Talk to me about the Riviera Beach area? (West Palm Beach, Delray Beach: rent, high crime)

[liebsch]

For Crime Stats, I would recommend using City-Data's excellent resources. Simply go to the list of Florida cities at;

//www.city-data.com/city/Florida.html

...then click on any city you would like information on. You will find Crime Stats for the past 12 years by scrolling down 6-7 pages on each city page.

Moderator cut: real estate links not allowed

[TriMT7]

The good news: Contrary to what a lot of people believe to be true, crime, etc. in basically all of Palm Beach County's cities - even Riviera Beach - has essentially HALVED since the 1990s.

The bad news is that Riviera Beach's crime rate is still probably the highest in the entire county. I would not recommend living there, though there ARE some newer developments (Woodbine) that I would consider for someone on a tight budget. Your husband is likely facing a 15-20 minute commute to better areas.

1200/month for a 3 bedroom single family house will be a stretch most anywhere in Palm Beach County in a good area. You may be able to find some apartments or large townhouses in the "Villages" area of West Palm Beach that will suit your needs. Also, there are some newer townhouse communities in Royal Palm Beach, a suburb a bit out west that you might like.

[TiredOfSFL]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

Riviera Beach is a ghetto with the sole exception of the part that is on Singer Island (east of te intracostal waterway).

You put it just right... I like how men usually don't beat around the bush, lol!

[baiaxaba]

I dont live in the are and to be honest dont know much, but I was considering buying a property in the WPB area and came across a great opportunity to buy a charming townhouse. Nice finishes, price was fantastic. Location : Riviera Beach.
I spoke with some 20 people about it, and 19 of them did not even let me finish the questions before screaming "run away!" or "dont you ever buy anything there" or "not even free". It might be an over reaction, but the only words I could associate with RB were murder, rape and guns. Not a single person said "its on okay area..." Everyone told me to run as fast as I could.

[ssclulow]

IMO, living in Riviera Beach probably would not be a good experience. Buying real estate to live in there would definitely not be a good investment.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by TiredOfSFL

You put it just right... I like how men usually don't beat around the bush, lol!

Why lie? I have been told that I am not politically correct at times but I would ratherbe called that than a liar....

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by baiaxaba

I dont live in the are and to be honest dont know much, but I was considering buying a property in the WPB area and came across a great opportunity to buy a charming townhouse. Nice finishes, price was fantastic. Location : Riviera Beach.
I spoke with some 20 people about it, and 19 of them did not even let me finish the questions before screaming "run away!" or "dont you ever buy anything there" or "not even free". It might be an over reaction, but the only words I could associate with RB were murder, rape and guns. Not a single person said "its on okay area..." Everyone told me to run as fast as I could.

3 communities were built there recently and were all very nice (Thousand Oaks, Sonoma Bay and Marsh Harbour). All were epic failures selling as low as 10% of their original prices ( yeah 300k new, 30k now).

My buddy is a builder that told me a great one liner: You can fix up a house but you can't fix up a neighborhood!

[Snowbird100]

Originally Posted by rainroosty

I won't even drive near Riviera Beach, in fear that I may get a flat tire or break down there.

That's right ! It's a very high crime area.

[barefootbabies]

So, I definitely get that we shouldn't look to live IN Riviera Beach, point taken. Thanks to those who suggested other areas, that's really what I was hoping to find. We have to live where he finds a job, so yeah... He's willing to commute up to an hour, I'm hoping its not all that bad. If anyone else wants to chime in with GOOD areas, I'd appreciate it.

[THX 1138]

Originally Posted by barefootbabies

My husband and I are planning to relocate to Florida with our 4 small kids. We're still in the very early stages, job hunting etc. He spoke with someone today about a job in Riviera Beach that he is considering. I'm only familiar with the SW coast, so I'd like to know as much as you can tell me about the area surrounding Riviera Beach.

The position he was offered starts at around 50K - is that enough for a family of 6 to live on in this area? Obviously, we want a safe area. We'd be renting a house the first year or two. We homeschool, but may not always, so schools are a factor. We don't care much about nightlife, but fun family places are great. We're living in a town now where everything closes by 8pm, and pretty much everything but the grocery store is 35-90 minutes away, which we hate. Also, we are a multiracial family, so we want somewhere that won't be an issue (like it is where we live now). Can you tell I can't wait to get out of here? lol

Anything you can tell me would be appreciated, thanks so much!

$50K will not be a enough for a family of 6 to live on unless it's a very low rent housing project or in a seedy part of town. Rents here in safe areas for homes or apartments with 3 bedrooms+ or more are easily close to $2K/month+. You might want to try central or northern Florida where the cost of living is lower.