New River Estates

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

“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.

Written By

Christopher Kopczynski

Photography Contributed By

David Dunn

Video By

Pasha Chichagov