Best areas for young families? (Miami, Fort Lauderdale: insurance, crime rate, mortgage)

[krun]

My husband is considering a job on Palm Beach (not West Palm, but actually on Palm Beach). We are in our mid-30s and have a young toddler. We would be moving from St. Louis, but have also lived in California and are originally from North Carolina. What areas would you recommend that we consider for housing? We'd be looking to buy a house in the $200k-$250k range, 3-4 bedrooms if possible. My top priority would be an area with good schools and family friendly activities. Also, I've read concerning stuff about the crime rate in the area. Is that something we need to worry about? When we moved to St. Louis it was ranked first in the country for crime, but the area we live in is very safe so I'm hoping that the West Palm area is similar.
Thanks!

[AreWeThereYet??]

Try Royal Palm Beach or Wellington.

[gregm]

Originally Posted by AreWeThereYet??

Try Royal Palm Beach or Wellington.

Agreed.

The daily east/west travel will be a tooth puller though. I live just north of RPB and it took a hour to get to and fro Palm Beach for work. Only two crossings, and lots of downtown traffic.

Doubt if you will find anything east of SR-7 that is decent for that amount of money.

[krun]

What about Jupiter or Palm Beach Gardens?

[skylinet]

Originally Posted by krun

What about Jupiter or Palm Beach Gardens?

Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens would be good areas as well.

You'll get more house for you money in the Wellington area, but you are closer to the beach in PBG/Jupiter.

Both are highly desirable areas though.

Taking Southern to 95 or Australian to Okeechobee wouldn't take much more than 20 minutes from the East side of Wellington to Palm Beach.

[krun]

Is there a big difference in home insurance costs in these different areas?

[071402]

Originally Posted by krun

What about Jupiter or Palm Beach Gardens?

We are in Palm beach gardens, moved from the northeast. Coincidently travel to Palm Beach island a few times a week for work.

PBG is great and especially for kids. Again, I reiterate, I was not expecting it to be as wonderful as it has been. Drop me a dm anytime on any info you may need. I haven't met a person yet in this area (and our community) that does not love where we live.

Good luck to you. You're going to LOVE the area (imo) in general.

[funder1]

Have been in Jupiter since 1992. Can't recommend any area more than here. Schools and all are great. Can be more expensive than other areas but beach and other activities are beyond compare.

Would be glad to go into more details if you want to hit me up direct. Also, fair disclosure, I work in the mortgage business and have helped thousands settle in the area.

Bottom line though, the north end offers the best of everything that S FL has to offer without some of the rest.

[LauriannFarmer]

Wellington, Florida is nice with great schools (I am a realestate agent and would recommend)

[1967mustang]

Both the Gardens and Jupiter in the northern part of the county and the western communities, Wellington and Royal Palm Beach are nice areas too. I have lived down in South Florida for most of my life (30 years) from Miami to Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, so I have seen plenty.

We are closing on our first house in May and I must admit, the housing market down here is hot and brutal. Inventory is low and we are definitely operating as a seller's market in South Florida. We initially looked in Gardens and Jupiter as that was where our daughter had been attending daycare for the past few years. A-rated schools are more available than not in both areas, but you have to do your research. After striking out in the house searches, we looked in West Palm Beach. However, good neighborhoods are peppered throughout the area, and our requirement for A-rated elementary and middle schools was the primary driving factor. My daughter turns school age next year, so having established a school by then was paramount for us.

West Palm Beach was our next area of concentration. There are patches of nice areas, and A-rated schools are to be found, but A-rated schools are more the exception rather than the norm. We started directing our attention west and never looked back. In Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, A-rated schools are the majority, which made house hunting far easier to manage. Also, in these communities, crime rates are FAR lower than West Palm Beach. However, the real winning factor for me between the Northern Palm Beach areas (Gardens and Jupiter) and the Western communities (Wellington and Royal Palm Beach) was the amount of house you get for your money. The square footage out west is very hard to beat. Royal Palm Beach is chock full of parks and natural areas if you like that sort of thing. Wellington boasts good schools and a world renowned Equestrian community, if you like that sort of thing.

However nothing is without it's cost. You will likely find a little more flooding due to weather he more rural you end up out west The Acreage and Loxahatchee). The closer to the coast you are, the more your are lively to pay higher home owner's insurance. And if you are really close to the coast, you may want to make sure your don't live in a flood or hurricane evacuation zone (not meaning to scare you, but you be informed nevertheless).

My advice to you: explorer both communities. I never thought I would ever live west of 441, but look at me now. If schools are a primary factor, make sure it you check the school zoned for the location before you fall in love with the house. Let me know if you have any questions