Coral Terrace

When people move to Coral Terrace, they stay, says Debbie Lazoff, a real estate professional with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services EWM Realty. “This is a community of families and residents who have been here for years,” she says. With great schools, wonderful parks, the Palmetto Expressway nearby, and Coral Gables just a few blocks away, you can get almost anything and to almost anywhere in minutes.

On average, most single-family homes in Coral Terrace feature three bedrooms and around 1,500 square feet of living space. Spanish revival design, featuring tile roofs and stucco siding, is popular here. Ranch-style houses, too, dominate the neighborhood and often include carports or single-car garages. Most of these homes were built between 1940 and 1990 and have been expertly maintained or upgraded. “Turnkey homes can sell for over $700,000,” Lazoff says. But if you’re willing to do the work, you can still find properties in the $400,000s that need updating. Single-family homes in the eastern part of the neighborhood often sell for over $1 million, and as much as $2.9 million for new construction — a fraction of what these same houses would cost just a few miles east in Coral Gables. Investment properties, such as twin homes or duplexes, also go on the market for $600,000 to $800,000, many with tenants already in place.

Families with children have several options when it comes to public education. Flagami Elementary scored a B-plus from Niche and received a high overall score (9/10) from GreatSchools. West Miami Middle was named a Merit School of Distinction by Magnet Schools of America for its ecology and technology program, which focuses on environmental awareness, consumption and waste, and similar issues. South Miami Senior High, too, received a Merit School of Distinction award for its Magnet School of the Arts program, taught by educators actively working in their respective arts disciplines. South Miami also offers a comprehensive curriculum of advanced placement, honors, dual enrollment and Cambridge International coursework.

The A.D. “Doug” Barnes Park is a 65-acre green space that borders a canal at one end and features a lake for fishing at the other. Here, you’ll find covered pavilions, an outdoor exercise gym, walking trails and a beautifully redone basketball court. It’s common to see birthday parties or baby showers being celebrated here. The park also offers 15 acres of Pine Rockland, where pine trees grow despite ground hardened by limestone, and special activities for persons with disabilities, including a summer camp. A few blocks north, you’ll find Brothers to the Rescue Park, a baseball center with four full-sized lighted baseball diamonds. The park pays tribute to four airplane pilots who were shot down over Cuba in 1996 on a mission to spread leaflets encouraging the overthrow of the Castro government. They were part of the Brothers to the Rescue organization formed in 1991 to aid Cubans fleeing the island on rafts.

History is no stranger to Coral Terrace, especially with the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables less than 3 miles away. Opened in 1926, the hotel offers an 18-hole, 71-par championship golf course and the largest hotel pool on the East Coast. Its specular Mediterranean architecture with Italian, Moorish and Spanish influences has been designated a national historic landmark. It’s also an exciting place to have lunch poolside or enjoy a cooking class through the hotel’s culinary academy. For everyday needs, Gables West Plaza is one of several shopping centers throughout the neighborhood that offer health-care services, pharmacies, retail stores and restaurants all in one place. El Rinconcito is one of them, a Cuban family restaurant with big portions, great prices and lots of flavors, such as their media noche sandwich made with sweet Cuban bread, ham, sliced pork and tons of Swiss cheese. Speaking of good eats, enjoy the ceviche or any of the fresh seafood at Disco Fish on Southwest 67th Avenue. This casual and quirky eatery serves some of the best whole fish in town. For anything else, the Palmetto Expressway borders the neighborhood and will get you to places like Dadeland Mall or Westland Mall in minites.

“Coral Terrace has the perfect central location,” says Lourdes Cuenca, broker-owner of The Real Estate Firm Inc. “You could have dinner downtown, in South Miami or Coral Gables and still get home early,” she says. If you’ve been hunting for a well-established neighborhood, where residents have everything they need or a fast expressway to get it, set your sights on Coral Terrace.

Written By

Christopher Kopczynski

Photography Contributed By

Yanan Sun

Video By

Bill Jennings