Sunrise

Known as Plantation Acres, this picturesque neighborhood is situated along the western side of the city of Plantation, named for the Everglades Plantation Company and its failed effort to establish a rice plantation here in the early 1900s. The specific area of Plantation Acres offers a bright and verdant suburban community that prides itself on not having an HOA, allowing for more personality and variety among the homes, and a more organic neighborhood feel compared to master-planned communities. With large lot sizes and unique designs, properties in Plantation Acres are often priced higher than other nearby sections of Broward County, with a four-bedroom home listing anywhere from the upper $800,000s to nearly $2 million. There are also plenty of larger homes available, with some sporting upwards of eight rooms. Another key feature of the neighborhood is the number of undeveloped lots available, allowing homebuyers to build their dream home in an established suburban area. Students in Plantation Acres can attend Broward County public schools, starting at Central Park Elementary, which has an A-minus overall grade from Niche and a 9/10 rating from GreatSchools. After that, they can head to Plantation Middle, which offers an international baccalaureate program, before moving on to Plantation High, one of the county’s magnet schools. It offers both international baccalaureate and career technical education programs, along with the Cambridge Assessment International Education, a specialized curriculum developed by the University of Cambridge and recognized in over 160 countries. Nearby private options include American Heritage Schools, a top-rated nonsectarian school serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Beyond the lush vegetation found throughout the yards of Plantation Acres, the neighborhood also features several public green spaces for sports, events or a day outdoors. Plantation Acres North Park offers plenty of open fields, shaded picnic areas and a playground, while the larger Volunteer Park features basketball and tennis courts, nature trails and a community center. The park even hosts the Plantation Equestrian Center, complete with a jumping area and riding trails around the lake. Just west of the neighborhood is Markham Park & Target Range, a 669-acre green space with a wide variety of public amenities, including one of the premier outdoor shooting ranges in South Florida, but there are plenty of other things to do if that doesn’t pique your interest. Beyond standard features like playgrounds and sports facilities, the park also features an airfield for remote control planes, mountain biking and nature trails, disc golf, campgrounds, and a lake for fishing or boating. Markham Park is also home to Fox Astronomical Observatory, which offers public viewings on Saturday nights for any amateur astronomers or outer space enthusiasts. Starting at the park’s edge is the New River Greenway, a waterfront walking and biking trail that runs for 11 miles east toward Fort Lauderdale. Residents have plenty of shopping and dining options with Sawgrass Mills, an expansive indoor shopping mall just next door to Plantation Acres. You’ll find large chains like Target and T.J. Maxx, brand outlets like Nike and Vans, along with a food court and surrounding restaurants like Seasons 52 and P.F. Chang's. If you’re wanting to cook at home instead, grab any groceries or household items at the nearby ALDI or Publix, and for anything else in greater quality, head to the Walmart Supercenter or Sam’s Club, all within 2 miles of the neighborhood. Just past the shopping mall is the FLA Arena, a stadium that hosts traveling music acts and performances, as well as serving as the home to the Florida Panthers ice hockey team.

