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I am also wanting to relocate to this area and have the same types of questions. If you do visit and can offer any advice please help. OR, maybe you have relocated already and if so, do you like it? I have researched the schools like crazy and might be able to help you out there. If you need info on that let me know.
Palm Beach County can be quite nice. It's just really expensive to live in the nice areas. There are serious crime and class division problems there, but the crime really does not apply to you if you pick a community like Jupiter, Wellington, or Boca Raton, all which have good to great schools. If you can afford a nice area, go for it. It's just that Palm Beach County has some historic class/racial tensions between is super affluent on the coast and the super poor on the other side. The rest of the county really is either very wealthy or quite poor.There is not much middle of the road, except for in Boca, Jupiter, Wellington, etc. Communities like Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and a few others have big glitzy gated communities that border on some of the deepest poverty in the United States, and despite what some here will tell you, who claim to know every corner of thier city, I don't even live there, and I have had encounters with MS-13 members. I saw signs of active Surenos in neighborhoods as well. Thats not much of a danger to you, but this is West Palm Beach deals with teenage crime spree; CityPlace curfew weighed -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com.
That kind of crime is NOT everywhere in the country. Still, if you can live in those communities (Jupiter, Boca,etc), don't worry about it. They are quite safe.
Last edited by compelled to reply; 07-22-2007 at 09:43 AM..
I have lived in Western Palm Beach County for over 20 years and watched sadly as the uncontrolled growth and poorly planned infrastructure have ruined the area. There was no stopping it... money talks. When we moved here in the 70's it was a quiet sleepy little place. The beautiful beaches were 30 minutes away and CLEAN. The schools had a hometown feel... no gangs. It was really a beautiful place and we had the best of both worlds living here in the country but with access to the city amenities a short distance away.It was a great place to grow up my kids. It definitely has changed! Now there are people and cars and the beaches are dirty and crowded and life is not as perfect as it used to be here.You must wait everywhere for anything. Doctors, restaurants, driver licenses, etc, etc. Yes.. there are gangs here, even in the suburban schools, I work for the school district and we have been made aware of the rising threat of gang recruitment. (However, it is true the schools in the Wellington area are some of the best in the district and Wellington is very kid oriented.) ) And then there's the economics of the are... LOTS of work, fair pay but high taxes, homeowners insurance through the roof and a higher cost of living here. All things to consider.
West Palm Beach City Commissioners are dropping like flies amidst scandals involving land deals and other corrupt conduct. The beauty of Palm Beach County has been its downfall. The almighty dollar has persuaded many a land owner to sell out to developers building houses on postage stamp size lots or zero lot lines I live outside of Wellington and yes Wellington is a beautiful community ... if you stay in Wellington... but if you have to go into town ( West Palm Beach) you will see what some of these posters are talking about. Ultimately, home is where you hang your hat ( and where you're happy) and some folks accustomed to the city life may find Wellington and the surrounding communities charming because they are out away from the city and not as affected by the urban going ons. And they are nice places.. you certainly could do worse in South Florida. But what you need to be aware of is that the development will continue to move west. RESEARCH, RESEARCH AND VISIT... give yourself enough time to really drive around before you make the move. You may find it absolute perfection or you may find its not your cup of tea after all.
Me.... I grew up in a small town up North and I moved to Western Palm Beach County to get away from what is fast approaching now. Urban Sprawl!
After thirty one years in Palm Beach County, it will be hard to leave but my husband and I are headed to North Georgia..we're buying acreage so at least we can have some breathing room.
I wish you the best of luck in your search... you'll find that perfect place... this forum is an excellent place to gather info both positive and negative to help you make an educated decision. But come and see... that's the best way!
I have lived in Western Palm Beach County for over 20 years and watched sadly as the uncontrolled growth and poorly planned infrastructure have ruined the area. There was no stopping it... money talks. When we moved here in the 70's it was a quiet sleepy little place. The beautiful beaches were 30 minutes away and CLEAN. The schools had a hometown feel... no gangs. It was really a beautiful place and we had the best of both worlds living here in the country but with access to the city amenities a short distance away.It was a great place to grow up my kids. It definitely has changed! Now there are people and cars and the beaches are dirty and crowded and life is not as perfect as it used to be here.You must wait everywhere for anything. Doctors, restaurants, driver licenses, etc, etc. Yes.. there are gangs here, even in the suburban schools, I work for the school district and we have been made aware of the rising threat of gang recruitment. (However, it is true the schools in the Wellington area are some of the best in the district and Wellington is very kid oriented.) ) And then there's the economics of the are... LOTS of work, fair pay but high taxes, homeowners insurance through the roof and a higher cost of living here. All things to consider.
