Another Delray Question (Miami, Delray Beach, Palm Beach: rent, condos, houses)

[clMonday]

I've been traveling to Florida for business for over ten years. I love the weather (heat doesn't bother me), the puffy clouds, lifestyle of eating outside, etc. I love Delray and I am seriously considering moving there. I am a 48 yr old, straight, single, male. I live just outside Manhattan now. I work in NY, but don't spend much time in the city on the weekends.

Are there any Delray residents on this forum? How do you like the community? Is there a enough to keep you busy? Is it easy to make friends?

I love the idea of being in warmer weather and exploring a new place, but worry about making friends and some of the shadiness in Florida. We have it in the Northeast as well, but the neighborhoods change so fast in FL. Anyway, would love feedback on Delray. Thanks!

[klaucka]

Hi cl, East Delray resident here - same age group as you and from the East Coast (grew up in Mass, lived in Northern NJ for 10 years). We live in Del Ida Park, one of the historic districts that would be considered walking distance and biking distance to the beach. Overall, we love it here - me probably more than my husband as I am an ocean sports junkie and my husband is a Texan whom finds the northeast aggressive-ness and vibe a little annoying at times. We moved here 3 years ago and the town has changed quite a bit. On the positive there is continued growth, particularly in our neighborhood which could have been considered a bit transitional a few years ago, but today is full of $1M+ homes with new ones being built every day. Everything we need is pretty much here and we haven't had any issue meeting some great people to hang out with. You'll notice a lot of C-D posters complaining about the general unfriendliness of SoFL, but honestly I have found no problem with that. It is a bit of an odd mix of insanely rich people, tourists, immigrants struggling to make it, non-immigrants struggling to make it, and regular professional working folk. I travel very frequently for work and have visited most major cities in the US and can say South Florida is very unique in this demographic. And can take a bit getting used to - especially the lack of separation between multi million dollar homes and a crack house. Your comment about the general shadiness in Florida is not unfounded. I found it very unsettling at first but now, three years later, it no longer freaks me out. Now just find it part of the unique character of the area.

I'm sure you've noticed this but Delray as a town has much more of a village feel than other towns in the area. Hopefully it will stay that way with all the development. The major downside of the town is what I would call the "underbelly" of Delray. It is the unofficial capital of rehab and sober houses, and living in East Delray where the majority are located, can be more than a little frustrating given their propensity for walking everywhere and leaving a pile of trash in their wake (the exponentially growing tourist class definitely contribute to this as well). It is such a beautiful beach and town, so seeing trash on our sidewalks and beach is just painful. Admittedly, I'm a bit of a clean freak but just start looking and you will know what I'm talking about.

Happy to answer any additional questions you may have. Good luck in your decision

[clMonday]

Originally Posted by klaucka

Hi cl, East Delray resident here - same age group as you and from the East Coast (grew up in Mass, lived in Northern NJ for 10 years). We live in Del Ida Park, one of the historic districts that would be considered walking distance and biking distance to the beach. Overall, we love it here - me probably more than my husband as I am an ocean sports junkie and my husband is a Texan whom finds the northeast aggressive-ness and vibe a little annoying at times. We moved here 3 years ago and the town has changed quite a bit. On the positive there is continued growth, particularly in our neighborhood which could have been considered a bit transitional a few years ago, but today is full of $1M+ homes with new ones being built every day. Everything we need is pretty much here and we haven't had any issue meeting some great people to hang out with. You'll notice a lot of C-D posters complaining about the general unfriendliness of SoFL, but honestly I have found no problem with that. It is a bit of an odd mix of insanely rich people, tourists, immigrants struggling to make it, non-immigrants struggling to make it, and regular professional working folk. I travel very frequently for work and have visited most major cities in the US and can say South Florida is very unique in this demographic. And can take a bit getting used to - especially the lack of separation between multi million dollar homes and a crack house. Your comment about the general shadiness in Florida is not unfounded. I found it very unsettling at first but now, three years later, it no longer freaks me out. Now just find it part of the unique character of the area.

