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Old 02-18-2011, 08:01 PM
 
Location: Palm Beach, FL & Napa, CA
2,093 posts, read 5,576,422 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CravenClan View Post
I have already posted about Wellington in general and the schools. But would like some input on day to day living there. Things like....

-The people, if they are friendly or rude?
-Are there a lot of young Families?
-If you live in a neighborhood there, do you find the people to be nice, like hang out with eachother outside?
-Are there parks in the neighborhoods?
-If you have kids in elementary school, are you allowed to volunteer in your childs class? Do the moms seem friendly?

I am trying to get a jump on it, before we visit, although my husband willbe there next week. He actually works in West Palm Beach, but has never been to Wellington. I have heard on the beach it is beautiful, then as you get away from there, towards Wellington, it is ghetto, and then it turns nice again?

I guess my concern would be if it is a safe area to live? The last thing we want to do, is move there then regret it in a year!
People are friendly and rude, a large population of NY/NJ people here.

Lot's of young families, Wellington is one of the most family friendly places in Palm Beach County.

My neighbors are a mixed bag, some are not very friendly and stick to themselves, but I don't go over and ask for a cup of sugar or stick my nose in their business. Nothing wrong with being cordial, but you may not get much response from some people. That can exist anywhere.

Most gated communities (newer ones) have swimming pools, tennis courts, playgrounds and etc. Nice ones, nicer then some towns have in certain parts of the country. Wellington has the best park system in Palm Beach County.

It's not a "Ghetto" towards Wellington, not sure who is telling you this. Sure there are areas of Palm Beach County, pockets that are so so, you may see some of these areas driving between certain areas. Wellington has a population of 60K+, if you go to any city in CA or TX of the same size, you will see similar areas there. To what appears to you as Ghetto might be a older part of the area with lower wage earners, all are not necessarily bad people.

I work in Palm Beach Gardens, so I just don't stay in Wellington. You could literally not have a need leave if you don't have to work, its' self sustaining. I have lived in Wellington since moving to Florida in the 90's, and I have seen it change maybe for the worse being it's a bit over populated now with heavy traffic.

It has more shops, restaurants, mall and etc. than it did 10 or so years ago when most of what was here was in the heart of Wellington near Wellington Trace and Greenview Shores which wasn't much, a couple of shopping centers.

SR7/441 use to be a sleepy two lane road with woods, farm land and cow pastures all over the place, now it's a 6 lane+ (3 north 3 south) highway. Things boomed here way too fast in the past 10 years, foreclosures are rising but whether or not Wellington will fall from grace is unknown, there is a lot of money here and people flock here which brings in revenue.

You have been asking a lot of questions about Wellington, I really suggest you spend some time here, drive around and check it out. Only you can determine if you will like it here.
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Old 02-19-2011, 01:06 AM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,037,683 times
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Yeah anyone saying there's a lot of crime in Wellington is a moron. There's maybe a few places with Section 8 but you'd see that anywhere. There's one section I know of near the old Winn-Dixie by Greenview Shores that has some townhouses which have always had some kind of rough people by Wellington standards--think white trash types and black kids hanging around looking aimless--but it's literally like two blocks and that is the only part of Wellington I can think of that isn't on its face very white and upper middle class compared to most of the rest of PBC.

Honestly though if you don't feel comfortable in Texas then I don't know if you'd like South Florida, I would imagine it's pretty similar to suburban Texas. Much less Southern people and much more people from the NYC area though. The weather would be a lot warmer in winter but it stays hotter for more of the year. At least you have the beach in FL, though Wellington is a bit removed from it. Everything is suburban and very sprawly, though there's little traffic compared to really big urban areas. There's not as much ethnic food as somewhere like California but the restaurant scene in South FL has really improved in about the last 10 years as it has anywhere in the US, plus you can get great fish dishes and stuff like Cuban food that you don't find easily in other parts of the US.

Honestly I would be bored to tears in Wellington but I am only 31 and have no kids and at this point in my life I like cities, I moved to Orlando after college, it wasn't urban enough, then moved to Chicago, loved it, then moved to San Francisco when a girlfriend dragged me out to the Bay Area when she went to grad school (then we broke up), but I do like the Bay Area because the weather is pretty good and it is a neat area. But FL is definitely better than the Bay Area if you want to raise kids well, it's too expensive to buy real estate anywhere in CA in a place that is fun to live in, and the schools in middle class areas are horrible compared to what you can get in a comparable place in Florida. Also Florida would be pretty good to retire in, the weather is easy to deal with, it's pretty cheap (compared to CA) and it's pretty laid back but developed enough so that it's convenient to get out and do stuff...but hey, retirement is a long way off for me.

