Tell me all about boca!

amother

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 4:18 pm

Boca Raton, Florida.

We're a young family kids in preschool and a baby ... we have the ability to work in Florida.

Looking for a nice welcoming neighborhood with good schools anywhere in the "RW MO / modern yeshivish" ish style hashkafa. Nice shuls, kosher conveniences of kosher, judaica and tznius clothing shops etc... coming from a big jewish community in the tri-state area.

amother

Offwhite

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 6:40 pm

I live in Boca. I hesitated to answer because I don't know too much about the different or school. But maybe I can answer some of your questions
(The info on the link seems incomplete)
The area I live in is area code 33433.
There are 3 shuls
BRS (Boca Raton Synagogue)
Young Israel
BJC (Boca Jewish Center)

BRS has been here for years, it's very established. My feeling is that it is more of a right wing crowd, but probably mixed. Young Israel is yeshivish. BJC is a definite mix, with a lot of modern Orthodox and professionals.

BRS has a beautiful mikvah, as do one of the chabads (not in the same area)

There is lots of kosher food in this area. The Grove kosher supermarket, and Winn Dixie has a huge kosher section, including bakery and ready foods. The food is expensive! 2 or 3 times what you would pay in NY.

There are no frum clothing stores. There is a ladies clothing store in someone's house. Otherwise you can drive to North Miami Beach ( about an hour) for more options.

Boca is expensive! Real estate is expensive, rentals are expensive, food is expensive, the mall is definitely upper class (there's also TJmaxx and off 5th and fox's for cheaper options) and gas is expensive.

There is a judaica store, it's small and I thought more boutique like.

There are some restaurants, again if you want to drive you'll have loads of options.

Prices are going to vary depending on which area you want.

A few different schools with different hashkafos, you'll have to wait for someone else to answer about that

In general the area exploded over the past few years, more infrastructure is still being added (a few new schools just opened for example)

It's a beautiful area. Big wide roads, lots of green, palm trees, depending on the area- private pools or pools for developments, about 15 minutes from the beach.
Hope that helps!

amother

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 7:33 pm

amother Offwhite wrote:

We're coming from a higher cost of rent/mortgage

Ballpark of what a 4 bed 2.5 bath homes are going for in the frum neighborhoods. Walking distance to the shuls?

Didn't realize the cost of living there is so high

amother

Offwhite

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 7:45 pm

I looked on Zillow for something near the 3 shuls I mentioned. Zip code 33433
(I don't really know about others)

https://www.zillow.com/boca-ra.....7D%7D

I see 4 bedroom is upwards of 1 million
But it will really depend on which shul you want to be near

Could be other neighborhoods are cheaper

This is the one near the kosher stores, the mikvah - definitely more developed

amother

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 8:27 am

amother Offwhite wrote:

Thanks
Didn't realize that the homes are that high ... we're currently in a million dollar house neighborhood but property taxes are lower balances it out.

But the cost of living is probably more affordable where we are rn.

amother

Almond

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 10:39 pm

Boca is beautiful. Boca is also very expensive.

Besides high rent/mortgage, you have expensive HOAs that keep rising. Because it’s Boca, there’s a very high standard of landscaping/gardening which is usually covered by your HOA (AKA your HOA dues). If you’re renting, be wary. I have a few friends whose rent jumped up between $500-$1000 a month when it came time to renew. I am not exaggerating.

Food is expensive. Tuition is expensive. Insurance is very expensive (just went up a lot!!). Cleaning help is insane.

From a financial standpoint, I would not recommend.

You are either very well off or in debt/struggling. Or you moved here before Covid and bought so you’re locked in at a good rate.

The community though is lovely. Very warm. Weather is awesome. The views are spectacular.

Would I have moved here if I knew how expensive life would become?

No. When we moved here, we had everything figured out on paper down to the last penny. We never imagined how all expenses would just keep increasing.

Do I love living here and being part of this community?

Absolutely, yes.

floridagirlboca

Sun, Feb 25 2024, 12:27 am

Hi,

I live in Boca. My husband and I are both in real estate here so very familiar with the area. I can give you more information about the schools and also familiar with other areas of Florida as well. You or anyone who wants to know more information about different areas can always reach out to me at 3473244039. My name is Ariella.

The tricky thing with Florida is that there is a limited area that can be considered walking distance from the shuls, especially in Boca. The streets and the street lights are not made in the same way as the tri state area where it is always pedestrian friendly. So to be near a shul it’s not enough to live in the same zip code but in close enough proximity where walking is possible. I can explain further if you’d like. It truly is a beautiful community and lovely place to live but it is true that pricing and cost of living is still considerably high.