I'm sure you've noticed this but Delray as a town has much more of a village feel than other towns in the area. Hopefully it will stay that way with all the development. The major downside of the town is what I would call the "underbelly" of Delray. It is the unofficial capital of rehab and sober houses, and living in East Delray where the majority are located, can be more than a little frustrating given their propensity for walking everywhere and leaving a pile of trash in their wake (the exponentially growing tourist class definitely contribute to this as well). It is such a beautiful beach and town, so seeing trash on our sidewalks and beach is just painful. Admittedly, I'm a bit of a clean freak but just start looking and you will know what I'm talking about.

Happy to answer any additional questions you may have. Good luck in your decision

Thank you for your response! Coming from the NE, what appeals to me about Delray is the variety of people and that the neighborhood is in transition. I like being a part of that trend. I live in Jersey City, NJ and have watched this area change and evolve. We have rent stabilized housing, million dollar brownstones and high-rise condos. But, the neighborhood has good energy and always people walking around. Boca to me is very well-maintained, but it seems closed-off and not integrated. I like that in Delray (East) you can walk around and see people. Plus, I love what is going on in Pineapple Grove. I hope more things like that are encouraged and continue. I was just in the area and toured a bunch of areas with a realtor. I am so far most drawn to Historic Del Ida Park because 1) I can walk to eating/drinking and even the beach (I like walking) and 2) I think the values in DIP have room to run still.

[PammyB]

Hi - We just moved to Del Ida Park 3 months ago - same sex couple, 40 and 48...We LOVE it here!!!! I bike to the local gym, swim center, beach...walk into Pinapple Grove - FANTASTIC vibe here!! We feel safe and love our neighbors....any questions - just ask...great lifestyle!!

[MiamiLIFE]

Originally Posted by PammyB

Hi - We just moved to Del Ida Park 3 months ago - same sex couple, 40 and 48...We LOVE it here!!!! I bike to the local gym, swim center, beach...walk into Pinapple Grove - FANTASTIC vibe here!! We feel safe and love our neighbors....any questions - just ask...great lifestyle!!

Pammy,

Where did you move from?

[PammyB]

Hey there - I moved from Colorado!!

[BocaRatongirl]

I live in Boca which neighbors Delray :-) You are not far from anything. There is so much to do. Beaches, shopping, night life etc. We've only lived here for less than a year and plan to stay for as long as we can!

[eric3165]

Hi I moved here from NJ 4 years ago and was one of my smartest decisions I ever made. Live in Rainberry Bay on lake Ida road.

[OptimusPrime69]

Lived in Delray for years before moving to Miami for a job about a year ago.
LOVED it. The dowtown area is super cute, somewhat trendy and chic and there's always a new restaurant to try out. I like the feel of it. I also liked how close it was to Boca (for their mall, universities, and shopping in general)....I think Delray Beach actually has one of the nicest beaches around as well.
Traffic in Delray is moderate...usual rush hour type stuff, but nothing too bad.

Another poster mentioned that Delray has a lot of half-way houses and this is true. Palm beach county in general has a ton of sober-living and half way houses. It's where people come to dry-out and sober up, so there is a "crackhead" element to Delray, but it's not the overall vibe.

I would move back to delray in a heartbeat.

[elchevere]

Funny, I live in San Diego but am originally from NY (Long Island, but visit Manhattan often during my 4x year visits) and visit SoFla 5-6 times a year..,if you like Manhattan and a more urban lifestyle you would outgrow and get bored with Delray Beach within a month or two..if you love a suburban lifestyle, you will love Delray Beach...I call on Office Depot in nearby Boca and spend a night in Delray or Palm Beach and the rest of my stay in Miami/SOBE which I find more diverse and more exciting...just depends what type of vibe you are looking for. This is based on my experience from the past 2-3 years visiting, not living, there.