Originally named Zona, Davie was renamed in honor of Robert Parsell Davie when he helped the town by draining out the swamplands and building a school there. Talk about heroic!
Davie, despite being home to more than 91,900 people, is in fact a town, not a city. Crazy, right? It is actually the third largest settlement in the United States to still be designated as a town. It's not exactly small though; Davie is a part of the Miami Metro Area and is comprised of about 34 square miles. If you are new to the area, check out the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds (yes, real rodeos take place here throughout the year) and the Young Art Museum, featuring numerous local artists. Davie School (the one built by the daring swamp-drainer Robert Parsell Davie) is still around and tours are available. For sports lovers, a drop-in at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility may be in order.
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Moving to Davie
Davie is a large community, so nearly everyone will find the type of apartment for rent they need. About 21 percent of all of the homes here are rentals, and these properties include single family homes, condos, and many apartments. It is not too common to find an all bills paid apartment in Davie, but you will find affordable options here.
At any given time, about 8 percent of the households are unoccupied. Given this information, consider that this is not a heavily foreclosed area and many of the property owners are looking for renters. As a result, if you have good credit and steady employment, it is likely you will find the type of apartment you are after. The key is to be sure you have at least a month's security deposit to put down and that you act quickly, especially if there is a particular neighborhood in which you hope to be.
Neighborhoods in Davie
Even though this is just a town, it is still divided into various neighborhoods. If you are looking for a home to rent in Davie, you will need to know where to look. The following neighborhoods are some of the most ideal places to call home for various reasons.
30th Court: This neighborhood is right off I-75, so getting around the region is easy as pie. This is mostly a residential area with a few nice parks and commercial strip malls. It is home to the Long Key Nature Center and Natural Area and Vista View Park, both of which are the perfect place for a picnic, a game of catch, or just meeting other people. It is possible to find apartments to rent here, but single family homes for rent are more popular options. $$$
60th Street: This town doesn't get all that creative with neighborhood names, but the 60th Street neighborhood is located on the flip side of I-75. It is home to Hawkes Bluff Elementary School, SW Meadows Sanctuary Park, and Calusa Corners Park. The Mac-Ivor and Friends Airstrip Airport is also located here. There are some industrial components to the city here, but most of it is residential. Homes for rent here often sit on larger lots of land. $$$$
Orange Drive: The Orange Drive neighborhood is a true neighborhood area with tree-lined streets and friendly neighbors. The Banford Park and Tree Tops Park are located within this neighborhood. The larger developments here have mostly single family homes, including some large ones. The Cooper Plaza is one of the few shopping areas in this region. $$$$
Scarborough Drive: Finally, a place to golf! The Pine Island Ridge Country Club sits in this community just off I-595. If your heart is set on finding a hi rise apartment in Davie, this densely populated neighborhood is a great place to start. It is also possible to find duplexes for rent and a few condos for rent. And there's yet more good news: this area is one of the more affordable regions of the city. $$
55th Avenue: A moderately sized neighborhood, this area is off Route 818 and Route 53. You will find everything from Miami Subs Grill to Stirling Lake located here. Seminole Paradise is a shopping area in this region, too. In terms of homes for rent, this region offers apartments for rent with some single family homes. The area is one of the more commercial areas, but also has some hi-rise apartments for rent. $$$
Route 84: A main center to the city, the Route 84 neighborhood is the connection point of the various highways and byways: I-595, I-75, Route 869, and Route 84 all come together here. It is a residential area, however. Many of the homes in this area are single family homes and the area is mostly the type of neighborhood where you can walk your child to school each day. There are also commercial components to this neighborhood, including the Shenandoah Square Shopping Area and Shenandoah Park. It is densely populated and affordable housing tends to be available. $$
Town Center: Though it is the technical center of Davie, there isn't a whole lot to do here. Davie Road runs through the city, as does Route 818. Wolf Lake Park is here, too. Lakeside Town Shops is the main area for shopping in the region. The homes for rent tend to be moderately sized with some areas of high priced homes. This area is well-known as a community that's friendly, but some of the buildings are older and more historical-charming than livable-charming. $$$
Nova Southeastern University: Yes, this is where the schools are. Nova Middle School, University Park Plaza, Homestead Studio Suites, and Westport Plaza are just some of the various schools and main attractions in this neighborhood. There are homes for rent here, but also condos and apartments for rent. For those people attending the Florida Atlantic University's Davie Campus, this is the ideal neighborhood to find lofts for rent. $$
Living in Davie
Although you might expect a town built on land reclaimed from the Everglades to be too swampy, Davie really isn't--remember, the swampland was drained! There are pockets of water throughout the region (don't worry -- the alligators don't come out to play too often), but you and your home will be safely on dry land.
Davie is mostly a family-friendly community, with more than a third of households having children in them. There are some good local schools, and even a university campus for when the little ones reach the age of going to college -- if they want to stay close to mom and dad, that is.
If you live here, you are likely going to commute to work, so don't sell your wheels just yet! Many Davie residents commute into Miami or the surrounding area. Having access to the main highways in this area of Florida really does help to keep the average commute time down to only about 24 minutes.
