By AMBER BONEFONT | arandall@sunsentinel.com | South Florida Sun Sentinel
Boca Raton is one of the cities offering the best mix of urban and suburban living, as it boasts a booming downtown and city-like environment, a new study concludes.
The city of Boca Raton ranked 12th nationally out of almost 1,000 cities across the country due to its ability to provide the privacy and safety of suburban life as well as access to lifestyle and amenities, according to the study from Storage Cafe, a division of Yardi Matrix, a provider of research and data on housing, real estate, apartments and commercial properties.
“The lines between urban and suburban living are getting blurry across the country. People have been seeking the comfort and privacy of suburbs while also craving city-like amenities – and it has driven a massive redesign of the suburban environment,” the report noted.
To calculate the ranking of the top 20 suburbs in the United States, Storage Cafe looked at a few key metrics such as transportation options, home prices, housing affordability, commute times, business opportunities, among other factors.
Based on those metrics, Boca Raton came in at No. 12 out of the 912 cities that were analyzed in the study, offering one of the best mixes of a private suburban feel and access to city-like amenities.
“It’s the quality of life. We have great weather, beautiful beaches. We have a wide-range of recreational activities and the city is known for its parks, golf courses and tennis,” said Bonnie Heatzig, executive director of luxury sales at Douglas Elliman in Boca Raton. “It’s home to cultural venues that offer a range of arts and entertainment as well.”
The downtown corridor has seen a lot of redevelopment over the past few years in Boca Raton, bringing with it numerous high-rise condos, apartment buildings, as well as new restaurants and commercial spaces. Luxury projects such as the Royal Palm Residences and Alina Residences are a big draw for out-of-state buyers, while the Boca Raton Resort serves as a cultural landmark that also draws in much of the hospitality industry.
The Boca Raton Resort “is a huge source of employment for hospitality,” noted Ignacio Diaz, owner of Group P6, a developer based in the city. “For employment, it’s very well-balanced. It has always been rich in law firms, but it’s growing with the younger sector. There’s health care professionals, traditional white collar and now with the tech companies.”
Edina, Minnesota, took the top spot on the ranking, noted for its business sector and transportation, with Falls Church, Virginia, and Palo Alto claiming the second and third spots.
Other metrics that also allowed Boca to stand out: Its housing diversity, offering an almost even split between single-family homes and multi-family ones, a 4% growth in population over the past five years, and the commute time to work, with the typical commute averaging about 21 minutes.
“Our population is growing. The local residents within Boca that are looking to upsize or downsize, they don’t want to leave, and then we have the buyers from out of state,” added Heatzig. “There’s also affordable options in the western parts of the city.”