Port St. Lucie ?? (Westchester, Lee: rentals, car insurance, violent crime)

[FlaLadyB]

The wave of people moving in? I think we had that about 2 years ago. Now it's a nice steady pace and plenty of room available yet. As for the beaches- this area has a LOT of water and it is spread out - Palm Beach County does not. The beaches along the ocean here are over on Hutchinson Island and are very nice. In PBC many of the beaches charge you to use them. Some along the Jupiter area do not, but you have to climb down the side of a hill to get there. Beaches are beaches....even in PSL many people take their boats out and just drop anchor along small islands and enjoy themselves and never reach the ocean - don't have to. Many many inland waterways to enjoy the secenery and calm. Rent a kayak and have some fun.

Lots of events go on here all year 'round in various places. There IS always something to do here somewhere.

If you're a bar hopper PCBoy, yes, you may have more fun at City Place. No need to walk to drive to your next watering hole. Just stumble down the street to it. OH.. and don't forget the downtown City Place police and their 11pm curfrew for all the teens hanging out, having to park your car in a parking deck and keep looking for the possibility of someone being there that shouldn't be, or the muggings in broad daylight.

I can say I do like the Gardens Mall on Palm Beach Gardens Blvd. Yes it is nicer than the one we have here, but there is a very large one planned for this area.

Oh.. and don't forget the traffic jams on I95 any time of day- you can sit there and just steam, especially from Palm Beach Gardens Blvd. exit south.

Now I didnt say I don't like PBC.. I like certain parts of it namely the Jupiter/Tequesta area or Palm Beach Gardens- having lived there myself. And I do travel down there for some things I want. But PSL has it's good points as well - no need to run any place down because you personally are bored.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by FlaLadyB

Oh.. and don't forget the traffic jams on I95 any time of day- you can sit there and just steam, especially from Palm Beach Gardens Blvd. exit south.

Have you been there since they widened it? Yes it is bad from about PGA to Woolbright since it's not finished yet but south of there it's 8-10 lanes all the way to Miami. No rush hour traffic jams between there and the Golden Glades in Dade, let alone random traffic to just steam. I have never heard of the Palm Beach Gardens Blvd exit either, I think you may be confusing it with PGA Blvd, which by the way, it's bad north of that line too.

[Denise in Fla]

Originally Posted by retirementcommunity

Things looked good on internet. When we went there it was different. You must check out neighborhoods. ie: watch the school bus arrive. Also long way over intracoastal to beach not like south florida. I would suggest Melbourne area.

I agree with you on Melbourne. The beaches in Brevard county are way better than those in Martin county by a long run!!

[FlaLadyB]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

Have you been there since they widened it? Yes it is bad from about PGA to Woolbright since it's not finished yet but south of there it's 8-10 lanes all the way to Miami. No rush hour traffic jams between there and the Golden Glades in Dade, let alone random traffic to just steam. I have never heard of the Palm Beach Gardens Blvd exit either, I think you may be confusing it with PGA Blvd, which by the way, it's bad north of that line too.

Pardon me for calling PGA Blvd. ..Palm Beach Gardens Blvd... been working way too much.

I did the drive from PSL to WPB and back and had no problem. A LOT less traffic and it drops to 4 lanes. With 6-8 lanes in wpb and south it's still a mess. I did a 3 month drive to Southern Blvd via the turnpike recently and I have to say..I was wired by the time I got to work and that wasn't even with the people who had to be there at 9am. Same way coming home. I won't touch I95 going south past PGA Blvd unless I HAVE to. Any place else I take the turnpike. And, as I recall a few trips to Miami, they were the worst. Like playing dodge ball with cars and trucks + road rage.

[Prettygyrl777]

I just moved to Palm Beach Gardens after being a PSL resident for over 15 years.... Here's my take on it:

The atmosphere there IS pretty tame. For some people, thats a good thing. Port St. Lucie has had low crime (and is holding steady on that record) even with the influx of new residents year after year. There are tons of family friendly activities to do but if you are single, you'll probably choose to hang out in Palm Beach or Stuart.

Plenty of shopping but if you want something upscale, then the Gardens Mall is only 40 minutes away in palm beach county. There are tons of restaurants near the gardens mall, too. But PSL is building several new stores and plazas so you can check those out as well.

Jobs- unless you're in healthcare, work for the school board, or have some sort of civil service job then jobs will be hard to come by. Port St. Lucie has several major call centers (QVC, Liberty Medical Supply, PSI, Aegis Communications) but other than that, retail is always an option. (New stores are popping up every week, seems like). Like the others said- if you can't find work there then be prepared to commute.

I left PSL for two reasons: school and work. I had commuted to school (driving from psl to palm beach) for over a year and I was getting tired of it. I applied for a job in Palm Beach and was offered WAY more than what I would ever make in PSL so the decision to move was easy for me.

Its great when you can find a place where most of what you need is in one area but that's not very common anymore. You just have to decide what it is that you are willing to compromise when you move to a new city.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by FlaLadyB

I won't touch I95 going south past PGA Blvd unless I HAVE to. Any place else I take the turnpike. And, as I recall a few trips to Miami, they were the worst. Like playing dodge ball with cars and trucks + road rage.

