Family-friendly neighborhood in Miami, FL?

[boxbits]

Hi all,

My husband may take a job in Miami, which would require a move from our current residence in NYC. As part of our decision-making process, we are researching what our neighborhood options are. I've collected some names via Google, but was wondering if anyone here had personal experience with Miami and its neighborhoods. We would like it to be family-friendly with a good school system (we have a toddler). We both grew up in the suburbs but it has been a very long time since either of us lived in any so I'm sure there are considerations that we are not taking into account. Thus, any thoughts, recommendations and commentary would be appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

 

[Lookinagain]

Do you know where in Miami his job would be located? Maybe that will help folks narrow things down.

 

[Arcadian]

So I'm going to be real with you and none of this is to scare you but to help you make a decision.

Miami proper is small. Miami and surrounding is very expensive, many places for no reason. How expensive it is is going to depend on where you want to be in relation to his work.

I would be very careful of doing a condo.

Miami is not pet friendly unless you have your own house and that house is not in an HOA. Speaking of, be careful of HOA's and read everything, they are very powerful down here. You do NOT want to be in a house that boarders the everglades or "wild life preserves" (trust me on this one)

If you're wanting a house, check the flood maps first. If its in an HOA check that 2nd. Also check if its an evacuation zone.

Also check the price of insurance to get some roundabout number:

Your insurance will be high if - You're in a flood zone. You're in Evac Zones A, B, C.

DO NOT GET BEACH FRONT ANYTHING because unless its in a condo building, most of the time you will not be able to insure it unless its new new or you jump through a ton of hoops. Beach front insurance is very very expensive. Insurance on a barrier island is very very expensive. Most of the time if you can't get it through anyone else, it will be through Citizens. Citizens now says you MUST have flood insurance even if not in a flood zone. (new customers) if you have a mortgage it automatically will have hurricane insurance. Hurricane insurance will be the bulk of what you pay for.

Miami is really New York Lite with all the bad driving included and car insurance will be expensive. I'm a step 9 driver no accidents and pay 1600.00 every 6 months. there's lots of uninsured moterists here, FYI.

Hurricane season is June 1 to November 30. Its a fact of life.
Snowbird season is October to June.

Some places you may want to consider (but remember if he works in Miami proper it may be a longish drive)

Davie - Further away more inland
Dania Beach - Closer to the ocean
Hollywood - Closer to the ocean
Miami Shores - Closer, to the ocean, a bedroom community for Miami Proper.

You may want to be closer but thats going to be something you need to determine based a lot of factors. You could move west, but also be aware you'll be dealing with more HOA's.


Be careful of agents that double dip. You really want a buyers agent who works in your target area because they will work for only you and, they will help you understand the market here. For instance, if you want an agent that works in Miami Shores and surrounding areas, use that as the jump off point.


After a few false starts, This is where I found my agent who did a great job for me.

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Flood zone and Evacuation zone maps

Know Your Zone, Know Your Home

 

[Lookinagain]

I agree with everything @Arcadian says. I grew up in Miami Shores but it's been many, many years since I lived there so I don't really know what it is like now. It was great when I was a kid there growing up. My best friend lives in Keystone Point on one of the canals. I'm not sure what her insurance is like, but I know it is very high. The schools were county systems, not town systems and I assume that is still true, but there are districts within the county system and I think the schools can vary in quality. Maybe @Arcadian can speak to that. I agree I would stay away from waterfront property. My sister has a home in Davie and that is definitely inland. It's pretty nice there but would be a long commute if his job is in downtown Miami.

 

[Arcadian]

I agree with everything @Arcadian says. I grew up in Miami Shores but it's been many, many years since I lived there so I don't really know what it is like now. It was great when I was a kid there growing up. My best friend lives in Keystone Point on one of the canals. I'm not sure what her insurance is like, but I know it is very high. The schools were county systems, not town systems and I assume that is still true, but there are districts within the county system and I think the schools can vary in quality. Maybe @Arcadian can speak to that. I agree I would stay away from waterfront property. My sister has a home in Davie and that is definitely inland. It's pretty nice there but would be a long commute if his job is in downtown Miami.

Public schools are county schools. Counties have to follow whatever the governor's office says they have to do and thats because of the stuff that happened during Covid. Private schools can do whatever. Many didn't close during covid, many are religion based. There are some OK schools here but again, I don't have any school aged kids so don't really know about the ones in Miami. The ones close to me are pretty good I'm told (my neighborhood is full of healthcare workers, school teachers, and police/emergency personnel who got in before the prices went crazy).

Davie is a really nice area. Hollywood actually got nicer because people who wanted to live in Miami but couldn't afford to live there moved to Hollywood. Dania Beach went through a whole re-gentrification I had looked at houses in Miami Shores back in 2015 and they were pretty nice but, prices are way way up now as more people from the northeast moved there and their housing market stayed hot for a long while.

I'm just south of Jupiter and my home insurance is ridiculous at over 4K a year now. I do not have a giant house, I'm not in a flood zone, and not in an evacuation zone. Still, I'm in close proximity (5 miles) to the beaches as the crows fly, which may explain a few things. (I don't go to those beaches as they don't allow dogs)

Anything north of Davie may be too far unless you live super close to I-95 or the turnpike.