In 1960, Iowa-based developer Norman Johnson had an idea to buy a section of land in Florida and sell lots to residents of the Northern United States who sought a warmer climate. By that time, people already had been flocking to the Sunshine State for exactly that reason since the early 20th century. But Johnson was not to be put off his idea, and he bought 2,650 acres of undeveloped land between Ft. Lauderdale and the Everglades Wildlife Management Area, which he named Sunrise. There was, however, a slight problem: Nobody had ever heard of Sunrise, Florida. So Johnson devised a scheme that would have made P. T. Barnum proud. He built an upside-down house, complete with an upside-down car parked in an upside-down carport, with furniture bolted to the upside-down floor. When Life Magazine ran a story on the odd architectural creation, curious folks came in droves to see it, and many of them stayed. Today, Sunrise is home to 96,000 people, 11,000 of whom live in the Welleby neighborhood, about a mile from the original site of the upside-down house. <br><br>Today, you won’t find any whacky architectural gimmicks in Welleby. Rather, the neighborhood holds a variety of well-built homes and virtually every amenity you could ask for. And despite being off the beaten path (now that the famous upside-down house is gone), Welleby affords easy highway access, enabling residents to get virtually anywhere along Florida’s East Coast with ease. “It’s a very centrally-located community that is a relatively quiet place to live,” says Realtor Courtney Maxwell of All Broward Realty.<br><br>With a median real estate price of $450,000, Sunrise is significantly more affordable than Fort Lauderdale, even though the two cities are separated by only 10 miles. “The area has a lot of price points that cover a lot of budgets,” says Maxwell. “You can get into a condo for less than a lot of places in the area, and then you’ve got big houses, too.” Potential buyers have the option of choosing between single-family homes and condos in Sunrise, with houses tending to skew more toward the upper end of prices. A typical three-bedroom/two-bathroom contemporary-style home lists for around $395,000, while a sprawling four-bedroom/three-bathroom Craftsman-inspired home can sell for up to $685,000. Alternatively, a typical two-bedroom/two-bathroom condominium can sell for $157,000, and a larger three-bedroom/two-bathroom can go for up to $410,000. <br><br>Students in Welleby can attend Welleby Elementary, Westpine Middle and Piper High School. Welleby Elementary earns a B rating on Niche.com, Westpine Middle earns a B- and Piper High School earns a C+. <br><br>In the northwestern corner of the neighborhood sits Welleby Park, a 29-acre area that is teeming with recreational opportunities. The park features 11 covered picnic shelters, a walking path that covers slightly more than a mile, a lakeside boardwalk with benches and a children’s playground and splash pad. Welleby Park is an ideal place to burn off some extra energy, have a family get-together or take the dog for a leisurely stroll. In the southern section of the neighborhood you’ll find the Sunrise Tennis Club, a public tennis facility with 15 courts, a pro shop and locker rooms. The Welleby Pool is next door, and offers visitors access to both a 25-meter recreational pool and a children’s wading pool. If your interests are more geared towards spending time on the beach, you’re in luck. Sunrise is 10 miles from Earl Lifshey Ocean Park, and just a few minutes further from the beaches of both Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach. “The neighborhood is close to pretty much everything,” says Maxwell. “You’ve got good restaurants, grocery stores, the park, you name it, all right there.”<br><br>With Publix conveniently located in the Welleby Plaza shopping center, grocery shopping is a breeze for neighborhood residents. And for those times you don’t feel like cooking at home, there are plenty of dining options in the neighborhood, too. Legends Tavern and Grille offers a wide selection of craft beer and specialty sandwiches served up in a casual setting, and Golden Krust brings Jamaican flavors to Florida, with specialties like jerk chicken, braised oxtail and brown chicken stew. If you find yourself in need of a little retail therapy, head down to Sawgrass Mills Shopping Center, where you’ll find Target, Sephora, Lululemon and a wide variety of other stores to satisfy your shopping cravings.<br><br>There was a time when Sunrise needed a marketing gimmick to encourage people to come, but that time has long passed. As the Welleby neighborhood demonstrates, the city is now home to abundant amenities and real estate options that fit a wide range of budgets. So if you’ve been spending the winter months dreaming about a Florida home – or you already live in Florida and want a neighborhood that fits both your budget and your lifestyle – check out Welleby in Sunrise.