Oh, it's definitely a mess, but just saying that the traffic is usually moving . Dodgeball is definitely the right word. I'm way further south and don't touch 95 either. In fact I try to avoid it south of Fort Pierce. If I go from Weston (where I live) to the Gardens Mall I will take the Sawgrass/Turnpike and cut over at PGA.

I don't think PGA Blvd is the "congestion line" anymore, I honestly think it's Indiantown Rd. Between there and WPB you WILL encounter random traffic jams sometimes until you gain the extra lanes. Well at least I have.

[totsuka]

PSL is pretty big and the homes are very affordable right now. But, the job situation is not so good unless you have a good skill/degree.i.e. medical field would would work out well for you. A large number of people commute to West Palm for work so that means going down I-95 which is a death trap. I have never seen so many bad accidents and people getting killed in all my life. I lived in San Diego CA for years and it was never as bad as it is here on I-95. However, if you can weather the storm for about five years, PSL will continue to grow and might attract some new businesses. The public school system has alot of problems, but there are some private schools in the area which are expensive, but good. It seems that Florida is still mainly ideal for retired people that don't need to work or put their children through school.

[PBCboy]

Originally Posted by FlaLadyB

The wave of people moving in? I think we had that about 2 years ago. Now it's a nice steady pace and plenty of room available yet. As for the beaches- this area has a LOT of water and it is spread out - Palm Beach County does not. The beaches along the ocean here are over on Hutchinson Island and are very nice. In PBC many of the beaches charge you to use them. Some along the Jupiter area do not, but you have to climb down the side of a hill to get there. Beaches are beaches....even in PSL many people take their boats out and just drop anchor along small islands and enjoy themselves and never reach the ocean - don't have to. Many many inland waterways to enjoy the secenery and calm. Rent a kayak and have some fun.

Lots of events go on here all year 'round in various places. There IS always something to do here somewhere.

If you're a bar hopper PCBoy, yes, you may have more fun at City Place. No need to walk to drive to your next watering hole. Just stumble down the street to it. OH.. and don't forget the downtown City Place police and their 11pm curfrew for all the teens hanging out, having to park your car in a parking deck and keep looking for the possibility of someone being there that shouldn't be, or the muggings in broad daylight.

I can say I do like the Gardens Mall on Palm Beach Gardens Blvd. Yes it is nicer than the one we have here, but there is a very large one planned for this area.

Oh.. and don't forget the traffic jams on I95 any time of day- you can sit there and just steam, especially from Palm Beach Gardens Blvd. exit south.

Now I didnt say I don't like PBC.. I like certain parts of it namely the Jupiter/Tequesta area or Palm Beach Gardens- having lived there myself. And I do travel down there for some things I want. But PSL has it's good points as well - no need to run any place down because you personally are bored.

Many of the "gangsta" types around where I live have told me that they're moving to Port Saint Lucie due to cheaper housing. Low cost housing and growth always brings in the worst kinds of people. As for the rest...

1. Not at beaches are the same. Just check out the downtown beach area in downtown Delray - nothing like that in Port Saint Lucie. Maybe one day I'll want to retire and ride a boat through the water one day but I haven't reached that golden old age yet - and won't for quite some time.

2 .Um, yeah, there's always something to do there. Like what, exactly?

3. I'm not an easy target for muggers and have never been mugged in City Place. You don't have to park your car in a parking deck there - in fact, I usually don't! And no, I'm not a bar hopper, and why should I care about some dumb kids and a curfew?

4. My job is near my home so I don't even need to use the highway to commute to work.

4. The planned one there might be nice, but I've been enjoying the ones here for years and years and years... and if you don't like a mall here there's other choices. In PSL? Not a chance.

5. Um, yeah, just because I don't enjoy an area means I'm personally bored. Just because you're a real estate agent doesn't mean you have to make an area sound more appealing that it actually is. Do many people enjoy Port Saint Lucie and have pride for the city? Maybe. Does that mean I do? No.

[LingLing]

PBCboy may have a point. At Jupiter, specifically Abacoa, the outdoor sitting area of restaurants/bars allows dog (at least the ones I tried). We always brought our dog to sit outside of Stadium grill or Masa (Japanese Restaurant) to have some food, music and drink after a day’s hard work and spend more time with our dog. Last night, I brought my dog to Sake, the Japanese/Thai place in Tradition. They have an outdoor sitting area. We go there once a week. I asked them ahead of time whether I can bring my well behaved dog to sit in their outdoor sitting area and was told okay (I guess they want a good tip at that moment). But last night, they asked us to tie my dog in that park garage behind the restaurant or they won’t serve us because they don’t allow dog in their outdoor sitting area. They are out of their mind to think I will tie my dog somewhere else just to have some food. Their food wasn’t great anyway and I am not going to there anymore. I know that they have good business in Tradition and can afford doing this kind of thing to a regular customer. Well, does anyone know a good restaurant in PSL that would allow dog in their outdoor sitting area?

[seeriously]

As far as determining who your neighbors will be, I find the best indicator of the population, wherever you may be searching to live, is at Publix. Just grab a cart or walk through and you'll be looking at your neighbors.