 

[FL_runner]

Yes I just lived there but recently moved away! Where will your husband be working? Traffic is a beast. If you can give me a better idea of where to start I can give you some ideas.

I lived in Coral Gables south of the University. Lots of people with connections to New York in the Gables! Coral Gables, Pinecrest and Coconut Grove (but in the grove it depends on where you live) all have highly rated public schools and magnet programs and there is a school choice program so if you are interested in changing to a school you are not districted to you can change if there’s room, as long as you can drive your child. They are all great for young families but a lot depends on your budget and where you are working- but these are places where you will be able to walk to parks, shops, restaurants, playgroups, etc. I liked parts of South Miami too. We had our child in our parish’s Catholic school though which was very good. Prices were bananas but I did feel like I was on vacation every day when I stepped outside!

If you want something a little more urban with kids you could consider going towards Brickell I know about some of the magnet schools but less about the non magnet options out that way. I’d definitely take a vacation and come visit before you commit to a neighborhood.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

how excitting
i love alligators
my friend lives in a gated communtiy (he is retired) but an alligator still found a way in recently
now i live many thousands of miles away and thought this was wonderful and excitting
but him and his neighbours were not so keen
this particular 'gator cuased no harm and was relocated safely for everyone

the gold clubs look beautiful down there

 

[FL_runner]

We had all kinds of wildlife! We had lots of iguanas, peacock families and parrots. It’s always good to be cautious about alligators though anywhere in FL!

 

[Arcadian]

how excitting
i love alligators
my friend lives in a gated communtiy (he is retired) but an alligator still found a way in recently
now i live many thousands of miles away and thought this was wonderful and excitting
but him and his neighbours were not so keen
this particular 'gator cuased no harm and was relocated safely for everyone

the gold clubs look beautiful down there

The wild life is...well its something else. About a week ago a coyote was spotted. No retention ponds immediately around me , but I'm close to the golf course, but there's a couple of gators in there they regularly remove them however. We have a lot of water surrounding the neighborhood where I am, lots of fish and birds, no gators that I know of in those waters though but its always possible as its fresh water that flows to the ocean. We have a mating pair of spoonbills that are around here which is pretty cool.

Then there's the iguanas (not usually seen this far north but they are around) and last year I saw a Tegu. Which like many lizards here are not native. Tegus are really pretty dangerous, big enough to eat a small dog in some cases. Outside of that, the tree frogs and gekkos, and parrots (there's lots of parrots in my area right now)


The biggest issue right now is land that was set aside as wild life preserves and whatnot is starting to be developed. The animals have nowhere to go so you're seeing them all over the place. heck there was a non human bear at the beach in Destin..thats sheer crazy right there!

 

[wildcat03]

My friend/colleague who has 3 kids was looking at a move to Miami. She knew the area because her stepfather lived there and she did college and graduate school. She mentioned that they were planning to live in Boca Raton for the schools. They ended up moving to a different part of Florida, otherwise I'd reach out and ask her how it was going (she left two years ago).

 

[Garnet Gimlet]

Hi Boxbits!

Arcadian gave you lots of really wonderful info! I hope I can add on to it. I live in Broward, the next county north of Miami. So I may be able to help you out a bit.

Looking Again brought up a great point in looking to narrow down where in Miami the job is located. Aventura, Kendall, Key Biscayne, Downtown or Coral Gables makes a big difference in terms of commute. i can't give you specific about Miami -- it really is its own world, but if you are looking to land a little further north, I can help.

If you have a little one and are looking at suburbs of Broward/Ft. Lauderdale you may want to look at Weston and Cooper City. Both have very highly rated public schools. Davie is close to both of those areas, but is very large so you have to look more closely at the schools and feeder patterns. Southwest Ranches is also nice if you can afford it. They have a little more land per home, and have desirable schools. There is a lot of nonsense going on down here with public schools. Ron DeSantis is on a bit of a tear. If you are looking at private schools, the big name ones in Broward are American Heritage, Nova University School and North Broward Prep -- though the last one is closer to Palm Beach county. Lighthouse Point is another lovely city, but again, closer to Palm Beach.

Most of the cities I've mentioned are further west -- roughly a half hour, forty five minutes from the beach. It has to do with the way the area developed. The oldest parts of the city are close to the beach. Builders went west to develop new areas. Thus, east tends to be a little older, and comes with the pitfalls of an older area. Hollywood is a great example of this. Some parts have been gentrified and are now gorgeous, others I would not feel comfortable living in. You can't beat being 15 minutes from the beach, but you do want to check out the schools and make sure you drive the neighborhoods.

I hope this helps!

 

[Lookinagain]

If I recall correctly, Pine Crest School was also a top private school. Not sure if it still is. I believe it is in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

[Garnet Gimlet]

If I recall correctly, Pine Crest School was also a top private school. Not sure if it still is. I believe it is in Ft. Lauderdale.

You are absolutely right. That one slipped my mind. Good thinking!

 

[rocks]

Ransom Everglades too.