Possible Move to West Palm Beach ? (Miami, Orlando: real estate, house, safest area)

[Fohi2008]

Here we go again, possibly moving AGAIN. We are currently living in Westport, CT - the true suburbs of New England. It is gorgeous here and is great for family life. My husband has a possible opportunity in West Palm Beach and has his whole family there and is eager to explore moving there. We have two toddlers. I am concerned about diversity down there. Is it diverse? Is it family oriented? Is there plenty to do with kids other than the beach and Disney? Meaning - family friendly restaurants and parks and play gyms like we have up here? How are the schools? Is private school a necessity? We are flying down tomorrow to explore teh area and get a feel. Are there any "must see's" or "must visit" anyone can recommend or any neighborhoods to check out? I know this is vague but it's my starting point. This board was amazing help when we were moving to Forest Hills NY so going to try it again.
Thanks!

[TriMT7]

Palm Beach County is more diverse than Connecticut.

If you move to the suburbs - such as Jupiter, most of Palm Beach Gardens, etc., you will not need a private school.

There are play gyms, town water parks, all the sports teams and clubs, etc. that you need.

[cfbs2691]

Stick to Jupiter

[THX 1138]

Since you have kids, I highly recommend you visit Wellington, it's probably the most family friendly/kid friendly area of Palm Beach County. Great schools, great healthcare choices, shopping, dining, plenty of amenities that make it self-sufficient and also the best park system in the county. It's also right near the turnpike so you can go north or south with ease and just west of Downtown WPB and Palm Beach.

Not sure where in WPB your husband will be working? The commute also has to be taken into consideration, I work in Palm Beach Gardens and live in Wellington, it takes me 30 mins to 45 mins to get to the office depending on what time of the year it is.

There is a mix of average to affluent people living in Wellington, that is average homes to multimillion dollar mansions, celebrities and famous people mainly those who like horses and Polo, but on whole won't look as affluent as Westport at least the downtown which Wellington does not have, there is no downtown here, no Mainstreet. During equine season, the people roll in from the Hamptons and beyond. Dining choices range from the typical chains and a number of private places and Wellington has a fairly nice mall but it's not nearly as upscale as what's in Boca or Palm Beach Gardens.

The only thing I miss is not being a short drive from the beach, that is a walk or bike ride away.

This site has info on Wellington and the park system.

Wellington | Wellington Florida

[garyhitchcock]

When we moved here from NH 25 years ago we looked at Wellington and Parkland for public schools, land, safe neighborhoods, etc. So glad we chose Parkland, we have great night life in Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale or Miami just a short distance away. As a bonus, Parkland has lead all cities in south florida in real estate values in the last 8 years. Last year Forbes magazine rated Parkland #1 in the US for bang for real estate buck!

[Swimmom32]

the Poster is NOT commuting to Parkland from West Palm...Obviously you like to keep referencing that forbes magazine its getting old and please stick with the facts...OP Wellington would be a good choice if you didnt want to live in West Palm especially if your looking at schools....by the way Gary Prices in heron bay and all around the area have gone down in value not as much as other areas but don't kid yourself people are still loosing their homes and with lack of Jobs in the South Florida market a lot of places have Gone down it does vary upon area....One of my very good friends is a realtor in the area and has sold many of homes in Parkland Country club and heron bay and they were quite lower than their asking prices....

[THX 1138]

Originally Posted by garyhitchcock

When we moved here from NH 25 years ago we looked at Wellington and Parkland for public schools, land, safe neighborhoods, etc. So glad we chose Parkland, we have great night life in Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale or Miami just a short distance away. As a bonus, Parkland has lead all cities in south florida in real estate values in the last 8 years. Last year Forbes magazine rated Parkland #1 in the US for bang for real estate buck!

Plenty of nightlife in Wellington, a lot has changed in 25 years, also downtown WPB is a very easy drive east via Southern Blvd. Wellington has way more amenities and is much larger than Parkland.

Home values, that's another subject....

[skylinet]

Originally Posted by garyhitchcock

When we moved here from NH 25 years ago we looked at Wellington and Parkland for public schools, land, safe neighborhoods, etc. So glad we chose Parkland, we have great night life in Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale or Miami just a short distance away. As a bonus, Parkland has lead all cities in south florida in real estate values in the last 8 years. Last year Forbes magazine rated Parkland #1 in the US for bang for real estate buck!

A couple years ago something similar was said about Lake Worth/Wellington... The Best Schools in the Most Affordable Zip Code Codes: Rank: 2 - BusinessWeek

Here is a great forum you may want to check out
//www.city-data.com/forum/fort-lauderdale-area/
People might be interested in driving all the way out to Parkland here. Parkland is a very nice area, but there are plenty of great areas in PBC that wouldn't require a 45 minute commute to get to work.
Not to mention the same house in Parkland is 50k less in Wellington.

[grahambrunk]

I think depending on where you will commute to is an important factor. I don't know why we keep having this Parkland fan come into the Palm Beach County forums, but I couldnt agree less. Parkland is centrally located but equally far from everything. You're either commuting to Miami, Ft Lauderdale, or West Palm, and Parkland is far from all. I think we are right on in suggesting Wellington or maybe even Royal Palm Beach. The schools are great and there are lots of great middle and upper middle class families in the area, so there are also lots of activities. If you want to look further north Palm Beach Gardens might be more expensive, but Jupiter would be decent. However, Jupiter is further.

As far as nightlife, I would say there is night life in many areas of Palm Beach County, and its still attainable to have an evening out in Fort Lauderdale or even Miami if you give yourself a little extra time. You don't need to live in parkland for that. Being so close to Orlando also is a great benefit for your young ones. In many cases it's less than 3 hours away to visit some of the most sought after theme parks in the world! And as a Florida resident you get a discount.

[Devin2030]

I think that you, the kids and family would love it down here. I live in North Palm Beach which is nice, moved from Michigan a few years ago, but for your family I would check out either Jupiter, Juno Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, or Wellington, those are the safest areas around.

Of course I would recommend one of the first three if you want to be closer to the ocean. I would'nt say you necessarily have to put your kids in private school, but things are different down here than up north, so it is recommended. Most of the people I know with kids do so as well.

I hope everything works out for you and your family.