2023 Best Suburbs to Raise a Family in the Miami Area

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 3.93 out of 5  69 reviews

Nearby Resident: Pinecrest is a great place to live and has undergone a lot of development/population change in the past few years. The community is mostly highly-educated professionals, with some residents using properties seasonally. There's a great market with local produce (still running during COVID, including when local grocery stores struggled), plenty of parks and running/biking paths, and a great school system. Crime does exist, but it's not much of the serious types of crimes. Local police are great! Housing prices are a bit high, so those without a million dollar budget may want to consider Palmetto Bay (just south and with access to the school system and some other government resources of Pinecrest). It isn't the typical "Miami" vibe, and Spanish isn't a must to navigate that area.... Read 69 reviews

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• Population 18,405

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 4.14 out of 5  77 reviews

Current Resident: I've lived throughout the US, Europe, and South America and can honestly say that Palmetto Bay's quality of life is at the top of the list. Its relative affordability, safety, schools, and proximity to Miami places it among the best places to live in Florida. Only 10-15 minutes from great restaurants, nightlife, monkey jungle, ZooMiami, golf courses, and a beautiful coastline. Also only about 45 mins to Key Largo, 35 Minutes to downtown Miami and 25 mins from MIA and ! It is super kid and family friendly. Our kids bike, roller blade, ride scooters, and stroll freely in their neighborhoods as well as around the many beautiful parks in the city. Many residents use golf carts to drop kids off at school , go shopping at Publix or pickup a cup of coffee at Starbucks. There is a bit of congestion but every major city has a degree of congestion (does not compare to congestion in NY, LA, DC). We bought our home 4 years ago and have no plans of leaving this beautiful place anytime soon!... Read 77 reviews

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• Population 24,327

• Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL

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  Rating 4.11 out of 5  104 reviews

Current Resident: Close to nature yet everything is close by. Excellent schools, safe community and a park on every block! People walk, run and bike here like nowhere else I have seen!... Read 104 reviews

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• Population 33,772

• Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL

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  Rating 4.24 out of 5  433 reviews

Current Resident: Weston was the first place I moved to since moving to the US in 2018, having been here now for nearly 4 years I can truly say that this place is special. It's a fairly small city close to Fort Lauderdale and has multiple great schools as well as lots of places for people to enjoy such. When I arrived in Weston I was skeptical about the fact I wouldn't get a homely feeling from the area. I realized that I was wrong. Even just driving from one city to Weston I get this buzz of sheer excitement because there is just a different aura that Weston has compared to a lot of other places that I have been to. Furthermore, I have never felt safer than I have in Weston. The people are kind, warm-hearted and extremely welcoming, I felt very in place from the moment I arrived here. Overall, there isn't anything I would change about Weston, it is a beautiful family-oriented city with wonderful people and a beautiful environment.... Read 433 reviews

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• Population 68,148

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 4.24 out of 5  123 reviews

Works Here: Coral Gables is a great City. It has beatuful places to visit, the architecture of the buildings and the house has a pretty fancy and classic style and there are many restaurants with so tasteful food. You can find from Ice Cream Stores to really elegant places. It has many bank offices, dental offices, and anything that you are looking for. The city is clean, safe a full of many different cultures that you will enjoy everytime you’re there.... Read 123 reviews

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• Population 49,269

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 4.78 out of 5  9 reviews

Current Resident: Great place to live in Miami. You feel like you are in a bubble that safely tucked in between Hollywood and South Beach. You are within walking distance from shops, restaurants, and the beach. For many people all around Bay Harbor, the beach is only a 10-minute walk. Get ready to have sunscreen and a hat because it is always sunny. If you don't feel like taking a walk to the beach you always have the canals that flow through Bay Harbor. Many people take their boats to rent boats nears buy and spend a day on the water. A great thing about Bay Harbor Islands you are able to see a lot of water anywhere you go walking or driving. A very peaceful neighborhood for a family or retirement. You are able to walk from your home to anywhere you need to go. Bay Harbor Islands gives you that sense of community that many families want. You have a great K-8 school, on the island with many children from around the neighborhood going there. It is very peaceful, cool neighborhood living in Miami Beach.... Read 9 reviews

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• Population 5,880

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 4.68 out of 5  25 reviews

Current Resident: The only way I can describe this Island is to picture yourself in 1950 with modern life. Nobody locks the doors to your home, when you drive to pick something up in the local grocery store if you happen to leave your car parked with ignition on its ok nobody will take your vehicle. Your children will be children, they will ride their bikes to the park, fish on the Mashta bridge, Kayak, sailing, an incredible community center with indoor basketball, olympic pool, volleyball, jungle gym, ping pong & pool tables, computer center, gym for adults, trails for hiking, beaches, outdoor play is incredible with beautiful parks with soccer fields and play for toddlers.For adults you have many restaurants, Resort Hotel (Ritz) that is locals friendly, golf cart community, farmers market,if you can afford (which I cannot) Yacht Club and just as important we are 9 minutes away from Brickell/Downtown Miami which was recently voted one of the best places to visit. Only missing in Key a movie theatre... Read 25 reviews