Sunrise Golf Village East is aptly named. Residents enjoy sunshine, tropical landscaping, surrounding golf courses and resort-style amenities. Plus, highway access is a major selling point. If something's happening in Fort Lauderdale, that's an easy trip for people to take. With proximity to both I-75 and I-95, residents are just minutes away from the ocean, golf courses, HCA Florida Westside Hospital and the shops at Broward Mall and Sawgrass Mills Shopping Center. <br><br>You'll find a great variety of housing styles in the various subdivisions that make up the area. The Sunrise Golf Village subdivision is full of Spanish-Eclectic ranch-style homes with rounded arches, stucco walls and canal views. Unlike other subdivisions in the a, Sunrise Golf Village has no HOA, meaning you won't be paying for those extra fees. The Sunset Plaza and Park Terraces subdivisions are made up of Mediterranean-influenced townhouses. There are also plenty of condominium buildings in the neighborhood. Regency Homes at Sunrise is a gated condominium complex, offering a plethora of amenities like tennis and basketball courts, a fitness center, a community pool and a clubhouse. Lakeside Manor's condominiums are apartment-style units, as are the 55-plus Quail Run of Sunrise condos. The low-rise Water Bridge condominiums also serve the 55-plus crowd and come with screened balconies and lakefront views. Aragon Condos, another 55-plus low-rise building, offers plenty of amenities, along with laundry facilities on every floor. You'll find canals running through the neighborhood, offering most residences waterfront views. Home prices in the area range from $75,000 to $640,000. <br><br>Parents have a few elementary schools within the neighborhood to choose from when schooling their children. Horizon Elementary School sits at the neighborhood's west end and has an overall Niche grade of B-minus. Village Elementary School sits in the middle of the neighborhood and has an overall grade of C. Finally, Royal Palm Elementary School sits on the east end of the community and has an overall Niche grade of C-minus. Students go on to attend Bair Middle School, a magnet school offering various special courses in STEM. The school has an overall Niche grade of C-plus. Teenagers in the area attend Plantation High School, with an overall Niche grade of C-plus. <br><br>Residents can enjoy the outdoors at the improved City Park, which re-opened in November 2020. Park bonds approved by Sunrise voters funded the 5.5-acre park's amenities, which include an expansive 140-yard multipurpose field, a quarter-mile walking path with exercise stations, a covered amphitheater stage, two covered event pavilions, a soccer-themed splash pad and shaded playground, three outdoor basketball courts and two resurfaced tennis courts. The park often hosts community events, concerts and local sports games. There's also Village Square Park, a passive park built on the site of a former car wash, which features a plaza lined with palm trees, a decorative fountain, pavilions and benches where locals can settle in with a book. Just north of Sunrise Golf Village East is Lauderhill Sports Park, where local athletic teams compete. A football field, cricket field, basketball court and soccer field are just a few of the park's athletic facilities. <br><br>Residents interested in the arts can visit the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center, just a fifteen-minute drive away. The 1,100-seat theater showcases Broadway musicals from January through April and presents classic and contemporary works in its annual performance series. When locals get hungry, popular eateries like Hazel's Carribean Spot and Skyline Chili are there to satisfy their appetites. There are plenty of places nearby to grab groceries from. Neighbors Food Market and Doris Italian Market offer specialty international ingredients from the Carribean and Italy, while Key Food Fresh and Publix Supermarket offer regular groceries and household necessities. All this makes Sunrise Golf Village East an attractive place to call home.

Why are first-time homebuyers and families attracted to New River Estates in Sunrise? The neighborhood is next door to Weston, a city with multimillion-dollar homes, but it enjoys a much lower price point, says Realtor Patricia Lewis with One Sotheby's International Realty. That means residents of New River Estates can take advantage of all the amenities of a high-end area like Weston, especially its highly rated schools, Lewis says, without the higher cost of living.<br><br>Most of the single-family homes in the New River Estates are ranch-style houses built in the 1980s or later that sell for between $400,000 and $775,000. Some feature lakefront views, others offer lots as large as 10,000 square feet, making backyards prime locations for paved patios, swimming pools and outdoor entertainment. Town houses list for between $340,000 and $520,000. Many are designed in the Mediterranean style and include one-car garages and have access to amenities such as pools, tennis courts, gyms, children’s playgrounds and clubhouses. A few condos, some with balconies, are also available for between $250,000 and $410,000. In addition, new high-end homes, priced from $2.5 million to $3.1 million, are being constructed on the neighborhood's eastern side and are giving Weston a run for its money. They feature three-car garages, custom landscaping, covered terraces and luxury pools.<br><br>Of the schools in the neighborhood, Indian Trace Elementary received an A-minus from Niche and offers a special program in the visual arts. Tequesta Trace Middle, another A-minus school, features the Cambridge International Program, which allows students to work toward their Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma in high school. At Western High, which scored a solid A from Niche, students can complete their AICE diploma. They can also participate in the school’s STEM academy that studies robotics, rocketry and solar energy.