Hawke's Bluff

Tucked between the rural stretches of Southwest Ranches and the master-planned city of Weston, Hawke's Bluff is a quiet suburb in Davie that gets the best of three worlds.

"I lived there 22 years, and it's a great community," says Lisa Alvarez, a local Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty. "During holidays, they have fun community competitions for things like the best-lighted and best-decorated houses. It's huge for trick-or-treating; lots of people do haunted houses. I still go back and spend the night at my friend's house just for Halloween."

Lakes and ponds snake through the lush landscape of Hawke's Bluff, giving many properties water-facing backyards and front-row seats to South Florida's unique flora and fauna. "People are outside all the time, walking or jogging," says Alvarez. "The houses are beautiful, and everything is well maintained." The community's winding, tree-lined roads are quiet and full of stunning examples of Spanish- and Mission-inspired architecture. Many of these homes were initially built in the late 1980s and early '90s, but most have seen gorgeous renovations since, with some homeowners introducing more Minimal or New Traditional designs. Market prices for single-family homes here range from the high $500,000s to just over $1 million. Hawke's Bluff is managed by an HOA. "I'd say the HOA fee is comparably low," Alvarez says. "Especially for the town houses." Taxes are equally reasonable, she says. "You get Weston benefits without Weston taxes." While the community is predominantly home to single-family properties, town houses sit on the north side in the Les Chateau Village Homes subdivision, which is part of the overarching Hawke's Bluff development. You can expect to pay around $450,000 for a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom town house built in 1992.

Aside from gorgeous homes and friendly neighbors, there are two more noteworthy draws to Hawke's Bluff: location and schools. You'll find this community at the elbow of main east-west thoroughfare Griffin Road and the major highway Interstate 75. "We moved there because my husband was a police officer," Alvarez says. "He could hop on 75 in 2 minutes and boom — be anywhere." Proximity to these major roads is ideal for commuting and comes with the bonus of nearby shopping and dining options. Just across Griffin Road are a couple of shopping centers, including Weston Commons. Less than a mile from Hawke's Bluff, residents can run errands and dine out at these commercial hubs, which feature retailers, a Publix supermarket and local restaurants like Weston Diner, which has served classic American cuisine for over 20 years.

Hawkes Bluff Elementary, rated with an A-minus on Niche, is nestled in the neighborhood's southwest corner, so students can begin their K-12 journey less than a mile from home. From there, they can attend Silver Trail Middle, also rated with an A-minus on Niche, before graduating from West Broward High, which boasts an A rating on Niche. Students at this high school can apply to the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education program, in which they'll undertake an accelerated curriculum that allows them to be awarded up to 45 hours of college credit at all public universities and colleges in Florida.

Last but certainly not least, plenty of green spaces surround Hawke's Bluff. Calusa Corners and Southwest Meadows Sanctuary are nearby parks owned by the town of Southwest Ranches for natural land conservation and restoration purposes. There's also Weston's 5-acre Emerald Estates Park, with basketball and tennis courts, a covered playground and even a bike repair station.

With everything you could want from a suburb, plus the benefit of not one, not two, but three municipalities just minutes away, Hawke's Bluff is a community that is more than worth considering when moving to sunny South Florida.

Written By

Micaela Willoughby

Photography Contributed By

David Dunn

Video By

Edward Pokoj