Condominiums in West Palm Beach

West Palm Apartments

Palm Beach is clean and beautiful with easy access to the beach. The first thing that comes to mind is golf and tennis, boating, fishing and swimming. It has fantastic emergency services with ambulances outfitted to save your life on the spot and very low crime. If you decide to buy property here, be ready that the climate in summer is extremely hot and humid with mosquitoes biting and daily thunderstorms. But the winters are pleasant and still warm enough to swim and wear summer clothes. 

Geographical Position

There is an island that travels up most of the east coast of the state and hugs the mainland. As far as South East Florida goes, some of the downtowns are there, most of the public beaches are there, and most of the mansions are there. Many of the cities become smaller hamlets once you cross the bridges to get there. Once you cross the bridge from Boynton Beach it becomes Ocean Ridge. When you’re in West Palm Beach and cross the bridge, you enter Palm Beach.

Palm Beach has a couple of small downtown areas in Palm Beach, including Worth Avenue, a wealthy shopping district, a length of beach that people have access to, and 99% of the rest of the property is either country-clubs or houses shrouded behind colossal privacy hedges. There is a limited number of foot traffic, no loud noise, and a slower-paced type of crowd. Palm Beach isn’t the type of tourist destination where you rent a hotel, but many people do commute to see its beauty and take pictures while the owners of the beautiful houses wait for them to leave.

There are many downtown areas, many malls, the county seat, and many, many shopping areas like CityPlace and Clematis, good Indian food, and huge numbers of people there on vacation. West Palm has many, many, many areas to see, no matter the mood that you’re in.

West Palm Beach condos for sale

The houses in this neighborhood are classic Deco and Mediterranean Revival style. Most are from the 20’s-40’s. Northwood Village is a cool area that is stuck in a transitional period between wanting to be low-income housing; high-income housing; and a local artist community. Confusing, but human. Stay east of Olive if you can afford it - and really try to stay east of Dixie. You’ll get the old beach town, yet still be close enough to the downtown.

It’s important to be aware of the fact that West Palm Beach is a tiny town with an identity that has never formalized itself for the 20–30 crowd. You’ll see places go in and out of business very quickly. Especially coming from Philly. However, it’s undeniably beautiful - and the neighborhoods we’ve recommended are very close to the water.

Delray is loads of fun. We would recommend checking this area out, if living on the east side is in your budget. Lake Worth is very bohemian-chic. I wound up moving to LW to a beautiful Deco house right on the intracoastal and walking distance to LW’s funky little downtown. Downtowns in these cities are usually one or two streets and span 10 - 20 blocks - on the high side. Small but walkable. You can walk a loop twice through the WPB downtown in one night of bar-hopping on foot.

What are the pros/cons of Boca Raton vs. Palm Beach vs. West Palm Beach vs. Miami?

1. Palm Beach is one of the most beautiful places in Florida, almost uniformly well-to-do or wealthy, and has a high level of city services. It’s very expensive to buy real estate property, and may be out of reach for many. It’s connected by causeways, rather short ones, to West Palm Beach, which is far more varied affair. It has the Kravis Performing Arts Center, Norton Museum, etc. It has something of a downtown, and high rises along the intracoastal. The few blocks from the intracoastal to Dixie Highway have varied and beautiful older homes. Some West Palm Beach addresses are not in the city itself but in unincorporated Palm Beach county. Pay attention to school districts if you choose West Palm Beach. They vary in quality.
2. Boca Raton is a well-off place as well, but also has many modest homes and apts. It, too, has a city and unincorporated county areas. Lots of shopping, a major mall. Many communities are gated. Convenient if you work in Broward, etc, as it’s the first town into Palm Beach County. It has a bit more hectic feel than Palm Beach, with lots of traffic on it’s major streets. The Town Center Mall is crowded, and parking can be a problem at times. Boca Raton, has some very nice areas. There is a sort of manufactured downtown as well. It’s rather diverse. The Brazilian bakery on 441 is excellent, as is the Italian one between 95 and Rt.
3. Miami is the major city of South Florida, with towering high rises, and is a financial hub, especially for deals with Latin America. Beware of the possibly of flooding, sea level rises, if you opt for Miami Beach, or the very beautiful close-in suburb of Coral Gables, in the waterfront areas . Miami has a very major airport linking it with Europe and Latin America and most US cities. It is weak on flights to Asia. Miami does have gritty areas. It also has a lot of new areas springing up like the Design District. Traffic is no fun in Miami. It has rapid transit but it doesn’t service all areas. Life in Miami can be a bit of a challenge, it’s hectic. The new Bright Line train provides service to West Palm Beach, and Ft. Lauderdale, Driving 95, anywhere in S. Florida is a nightmare.

All the places have their pros and cons. It all depends on what lifestyle you’re seeking, your finances, and your work situation. Make sure you really like the place you pick.