Stuart or Lake Worth - interesting scenario (Port St. Lucie, Plantation: rental, houses)

[jgraff426]

We are most likely moving to the area next year. Hubby may have a job in Plantation. Family is in Jupiter. We would consider anywhere from Stuart to Lake Worth (or another nice town I'm not aware of)

Here's our scenario: We'd (family of 4) be moving down with my parents (pushing 80) who would be retiring. We are considering pooling our resources and getting a nice large house of 4-5 br. So we're looking for something that would be best for us all - Family with small children and seniors...

My SIL, who lives in Jupiter, says Lake Worth for the family, Stuart for the seniors, which, of course doesn't help with the pooling of the resources.

Which, in your opinion, would be a better option for us? Thanks for your help.

From,
A hopeful future neighbor...

[FlaLadyB]

Stuart is more laid back further south and not as hurried nor does it have the traffic and stress that goes with living in "city" areas. Jupiter has more to do and more shopping - I live in Port St Lucie now but have lived from Boca north along the way. Personally, I would skip Lake Worth all together as well as WPB.

If I had my own preferences I would be in Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens where all of you have everything you want. Doesn't matter your age. Beach, shopping of all kinds, things to do of all kinds, all ages.....

The drive to Plantation is going to be a BIG ONE

[FloridaHawkeye]

Agree with the above statement. Kind of strange but once you drive from PBG to Stuart you see alot more pickups things of that nature - definitely more laid back. The big negative to me is how the town is laid out - basically it stretches out along us 1. My father felt somewhat desolated living there because he had to drive alot to get to where he wanted to go.

Jupiter,PBG are great but also more expensive. Not sure what the market is like in PSL today but you can get incredible deals on large houses there a few years ago.

[FlaLadyB]

well, there is a reason for anything north of Palm Beach Co being different. When the building boom was going on, and even before, going north out of Palm Beach county was the only place you could go that was more affordable. The Port St Lucie area had land to build on and ..they did. Stuart (Martin County) did not allow any building at that tiime so thats why most of what you see in Stuart is only along US#1 and is older. Any newer building is out further west.

Port St Luicie prices are great - thats why many people live in PSL and drive to work in West Palm

forgot to mention -- when I first looked at Stuart/Port St Lucie back when, yes, lots of shingle roofs and such. The building boom brought in the tile roofs and people from all areas south looking and finding affordable housing. You will still see pick up trucks, but considering what they cost now..,you will also see everything else. No, its not a high end fast pace business area. Never was meant to be and still isn't.

[TriMT7]

If your husband has a job in Plantation, mark Stuart right off your list, unless he doesn't mind spending all day commuting. It actually would be a haul from Jupiter or Gardens, so it depends on his comfort level with commuting. There are also very very large retired populations throughout the county, so there will never be a problem finding things to do for older folks.

West Lake Worth is actually a very nice area. Very suburban. You can get a decent amount of house for the money, and well regarded public schools.


Port St. Lucie wouldn't even be an option for someone working in Plantation. My secretary drives to WPB for work every day from the Torino area of PSL, and I don't know how she can stand it. When I was first out of school I had a lead for a job IN Port St. Lucie, but to be honest, growing up in PSL, couldn't imagine living there as an adult.

[FlaLadyB]

The drive from PSL to WPB is not bad - not so much traffic and an easy drive. Once you hit PGA Blvd and south it becomes a nightmare of traffic on I95. If you were driving any where further South you would take I95 to Jupiter and then switch over to the Turnpike.

Yes, driving to Plantation from anywhere up here would be an extremely long drive- but they asked.

I would think you might want to live further south - maybe check out mapquest and actually see the distance in milage and time. I know people that drive from here to Boca and back every day. I can make it there in about an hour and 15 mins. (used to live in Boca so I still visit )- one way. Plantation.....that's a haul.

[wireyourworld]

Martin county, stuart, has a comprehensive growth plan that protect the environment, requires responsible building, and protected it from the over building of counties north and south. It is why you can look at google earth and see a definate county of green between the excesses of psl and pb. It has protected the old florida feel, protected from too much traffic, protected from drastic losses in value, protected rental rates, etc. Anyway, I think its far too far away from plantation. Try the western areas along the turnpike in south palm beach and south from there.

[allenk893]

Originally Posted by jgraff426

My SIL, who lives in Jupiter, says Lake Worth for the family, Stuart for the seniors, which, of course doesn't help with the pooling of the resources.

Which, in your opinion, would be a better option for us? Thanks for your help.

From,
A hopeful future neighbor...

I've been living in Stuart for the past few months as a student. I used to live near Lake Worth in Boynton Beach and traveled there frequently. Go to Stuart. It is much better, safer, and has better schools than Lake Worth. The ghetto of Boynton and other Palm Beach cities tend to seep into Lake Worth. Altough it is one of the better Palm Beach County cities, I would stay away from there if I were you.

[skylinet]

Normally I would say to check out Jupiter if you have family there, but the commute to Plantation would be pretty hectic on a daily basis.
West Lake Worth/Boynton/Wellington would be a good option for you. The majority of the communities are very nice, high rated schools, and it would cut a half hour off the commute still keeping you in a close drive to the relatives. Housing is also the more affordable in this area.

[lynn-a]

Lake Worth has it all. We soon will have our new "casino" building on the beach. Our beach redevelopment is still on the table. We just opened our new reverse osmosis plant and you can taste the best water in the State. With a good senior population of 14%, there are plenty of things to do when you are over 65. Our highschool is now rated an A or B and our recreational programs for children is out of this world. The Snook Island project will open this month. We are the best little city on the sea with a vibrant downtown and fabulous restaurants. The city is still affordable.