Looking into Moving to Pembroke Pines, FL. (Miami, Davie: for sale, apartment complex)

[pembrokequery]

Hello, my family and I are looking to move to Pembroke Pines, Fl from Maryland. We have four children 15, 12, 9 and 3 years old. I really want to move to Florida because I just can't take the winters here anymore. It's hard for me during the winter months and it can be very depressing. However, I have been reading A LOT of negative things about Florida, but more so Miami. And reading all the bad comments on the schools and so forth. We were looking to move to Pembroke Pines, in the area which is minutes away from the Pembroke Pines Mall. From what I have read it seems to be a nice area and good neighborhood and the grading for the elementary school and middle school is an A, although I don't understand what that is based on, the high school has a C grade. My biggest concern would be the children's education. I don't want to move down there and then see a negative change in my children because of the lack of good education, or bad influence, as I hear that Florida schools are not the best, or Miami schools. SO I am real confused, I just figure that every state has it's bad and good places and that if we move out of Miami that we would be okay. Is there anyone with any advice that has moved from another state to Pembroke or the surrounding areas or that lives there with their family that can give me some advice or let me know if they have any concerns. any information that you can give would be great help. Also if you could recommend an area, that would be much appreciated. Thanks

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by pembrokequery

Hello, my family and I are looking to move to Pembroke Pines, Fl from Maryland. We have four children 15, 12, 9 and 3 years old. I really want to move to Florida because I just can't take the winters here anymore. It's hard for me during the winter months and it can be very depressing. However, I have been reading A LOT of negative things about Florida, but more so Miami. And reading all the bad comments on the schools and so forth. We were looking to move to Pembroke Pines, in the area which is minutes away from the Pembroke Pines Mall. From what I have read it seems to be a nice area and good neighborhood and the grading for the elementary school and middle school is an A, although I don't understand what that is based on, the high school has a C grade. My biggest concern would be the children's education. I don't want to move down there and then see a negative change in my children because of the lack of good education,
or bad influence, as I hear that Florida schools are not the best, or Miami schools. SO I am real confused, I just figure that every state has it's bad and good places and that if we move out of Miami that we would be okay. Is there anyone with any advice that has moved from another state to Pembroke or the surrounding areas or that lives there with their family that can give me some advice or let me know if they have any concerns. any information that you can give would be great help. Also if you could recommend an area, that would be much appreciated. Thanks

Forget about the "School Grades" unless it is below a C.Look at raw scores. I can think of "B" schools that outperform "A" schools in every category. Check the real facts at GreatSchools.net. The greatschools rating is a great tool.

Anyway, Pembroke Pines is a decent, albeit congested area. It's got fairly low crime, decent elementary and middle schools, and on the western half, the high school isn't bad. You generally want to stay west of Palm Ave to be in the nicest/safest area, and west of 75 for schools. It's also HUGE, one of Florida's 10 largest cities.

If it matters, Pembroke Pines is VERY ethnically mixed. The community is probably about 35% white,30-35% Hispanic, 15-20% black, 5-10% Asian, and if you are turned off by this (many are) I do not recommend Pembroke Pines. Don't worry though, it's mostly an upper class area and everybody kind of gets along. "Race" really isn't even an element.

So, Pembroke Pines is decent, but I would look into a few other communities that are less congested and crowded. Cooper City is directly north and has better schools, quieter neighborhoods, and a lower crime rate. Weston is another community to look into,and has an even lower crime rate, is newer, and the schools are about equivalent, although overcrowded Cypress Bay High School has an enrollment cap now at 5,500 students. By the time your kids are that age a new school will most likely be built. They are sending the students to Western High School in Davie, which is also a decent area to look into with a rural flavor. Basically, the key in Broward County to avoid most forms of crime is to stay west of University Drive, and you should zero in on Weston, Cooper City, and the western reaches of Davie for schools, rather than Pembroke Pines. Basically, the further west, the better.

I would say that

Weston schools- Probably the most academically solid.Eagle Point elementary school there was just named a "Blue Ribbon" school, the highest award the U.S government offers. Overcrowded. Ethnically diverse, but socioeconomically homogeneous.

Cooper City schools- Good academic quality, not crowded,usually older facilities, some drug problems in the high school.

Davie schools- The safest out of the bunch, and academically quite solid. Western High School is projected to up its graduation rate to an impressive 94% by 2009, which will place it the highest in the South Florida region. Nova High is constantly ranked among the top 100 high schools in the nation. Indian Ridge Middle constantly leads the nation with the highest rate of PTA participation.

Basically, I would skip over Pembroke Pines and zero in on these 3 communities which have a good reputation for schools, and schools are actually on the incline, rather than declining like in many areas.

