolls. I've done this drive about 30 times and it always takes at least 35 minutes. I've tried taking different routes but it always takes the same amount of time. I suppose if you lived on the far-eastern edge of Coral Springs it would reduce your time by 10 minutes. But if you live in the central or western portion then it takes 35 minutes during non-rush hour times.
You were measuring from Sunrise to the beach. That is an easier commute because you can take 595 and 95 instead of the local roads. Also, you say its "easy" to get there. I suppose that depends what you mean by easy. The drivers are crazy and gas is very expensive. You'll use at least 1/8th of a tank of gas driving from Coral Springs, Sunrise, or Weston to the beaches. With gas prices hovering around $3.85/gallon, this isn't cheap by any means. Then you have to pay for parking at the beaches. I live close to the beach right now and I honestly wouldn't trade it for living out west. I suppose that is because I am young and single. If I were married and had a family, then living out west would probably be the better option due to schools, safety issues, etc.
Now, as far as your family member who is a cop goes... Cops by nature always think their neighborhood is the worst. Ask any cop in any city and they'll tell you how bad things are, how the world is coming to an end, etc. Cops tend to be very doom and gloom and pessemistic when it comes to people. Of course a cop is going to tell you that crime is out of control. That is his job! I've been on ride a longs too. Of course you are going to see crime during a ride a long.
I still think you're confusing the West part of Pompano with the East part. If you drive through both, there is clearly a huge difference. Is there some spill-over? Sure. But the East part isn't that bad at all.
The average person doesn't typically drive to the beach every day, but for that 1 day every few weeks/months, is 35 minutes that big of a deal? From West Tamarac (Pine Island/Commercial) to A1A and Atlantic, my typical drive is 25 - 30 minutes. It's not 45 minutes like you keep saying, that's absurd. I make this drive 3 - 4 times per a week right now.
I like how you also pointed out that if you had a family you would move out West due to "SAFETY ISSUES" - really? I thought Pompano was great? I'm not single, but even when I was single, I think I'd prefer to live in a safe area too. Pompano, even East, has terrible schools. Where do you think all these 14 - 18 year old trouble makers go after school lets out? A hidden underground bunker? Of course not, they are out roaming the streets and causing trouble - and this isn't innocent trouble, they are dealing drugs, running around in gangs, etc. Sure, you may have a decent street or two in East Pompano, but why on earth would you want to constantly try and hide out on your 3 square acres of marginal safety, while surrounded by a war zone? There are so many better areas to live in Broward, which leaves no redeeming value or purpose to moving into Pompano, even if it is the "decent" street.
I'm not a huge fan of Pompano but really, nothing east of US1 is suspect at all as far as safety. Almost every street is decent, not just "one or two". Between Dixie Highway and US1, however, there are some suspect areas (Cresthaven, some areas in "Olde Pompano"), while the whole entire area south of Atlantic Blvd, to Dixie Hwy, is actually very upscale and sought after. Youth in these areas aren't likely to be attending the community public schools, either. It's quite a large area that is like this, and the only reason to ever enter the "bad area" is to drive to I-95. And it really isn't THAT bad, not a "warzone" as suggested. The worst of the worst areas that make Pompano the most dangerous city will be well west of 95, tucked off of side streets.
Last edited by compelled to reply; 06-13-2011 at 10:26 AM..
The average person doesn't typically drive to the beach every day, but for that 1 day every few weeks/months, is 35 minutes that big of a deal? From West Tamarac (Pine Island/Commercial) to A1A and Atlantic, my typical drive is 25 - 30 minutes. It's not 45 minutes like you keep saying, that's absurd. I make this drive 3 - 4 times per a week right now.
I like how you also pointed out that if you had a family you would move out West due to "SAFETY ISSUES" - really? I thought Pompano was great? I'm not single, but even when I was single, I think I'd prefer to live in a safe area too. Pompano, even East, has terrible schools. Where do you think all these 14 - 18 year old trouble makers go after school lets out? A hidden underground bunker? Of course not, they are out roaming the streets and causing trouble - and this isn't innocent trouble, they are dealing drugs, running around in gangs, etc. Sure, you may have a decent street or two in East Pompano, but why on earth would you want to constantly try and hide out on your 3 square acres of marginal safety, while surrounded by a war zone? There are so many better areas to live in Broward, which leaves no redeeming value or purpose to moving into Pompano, even if it is the "decent" street.
You keep changing cities. Tamarac is located in a different direction than Coral Springs. You use different highways to commute from there as opposed to Coral Springs. Commercial Blvd doesn't go anywhere near Coral Springs. You cannot take 95 or 595 to Coral Springs. You have to take local highways which are slower and have numerous traffic lights. You also measured Commercial Blvd from Pine Island to A1A. Yet most people don't live right at a major intersection. They live 5-10 minutes north-south and have to deviate one direction or another.
I was talking about commuting east-west between Coral Springs and the nearest beach, which is Pompano beach. It takes at least 35 minutes to travel between Coral Ridge Drive and the beach on Atlantic Blvd. I've done this drive 30 or so times and it never takes less than that amount of time unless you go in the middle of the night. There are no alternative highways that go any quicker. As I said before, Coral Springs is a much better option for families. Younger people who don't have kids are better off in an Eastern city in Broward County because there's more entertainment. I personally love living 1-2 minutes away from the beach. That is much different than living 35 minutes away. You may be correct that most people go to the beach once a month. Some go more some go less. I like having the option to go any day anytime I please. Living so close makes it easier.
Also, I never said Pompano is so great. It certainly has issues and is clearly not as nice as Coral Springs. But you are making it sound like nobody should live anywhere in Pompano period. Also, if Pompano is so bad, why do you live there? If you are so smart, why didn't you chose Coral Springs?
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