West Palm Beach City Commissioners are dropping like flies amidst scandals involving land deals and other corrupt conduct. The beauty of Palm Beach County has been its downfall. The almighty dollar has persuaded many a land owner to sell out to developers building houses on postage stamp size lots or zero lot lines I live outside of Wellington and yes Wellington is a beautiful community ... if you stay in Wellington... but if you have to go into town ( West Palm Beach) you will see what some of these posters are talking about. Ultimately, home is where you hang your hat ( and where you're happy) and some folks accustomed to the city life may find Wellington and the surrounding communities charming because they are out away from the city and not as affected by the urban going ons. And they are nice places.. you certainly could do worse in South Florida. But what you need to be aware of is that the development will continue to move west. RESEARCH, RESEARCH AND VISIT... give yourself enough time to really drive around before you make the move. You may find it absolute perfection or you may find its not your cup of tea after all.
Me.... I grew up in a small town up North and I moved to Western Palm Beach County to get away from what is fast approaching now. Urban Sprawl!
After thirty one years in Palm Beach County, it will be hard to leave but my husband and I are headed to North Georgia..we're buying acreage so at least we can have some breathing room.
I wish you the best of luck in your search... you'll find that perfect place... this forum is an excellent place to gather info both positive and negative to help you make an educated decision. But come and see... that's the best way!
Wow, a very interesting perspective and excellent post.
I lived off of PGA blvd for a year and Wellington for a year and both were very nice areas. Anything near or north of PGA into Martin County is nice. Anything west of 441 or maybe Jog rd. is nice. Boca is nice but it gets very crowded the further south you go. Ive considered moving back down there but in my opinion it is just too overpriced.
I was surprised to see the newly built up area around PGA mall, thats a nice place to go out for a day or night. Also I heard City Place and Clematis is getting to be a not-so-nice area.
I'm sorry this happened to you but I always wonder how relevant these kinds of arguments are (it was so much better 20/30 years ago). This may not matter that much to the person moving there now for the first time, if they have been to the place recently and liked it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rkkb80
I have lived in Western Palm Beach County for over 20 years and watched sadly as the uncontrolled growth and poorly planned infrastructure have ruined the area. There was no, stopping it... money talks. When we moved here in the 70's it was a quiet sleepy little place. The beautiful beaches were 30 minutes away and CLEAN. The schools had a hometown feel... no gangs. It was really a beautiful place and we had the best of both worlds living here in the country but with access to the city amenities a short distance away.It was a great place to grow up my kids. It definitely has changed! Now there are people and cars and the beaches are dirty and crowded and life is not as perfect as it used to be here.You must wait everywhere for anything. Doctors, restaurants, driver licenses, etc, etc. Yes.. there are gangs here, even in the suburban schools, I work for the school district and we have been made aware of the rising threat of gang recruitment. (However, it is true the schools in the Wellington area are some of the best in the district and Wellington is very kid oriented.) ) And then there's the economics of the are... LOTS of work, fair pay but high taxes, homeowners insurance through the roof and a higher cost of living here. All things to consider.
West Palm Beach City Commissioners are dropping like flies amidst scandals involving land deals and other corrupt conduct. The beauty of Palm Beach County has been its downfall. The almighty dollar has persuaded many a land owner to sell out to developers building houses on postage stamp size lots or zero lot lines I live outside of Wellington and yes Wellington is a beautiful community ... if you stay in Wellington... but if you have to go into town ( West Palm Beach) you will see what some of these posters are talking about. Ultimately, home is where you hang your hat ( and where you're happy) and some folks accustomed to the city life may find Wellington and the surrounding communities charming because they are out away from the city and not as affected by the urban going ons. And they are nice places.. you certainly could do worse in South Florida. But what you need to be aware of is that the development will continue to move west. RESEARCH, RESEARCH AND VISIT... give yourself enough time to really drive around before you make the move. You may find it absolute perfection or you may find its not your cup of tea after all.
Me.... I grew up in a small town up North and I moved to Western Palm Beach County to get away from what is fast approaching now. Urban Sprawl!
After thirty one years in Palm Beach County, it will be hard to leave but my husband and I are headed to North Georgia..we're buying acreage so at least we can have some breathing room.
I wish you the best of luck in your search... you'll find that perfect place... this forum is an excellent place to gather info both positive and negative to help you make an educated decision. But come and see... that's the best way!