[pembrokequery]

Thanks so much for taking the time to get back to me on this. I guess out of the three, Davie looks more promising, as far as the schools, which again, is the most important for us. I have a child in each grade, elementary, middle and high school. So all schools are important.
In moving to Davie, what area would you recommend?
Do you have any advice for us as first time movers to Florida .
what worries me the most are the hurricanes.
Thanks so much again for taking the time to answer my questions and being so detailed with the suggestions, it is GREATLY appreciated.

thank you.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by pembrokequery

Thanks so much for taking the time to get back to me on this. I guess out of the three, Davie looks more promising, as far as the schools, which again, is the most important for us. I have a child in each grade, elementary, middle and high school. So all schools are important.
In moving to Davie, what area would you recommend?
Do you have any advice for us as first time movers to Florida .
what worries me the most are the hurricanes.
Thanks so much again for taking the time to answer my questions and being so detailed with the suggestions, it is GREATLY appreciated.

thank you.

I actually would recommend Cooper City over Davie. As far as Cooper City, the entire city is very clean. You really have nowhere to avoid.

In Davie, the key is to stay west of University Drive. There are quite a few mobile home parks off of I-595, but I wouldn't be worried about them (you would be surprised at how strict they are as to who they let in to those parks). East of University, it gets a bit iffier, except for by NSU (home to some top notch, nationally renowned public schools). A good guide is to stay in the Nova and Western innovation zones and you are generally looking at a good area with good schools and a low crime rate. Nova schools are the ones that are nationally ranked, but the district is very small (most students are coming from all over the county, as a magnet program). I have some iffy news on the high school side though; at Western High School (currently about 50 students over capacity, no big deal really), they are looking to send students from nearby Cypress Bay High (the largest, most overcrowded school in the country) to ease crowding there. This could mean more crowding at Western until this new,unnamed high school in Pembroke Pines opens up (allegidely next year). Cooper City is a more solid choice for schools overall. If you move into Weston, those schools are the most well rated, but like I said, the overcrowding at the otherwise exemplary Cypress Bay High means either way, your high schooler is going to Western. I should also note that the drug and alcohol problem seems to be growing at that school as it grows more affluent.

Although there is another perk to living in Weston. We have an underground power grid over here, meaning we are almost entire immune to power outages in the event of a hurricane. Live in a structure built after 1992, and hurricanes will be merely a few days off of work and some basic preparations. However, for most, this can mean anywhere from a couple days to several weeks without power, utilities, and lots of damage. Let me put it like this, the aftermath is not fun (although some say the hurricane itself can be fun, but this is subjective). But on the positive side, at least you can prepare for such a disaster and they don't come as often as you think.

As far as advice to first time movers in Florida, you need to move here without a "paradise" mindset, and realize that this area functions and behaves like any other city of its size. Also, depending on where you are moving from, it will seem like a cultural melting pot down here. Don't worry if you see people speaking a different language, or if your neighbors are Black, it's really a class thing here, not a race thing. Also, despite the large spanish-speaking population, if you speak English to these people, you will find that the majority speak perfect English back. In other words, you will hear a lot of Spanish, but English is the first language, so don't be shy! In other words, just come with an open mind depending on where you are moving from.

[pembrokequery]

Thanks again, so much, for your assistance. I have been sooooooooooo confused about all the different areas. I looked into cooper city, which seems to be the best pick, after doing further research, thanks for the recommendation. I guess the biggest problem is the over crowded schools which seems to be in every part of florida. I have a child in each age, for elementary, middle and high school. Although the high schools seem to be the ones with the problems.

I am actually looking to rent, but I cannot find any apartment complex in Cooper City, I am sure they have to have apartments??? any time I do the search the apartments that come up are in the surrounding areas, like Davie and Pembroke Pines. The only thing that comes up for Cooper City are homes for sale and homes for rent, would that be my only option there?

My biggest concern, as I said earlier would be the children and their education and of course the safety of our community. I don't want to move down there for better and end up worse. My kids are great and they are responsible and respectful children with great attitudes and very happy. I keep reading that there is so much bad stuff for kids to get into down there, but aren't there also activities, sports and things of that nature for them to be involved in. I feel that if they have things to do to occupy their time, positive things, then they wouldn't have time or want to get into that other stuff...that goes for wherever in the country we live, crime and bad people are everywhere, not just in florida!

I feel like I really want to do this, but I am lost with location, and left thinking if it's such a great idea? I know you can't tell me what I need to do, but do you have children or children in the family, what is your view on their upbringing and change into teenage years in the area?

Please let me say again that I am very thankful for your time in answering my questions, anything you can tell me is greatly appreciated.

thanks so much,
G.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by pembrokequery

Thanks again, so much, for your assistance. I have been sooooooooooo confused about all the different areas. I looked into cooper city, which seems to be the best pick, after doing further research, thanks for the recommendation. I guess the biggest problem is the over crowded schools which seems to be in every part of florida. I have a child in each age, for elementary, middle and high school. Although the high schools seem to be the ones with the problems.

