Moving to South Florida

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greenleaves

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Jan 25, 2008
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I'm moving to south Florida. I'd like to rent an apartment on the water or close to it for the lowest possible cost. The only caveat is I must be close to a decently sized airport (no more than an hour or two drive, tops)

Any suggestions on areas to consider?
 


Miami - South Beach
Ft Lauderdale - Fun fun fun
Boca Raton - No night life. Full of old NY jews who drive slow. A lot of nice cars. Spam capital of the world.
Boynton Beach - eh, not much to do here but ok.
West Palm Beach - eh, not much to do here but ok.
Key West - its like a totally different world.

I'd suggest Ft Lauderdale or Miami south beach.
 
I live in Melbourne, Florida. Not a whole lot to do around here but i'd say it's one of the cheaper areas in Florida . Airport here only has delta airlines i believe which is super over priced. Only 1 hour drive from Orlando airport though (MCO). Don't move here it's lame. Why am I even posting this?
 
dooogen said:
I live in Melbourne, Florida. Not a whole lot to do around here but i'd say it's one of the cheaper areas in Florida . Airport here only has delta airlines i believe which is super over priced. Only 1 hour drive from Orlando airport though (MCO). Don't move here it's lame. Why am I even posting this?
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I moved from Melboring to Orlando a couple of years ago, but if it's just being close to the water that you want I'd say it's a good place to look.
 
(O_o) said:
Miami - South Beach
Ft Lauderdale - Fun fun fun
Boca Raton - No night life. Full of old NY jews who drive slow. A lot of nice cars. Spam capital of the world.
Boynton Beach - eh, not much to do here but ok.
West Palm Beach - eh, not much to do here but ok.
Key West - its like a totally different world.

I'd suggest Ft Lauderdale or Miami south beach.
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This
 
Ft Lauderdale and Tampa is what I'm leaning for right now. I saw some awesome 2 b/2 b places on the water in Dunedin for like $900/month, which is crazy. Here in Costa Rica that would probably be 50% higher or more.

I'm not too into Miami, I prefer to be a little further away from modern insanity.

Clearwater beach I also found some great places under $1k (I mean 2b/2b, high end finishing, fully furnished, pool, laundry, gym, on the water or no more than 3-4 blocks from it, etc)
 
Need more info to give you a better idea of locations. Price, life style you want, commute, beach etc...
 
clear said:
Need more info to give you a better idea of locations. Price, life style you want, commute, beach etc...
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Price: $1k and under
Commute: None
Life Style: I'm not big on huge parties, I like a laid back lifestyle, but nothing too extreme, I want to be close to a decent sized city for activities (festivals, bars, concerts, arts), maybe 30 min drive or so. I'd like to live near the water, hopefully go swimming.

I'll be working from home for a few months, so I like a condo where I might have pool/gym/grounds.

I think west florida is where I'm leaning, Pinellas/St Pete area.

I'd rather save on rent and use the money to travel, so airport access is high on my list.
 
I really liked West Palm Beach. It has kind of has a west coast feel to it like SD or orange county. Really nice mall and apartments for the lifestyle it sounds like you want.

Coming from CR though? I don't even...
 
lukep said:
I really liked West Palm Beach. It has kind of has a west coast feel to it like SD or orange county. Really nice mall and apartments for the lifestyle it sounds like you want.

Coming from CR though? I don't even...
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I will recommend the WPB area also. I hated Tampa and St Pete. Felt like I was in a ghetto area with jar heads. I cant recommend the Miami or Ft Lauderdale area either, crowded, too busy and felt trashy also.
 
Key West isn't an option for sure. I grew up there and its not what you are looking for...

Ft Lauderdale is probably your best bet, for a younger lifestyle. Real Estate in Florida has taken a major hit since 2008 so you might still be able to find something on the intercoastal cheap'ish. But water views and just being closer to the water always raises the cost. So it wont be cheap, really. So you most may be farther from the water than you want. The area is VERY diverse inland of the water. Expect to find restaurants and shops from pretty much anywhere in the world.

I used to live on the water in St Petersburg which was really nice. I just lounged in my hammock and watched dolphins from my back porch. BUT the central west coast of florida is pretty much full of poorer people and red necks. My social life while there was HORRIBLE and options for going out were just as bad. But most other things were pretty nice while there. Expect to find no young working professionals. If your looking at St Pete your only option is NE St Pete, the rest of the area is horrible. I lived at the Snell Island Apartments for 3yrs.

Boca Raton was nice, I went to college there. Its mainly rich old people but since there is a college there it has a small younger population of twenty somethings. Since the rich are there you will have a VERY nice whole foods (i miss it) and lots of trendy places to go and shop. Since the students are there you will find pubs, bars, and coffee shops to hang out in. You will not be able to find anything on the water for sure, but the beaches are pretty easy to get to by bike or car. Old rich people don't go to the beach so its just college age kids. Win Win as far as the beach goes. It also has a decent number of working professionals. I would consider living there again.
 
BeerNuts said:
Key West isn't an option for sure. I grew up there and its not what you are looking for...
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Wow! I grew up in Islamorada!

OP - Check out Delray Beach. Sounds like what you want. If you want to be on the West Coast, maybe Siesta Key... its mostly ghetto or old people over there though.
 
I like St. Augustine, not a lot going on there, but I dislike crowds, traffic, crazies, etc. Not far from Jacksonville airport. There's good golf nearby, history, etc. Oldest city in the US.
 
I agree with Delray Beach. I'm about to list a great little place for sale. 2 Bedroom 2 Bathroom about 1000 sq ft with a 1 car garage.

It's a townhome so no yard to cut.

10 minutes to the ocean (I've got a boat for sale too if you really want the Florida lifestyle).

Real Estate is still pretty cheap here after the crash, you'd be well under $1000 per month and own it! Renting sucks.
 
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