What you like or dislike the most about Boca Raton (Palm Beach: gated community, living in)

[Peruchi]

Originally Posted by aewan68

I don't agree with you on a few points, one being the food, since arriving in the San Diego area, there is somethings lacking to what you can get in Palm Beach County, good Italian, have not found it yet, Cuban Food, well of course I expected that, Greek and Mediterranean Food, very lacking. If you like Sourdough, Mexican and Asian it's a mecca, I would say I saw less Thai places so far than I saw in SoFLa, there is a lot of good Thai Places in Palm Beach County and lastly Indian Food, really dismal out here. I think overall the food diversity is better in SoFLa than here so far. Granted I have not fully explored San Diego and I did find a couple good places, Mexican is way better by leaps and bounds, which was expected.

Grocery stores are better here in terms of produce and competition, within 10 mile radius, there is Von's, Ralph's, Alberston's, Stater Brothers, Sprouts, Jimbo's, but the bakery is still not up to Publix quality, mainly the breads and a few other things that I cannot find here. We drink a tea from Japan and it's easy to buy at Whole Foods or TFM in SoFLa, but here we have not been able to find it. That alone surprises me, it cannot be ordered online either. Whole Foods is not in my area, there is one in Encinitas, but it's small store with bad parking. So we miss TFM and a few other places, no BJ's here, only Costco.

Problem with Boca is traffic, it's all residental going east to west and west to east, residental roads with stop light after stop light, during rush hour it can take you a considerable amount of time to go from FAU To SR7 and since some stores are east and some are west, things are not grouped together so it forces you to drive if you desire to go to one store than another.

I worked in Boca and drove west to east and back again, traffic flowed but it was not an enjoyable drive. Going out at lunch, met leaving early and beating the crowds and finding a parking spot, forgot running into Whole Foods off of Glades during season, was too busy. Traffic on Glades and other roads, just non-stop and you wonder where everyone is going, nobody seems to be working either. Of course that's common in SoFla were a lot of people dont' work, not just old people but people of the normal working age.

People are much more laid back here, in Boca people are generally tightly wound and overly competitive, mainly when driving on the roads and also at work, all the places I worked there was a overly competitive vibe to throw people under the bus and brown nose your way into the upper echelons of management for personal gains. Genuine down to earth people are rare, I worked with so many Pinocchio's and people who over-inflated themselves and had such low self-esteem it was mind numbing.

There is a lot of wealth which instills a certain vibe or aura around people, when they drive or when they are in public. If you like some New Yorkers, loud and obnoxious that's SoFla here people tend to be more quiet in public, more Live and Let Live, less size you up by what you drive or the way you dress. Not talking the OC either. I do not despise all New Yorkers, much of what I love comes from NY, good food, pizza and bagels, another thing that California cannot produce, good bagels, not an issue in SoFla.

I never minded the weather in SoFla, nor do I mind the weather here.

SoFla is a great place to live if you can stomach the negatives, which are many and the big one is having a great paying job or opportunity, for many that is not the case.

You gotta be kidding me, right !!!!


I moved from San Diego to Boca Raton almost two years ago and I have not regretted it !!!
Let's go to the point:


People in San Diego are the RUDEST and the most DISRESPECTFUL human beings I've ever deal with in all those years that I lived there. And yes you are right when you said that people in San Diego are more quiet in public and more live and let live, is because they DO NOT CARE ABOUT OTHERS OR EACHT OTHER. So, do not ever waste asking for help because that help will never come. And That is pretty sad.


Now you are complaining about traffic in Boca Raton, Really ???? I do not think you have ever lived in San Diego. I had to deal with traffic in San Diego for so many years that if you compare it with here, it is like a day and night. The traffic in San Diego is horrendous (two hours to get to work and almost three hours to get back home in a daily basis) with the combination of MALICIOUS DRIVERS !!!.
At least, you noticed here that people do not know how to drive, but drivers in San Diego have a very malicious driving behavior. They will intentionally cut you off in purpose, tailgating you, braking hard after cutting you off, etc. You will also witness a lot of road rages and that's why car insurance is higher in San Diego than here.