I am actually looking to rent, but I cannot find any apartment complex in Cooper City, I am sure they have to have apartments??? any time I do the search the apartments that come up are in the surrounding areas, like Davie and Pembroke Pines. The only thing that comes up for Cooper City are homes for sale and homes for rent, would that be my only option there?

My biggest concern, as I said earlier would be the children and their education and of course the safety of our community. I don't want to move down there for better and end up worse. My kids are great and they are responsible and respectful children with great attitudes and very happy. I keep reading that there is so much bad stuff for kids to get into down there, but aren't there also activities, sports and things of that nature for them to be involved in. I feel that if they have things to do to occupy their time, positive things, then they wouldn't have time or want to get into that other stuff...that goes for wherever in the country we live, crime and bad people are everywhere, not just in florida!

I feel like I really want to do this, but I am lost with location, and left thinking if it's such a great idea? I know you can't tell me what I need to do, but do you have children or children in the family, what is your view on their upbringing and change into teenage years in the area?

Please let me say again that I am very thankful for your time in answering my questions, anything you can tell me is greatly appreciated.

thanks so much,
G.

I sent you a PM. Let's go ahead and open this thread to some other opinions and I can try and give you specifics through PM.

As far as crime, I'm friends with a BSO officer who works Cooper City and Weston. He says most of the crimes are domestic, the rest are burglaries and there aren't many of those. All of the W. Broward towns are safe, its a matter of schools.

It really depends on where you are moving from too. If you are coming from, say, a suburb in New England, or maybe a college town, then yes this is going to be a downgrade for your children's education. If you are coming from anywhere else, it should match or exceed that. I wouldn't say the schools are the best in the world in the three areas mentioned but they are pretty good, and South Florida's multicultural envrionment still abounds, yet the schools in this area (being Cooper City, Davie, Weston) are very safe, light-to-moderate on the drugs, and provide good education.

However, I have no clue what the future will bring for this area. Sometimes the future looks really scary.

[flipenout]

Big mistake on your part to move to Pembroke Pines, if your biggest concern is your kids schooling. The schools are a disaster here. Let alone the Pines area to live in. Cooper city schools rated A but are crap too, hate to see what a C rated is like. This whole place is not geared to raising kids properly or getting a normal education. The schools are chit, the traffic is horrendous,
the taxes, the insurance, the car insurance,the hurricanes, the spanish culture i could go on. You may give up your cold wx, but will live in hell here.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by flipenout

Big mistake on your part to move to Pembroke Pines, if your biggest concern is your kids schooling. The schools are a disaster here. Let alone the Pines area to live in. Cooper city schools rated A but are crap too, hate to see what a C rated is like. This whole place is not geared to raising kids properly or getting a normal education. The schools are chit, the traffic is horrendous,
the taxes, the insurance, the car insurance,the hurricanes, the spanish culture i could go on. You may give up your cold wx, but will live in hell here.

Enjoy North Carolina . You seem to hate everything about the area but don't genuinely know why, or have anything to compare it to. The taxes, insurance, hurricanes,"chit" schools in the Pines, legitimate, if you really hate Hispanics than that I guess. Nothing else seems legitimate.

Now I suggest that you find legitimate ways to prove me wrong to the OP. Nothing wrong with hating as long as you have reasons.

P.S- Spanish is a "language", not a "culture".

[flipenout]

North Carolina? I have 20 years of reasons living here why this area has turned into a dump.Just letting the op know about the schools here and mine go to Cooper city high, one of the best. Its a joke. Thats why we are out of here.Also i like to be spoken to in english when i go the the stores. I still have a hard time reading labels at stores on products in spanish. I hate that too!

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by flipenout

North Carolina? I have 20 years of reasons living here why this area has turned into a dump.Just letting the op know about the schools here and mine go to Cooper city high, one of the best. Its a joke. Thats why we are out of here.Also i like to be spoken to in english when i go the the stores. I still have a hard time reading labels at stores on products in spanish. I hate that too!

Hey man, I hate to break it to you but I was in Ohio and the labels in the stores were in Spanish too. 14% of our country is now Hispanic, and I bet far more of them are Spanish-only speakers than the 20% of Cooper City that is Hispanic. Believe me, I think it's ridiculous too. I also hate to break it to you but if you made it known that you speak English, you might be surprised at the result when you talk to them. Speaking of which, I also went to Kroger in a very white suburb in Ohio and one of cashiers (mine) didn't speak ANY English. I haven't had that experience here. About Cooper City High, I'm very sorry for your experience, it seems as if the school has gone downhill in the past couple of years due to poor principal leadership, but looking at it's test scores they went back up where they used to be this year. What do you dislike about the school? I think it should be known exactly what you dislike about it to the OP.

And also, what makes it a dump compared to 20 years ago? Is it purely demographic concerns? Because things like unemployment, crime, etc, are at their lowest in history down here, and the traffic was far worse because the infrastructure wasn't yet updated to handle the growth.

I believe your complaints about the school are legitimate, but you should explain a little bit more about the school so the OP can be sure.