I would say go check out South FL for a while, maybe a couple weeks, and take it easy and try to meet some locals and try to see how people live there. I'd check out a few places, maybe Jupiter and Boca, you might like them better then Welly-World plus they're closer to the beach. And rent for a short while before you buy so you can see if you like South FL or not and also you'd get a sense from your surroundings of where you'd like to buy.
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Old 02-19-2011, 06:53 AM
 
Location: Small town Texas, from Southern California
445 posts, read 1,805,069 times
Reputation: 87
Thanks for the help...

We grew up in Southern California, both of us, and in the last year left, just because it was not where we wanted to raise our kids, plus the expense of owing there, taxes, vehicle registration, cost of living...it is just stupid.

I DO like Texas, I DON'T like that I am here on my own a couple weeks out of the month, when my husband is in Florida!

I DO NOT like cold weather, and we have had some here this year, like I said, I'd rather be hot and go in a pool or the beach than sit in my house and do nothing, that must be the California in me..

It is funny here, one thing I noticed in any other state we have looked in, you see ALOT of people "outside" in California, and you don't see that in a lot of other places, including here. i get when it feels like 120, maybe noone will be out, but even on the hottest days here (hotter than the desert in CA) we would still go out, in the evening when the sun started to go down, it was hot, but we did it...

My husband likes Florida and in the last year that he has been there, he has not "looked" to actually live there, he's just been working. When he has said ghetto, I guess that is our referrance to what you stated, either white trash or black kids hanging out, pants down to their knees doing nothing....except where you can get fined for that, and I don't remember which city that was.

We will do the same research we did here, and had he not grown his business there, or had as much opportunity there, we would have stayed here. So our research for here did do us well, we did visit, go to the parks, sit in front of the schools (especially because you can not tour the schools there) go to the grocery store, mall anywhere people are...and then decide.

One thing I miss most about Ca, other than In N Out (which we are getting in Frisco TX) is REALLY good Mexican food!! Texas has pretty good Mexican food, but it is also a little more Tex Mex..but good...as long as you guys have Chiptole, I am ok....

I really do appreciate your input...

Thanks a bunch!
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Old 02-19-2011, 10:13 AM
 
Location: Palm Beach, FL & Napa, CA
2,093 posts, read 5,576,422 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mayorhaggar View Post
Yeah anyone saying there's a lot of crime in Wellington is a moron. There's maybe a few places with Section 8 but you'd see that anywhere. There's one section I know of near the old Winn-Dixie by Greenview Shores that has some townhouses which have always had some kind of rough people by Wellington standards--think white trash types and black kids hanging around looking aimless--but it's literally like two blocks and that is the only part of Wellington I can think of that isn't on its face very white and upper middle class compared to most of the rest of PBC.
The Greenview Shores & Wellington Trace hood is still there, a lot of kids still hang out in the shopping centers, but Hollywood Video is gone and it's now a Consignment shop, does not really help. Would not say its' a Pawn Shop. The Movie theater is still going strong, PBSO is there often when I drive by.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mayorhaggar View Post

Everything is suburban and very sprawly, though there's little traffic compared to really big urban areas. There's not as much ethnic food as somewhere like California but the restaurant scene in South FL has really improved in about the last 10 years as it has anywhere in the US, plus you can get great fish dishes and stuff like Cuban food that you don't find easily in other parts of the US.
When was the last time you were in Welly World? Traffic is not what it use to be, it's really changed. They did a lot of road widening and are currently making South Shore between Greenview Shores and Lake Worth Road a 4 lane, they should have done this a long time ago. Bumper to bumper traffic is evident during rush hour and Polo season.

SR7/441 is very heavy traffic all the time, Forest Hill through Wellington is also the same.

Also on the Ethnic food, there is a lot here, I can go down the list of places in the area. Wellington at one time only had a few places but now there is so much here and the surrounding areas that it boggles the mind.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mayorhaggar View Post

Honestly I would be bored to tears in Wellington

I live in Wellington but I don't just stay in Wellington and that's it, I go all over the place. I enjoy the conveniences here but I'm not someone who get's a thrill from going to the Mall and buying a new Louis Vuitton handbag or a hanging out at the Apple store. To each is their own, but seems a lot of people fill that void in their life here doing such. I think you got some good perks in CA over Wellington, albeit at a higher cost of living and weather that is questionable at times. The beaches here take the cake, you just can't enjoy that in Northern CA.

If owning a home is a desire, personally I don't think it's cracked up to be or worth it sometimes especially in this economy and unstable job market. Then Wellington can give you more bang for the buck, the housing market tanked here big time and is still sinking. There is indeed a lot to do in the Bay Area but I have read about some areas being boring there too, it comes down to the person and what they desire to do.
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Old 02-19-2011, 10:27 AM
 
Location: Palm Beach, FL & Napa, CA
2,093 posts, read 5,576,422 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CravenClan View Post

One thing I miss most about Ca, other than In N Out (which we are getting in Frisco TX) is REALLY good Mexican food!! Texas has pretty good Mexican food, but it is also a little more Tex Mex..but good...as long as you guys have Chiptole, I am ok....