<br><br>If you enjoy spending time outdoors in nature, you’ll love the 20-acre Sawgrass Sanctuary. This nature preserve is home to Sunrise’s Earth Day Festival and Woofstock Festival, which celebrates the city’s canines and canine lovers. Here, you can attend a concert, picnic in one of the pavilions, launch a canoe on the adjacent lake, or fish from the park’s fishing pier. A 200-foot boardwalk will take you to an observation platform where you can truly marvel at the beauty of the lake and its environs. A bike path and nature trail that circles the sanctuary also connects to Oscar Wind Park, with the athletic facilities and amenities you’d expect from an urban green space, including a baseball field, a recently renovated and now sun-shielded children’s playground, and a grassy soccer field.<br><br>For everyday needs, you’ll find a Key Food Supermarket in the Westgate Square Shopping Center. Several retailers and restaurants are located there, including Jose’s Uncle Al’s Sports Café. This wing and barbecue sports bar has served American favorites for over 25 years. On the neighborhood's southern end, you’ll find a Publix at Country Isles Plaza, with favorite chain restaurants like Tijuana Flats, which does more than serve Tex Mex. This eatery gives back through its “Just in Queso” Foundation, which has raised over $4 million, to its volunteer programs and employee scholarships. Across the street in the Indian Trace Center, you can catch a movie at the AMC Weston 8 or a Peruvian dish at La Perla Seafood Bar & Grill, which serves some of the area’s best ceviche, steak and lomo (or cured pork tenderloin).<br><br>“A husband could work in Boca and his wife in Miami,” Lewis says, which dramatizes how convenient living in New River Estates is to South Florida. Two major highways, I-75 and I-595, run through the neighborhood. While it also contains commercial and industrial areas, New River Estates more than makes up for it with incredible schools, lush parks, convenient shopping centers and some of the area’s largest, lower-cost properties.

Sparkling lakes, towering palm trees and resort-style amenities. That's just part of everyday life in Savannah, a small neighborhood in Sunrise, Florida. Here, the Mediterranean and Spanish Mission architectural styles dominate, with terra cotta roofs, stucco walls and rounded arches characterizing the area's homes. There are a few different types of homes to choose from in the area, including condominiums, townhouses and single-family homes. Savannah is home to the gated subdivision of Artesia, made up of Spanish Mission-inspired townhomes. Residents enjoy amenities like a staffed clubhouse with a concierge, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, massage rooms, saunas, a basketball court, a sports lounge with billiards, an arts and crafts room with a kiln, three lighted tennis courts and a lagoon pool with cabanas and a tiki bar. Homes in Savannah wrap around stunning lakes, providing residents with scenic waterfront views. Home prices in the area range from $420,000 to $730,000. <br><br>Children in the area attend Sawgrass Elementary School, with an overall Niche grade of B-plus. The school offers before and after-school care for students, convenient for the busy parent's schedule. Next, kids attend Indian Ridge Middle School, another school with a Niche grade of B-plus. Teenagers attend Western High School, which has an overall Niche grade of A-minus and has been ranked as the number 16 best public high school in Broward County. The school offers STEM and AICE Cambridge programming. <br><br>Savannah is home to the expansive Flamingo Park, a 36-acre park featuring a plethora of fun outdoor activities. Locals escape the Floridian heat at the park's aquatic center, a state-of-the-art facility with two separate pool areas. The main pool has a lap pool that's aerated in the summer and heated in the winter. There's also a colorful water playground that's shallow for kids. Kids can attend swimming camps and lessons at the center throughout the year. Residents can bring their canine companions to Flamingo Park's Bark Park, where dogs can play off-leash. The park's baseball stadium is home to the Miami Beach Hi-Tides and host to the Adult South Florida Baseball League. Meanwhile, Flamingo Park's basketball courts have been voted the "Best of Miami" on more than one occasion. There are two full courts and four half courts for locals to enjoy. The park's racquetball courts are some of the oldest and most well-maintained in the country. Other park amenities include a football stadium, running track, soccer field, softball field, tennis center and playground. The playground features a rock-climbing wall, a swing set and an original choo-choo train from the 1950s. <br><br>Retail therapy is found at the nearby Sawgrass Mill Mall, full of popular brands like Sephora, DKNY, COACH, Lacoste and many more. There are plenty of great eateries to choose from as well, like Seasons 52, Grand Lux Café, Rainforest Café or Paul Bakery. You can also find everyday essentials and groceries at the mall, with Target, CVS, Walmart Supercenter and Home Depot. Groceries are grabbed at the nearby Publix Supermarket in Sawgrass Square. Brunch buddies meet at Lester's Diner for delicious breakfast staples and hot, fresh coffee amid classic 1950s décor. When residents need to commute or want to go on a quick weekend away, Sawgrass Expressway is close at hand, making transportation a breeze. Though living in Savannah, there are plenty of reasons to stay right at home.

