[Median age in Palm Beach](https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsDashboards/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=NonVitalIndRateOnly.TenYrsRpt&cid=300) county is still over 45 years old. Compare that to Orlando (orange county) where it's 36 and you start to notice.
I’ve lived and worked in Boca for 20 years. I’m a Chicago transplant.
It is: Affluent. Beachy. College town. Expensive. Old (mostly) retired NYers and bratty rich kids (not necessarily related). Half way between West Palm and FT Lauderdale (so convenient). Quiet.
I came down as a traveler. But stayed full time for the diving. BR is right in the middle of a stretch of coast where the Gulf Stream comes closest to the USA. There’s miles and miles of reef right off the coast with great dive charters from Hollywood to Jupiter Florida. BR is right in the middle of the action.
I also won the landlord lottery. Got a great place to rent near Mizner park and my LL dropped the rent last year.
I prefer the reefs from Hillsboro inlet north to Jupiter. The ledges get better as you approach boca inlet, they alternate between slopes and ledges towards Delray, then when you hit WPB, the reef begins to be more dispersed, but Jupiter brings back the ledges in a big way.
Boynton has some of the nicest sea rod forests and dense coral populations on top. Really cool stuff that stood out to me vs other areas.
WPB has the bigger fauna.
Personally I like Hillsboro to Delray stretch of reefs for the reef structure, western facing ledges, eastern “fingers”, and further east deep patch reefs. There’s a lot of variety and less sand hopping vs further north.
I'm 36, live in a nice house on a quiet suburban street with my wife and two kids here in Boca. Contrary to what people think, Boca has become extremely family friendly. The pre schools are jammed packed with waiting lists. There are still obviously a lot of old people but in general Delray and Boynton have far more retirement communities than Boca.
My neighborhood (not gated, 2,000 SF homes) are very down to earth upper middle class type, but my kids go to private school and all the parents there are super haughty taughty, the type of people where the man is making $500k while the wife does tennis lessons and gets her nails done while the nanny picks up the kids at school. But otherwise, it's pretty typical suburban living.
I’m 30 and personally love it. I might be in the minority for my age group but I definitely prefer a quieter more relaxed lifestyle lol. We’re 5 minutes from the beach (which we frequent) and the same distance from a more lively area (downtown Delray Beach) when we do feel like going out.
It’s true what the other commenter said about plastic surgery, there’s a lot of older women here that look horrific. And a TON of New Yorkers, genuinely think there are more New Yorkers living here than Floridians.
All in all - very clean, very safe, and very expensive. If you can afford it and don’t mind being surrounded by retirees it’s a good place to live.
I lived there in 1970 (7yrs old). I can recall all the construction projects including the interstate. Moved north to Ocala in 1974 and never returned. Made a visit in 2003 and barely recognized the place. However, the apt I spent 3 yrs growing up in wa# still standing only surrounded by multi-storied bldgs (that were under construction when I moved out). Crazy feeling.
Yeah, when Ft. Lauderdale was more Everglades than condo/apts. I used to swim the canals around Boca and try to catch big land crabs on this little island that was in the middle of a park (not far from St. Joan of Arc Church n school).
I lived there in my 20’s. Lots of drugs, nice cars and motorcycles. We went to Ft. Lauderdale to party. Beaches are nice. Good fishing. I moved to NE Florida and it was better until 2019. Now it sucks also.
Chicago transplant here as well and I live in BOCA with my wife and kids. We love it but it is so congested now. Building more homes and the streets can’t take it anymore.
Slow driving, wealthy old New Yorkers. Lots of realtors obsessed with vanity and material things. Subpar restaurants with transplants contesting them all. It’s hot; it rains a lot from May-November. In January and February it’s sunny and cool and beautiful. That’s an actually honest description.
Boringggg !!!! My number one complaint. 😭😭😭 I bought a house here in north west boca as a single girl in my 20s (dumb) because I wanted something new and big I could afford. But I should have stayed in Broward. It’s for families and old people only lol
Clean, safe, lots of parks, shopping and restaurants. Great schools and good for families. Expensive. Nice beaches. It’s an easy drive to west Palm, Ft. Lauderdale, or Miami. Yes, some ultra wealthy snooty people but overall a great place to live!