Hi, I've lived here in Palm Beach County (From Tequesta to Boca and parts west) most of my life. I've taught school and had kids in school here. From my perspective the best place to live in PBC is the North County. There are county pockets (not in cities) that are literally minutes from the ocean. I love the Palm Beach Gardens area especially the county pockets where crime is low, taxes reasonable, close to the mall, close to the interstate.
I think South Florida is a great place to live. Especially if you don't like the cold. As far as education goes, Martin County schools beat out the surrounding areas, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Dade, Broward. The best school that I've seen is the Elementary school in Indiantown. My bottom line for education and I tell everyone, these are Florida schools, rated in the lower 10 of the USA consistently, high dropout rates, high teacher disatisfaction, and if your kid doesn't get straight A's in a Florida school, what is the problem? Homeschool your kids, dual enroll them in the local community college or local university (it isn't any harder believe me, and a lot easier on great students because there is no disruptive elements.)
And if you are going to buy, buy soon, prices are going back up. It snowed too much last year, and especially if there are no hurricanes this year, it will become a seller's market again. There is a lot of inventory, and in particular, one neighborhood has a lot of desperate sellers because many homeowners have already purchased homes in other states and need to unload yesterday.
Anyway, I love Florida, homeschool my kids, dual enrolled my high schoolers and saved a ton on college tuition and books doing so. I love being minutes from the beach, seconds from the theatre, and I can find plenty to amuse myself, Season passes to Disney, road trip to North Carolina.
As far as crime goes, I stay out of areas that are known to have problems, stay hypervigilant, read the book by Gavin DeBecker, Gift of Fear, and stay in the North end of the county. I also don't make myself a target, I don't wear my jewelry out, I don't drive expensive cars that would invite car jackings. And get this, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in P.B. Gardens, called Lost Tree Village, home of Jack Nicklaus, many billionaires, and second home to the wealthy don't drive beamers, jags, mercedes, porsches, ferraris, etc. As a matter of fact the only Corvette I saw there belonged to the guy who developed it. If the wealthy people have figured out how to avoid being a target, I think I'll learn from their experiences.
Best of luck to all who are searching to locate to South Florida. If you have a specific question, I can help with feel free to ask. And don't move to Lake Worth. The utility company is locally owned and not by FPL. Their electric bills for families of 2 and 3 were astronomical, in the 500's and 600 dollars per month.
There are good and bad areas, but unless you pay an extremely high sum of cash for your house there's a good chance that even your "decent" middle class neighborhood will be surrounded by bad areas. The crime rates of Palm Beach County are at an all time high, and the good areas are extremely overpriced. The best thing to do is to throughly check out the area for yourself and to research it well before making any serious decisions.
I was born here and remember when the county was barely anything, it's odd to think about how much land there was back then and how built up it is now... Also, Broward County used to have higher crime rates, but that has changed through the years.
What part of North County? I was looking into Wellington because I heard and read that the schools were grade "A". I work in a hospital. Are there many hospitals north county within proximity of these nicer areas? I've been doing a lot of research and my husband and I are coming to WPB in October to check it out. I have a friend that lives there, but I like to get others opinions on this subject. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
What part of North County? I was looking into Wellington because I heard and read that the schools were grade "A". I work in a hospital. Are there many hospitals north county within proximity of these nicer areas? I've been doing a lot of research and my husband and I are coming to WPB in October to check it out. I have a friend that lives there, but I like to get others opinions on this subject. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
Not sure about hospitals, but the grade "A" is seriously useless. You need to check actual standardized test scores on GreatSchools.net and check out how they compare to the state average, as well as stability rates, and percentage of emergency qualification teachers. For high schools, you need to check out graduation rates, stability rates,percentage of emergency qualification teachers, and not even so much the test scores. All the "A" rating is based on is in comparison to how a school did last year. If 20 percent of the school passed the reading FCAT and it went up to 30 percent in 1 year, it can jump from a C to an A. Then again, a school where 60 percent pass can be a B school because it was 64 percent last year.Still, which is the better school? The Wellington schools can be excellent though, as long as your not in the Palm Beach Central schools, which have their fair share of violence at the middle and high school levels.
I am reading so many negative comments about West Palm here. Can someone please advise me on where to move that is w/in 5 minutes from the beach and SAFE. Someone posted-move north. I'm from San Diego so I'm used to driving but was hoping with this move to work closer (30 minutes tops) from home. I'llbe traveling throughout S. Fla with my job but WPB is my central local.
Thanks
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