Originally Posted by md95065

You do realize that, in West Palm Beach, you have some pretty obnoxious weekend visitors just south of you in Mar-a-Lago ...

Originally Posted by carcajou

I would say, coming to Palm Beach County from Hong Kong - one of the first major differences you will note is that in Palm Beach County (and in the US generally) virtually nothing is walkable. You and your spouse will require your own car. In South Florida public transport is inadequate and is socially stigmatised.

Originally Posted by carcajou

I would say, coming to Palm Beach County from Hong Kong - one of the first major differences you will note is that in Palm Beach County (and in the US generally) virtually nothing is walkable. You and your spouse will require your own car. In South Florida public transport is inadequate and is socially stigmatised.

Your $$$ will get you a much bigger house in West Palm Beach than in HK. High-rise condos are also seen as something of a status symbol, and not a function of everyday life as in a geography-constricted place like Hong Kong. Most people will also have swimming pools in their backyard (dug into the ground, not the portable above ground ones). Swimming pools are not a status symbol but something of a rite of passage in South Florida.

Spring, summer, and most of autumn there is a torrential thunderstorm daily at about 4 PM - you can just about set your watch to it - it is ferocious but doesn't last long.

Though in Florida, South Florida and Central Florida are not part of "Dixie" (the old Confederate South). South Florida wasn't developed until the early 1900s and Miami was originally named Lemon City. Southern Florida doesn't have the right climate for commercial oranges, tangerines and grapefruits and instead grows "sour citrus" - lemons and limes. Central Florida (starting at about the northern range of Palm Beach County) is where the "edible citrus" plantations start.

South Florida, instead, is really an extension of the Northeastern US - Miami used to be called the "6th borough" of New York and as mentioned the super-wealthy (who were all from the northeast - not the plantation barons from the south) put their winter palaces in Palm Beach (which is effectively the northern most part of the South Florida Metropolitan Area - Dade [Miami], Broward [Ft Lauderdale], and Palm Beach [WPB] Counties). A guy named Henry Flagler - he was very closely associated with Rockefeller and Standard Oil - thought South Florida would be a good vacation destination and started building a railroad (previously the area was largely inaccessible). The railroad was designed for connectivity to the Northeast and so residents there were who started coming down - it was not designed to provide connectivity to Southern cities like Atlanta or New Orleans. That, plus the invention and popularisation of air conditioning, made South Florida suitable for longer-term residence.

Key Lime Pie is a delicious South Florida delicacy - a sweet lime pie made from condensed milk that you don't have to bake (it was made as a confection for fisherman who spent long days out on their boat, before refrigeration).

Originally Posted by alfista1

If you look on Trulia property it reports the most recent police incidents.

When the incidents state armed robbery/rape/homicide/shootings etc then best to avoid. Just a small change in area can make a big difference.

Originally Posted by Twigstar

Hi,
I live 30 minutes south of WPB and it is not an area I would look for a home unless on the ocean as previously suggested. Either go North a little to Jupiter or south to Delray/Boca or West Boynton or even Wellington. I would steer clear of Lake Worth and Lantana.
I own a business that services Boca to WPB so am familiar with the area.

Originally Posted by FRoberts

Can you recommend good areas?

Originally Posted by Pulaski

I don't believe he has lived in Florida, at least not recently, and neither have I, so his advice is somewhat generic, as is mine. That said, many of the same issues apply across the US, and web resources such as Trulia.com and City-data.com provide good information to help you make informed decisions.

Generally speaking you will get a fair impression of an area based on the quality of the housing stock. Low cost apartments, older housing in poor condition, and yes, trailer parks, are strongly indicative of areas with "issues". However you can go from areas with issues to highly desirable areas in a very short distance, sometimes by only traveling one block, or even crossing a (major) road. This is because many issues and criminal activities are highly compartmentalized in the US - crime related to Hispanics is largely confined within the Hispanic community, likewise for crime in the black population.

As a general point I would stay away from interstate corridors, or at very least well away from the intersections, because they are routes for all sorts of criminal activities, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, and therefore drug sales and prostitution. It is very common for arrests and incidents, upto and including shootings and murders, to be reported near interstates, especially at fast food restaurants, cheap motels, and the parking lots outside them.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

... many issues and criminal activities are highly compartmentalized in the US - crime related to Hispanics is largely confined within the Hispanic community, likewise for crime in the black population.

Originally Posted by alfista1

If you look on Trulia property it reports the most recent police incidents.

When the incidents state armed robbery/rape/homicide/shootings etc then best to avoid. Just a small change in area can make a big difference.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

I don't believe he has lived in Florida, at least not recently, and neither have I, so his advice is somewhat generic, as is mine. That said, many of the same issues apply across the US, and web resources such as Trulia.com and City-data.com provide good information to help you make informed decisions.

Generally speaking you will get a fair impression of an area based on the quality of the housing stock. Low cost apartments, older housing in poor condition, and yes, trailer parks, are strongly indicative of areas with "issues". However you can go from areas with issues to highly desirable areas in a very short distance, sometimes by only traveling one block, or even crossing a (major) road. This is because many issues and criminal activities are highly compartmentalized in the US - crime related to Hispanics is largely confined within the Hispanic community, likewise for crime in the black population.

As a general point I would stay away from interstate corridors, or at very least well away from the intersections, because they are routes for all sorts of criminal activities, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, and therefore drug sales and prostitution. It is very common for arrests and incidents, upto and including shootings and murders, to be reported near interstates, especially at fast food restaurants, cheap motels, and the parking lots outside them.

Originally Posted by FRoberts

Thanks that's helpful.

Originally Posted by mikelincs

Don't forget that the area does have the occasional hurricane, next one due in a couple of days.