Can anyone tell me about life there? Traiing, living, raising a family? Considering looking into a job opportunity there? Thanks for any info
Expensive, bad schools, hurricanes, senior citizen drivers, oppressive heat…but they don’t call it Ft Lotta tail for nothing.
It was nice 20 years ago. Now, way too much traffic and congestion. As the other guy said: bad schools, really expensive. Unfriendly people for the most part. Bad hospitals too. Training? Leave your bike.
Personally I like it. Never had a problem with the schools, be an involved parent, riding is nice, swimming in open h2o year round. Just like anything else, it’s what you make of it.
Perhaps someone from the morning crew has any additional/specific thoughts?
I love it - I live “out West” - just about 20 minutes west of FLL - it is GREAT to be able to train year round - there are plenty of beautiful outdoor pools, good roads for riding (out West and a1a/beach and south near the Everglades), nice places to run, LOTS of races - and the weather!! OH - and you get the ocean year round. Plus there are a ton of triathletes here, too.
Housing is a buyer’s market now - as it is everywhere. My son goes to private school - but the schools out West are really good, too. Our neighborhood has a plethora of really nice kids for him to play with and I am in a gated community with an olympic size pool just a 5 minute walk from my house - great running trails nearby and good roads with wide bike lanes and no traffic during the day.
It is hot in the summer and we do have to worry about hurricanes - but since I have grown up here I am used to those - that is what hurricane shutters and insurance are for - and with our well-built houses it is not like we are in shacks that are going to flatten with a little wind. We did pretty well after Wilma.
I just know that I do not like to ride a trainer or the treadmill for the winter training. I don’t want to deal with snow or ice. Hate the cold!!
As with any where you live, there are pluses and minuses.
Thanks for the info. Would you think “west” would be the place to look for housing, etc. (as opposed to north or south?) I guess I couldn’t go too far east! Any suburb names you’d throw out to look at or avoid? How are the cultural opportunities in the city for a child/family? I know it’s not going to be Nirvana (no place is), but I’m at the point where everything is focused on being able to best provide for the little termite (she eats EVERYTHING). And I’m trying to decide if this would be a good move (puts us closer to more family)
ANY and all info is appreciated
The suburbs to the west are newer and more family oriented. Plantation, Davie, Weston, Pembroke Pines - those are all good for families. There are good areas to the east, too but I think you pay more for those and they are not as concentrated with the family thing - there are singles and retired people mixed in and the tendency of more bad neighborhoods.
There are many cultures here from the islands, Latin America, Central America, Europe, South Africa, etc. I think it is more culturally diverse here than other areas. It is also more transient - meaning more people are moving to and from this area.
If you are going to do better with your job and be closer to family you can’t really go wrong - you just have to be able to tolerate the heat and humidity in the summer and the possibility of a hurricane during hurricane season - if you have a newer house with shutters I don’t see this as a problem - but that is me. There is traffic - but I don’t think it is any worse than most metropolitan areas - that could be one drawback of living west when you work to the east.
Also, this area is easy to fly into and out of. One of our neighbors moved here from Colorado because he said it is far easier to travel to Europe and Asia from this area. He maintains his house in Colorado for the summer months and family vacation times.
I don’t live in South Florida (a Canuck here) but my wife’s family and extended family all do so I spend a lot of time there. They’re in Davie and it’s great there. I’ve done a lot of running/riding/swimming in the area and it’s awesome. if you want some greta bike loops, Weston has amazing bike lanes and loops and great paths for running. Plus, Weston’s ciommunities from what I recall are all built specific to withsatnding the hurricane season (better built homes, all wires/electricity lines/etc are underground). Personally, if I could find myself a job that would be up my alley and give me the same opportunities I presently have here in Toronto, I’d seriously think about moving…as for cultural opps…very diverse crowd but I would argue mostly latin/central/south america and the carribbean (my extended family is all from Jamaica)…and then there are those damn canucks that come down every winter…
Hey Fort Lauderdale!
Im a Local as well for 7 years. I have lived all over the East side of the USA and finally found my home in West Fort Lauderdale. In between Weston, Plantation and Davie. I love it here.
Reason 1. I have running paths ( Paved, dedicated and maintained ) within a half mile from my house. So I can do all of my runs right out the front door.
Reason 2. I have bike paths within a mile that are on the side of the road and are three bike lengths wide and mostly shaded. These are in Weston.
You can go out on any weekend and find groups riding all the time. Plenty of Tri and Roadies alike.
Reason 3. Winter workouts are incredible, no more heavy coats to fight the cold.
Reason 4. For the taxes, you get to live in a very nice “resort style” environment. Everything is well manicured and blooming and green. Not to mention you are at the beach in 15 minutes, South Beach\ Miami in 50 minutes.
Reason 5. Always something to do.
I have been part of the Broward Triathletes http://browardtriathletes.com/ Lots of great people and Ironmen and IronWomen. We had a really good meeting with a local swim coach who gave a seminar on swimming which was great. The team has group rides and a brick on Saturday Mornings. Not a “matching uniforms” type of group but worth looking into if you are new to town.
It is very expensive to live here. Pretty much double what it cost me to live in East Tennesse. The rule of thumb is “to move down here you need to have a household income of $100,000 or more.” The real estate and taxes and insurances are very high. Always consider these before buying a house or looking to rent.
We should all get together for lunch.
I guess it’s all so subjective. I can bet you that people who grew up in south fla 20 years ago (me being one of them) prefer ft. lauderdale of yore vs. what it resembles today. it was definitely less congested back then.
i would have to agree with pooldog that if you’re looking for a place geared to family life, go outside the city of ft. lauderdale and head west, young man. i hear that pembroke pines, coral springs or jacaranda/weston are nice for families, if you like the gated life, that is. schools are better over there, too. here’s a good link to the grades in '07. as you can see, nothing spectacular.
as for training, i was there for my kid’s swim meet about 1.5 months ago. the international pool is a wonderful facility but i wouldn’t want to ride or run around a1a. it may be ok for folks who are familiar to riding down there now but i thought the shoulder was way too narrow to accommodate a cyclist. riding a bike around weston, however, would be preferable to me. check out the weston flyers site for organized group rides and i bet there may be some ride maps available.
as you said, you know it won’t be nirvana but, then again, it would depend on where you’re living now.