Andover

“One of the advantages of choosing a neighborhood like Andover is its location,” says Eddie Blanco, a broker with Stratwell, LLC, who has been selling real estate in the Miami area for more than 25 years. “It’s north of the Golden Glades interchange — where Florida’s Turnpike, the Palmetto Expressway and I-95 meet — so it offers great access to Broward and Miami-Dade counties.”

Andover’s proximity to both Fort Lauderdale and Miami was part of its appeal from the beginning. After the construction of I-95 in the late 1960s, the area attracted many middle- and upper-income African American and West Indian American families who migrated from Miami to what would later become the neighborhoods of Miami Gardens. Andover is one of them. Here, you'll find single-family, ranch-style houses built in the 1960s and 1970s and new town houses, many featuring single-car garages and resort-style amenities, for between $400,000 and $800,000. Low-rise, two-story condominiums, many part of 55-plus communities and offering stunning waterfront views, sell for between $100,000 and $300,000. “Buyers today want the convenience of living close to major highways while enjoying a lower cost of living,” Blanco says. With one-bedroom condos selling for as little as $95,000 and three-to-four-bedroom single-family homes and town houses starting at $400,000, Andover has what buyers are looking for.

The public schools that serve Andover include Miami Norland Senior High School, where programs such as career-focused academies, dual enrollment opportunities with colleges and universities, and the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps give students multiple options for designing on their futures. Other schools that serve the area are Norland Elementary, which offers the Cambridge International Program, and Andover Middle, where students can take advantage of the Cambridge Secondary 1 Program for middle schoolers.

Andover may be only 2 square miles in size, but that doesn’t mean there’s no place to go for quality rec time. Andover Park was recently renovated and offers a sun-shielded kiddie playground, a basketball court and a walking trail. Go north above Northwest 215th Street, and you’ll find Snake Warrior’s Island Natural Area, the site of the oldest documented Seminole settlement in the eastern Everglades and once the camp of Chitto Tustenuggee, the legendary Snake Warrior. This 53-acre park attracts bird watchers, nature lovers and fishing enthusiasts with its lake, its elevated oak hammock and its re-created wetland.

While the neighborhood is only 12 miles from Miami and Fort Lauderdale, residents need only travel a few blocks to South State Road 7 — the 441— where they can explore dozens of restaurants and retailers. Want some lunch? Try Trinkin Trinkin for their plump salads and juicy wraps — you’ll leave satisfied. (“Trinkin Trinkin,” by the way, means “everything positive, good energy, enthusiasm” and more, according to their website.) For a gratifying (and filling) cultural experience, stop in at Awash Ethiopian Restaurant, the only one of its kind south of Orlando. A sampler plate will get you dollops of their popular dishes served with Injera, a spongy bread used in place of utensils. And for everyday necessities, you can head to Ives Dairy Crossing, which has a Publix and a Walgreens.

World-class shopping and other attractions are also just a few miles east. Hop on NW 199th Street, which will take you to Biscayne Boulevard, and you’ll arrive at Adventura Mall. This three-story luxury mall features five department stores, including Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s, coveted brands like Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent and Rolex, as well as more than 300 of the world’s most popular retailers. In the same area, take a friend or the family to Tidal Cove Waterpark, an aquatic center with a wave generator to surf on, spectacular waterslides with names like Aqua Drop and Master Blaster, and a lazy river that you can watch the kids float by on from your own private cabana. Or if you want to hit the Atlantic, Hollywood Beach is just a little farther east and has its own magnificent boardwalk with restaurants, shops and beachside activities galore.

Andover may be small, but it’s minutes (not hours) from almost anywhere in South Florida. “This is a great central location and a great community to come home to,” Blanco says.

Written By

Christopher Kopczynski

Photography Contributed By

Daniele Giuseppe Del Gaudio

Video By

Robert Edmonds