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• Population 14,530

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  Rating 4.5 out of 5  22 reviews

Current Resident: I love living in the farms! It is a beautiful place where I get to meet so many people because of how close our community is! There is so much to do, and it is far from city life. There are horses that walk down sidewalks, and it is overall calm and peaceful.... Read 22 reviews

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• Population 13,437

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 4.53 out of 5  19 reviews

Current Resident: My entire life I have lived in Surfside. Surfside is a neighborhood straight out of a movie where you can encounter families walking their dogs, community gardens, and impeccable streets. The beach is only two blocks away and you also have three blocks filled with stores ranging from nail salons to kosher grocery markets to sushi restaurants. If I were to change anything about Surfside it would be to move the electrical wires underground however, there is a current vote to determine whether it will happen.... Read 19 reviews

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• Population 5,665

• Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL

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  Rating 4.65 out of 5  20 reviews

Current Resident: Highland Beach is a small town about 2 miles long. We have our own water system, library, post office, police, fire station and town hall. The area is well kept and safe.... Read 20 reviews

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• Population 4,244

• Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL

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  Rating 4.17 out of 5  114 reviews

Current Resident: I absolutely Love Cooper City, specially Rock Creek. Peaceful community, beautiful scenery, tons of parks and activities for the kids. Family oriented neighborhood with wonderful schools. If you are family oriented, and want peace and tranquility while been close to everything South Florida has to offer, then this is your place to call Home! ❤️... Read 114 reviews

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• Population 33,867

• Town in Florida

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  Rating 4.04 out of 5  502 reviews

Current Resident: I love Boca Raton! Everything from the atmosphere to the people; it is one of my favourite places in the world. Boca is not only home to beautiful landscapes and amazing things to do; such as, state of the art shopping malls! But it is also home to breath taking sunsets and sunrises! Restaurants are next level in Boca with every type of cuisine you could possibly imagine. From small local restaurants to Michelin stars, Boca Raton has them all! My favourite thing to do in Boca is taking walks or biking through the many different parks around the city! Everything is always so well maintained which makes the idea of getting some fresh air very inviting! If you ever get the opportunity to visit Boca, don’t miss out! It has everything you could ever want and more!... Read 502 reviews

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• Population 95,347

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 3.98 out of 5  41 reviews

Current Resident: Love it, great neighborhood! The community is united and is a fairly safe place to have children. Everything is relatively close which makes it much better.... Read 41 reviews

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• Population 11,551

• Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL

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  Rating 4.43 out of 5  28 reviews

Current Resident: I enjoy living and being from Southwest Ranches. Although it is as suburban as the rest of the area, in terms of location, Southwest Ranches has made it it’s mission to preserve and reflect a rural lifestyle. The location is far enough from the city that it’s not noisy but relatively close enough where the drive isn’t long if someone wants to experience nightlife or go to the beach. The nature of the town is beautiful and the community is tight-knit. There is also a form of independence in this town that I love. Overall, I have mainly positive reviews of the town if you prefer this form of lifestyle.... Read 28 reviews

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• Population 7,613

• Town in Florida

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  Rating 4.42 out of 5  127 reviews

Current Resident: Great outdoors and beach life. Feels like a constant vacation here! The beaches are always free to the public and the views are absolutely priceless! Theres so many Jupiter beach access options for dog lovers, beach volleyball players, and quite bookworms who want to feel as if the beach is all to their own.... Read 127 reviews

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• Population 60,629

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  Rating 4 out of 5  276 reviews

Current Resident: Overall, the whole town is beautiful. Besides all the charming and stuff is also very peaceful. You don't sense a lot of movement or issues around the town. It's such a remarkable place to live and I really enjoy my stay in this town. It is very accessible educationally but professionally is not as accessible. However, this place has not shown me any less impressions but on how sublime and healthy it is. Even the neighbors are there to help you out in anything that you need (If you are willing to do the same!). I hope that I can live here enjoying the same peaceful and outstanding people that lives here, lot of diversity with people that comes from every place of the world. Is such an experience to learn from their culture. Amazing place!... Read 276 reviews

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• Population 78,007

• Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL

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  Rating 3.88 out of 5  234 reviews