Sunrise is a small, aptly named city of under 100,000, and Sawgrass is one of its westernmost neighborhoods. Skyscraper condominiums next to the vast Sawgrass Mills shopping center look out on the thousands of acres of the Everglades Wildlife Management Area next door and the beaches of Fort Lauderdale just 14 miles to the east. Winding rows of Mediterranean-style townhomes bake in the sun next to community pools and tennis courts, and if you work in the adjacent Sawgrass Technology Center or one of the five hospitals within a 5-mile radius, then living in Sawgrass can sometimes be a bit like living in a resort. <br><br>Tall, whitewashed condominiums offer proximity to parks and trails and one-bedroom units with balconies for under $300,000. In newer buildings, homeowners association fees can be close to $1,000 per month, but there are a lot of amenities in these buildings. Built in 2007, the attractive townhomes in the Artesia development come in Mediterranean and Spanish styles. A two-bedroom townhome in this upscale community can be found for under $600,000. Elsewhere among the small residential sections in Sawgrass, homebuyers will find late-century Monterey-style homes with four bedrooms on large, topical lots for under $750,000.<br><br>Schools in Sawgrass and Sunrise are above average. Sawgrass Elementary School received a B-plus on the school rankings website Niche. Bair Middle School received a C-plus. Western High School received an A-minus overall for its college preparatory program. This school has received an A grade from Niche for the last decade and was listed among America’s Most Challenging High Schools by the Washington Post. Western High offers a dual enrollment in which upper-level students may take courses at nearby universities and online with the University of Florida.<br><br>Aside from several greenways and small green spaces, Flamingo Road Linear Park is the only park within this small neighborhood. This sunny green space lies next to a townhome complex and offers a 1.25-mile trail featuring intermittent wellness stations. For a more challenging ride or run, athletes can enter the Everglades Conservation Levee Greenway on the northwestern border of Sawgrass. The flat, unpaved trail makes a 28-mile loop around a large swath of wetlands. The trail runs through Markham Park, on the southern border of Sawgrass. This 650-acre green space offers mountain biking trails, campgrounds, and a rifle range. Also in Sawgrass is the Amerant Bank Arena, where the Florida Panthers ice hockey team plays, and the site of music performances. The Sunrise Civic Center Aquatics Complex is just over a mile east of Sawgrass, part of a large municipal area with a theater, art gallery and other city services. <br><br>Sawgrass Mills is surrounded by lagoons and offers much for shoppers and diners. Restaurants fast and slow, from cafes and chains like Popeye’s to family restaurants like Johnny Rockets and The Cheesecake Factory. Shoppers will find many outlet stores, such as Nike and Lululemon, as well as a Walmart Supercenter. Like everywhere else in South Florida, Downtown Sunrise has benefitted from a local foodie movement. Food critics at Eater Magazine recommend two local restaurants under 4 miles away from Sawgrass. The chili served on spaghetti or hot dogs at Cincinnati Chili at Skyline is one of their Best Dishes in Broward County. Marumi Sushi made the list of Best Sushi in Broward County. <br><br>Sawgrass is bordered by the Sawgrass Expressway, which runs from Boca Raton from the north and becomes Interstate 75 on the way south to Miami. Interstate 95 is 10 miles east of Sawgrass and runs south to Key West and north all the way to Canada.