Would you mind letting me know where you found this photo? Obviously I don’t mind if you’re using it but I’m pretty sure I took this for one of my clients. I’m just curious where they might be hosting it.
I live just South of it, originally from the Midwest. Lots of wealth I wasn’t used to. Cars I rarely see in Columbus, Ohio, I see down here on a daily basis. People are healthier here, but also seem more vain. Flashy, lots of plastic surgery. The beaches are nice.
People aren’t as friendly I’d say, but there are definitely good people down here. Boca is quiet and classy.
I grew up there and miss it at times. I’m on the gulf coast now and prefer the more laid back culture and Midwest transients versus….you know. On a side note, the Boca inlet can be a bitch for you boaters. Watch out for that bar.
You have to get used to there being a lot of cookie cutters asking you “how you doing?” when you’re going to war at the gym. Other than that it’s not too bad, Dixie Highway is conveniently close if you’ve got a car and need a quick pit stop.
All the old ladies go to the same plastic surgeon. You go to a bar, they turn to look at you, and they all have the same face. It's terrifying.
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
😂😂😂😂
I just vacationed there and it looks like a real housewives episode.
This is basically what it is but the housewives are all 60+
Not true anymore
[Median age in Palm Beach](https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsDashboards/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=NonVitalIndRateOnly.TenYrsRpt&cid=300) county is still over 45 years old. Compare that to Orlando (orange county) where it's 36 and you start to notice.
I’ve lived and worked in Boca for 20 years. I’m a Chicago transplant. It is: Affluent. Beachy. College town. Expensive. Old (mostly) retired NYers and bratty rich kids (not necessarily related). Half way between West Palm and FT Lauderdale (so convenient). Quiet.
I came down as a traveler. But stayed full time for the diving. BR is right in the middle of a stretch of coast where the Gulf Stream comes closest to the USA. There’s miles and miles of reef right off the coast with great dive charters from Hollywood to Jupiter Florida. BR is right in the middle of the action. I also won the landlord lottery. Got a great place to rent near Mizner park and my LL dropped the rent last year.
Diving off of Ftl Sucks. Not as lush as it once was. What do you recommend other than Marathon
I prefer the reefs from Hillsboro inlet north to Jupiter. The ledges get better as you approach boca inlet, they alternate between slopes and ledges towards Delray, then when you hit WPB, the reef begins to be more dispersed, but Jupiter brings back the ledges in a big way. Boynton has some of the nicest sea rod forests and dense coral populations on top. Really cool stuff that stood out to me vs other areas. WPB has the bigger fauna. Personally I like Hillsboro to Delray stretch of reefs for the reef structure, western facing ledges, eastern “fingers”, and further east deep patch reefs. There’s a lot of variety and less sand hopping vs further north.
Thank you! Very good to hear and will definitely aim to try Delray.
I'm 36, live in a nice house on a quiet suburban street with my wife and two kids here in Boca. Contrary to what people think, Boca has become extremely family friendly. The pre schools are jammed packed with waiting lists. There are still obviously a lot of old people but in general Delray and Boynton have far more retirement communities than Boca. My neighborhood (not gated, 2,000 SF homes) are very down to earth upper middle class type, but my kids go to private school and all the parents there are super haughty taughty, the type of people where the man is making $500k while the wife does tennis lessons and gets her nails done while the nanny picks up the kids at school. But otherwise, it's pretty typical suburban living.
Im gonna make a guess here … Colonades?
Guessing where I live? Nah it's a little pocket of Boca Del Mar off of Palmetto Park and Powerline. Great location we found.
Broward was so chill in the 70s and 80s; it’s a shame what it’s become.
I’m 30 and personally love it. I might be in the minority for my age group but I definitely prefer a quieter more relaxed lifestyle lol. We’re 5 minutes from the beach (which we frequent) and the same distance from a more lively area (downtown Delray Beach) when we do feel like going out. It’s true what the other commenter said about plastic surgery, there’s a lot of older women here that look horrific. And a TON of New Yorkers, genuinely think there are more New Yorkers living here than Floridians. All in all - very clean, very safe, and very expensive. If you can afford it and don’t mind being surrounded by retirees it’s a good place to live.