Weather in San Diego around the year is ok, but DO NOT FORGET to bring your coats with you because at sunset weather can go as low as the '30 degrees, yes '30 degrees. I am still remember the last time when I was playing with my kids in the snow. It was certainly in my house's front yard, Mmmmm, I remember now it was back in January, 2015. Oh yeah, really nice weather !!!


And you are right about the diversity of food is better here in South Florida than San Diego because the only choices you have there are tacos, burritos, carnitas, tortillas, tacos, burritos, carnitas, tortillas......Am I repeating it over and over again ??? Oh sure, I almost forgot that the border with Mexico is just very few minutes away...so tacos, burritos, carnitas, tortillas every where you go in San Diego


Finally, having a great paying job or opportunity ???. You definitely will make more money in San Diego, but for what ?? If you are going to end up living in a dumpy place because you won't be able to afford decent housing, plus you will be paying more in taxes, food, insurance, car registration, gas, etc. Specially GAS, do not forget that gas prices are over 1 dollar more per gallon in San Diego than here.


Good opportunities are every where. In our high tech and constantly changing reality, desire and willingness to learn is a crucial skill for surviving, improving and achieving any kind of success in the career and business.


Just my two cents.


"Learning is a long-life process and the knowledge that you have is never enough. There is always more to know. The desire to learn is among the best characteristics a person can possess".

[john-staten island]

Being a part time resident for 12 yrs and soon to be full time resident, here's my take.The small city of Boca has great schools, shopping, recreation, easy access to airports,very clean, safe,and maybe the best beach on the Atlantic. Boca was very smart keeping their beachfront available to residents or visitors.As a property owner you get to buy a beach pass that gives you great parking & access to a commercial free beach unlike Ft.Lauderdale,etc.I live East of 95 and South of Glades Rd.a perfect location for walking to everything. Florida is a great state in many ways, I think Boca is the jewel of the state. As for the negatives it mainly involves lack of mass transit.This leads to a lot of drivers jamming 95, the Turnpike,441,etc as they commute.Being East of 95 is a plus for me in avoiding rush hour traffic. The traffic is tough from W Palm Beach to Miami on 95 in both directions so I plan around commuter traffic.Being a NY'er I don't see a problem with anyone regardless of where they relocated from. I play lots of golf at the city course and find nearly everyone happy to be here. I've met a lot of Northern transplants on the course and just don't see an issue with rude,arrogant types. Also the myth that you have to be a millionaire to live here is just that. There is big money here, successful types tend to gravitate to beautiful areas.Those like me who are middle class get the benefits that a wealthy class bring to Boca. Like me they want a clean,safe, environment to live and they keep city officials on top of it. Having family in SanDiego and visiting there it's no doubt a beautiful city.I could have gone there but Boca is unique,not to big but with all the amenities I want. Finally, when you compare California vs Florida,it's a no brainer in cost of living,taxes, quality of life,etc.

[newtovenice]

I lived there and moved out, finally. Extremely, extremely built up. Traffic is atrocious, close to NY levels, especially at rush hour. Want to go out to dinner during season? Plan to wait an hour, hour and a half. And that will be at a crappy chain restaurant. There is also a lack of mom and pop businesses, restaurants, unless you can spend a lot on a dinner. Personally I avoided Mizner Park area because only the tourists go there. The schools were good, but because of common core every single parent I have talked to HATES the schools. The schools are also huge. Expect at minimum 8 to 10 classes per grade at the elementary level, high schools have 3,000 students. Kids must wear uniform clothing (usually specific colors) and there are police at every school, I am not kidding. It's Palm Beach County School system.

Expect to hear many, many, MANY foreign languages, Spanish of course is No. 1. but Boca is a true mix of diverse cultures, whites, blacks, Haitians, South Americans, Brazilians, Muslims, Jews, and recently Czeck/Russian presence has been moving in. It is not a "white privilege" area (except in the extremely expensive housing developments). By expensive, I mean $650K and up. Housing costs are very expensive, 3/2 start around $260K and those are in ghetto, zero-lot line areas, 6000 sq-ft lots. If you want a house with actual property (1/4/) expect to spend at least $400K+. Also, be prepared to drop $300+ a month on HOA fees on top of mortgage. Most every development has an HOA. If you see a house on the market that is reasonably priced and is very nice, it most likely is part of a golf development, which means mandatory membership. Annually that could be an additional $20K to $70K.