Current Resident: Wellington is one of the best places i've ever lived in Florida. Living in Wellington offers residents a suburban for families and children and most residents own their homes. In Wellington there are a lot of parks and wildlife. Many families live in Wellington ,and residents tend to have conservative views. Wellington is a very small town.I like it because it's very quiet. Everyone in the area keeps to themselves and you don't hear about much crime or issues. There is a lot of wildlife if you're near a lake and there has been a record of gators in lakes, but that comes with the territory of living in south Florida. The diversity is average and i wouldn't expect much out of it. And for those interested Wellington is known for its equestrian community and events, like show jumping , dressage , and polo. Its most popular event is WEFF. This also attracts a lot of international people so Wellington has man international tourist that come for the events. Overall Wellington is a good city.... Read 234 reviews

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• Population 61,445

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 4.57 out of 5  7 reviews

Current Resident: Bal Harbour has the lavish lifestyle and the beautiful mall named Bal Habour Shops. It is the most luxurious shopping mall in America and has several extremely high quality food and dozens of designer brands inside the mall. The hotel is very expensive and enjoyable for vacation. The beaches is very very nice too and the street is very safety. You can see lots of police there. And Bal Harbour has lots of millionaries and billionaries living there. You can see lots of supercars on Collins Avenue and Bal Habour shops. For me, I am a current resident living here and I feel very lucky to be part of 3000 people at Bal Harbour! Because this place is fantastic and you can see lots of super rich people there to kind of motivate your life everyday and meantime enjoy the exclusive lifestyle at Bal Harbour!... Read 7 reviews

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• Population 3,037

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 4.24 out of 5  66 reviews

Current Resident: Living in this area is a blessing in disguise. Although traffic can be somewhat unbearable during the afternoon, the experience is completely worth while. The scenery and architecture is very pleasant! And there's something for everyone! Whether you're a coffee in the morning kind of gal! A movie person! A mall person! Even a park, or extreme sport person! Aventura has it! There's always something to do! Even during this Covid-19 time, with all our measures, there's still day to day activities one can engage in with minimum risk. As long as you have your mask and some hand-sanitizer you're good to go! As college student however, I do wish Aventura had more libraries and book stores. But honestly, other than that I doubt you won't find what you need!... Read 66 reviews

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• Population 39,734

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 4 out of 5  13 reviews

Current Resident: Very nice area, close to Dadeland Mall, Dadeland Station, schools, restaurants, etc. I've lived in this neighborhood my entire life and it is one of the most convenient areas to live in if you want to have a family here.... Read 13 reviews

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• Population 17,237

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 3.73 out of 5  26 reviews

Niche User: Although new buildings keep popping up everywhere to accommodate new arrivals and creating a growing traffic issue, the area is great in terms of business and learning opportunities. Because of the amount of schools in the area, there are a multitude of kid-friendly activities to do and always new people your age to meet. I live in a neighborhood, allowing me to have a suburban life experience while still getting to enjoy small city life about a mile away.... Read 26 reviews

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• Population 16,530

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 3.75 out of 5  48 reviews

Current Resident: The Crossings is a great area to live in. There are lots of nearby stores for any and all your needs. You can find parks and clubhouses for free entertainment and outdoor activities. As a homeowner, it can be a little expensive with association fees and taxes.... Read 48 reviews

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• Population 22,382

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 3.61 out of 5  49 reviews

Current Resident: I've lived here just about my whole life and I love it here. I like how everything is close together and I can walk to near by store. There is so much to do in Miami its nice. The only thing I would change is the roads, there is always so much traffic.... Read 49 reviews

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• Population 14,415

• Suburb of Miami, FL

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  Rating 3.73 out of 5  11 reviews

Current Resident: Welcoming, diverse, and eco-friendly community with all of birds and aquatic wildlife in the Little River...... Read 11 reviews

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• Population 1,756

• Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL

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  Rating 3.93 out of 5  113 reviews

Current Resident: Palm Beach Gardens is a great place to move to. It is a safe, family-friendly town with plenty of outdoor activities, excellent public school options, and close access to West Palm Beach, Florida. Those looking for an enjoyable environment with good connectivity and a relaxed atmosphere can find everything they need in Palm Beach Gardens. The city also offers many recreational activities, such as golf courses, tennis courts, fishing, and water sports. Its proximity to the ocean also allows residents to enjoy various aquatic activities, such as swimming, snorkeling, and sailing. In addition, the city offers a variety of cultural events and festivals, such as the SunFest music festival and the Palm Beach International Film Festival. The city also has a vibrant nightlife, with many restaurants, bars, and clubs. Overall, living in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, provides its residents with a unique living experience that is both enjoyable and beneficial.... Read 113 reviews

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• Population 58,482