I really do appreciate your input...

Thanks a bunch!
I heard a lot of about In N Out, well we have a Five Guys here in Wellington.

Also there is a Chipotle here and Moe's Southwest Grill. I never been to Chipotle but have been to Moe's often which I heard is better compared to Chipotle. Personally I wish they would open a Baja Fresh here, closest one is in Fort Lauderdale.

We have Pollo Tropical here which is a Caribbean influenced chain.

There are some decent Tex-Mex places in the greater area that are not chains talking restaurants now, my favorite is Aleyda's Tex Mex in West Palm Beach.

Aleyda's Tex-Mex Restaurant - West Palm Beach, FL. (561) 688-9033

I don't think you will be bored here with the selection, probably just not up to the quality and selection in CA or TX when it comes to Mexican or Tex-Mex.
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Old 02-19-2011, 11:02 AM
 
Location: Small town Texas, from Southern California
445 posts, read 1,805,069 times
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Thanks THX!!

Baja Fresh is good...we had one in Temecula and since moving to Texas, we have had 5 guys, while it is no In N Out, it is good..in a different way. And with In N Out being company owned, and expanding, I am sure you will see them all over in the next 10 years!

We have kids, so really we can live anywhere with families, if I were single I would have been miserable in both cities, whether here or CA, because we have always live in an area with a lot of families and kid things to do like sports and stuff....It has been a long time since I was single, and really now, I would not want to be a single person....

Chipotle is REALLY good, try it!

Really as long as we are together and the schools are good (better than here) and i am not living in the ghetto, we will be able to be happy!!

Although I hear it is VERY sweaty there...In North Dallas where we are it is definatley more humid than anywhere we have been in Tememcula or Arizona..It was not awful, but it was sweaty...I have heard Houston is way worse, but i have not been there since I was 7....we love Hawaii, and it is more humid than home, but not deathly hot!

As for Traffic, I have a hard time imagining anything worse than the 91 freeway into Orange County or LA......That is AWFUL, anything else I would assume is doable...

Thank You again!
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Old 02-20-2011, 02:01 AM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,037,683 times
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Yeah THX the traffic around Wellington especially is really not that bad if you compare it with somewhere like the Bay Area or LA at rush hour or other big urban areas. But at some point PBC will definitely get built up like Broward and Dade and will have that bad traffic.

And yeah the beaches in FL are a lot nicer mainly just because the water is warm and the weather is pleasant. The beaches in the Bay Area are pretty useless unless you're a hardcore surfer who doesn't mind wearing a wetsuit to stay warm. The water is brutally cold year-round and it's very windy and cloudy and foggy on the shore. Once you go inland the weather is lovely though.

As for Mexican food in Wellington, well there's really no Mexican immigrants in FL the way there are in CA and TX, so there's not taquerias on every block. You'll see some chains and some independent places here and there. Chipotle is definitely pretty good because they use fresh ingredients (something a lot of independent taquerias definitely don't do) but I dunno if there is one around Wellington yet.
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Old 02-20-2011, 02:15 PM
 
Location: Palm Beach, FL & Napa, CA
2,093 posts, read 5,576,422 times
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There's a Chipotle off of SR7/441 where there is a Best Buy and a etc between Forest Hill Blvd. and Southern across from where Anthony's Groves use to be approx., but if you use Google Street View or Bing Maps Birds Eye View, it wont' show because both are outdated. Same goes for much of Wellington, the online Maps don't show the growth to date. It's changed so much here in the past 10 years.

There are a few Tex-Mex Places in Wellington now, La Fogata where Cobblestones use to be, and also some place called Tijuana Flats which I think is a small chain but I have never been there. The place in the Old Wellington Mall, name escapes me is long gone.

I would say Wellington is built out already, there isn't much empty land left. If you have not been back in a while, be prepared...
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Old 02-20-2011, 03:16 PM
 
Location: Small town Texas, from Southern California
445 posts, read 1,805,069 times
Reputation: 87
So the good thing about Wellington be ing built out already, is that maybe the population will not grow?? I hope....
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Old 02-20-2011, 08:09 PM
 
Location: Palm Beach, FL & Napa, CA
2,093 posts, read 5,576,422 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CravenClan View Post
So the good thing about Wellington be ing built out already, is that maybe the population will not grow?? I hope....
Don't count on it, there is plenty of real estate further west of Wellington off of Southern Blvd.

Callery-Judge Grove Development is one proposal that is in stasis now due to the downturn....but it will soon arise when things turn around. They probably won't have a mall right away so the Welly Mall will be it, more influx more traffic.

http://www.doverkohl.com/files/pdf/Callery_%20Judge.pdf

Loxahatchee Groves rejects settlement with Callery-Judge
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