Southwest Ranches goes beyond the typical planned Florida community by creating a rural, equestrian friendly paradise right off of the Florida Everglades.
Love the thought of being by Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach, but you're afraid of the stressful living these areas are known for? Do you also want to discover one of the few places in Florida that offers true rural living? Southwest Ranches is a heavily agricultural- based community in between these two big cities that is home to 7,345 people and so many horses that you'll almost want to ride everywhere.
Moving to Southwest Ranches
This area is well developed with honest-to-God homeowners that scooped up most of the properties and made them their own. So, you will not find apartment complexes throughout the area. If you're a city slicker and need luxury apartments, go back where you came from. This a place that prides itself on being rural, remember? As a result, when you look into 2 bedroom apartments for rent in Southwest Ranches, FL, most of the listings you find are for single family homes. The property values are high thanks to easy city access, quality houses, and large fields and land surrounding all of the properties. You may be paying significantly more than surrounding areas, but the close-knit community is bound together in a solid, agriculturally-based purpose and you get plenty of perks.
What You'll Need
If you're looking at apartment rentals, work with a real estate agent to make sure that you're getting the most for your money. When you're putting this much down per month on a rental, you want to ensure that you won't have any hidden surprises waiting for you. Instead, you want to rent an apartment filled with luxury, a place to house your horse, and a place to relax. What, you don't have a horse? You better buy one. At the very least it will give you something to jabber about with your neighbors.
By the way, to nab a home you'll need plenty of landlord references, pristine credit, and the patience to deal with real estate agents who are stressed out from trying to find the perfect tenants for higher priced properties.
Neighborhoods
Green Meadows is on the eastern side of Southwest Ranches and has generally higher priced houses. This area has SW Meadows Sanctuary Park, Calusa Corners Park, and Emerald Estates Park nearby. The shopping center across the road has restaurants such as Bonefish Grill, Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, and Chipotle Mexican Grill.
Friendly Acres is a horse friendly neighborhood that has horse boarding, riding, and many nearby parks. This neighborhood is located in the western area of town.
Landmark Ranch Estates is a gated community within Southwest Ranch, FL. The homes here are situated on 2 to 5 acres, giving each house a rural feel while maintaining their access to modern architecture and amenities.
Living in Southwest Ranches, FL
Southwest Ranches, FL does a great job at promoting a rural lifestyle while still letting you enjoy plenty of luxury. The Florida Everglades are right on your doorstep, so you get the best that the natural beauty of Florida has to offer as well. Watch out for the crocs! If you're working in the area, you have a relatively short commute to worry about to either of the nearby big cities. These horse farms have hundreds of acres, so your nearest neighbor may be some ways off if you're in the more residential areas of this neighborhood. The area also requires at least one acre of land per lot before a house can be built on it, so your nearest neighbors may be a few miles off. You need a car to survive in this area.
They do not allow for most street lights or sidewalks to be built in order to keep this area as rural as possible, so that does pose some difficulties in safely walking around town. They don't want development to overtake this area as it has in so many other natural and agricultural areas in Florida. Community facilities help foster the small town spirit that they're going for, but easy access to Interstate 75 also helps keep you connected to the rest of the state without difficulty. When you want an experience that is quite unique to the Florida lifestyle, Southwest Ranches, FL delivers it in droves. You'll come home from work and relax by taking your horse out for a quick ride, instead of stopping by the bar for a nightcap or checking out a Miami club. It's a different pace of living that is particularly well suited to some people seeking a slower, more rustic standard of living.
