Boynton Beach vs. Boca Raton (Lake Worth, Palm Beach: renting, crime, new home)

[dannyboy123]

Hi Everyone:

I'm looking to buy a Single Family Home in the 200K - 225K range. My wife and I are close to 30, and will be starting a family soon. I work in Boca Raton and would like to be as close to work as possible.

However, I have been renting in the Boynton Beach area for the past 4+ years, and absolutely love the area. The area on Congress Ave between Boynton Beach Blvd and Gateway Blvd has lots and lots of dining options, a Super Walmart, BJ's, a Super Target, Best Buy, and of course the Boynton Beach mall.

I have read through a lot of threads on this forum, and am really surprised to see that not many people are considering buying property in Boynton Beach. Why is that so? Is there anything bad about Boynton Beach that I am not aware of, which would overshadow all its obvious benefits?

The posts on this forum seem to favor Boca quite a bit, but could you tell me in what way it is better than Boynton Beach?

Having said that, would you be able to suggest communities in both Boynton Beach & Boca Raton where I should look in my price range? The most important factor is a good school district. I am looking for a 3+ bedroom home built after 2005, preferably with a low HOA.

Any suggestions/recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

[City Guy997S]

Haitain gangs and retirees are two negatives for me. Google Sand Castle Gang shooting Christmas eve at the lovely Boynton Beach mall.

Not actually Boynton (but rather unincorporated Lake Worth) the neighborhoods out at Hypoluxo/Jog are nice. Lake Charlestown, Smith Farms and others are all nice homes in good family neighborhoods.

[skylinet]

You'll have a very hard time finding home newer than 2000 under 225k in Boca. There are literally 0 on the market right now.
Boynton tends to get a bad rap because of parts of East Boynton, but around the Renaissance Commons area as you are referring to there is a lot of stuff to do. I lived there for a year and decided to move a little further North, but enjoyed my time there.
To get in your price range you will probably have to find something a little older than you are expecting. Once in awhile something comes up in Greystone, or Knollwood in that range after 2005, but that will really limit you.
If you go back a few years 2000 built+ Verona Lakes would be a good fit for your situation.

[dcampo]

Lake Charleston is fantastic! My parents have lived there for over 15 years. It's such a great place to raise kids. The shools are excellent and have been so since they were built! Most of the homes were built in the 90's I believe, so they're older but really nice and you can probably find something in your price range. Some of the lots are a little bigger than new homes being built so you get more land for your money.

[john-staten island]

Check the crime stats. Delray and Boynton Beach need to address that issue real quick. Boca seems to stay on top of it for the most part. One of the papers shows the areas hardest hit with crime on an interactive map on their website. It's either the Palm Beach Post or Sun Sentinel.