Anna

Hello,

We are moving to Fort Lauderdale in October (from NH). Looking for advice on nice areas of the city or suburbs (within 10 miles) to look for an apartment (not too expensive). Any advice in general on living in this area would be welcome as we have been New Englanders all our life. Thanks!

LGL

We have lived in Fort Lauderdale for 7 years and are from the N.E. also. DEFINITELY live in east Ft. Laud. (preferably east of U.S. 1 unless you want to experience some real culture shock coming from N.H.! There are some Rough areas here and they are very close to the nice ones so you have to be careful. If you are looking for apartments, the are around Commercial Blvd and Cypress Creek Rd. is nice and there are lots of places. There is an apartment complex called Port Royale ,which is on the Intracoastal just N. of Commercial Blvd. off US 1, very nice and in a good location! I would call information and get the # for them to send you info. There aren't a lot of apartments on the beach unless you want to pay big $$. US 1 is only 1/2 mile from the beach and a safe area. Don't look at anything right near I-95- yuck! The cost of living east is higher than out in West Broward county but I don't see the point of relocating to FLA and not being anywhere the water. If you have kids in school, though, west may be the way to go as the schools east are less than desireable and quite frightening! It's a strange city in that aspect- million dollar homes on the water but in horrible school districts. Good Luck!

Ted

LGL -- Isn't it absured the way many of these Florida neighborhoods are so "mixed" like that compared to the East Coast? Where I'm from on the East Coast, all of the neighbhorhoods were CONSISTENT, i.e., lower class, middle-class, upper middle-class, upper class, etc., with NOTHING in between!! Boca Raton is the only area that has that consistency, but once you cross the borders, WATCH OUT!!

Suzy

Do you have school-age kids? The crowdedness and quality of the schools varies tremendously, and Florida has a system for grading each school on an actual A-to-F scale.

Lily

I peronally love Lauderdale by the Sea...quiet, lowrises, safe, friendly, shops near by...check it out.

Will

West Plantation, Tamarac, and Sunrise as well as West Davie are great areas. Coconut Creek is not as far west and very nice also. They are not more than 30 minutes from the beach. Boca Raton is commutable at around 20 minutes on a good day and it is very nice. Extreme east Broward is nice but it is pricey, much older, and very touristy. The schools east are much worse than west. A well-known motto in Broward County is "west is best".

Stephanie P.

Lily:

I have to agree, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, would be my pick. The most charming town 5 miles of Ft. L. No motel can be above 3 stories so even the locals feel they are close to the beach (behind and between A1A and El Mar Drive there are small neighborhoods w/houses that have palm trees all over the place. If you want to drive to the beach, there is ocean access with some parking spaces. You should also look into Deerfield or Pompano Beache areas too.

Donna

I'm moving to the Fort Laud area in three weeks. Does anyone know if areas like North Laud, and Lauderhill are good places for a SWF.

Will

North Lauderdale and Lauderhill have become somewhat blighted. There is alot if crime and many businesses have closed. They been replaced by pawn shops and the like. 20 years ago these were nice but nowadays I would not recommend anyone to live there, especially a single white female. Rents a cheaper there. Maybe that is why you mentioned it. You want to be further east of those areas, like downtown Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Wilton Manors, etc or further west (Sunrise, Tamarac, Parkland, western part of Plantation, Weston, Coral Springs (not Riverside area), western Davie etc.) or north like Boca, including West Boca, Coconut Creek and parts of Deerfield Beach and Margate. As a rule, anything near I-95 is not good and in Broward you want to be west of 441 and east of US1 for the most part. Hope this helps. Good luck with your move. I am sure you will enjoy the South Florida lifestyle.

xs

Oh god another Yankee moving to Florida just what Florida needs....

Donna

Thanks for the info. Ya, the home prices in those areas were cheaper, now I know why. How about the Boynton Beach area that is west of 95? I actually heard to avoid Margate and Sunrise, but you said that they are okay, right?

Will

Hi Donna,
Boynton Beach is great. The areas out west have reasonable prices and alot of new contruction. US 441 is being widened right now from Boca up to Wellington through west Boynton. Sunrise is good if you are west of University Dr (SR 817) near Sawgrass Mills. Margate is iffy. It is cheaper and some areas are decent. It's a 50/50 kinda town if you know what I mean. Coconut Creek is right near Margate and much nicer. There are some reasonably priced new homes there. It is very well planned and not too far from the beach and not as far north as Boynton. Check out West Boca also. Real Estate is not too high and it is not like the typical "Boca Raton". It is more of a middle class area with families and younger people.

Donna

Thanks again, you're a big help.

Stephanie P.

xs:

Not many people are natives of Florida. A vast majority are from everywhere else and it is a free country and everyone has a right to live in whatever state they want.

Donna

Hey xs: I'm a Yankee too, looks like you got two Yank's coming down.

fiona

If you have kids, Coral Springs has one of the best public school systems in Broward. Another family oriented area is Weston or what some call East Naples, but a very nice area as well. Both not near the water..

Anna

Thanks for all your responses. We have only really spent two long weekends in Ft. Lauderdale and all your advice has been great. We do not have kids...really just looking for safe, reasonably priced apartments. LGL it's nice to have the perspective from a former New Englander. Boy, am I glad to get away from winter. Does anyone know of any websites which specialize in Fort Lauderdale?

Will

Check out Rent Free. They are the biggest apartment locator down here. Often they can put you into an apartment with no deposit or a short term lease. http://www.rentfreerealty.com/

LGL

On Sunday, Go to Sun-Sentinel.com and look at the classifieds. Under the rental section look at "Broward Beach" if you want to be near the water. Here you will find a lot of listings for private rentals which can sometimes be better since most of the apartment complexes are in western Broward county. Also, there is a section for Boca Raton which is not as expensive as the reputation it has. This area will include everything east of US 1 from SE 17th st./downtown all the way N. to Pompano Beach. You really need to spend a few days here and really look for the area which bests suits you. After you find a place you like , my advice is to go to the nearest stores, ie:grocery and see what the people/cleanliness of shopping is like- this will tell you A LOT about the area- trust me. There are some gorgeous homes here and the closest grocery store is filled with vagrants and barefoot people in their hair curlers. Not everyone wants to be in that environment even if they like the house/apt. There are rental companies here, like rent free mentioned before but remember they are trying to make a "sale" and cannot legally tell you if an area is "good or "bad" so do your research first!