The county park system is very good, YMCA is very good, like a college rec center. The Towne Center mall is for the very rich, no one I ever knew there actually shopped there, very very upscale stores. They are doing a lot of construction on the "downtown" Boca area, not sure what the end game will be there. They have been building for 10+ years.

Lived there 8 years, both east Boca and west Boca. Glad to have left.

[newtovenice]

Also, wanted to add.

There is a BIG difference is retiring/vacationing in Boca and living/working in Boca. Take comments with a grain of salt with that in mind. Extra traffic not a big deal when "hanging out." Spending 3 hours a day in the car commuting? Not so much fun.

[newtovenice]

Sorry adding again.

If you have your heart set on the Palm Beach County area, I'd suggest you look into West Boynton Beach for houses. Not as built up, much nicer, same distance to the beaches. Avoid Delray.

[Jim_Miller]

Boca Raton - White Trash with good jobs.

[veggienut]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

yeah unfortunately.

I will give you the playbook:

1. Everyone is from Manhattan, nobody admits to Brookyn/Bronx or even NJ etc. They love to throw out the M card even if they lived on the other side of the river!

2. Be sure to TALK REAL LOUD ON YOUR CELL PHONE when bragging to your friends in "Manhattan" that you went to Bocur for da weekend. Use the words "beautiful and nice" as many times as possible. Insert "when you coming down" frequently also then repeat your travel plans even if they have nothing to do with the conversation.

3. Be sure to mention to all around how great NY is, how expensive it is (implying your rich), mention the low Florida wages atleast 3 times. Somehow shoehorn 911 into the conversation even if you were in southern NJ that day.

4. Be as rude as possible, because your are from NY and they are "da best, da smartest, da richest" people in the world.

Now that is funny But it is so darn true~!

Originally Posted by xusnatc

We moved here almost 3 years ago and we like it, but we have our hang-ups on some things. We wanted to live closer to the beach, but the homes were either too expensive, or they were complete pieces of crap that needed major upgrades. So instead we bought west of 441 off of glades. Very nice, very clean. Expect to pay at least $170.00 per sq. ft. That's about the bottom end for a so-so house. High or higher HOA's is the norm here also. If there's a person working inside the guard shack leading into a neighborhood then look somewhere else to buy. That jacks the HOA price up.


HATE the traffic in Boca, but it's all of south Florida. Also, lots and lots of car accidents here.

The people, well there is a mix. If you are Jewish then you will fit right in. If you are from New York, you will fit right in. If you are Jewish and from New York, then you are part of the 70% of people in Boca. Amazing how many of the men here look like Seinfeld (TV Show). Seriously LOL

I dont know why it bothers me so much, but I really dislike the NY accent. Actually, I HATE THE NY ACCENT. Just pucker your lips out real good, like having bad duck lips and start talking. This is what the NY'ers sound like.

Schools are all good here. Kids are a product of their environment. If you are a descent parent and truly care about your kids progress in school then they will do just fine.

Love the beaches, Love the weather, and love that I only wear shorts everyday. It's amazing too me that people wear long pants down here outside of work. REALLY?

You mention the accent, but not all of us have a New York accent either. Some of us come from Kentucky too that loves Palm Beach County And I love being bold as you New Yorkers talking and them hearing my accent (which I don't think I have one but everyone tells me I do)~!

Originally Posted by newtovenice

I lived there and moved out, finally. Extremely, extremely built up. Traffic is atrocious, close to NY levels, especially at rush hour. Want to go out to dinner during season? Plan to wait an hour, hour and a half. And that will be at a crappy chain restaurant. There is also a lack of mom and pop businesses, restaurants, unless you can spend a lot on a dinner. Personally I avoided Mizner Park area because only the tourists go there. The schools were good, but because of common core every single parent I have talked to HATES the schools. The schools are also huge. Expect at minimum 8 to 10 classes per grade at the elementary level, high schools have 3,000 students. Kids must wear uniform clothing (usually specific colors) and there are police at every school, I am not kidding. It's Palm Beach County School system.

