Tell me about Coconut Grove (Miami, Davie: best neighborhood, for sale, real estate market)

[MrsGHenderson]

We are thinking of renting in Coconut Grove and waiting for the right house to come up (much less inventory than Weston or Davie) while our kids get settled in school. I'm worried Weston might be too Truman Show for me and commute will be better for hubby from CG. Can anyone tell me what life is like for a family (i.e, we need good schools, parks, other families with kids, etc.) in Coconut Grove. It seems cozy Upsides and downsides please

[doggiebus]

I like Coconut Grove a lot, stay as far as you can away from the west part of Coconut Grove as you can. West Coconut Grove isn't that safe, the county has been working on this area for a few years now, down the main street it looks much better. But there still is crime and drugs on the next blocks. There are great parks in the area. Kennedy is the big one, two dog parks, and few other parks. There are some really good private prep schools in the area. I don't know enough about the public schools in the area to comment. The Grove it self is nice as there are shops, restaurants to walk around.

[heydade]

coconut grove crime vs Weston crime....night and day difference. That's all i have to say about that. Do your own research.

[tankev]

My husband works in Coconut Grove. As hard as we tried we couldn't find a decent home in our price range and did not want/couldn't afford to send our kids to private school. According to posts and stats on other sites, I wasn't going to send them to the public school which I think also services Coral Gables.
We also looked endlessly in Palmetto Bay. Needless to say We are now happy in Weston. Cookie cutter and all!

[feelquiet]

Coconut Grove is very different from Weston. Carver elementary is very good, highly rated. If you're going to private schools, Ransom Everglades is right there, but i've heard bad things about Ponce Jr High from my sister who used to sub there. School rankings are availabe from multiple sources online. School Information, Ratings and Rankings on DADE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, MIAMI, FL 33132

There are 2 beautiful waterfront parks and lots of restaurants including a few on the water. There are an assortment of housing options (sizes, styles) but IMO they're all overpriced compared to other options within the county.

There are also a few high profile street fairs that will close off sections of the district throughout the year. They're fun if you want to walk to the fair, but annoying if you have to navigate around them.

On the downside, there are sections with high crime. Although people will warn you about certain bad areas, in fact you will have to be vigilant all the time in all areas.

There are a fair amount of college kids on the weekends on the main strip that tend to get rowdy/obnoxious. They recently curbed bar hours, so the crowds should be tamer these days.

I worked for 11 years in the Grove, and power outages were relatively frequent. It is an older community, with lots of big beautiful trees hanging over above-ground power lines. In contrast, Weston with it's belowground power is the only community in Dade/Broward that had continuous power during our last hurricane.

[MrsGHenderson]

Ugh! It's responses like these that always have me rethinking Weston! Thank you responders. BTW, we live in Santa Monica, CA where $1.4 million gets you a 90 year old house with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath (read: major fixer/tear down).

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Mrs Henderson, based on your budget I suggest Coral Gables or Pinecrest. I do not recommend Doral or Miami Springs, it seems your budget is higher. If you prefer Broward then either pembroke pines or Weston, but in my opinion even though those places are nice they are not worth the commute unless your husband doesn't really mind long commutes.

We just have a lot of negativity in this board, some people complain about everything, even the shape of the sun or the moon in the Miami sky, but if you ask in the Broward board they will probably give you a more honest opinion and they will probably recommend Miami based on the commute.

[MrsGHenderson]

Originally Posted by lolitazz

...but if you ask in the Broward board they will probably give you a more honest opinion and they will probably recommend Miami based on the commute.

I go between both boards!

Coral Gables... ok

Thanks!

[MiamiHoo]

Here's a little rundown on the Grove real estate market from last month...
28 single family homes on the market listed above $2,000,000
63 listed between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000
140 for sale below $1,000,000 (70 of these priced under $500,000, the bulk of them being in West Grove)

I personally live the Grove. Growing up, I went to Ransom and I had/have many friends from the area. This is undoubtedly the best neighborhood in the actual City of Miami. Great parks and recreation abound especially if you're a sailor and don't have a waterfront home. There are some truly great homes in the Grove, especially the older stock from the '20s and '30s. For about $1.5 you can get 5 bd/3.5 ba over 4,300 sqft a stone's throw from the bay. Additionally you can find a 3/2 over 1400 sqft just off Douglas for $399,000. There's also tons of options in the middle and beyond those.
Point is, its a great older neighborhood with tree lined lined streets and loads to do for all ages. Also, if you can get your kids into Ransom, you're set. If not, there's always Gulliver...

[MrsGHenderson]

Ransom is 6-12. right? What do kids in the area do from K-5? Thanks