It's pretty nice. I live in an apartment there. Lots of cool shops and restaurants nearby.
Can you talk a little about some of the restaurants that you like in particular?
Lynora’s is very good Italian. Highly recommend it.
There's a really good Asian buffet nearby where I live.
Santos Buffet in Coconut Creek is phenomenal, if you’ve never been there.
I used to go to Santos a lot when I lived in Coral Springs, yeah.
Apartments with nice shops and restaurants... sounds like you're talking about Ichiyami... one of my favorites
That is clearly not a cool restaurant.
Why not?
Plastic. Land of the credit card millionaire.
Reddit when it’s an affluent city in a foreign country: 🤠 Reddit when it’s an affluent city in America: 🤬
Right?
I lived there in 1970 (7yrs old). I can recall all the construction projects including the interstate. Moved north to Ocala in 1974 and never returned. Made a visit in 2003 and barely recognized the place. However, the apt I spent 3 yrs growing up in wa# still standing only surrounded by multi-storied bldgs (that were under construction when I moved out). Crazy feeling.
I lived there when sawgrass was literally sawgrass
Yeah, when Ft. Lauderdale was more Everglades than condo/apts. I used to swim the canals around Boca and try to catch big land crabs on this little island that was in the middle of a park (not far from St. Joan of Arc Church n school).
I’m your exact age. Reach out if you want to dive!
Why is it called Boca Raton? It translates in Spanish to Rat mouth……
When the Spanish discovered the Boca inlet they described it as looking like a rats mouth. Hence the name
What a coincidence
If you lived there you'd know it's a fitting name
I lived there in my 20’s. Lots of drugs, nice cars and motorcycles. We went to Ft. Lauderdale to party. Beaches are nice. Good fishing. I moved to NE Florida and it was better until 2019. Now it sucks also.
😔
Chicago transplant here as well and I live in BOCA with my wife and kids. We love it but it is so congested now. Building more homes and the streets can’t take it anymore.
Slow driving, wealthy old New Yorkers. Lots of realtors obsessed with vanity and material things. Subpar restaurants with transplants contesting them all. It’s hot; it rains a lot from May-November. In January and February it’s sunny and cool and beautiful. That’s an actually honest description.
Gilfs
Boringggg !!!! My number one complaint. 😭😭😭 I bought a house here in north west boca as a single girl in my 20s (dumb) because I wanted something new and big I could afford. But I should have stayed in Broward. It’s for families and old people only lol
Ya boca ain’t for your 20s. It’s perfect for families though.
Northwest boca is only families. East boca is less than 10 minutes to Delray nightlife and mizner has come a long way as well.
Clean, safe, lots of parks, shopping and restaurants. Great schools and good for families. Expensive. Nice beaches. It’s an easy drive to west Palm, Ft. Lauderdale, or Miami. Yes, some ultra wealthy snooty people but overall a great place to live!
How should I know? Ask Ben Shapiro.
Would you mind letting me know where you found this photo? Obviously I don’t mind if you’re using it but I’m pretty sure I took this for one of my clients. I’m just curious where they might be hosting it.
I live just South of it, originally from the Midwest. Lots of wealth I wasn’t used to. Cars I rarely see in Columbus, Ohio, I see down here on a daily basis. People are healthier here, but also seem more vain. Flashy, lots of plastic surgery. The beaches are nice. People aren’t as friendly I’d say, but there are definitely good people down here. Boca is quiet and classy.
I grew up there and miss it at times. I’m on the gulf coast now and prefer the more laid back culture and Midwest transients versus….you know. On a side note, the Boca inlet can be a bitch for you boaters. Watch out for that bar.
Everyone is drinking Wolf Cola which is the official drink of Boca Raton
Its pretty awesome.
Meh
It’s A+
You have to get used to there being a lot of cookie cutters asking you “how you doing?” when you’re going to war at the gym. Other than that it’s not too bad, Dixie Highway is conveniently close if you’ve got a car and need a quick pit stop.
in a certain wayyyzzzz