Expect to hear many, many, MANY foreign languages, Spanish of course is No. 1. but Boca is a true mix of diverse cultures, whites, blacks, Haitians, South Americans, Brazilians, Muslims, Jews, and recently Czeck/Russian presence has been moving in. It is not a "white privilege" area (except in the extremely expensive housing developments). By expensive, I mean $650K and up. Housing costs are very expensive, 3/2 start around $260K and those are in ghetto, zero-lot line areas, 6000 sq-ft lots. If you want a house with actual property (1/4/) expect to spend at least $400K+. Also, be prepared to drop $300+ a month on HOA fees on top of mortgage. Most every development has an HOA. If you see a house on the market that is reasonably priced and is very nice, it most likely is part of a golf development, which means mandatory membership. Annually that could be an additional $20K to $70K.

The county park system is very good, YMCA is very good, like a college rec center. The Towne Center mall is for the very rich, no one I ever knew there actually shopped there, very very upscale stores. They are doing a lot of construction on the "downtown" Boca area, not sure what the end game will be there. They have been building for 10+ years.

Lived there 8 years, both east Boca and west Boca. Glad to have left.

I love hearing the accents from another country and their languages~!

[LVKim8]

I'll throw in my opinion after living in Boca for in 2014-2015, but also growing up in South Florida.

Positives for Boca, in no particular order- Beautiful (for the most part), obviously very sunny, nothing within Boca is very far (malls, grocery, restaurants, schools, etc). Laid back. Heavy traffic but easy to get around (grid system, no difficult terrains), beaches.
Schools (to an extent, but this depends on where you are coming from and your expectations). School choice program offers many top alternatives. Publix (awesome store - I do miss it).
So much to see in Florida in a day's (or less) drive. Orlando, the West Coast, small towns along the central and northern coasts, St. Augustine, etc. There is a lot to see in this beautiful state. The turnpike is a pleasant drive if there is no bad weather. Shopping - if you like to shop, you've come to the right place!

Negatives - Schools - everyone says 'great schools' but compared to what? Don't expect what you would get in a top Northeastern or Mid-Atlantic state public school. My daughter attended Omni Middle for 8th grade and then was accepted into Atlantic's IB program for 9th. Omni had very large classes, and surprisingly not much in the way of arts programs. No choir, no orchestra, one foreign language, one art class. Atlantic had more in way of art classes (AP, Studio/3D, etc), but still no choir or orchestras.

Beaches are great but if it wasn't rip currents it was 'sea pests' there always seems to be some kind of warning, except in summer when it's really hot. Some cultural offerings in Boca but you'll find more to the north (Palm Beach) and South (Ft. Lauderdale and Miami). Utilities can be high depending on where you are coming from and HOA's definitely are.

We're back in the West now, and I do sometimes miss Florida. It's a good experience,and I wish the OP well, but I think overall I would not want to be there long term.

[OptimusPrime69]

What I like about Boca:
- It's very neat and clean looking. Well laid out and overall pretty to look at where ever one may be in the city.
-Has very beautiful and non-built up beaches... They're extremely pleasant. Also, for south FL Boca has a decent amount of parks both on the coast and in inland areas.
- Shopping-- Boca has pretty much any and every store one could think of, from Whole Foods to trader Joe's to a gorgeous upscale mall to tons of restaurants and more. Designer clothing stores are available as well as Old Navy.
- Conveniently located-- I like that it's smack right in the middle of West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.... and it's 45 mins away from Miami...giving you access to a lot of stuff..
- Good puclic schools and fantastic private schools
- Low crime overall
- Access to downtown Delray Beach, which I find to be an extremely cute town around the holidays as well as the rest of the year. Just a fun town in general.
-

What I dont like about Boca:

I can't even think of anything I dont actually like....maybe that the demographics tend to be a bit older. Not that i dont like that, but I like being around young and vibrant areas. Sometimes, I'll see these old women that are still clinging to their youth and dressing ridiculously.... Like they're hot stuff...when they're like 80 and shouldn't be wearing that.

[LiveLoveLaugh]

Many years ago I lived in Boca and there was a furniture store that advertised a chest of drawers and their caption was "THE ONLY REAL CHEST IN BOCA" lol....I think that pretty much sums up Boca!