Davie, Florida is a genuinely good place to live. That is not a marketing line. It is the answer people who have moved here give when you ask them six months after the move. The space is real. The schools are real. The commute to Fort Lauderdale is manageable. The question worth asking is not whether Davie is good, but whether it is right for what you specifically are looking for.
Anthony Spitaleri is a licensed real estate agent with EXP Realty, focused exclusively on the Davie single-family market with over a decade of South Florida real estate experience. What follows is a direct answer based on what actually matters to buyers making this decision.
What Davie Is Actually Like
Davie is not a typical South Florida suburb. Most Broward County cities are variations of the same thing: dense, flat, and interchangeable. Davie is different because of equestrian zoning. A significant portion of the town is zoned to allow horses, which means larger lots, acreage properties, and a residential character you cannot find anywhere else in this county at these price points. That is not a selling point. It is a structural fact about why this town exists and why buyers who find it tend to stay.
The neighborhoods range from established single-family communities like Rolling Hills, with mature trees and larger lots, to gated estate communities like Long Lake Ranches, with custom homes and private lake access. Imagination Farms is horse country inside a major metro area. The right neighborhood depends entirely on what you are looking for.
Schools in Davie Florida
Davie sits within the Broward County Public Schools district. School quality in Broward varies significantly by zone, and Davie has some of the stronger elementary and middle school options in the western part of the county. Before you buy, look up the specific address. The zone attached to the street matters more than the city. Nova Southeastern University and Broward College are both in or directly adjacent to Davie, which adds educational infrastructure most comparable South Florida towns do not have.
For families relocating with children, the guide to the best schools in Davie Florida covers zone-by-zone breakdowns and current ratings.
Is Davie Florida Safe?
Davie is among the safer municipalities in Broward County. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement publishes annual crime data by city. Davie consistently sits below county averages for violent crime. Like any community, it is not uniform across all neighborhoods. If safety is the primary concern, the specific address and its surrounding block matter more than the city name.
The Commute
25 minutes to Fort Lauderdale is real in most conditions. 45 minutes to Miami is real on a normal morning. Davie sits at the intersection of I-595 and I-75, which gives direct access to both corridors. If you need to be in either city regularly, this works.
Cost and Value in the Davie Market
The Davie single-family market starts around $600,000 for move-in ready homes. At that price point you are typically getting three or four bedrooms, a functional yard, and a neighborhood with good schools. The same budget in Miami Beach or Coral Gables buys a fraction of that in square footage and no yard at all. Buyers who make the move from Miami consistently say the space was the thing they most underestimated before arriving.
The upper tier, Long Lake Ranches, Imagination Farms, and the equestrian communities near Tree Tops Park, starts above $800,000 and goes well into the millions for estate properties.
What Davie Is Not Right For
Davie is not for buyers who want walkability, density, or an urban lifestyle. There is no downtown. There is no walkable commercial strip. The town is built around cars, single-family homes, and the outdoor lifestyle that equestrian zoning creates. If you want to trade density for land, quiet streets, and a different relationship with your commute, it usually is the right fit.
The Honest Summary
Davie is a good place to live for buyers who want space, strong schools, a safe residential environment, and South Florida access without South Florida density. It is not right for everyone. But for the buyers who fit it, the move tends to be permanent.
If you are seriously researching a move to Davie, the most useful next step is understanding what the current market looks like at your budget. The full guide to living in Davie Florida has the neighborhood detail, and the strategy call below connects you directly to someone who works in this market every day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Davie Florida a good place to raise a family?
Yes. Davie has some of the stronger school zones in western Broward County, low violent crime rates relative to county averages, and single-family neighborhoods with genuine space between homes. Families moving from denser South Florida areas consistently find Davie exceeds their expectations once they arrive.
What is the cost of living in Davie Florida?
Housing is the primary cost driver. The Davie single-family market starts around $600,000 for move-in ready homes. Property taxes in Broward County are moderate and homestead exemption is available to primary residents. Day-to-day living costs are comparable to the broader South Florida market.
Is Davie Florida safe?
Davie ranks among the safer cities in Broward County based on Florida Department of Law Enforcement annual data. Violent crime rates are below county averages. Buyers focused on safety should review the specific address using FDLE data before making a decision.
How far is Davie from Miami?
Davie is approximately 35 to 40 miles from downtown Miami, which translates to 40 to 50 minutes in normal traffic via I-595 and the Florida Turnpike or I-95. It is 15 to 20 minutes from downtown Fort Lauderdale.
What makes Davie different from other Broward County cities?
Davie has maintained equestrian zoning across a significant portion of the town, which means larger lots and acreage properties exist here that do not exist in comparable form anywhere else in Broward County at similar price points.
Is Davie a good investment for buyers in 2026?
Broward County consistently draws relocating buyers from Miami-Dade and from out of state. Davie’s limited acreage inventory and strong school zones create sustained demand in the upper-tier segments. A Comparative Market Analysis before any offer is the only reliable answer on a specific property.
Talk to a Davie Real Estate Expert
If Davie is on your list and you want a direct answer about what your budget gets you right now, Anthony Spitaleri works exclusively in this market. Licensed since 2013 with over a decade in South Florida real estate. Schedule a free strategy call here.
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