Is Plantation, FL a good place to live?

Yes — Plantation is one of central Broward's most stable family-oriented suburbs, with the #1-ranked K-12 private school in Florida at American Heritage, the only Everglades-restoration high school magnet in the world at South Plantation High, ~80 city parks, and one of the lower violent-crime profiles among Broward cities its size. The trade-offs are typical of inland Broward: heat and humidity from June through October, hurricane exposure, and a car-dependent layout outside of Plantation Walk

How expensive is Plantation, FL?

The Zillow typical home value in Plantation is $487K as of 2026, up 6.2% year-over-year, with homes going pending in roughly 13 days. Pricing varies sharply by district: Plantation Acres ranches sit in the $400K–$700K range, Jacaranda lake-front single-family runs $500K–$900K, and waterfront Plantation Isles tops out around $1.3M. Overall cost of living sits roughly in line with the Broward County average — slightly above the US average — with housing the main driver. Property taxes follow Browa

What are the best neighborhoods in Plantation, FL?

Jacaranda — the 1980s–90s Gulfstream-developed master plan west of University Drive — is the largest and most consistent option, with mature landscaping and water views across subsections like Jacaranda Lakes and Jacaranda Pointe. Families targeting top public schools also cluster around the Plantation High zone. Buyers wanting more land and fewer HOA fees lean toward Plantation Acres on the western edge near I-75. Boat owners gravitate to Plantation Isles for private docks. Renters and downtown

How is Plantation different from Sunrise or Davie?

Plantation is the older, more white-collar of the three — incorporated in 1953, designed around master-planned subdivisions and corporate offices along Broward Boulevard and University Drive (DHL US HQ, TradeStation, University of Phoenix). Evenings are quieter and the feel more suburban than Sunrise. Sunrise, immediately to the north, is built around Sawgrass Mills mall and Amerant Bank Arena (Florida Panthers). Davie, to the south, is more equestrian and home to Nova Southeastern University. P

Does Plantation, FL have hurricane and flood risk?

Yes — Plantation sits fully within the South Florida hurricane belt, with peak exposure from June through November, and roughly 10% of its 22-square-mile land area sits in a designated FEMA flood zone per the city's floodplain office. The bigger risk is rainfall flooding, which can affect properties citywide regardless of zone designation. Newer construction at Plantation Walk and along the Broward Boulevard corridor meets elevated flood-elevation minimums. Older 1960s–70s east-side ranches carr

How is the commute from Plantation to Fort Lauderdale or Miami?

Fort Lauderdale is about 10 miles east — 15–20 minutes via I-595 outside rush hour, 30–45 in traffic. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is roughly the same drive. Miami via I-595 to I-95 is 30–40 miles depending on destination, typically 45–75 minutes. There's no Tri-Rail station inside Plantation — the nearest is the Fort Lauderdale station, about 14 minutes east by car. Broward County Transit Route 22 and the 595 Express bus handle local transit; commuters outside Plantatio

PlantationCity Guide

Q: What major companies are based in Plantation?

DHL Express runs its US headquarters in Plantation, and TradeStation, the University of Phoenix's South Florida campus, and HCA Florida Westside Hospital (224 beds, founded 1974) anchor the rest of the corporate base. Historical anchors American Express (1975–2017) and Motorola (1969–2015) left major office stock behind that has since been redeveloped or re-tenanted. Most corporate activity concentrates along Broward Boulevard and University Drive — the spine that also runs through Plantation Wa

A 22-square-mile Broward suburb of master-planned lakes, golf, and DHL's US headquarters.

Population~96,300

Incorporated1953

Median home value$487K

YoY home value+6.2%

West of Fort Lauderdale~10 mi

View homes in Plantation

Plantation sits in central Broward County, about 10 miles west of Fort Lauderdale and roughly 30 miles north of Miami, covering 21.75 square miles between I-95 and the Sawgrass Expressway. The city was incorporated on April 23, 1953 with a population of 300 and a budget under $2,000, on land that had failed as a rice plantation a generation earlier — the Everglades Plantation Company gave the city its name without ever giving it a working farm.

A city built around planned communities, not a downtown

Frederick C. Peters, the shoe-business heir who consolidated about 10,000 acres in the 1930s, designed Plantation as a farming cooperative — a rural alternative to Miami's coastal sprawl. By the 1980s, Gulfstream had paved most of that vision into Jacaranda, a master-planned grid of lakes and canals that still defines the city's western half. Today Plantation is a federation of subdivisions: Jacaranda's lake-and-cul-de-sac blocks west of University Drive, the rural-feel Plantation Acres along Flamingo Road, the waterfront Plantation Isles, and the new mixed-use core at Plantation Walk.

The city's tenants tell its other story. DHL Express has run its US headquarters here for years; TradeStation, the University of Phoenix's South Florida campus, and HCA Florida Westside Hospital anchor a quiet white-collar economy along the Broward Boulevard and University Drive corridors. American Heritage Schools' Broward campus — Niche's #1 K-12 private school in Florida — occupies a 40-acre campus on Broward Boulevard, while South Plantation High runs the world's only high school magnet dedicated to Everglades restoration. See homes for sale in Plantation.

Plantation is what suburban Broward looks like when planned communities, corporate parks, and Everglades-edge greenway share the same 22-square-mile grid.

Key Details

What makes Plantation special

What to Expect

A federation of mostly-quiet subdivisions threaded by Broward Boulevard, University Drive, and Sunrise Boulevard. The east side is older 1960s–70s ranch stock; the west is the 1980s–90s Jacaranda lakes grid and the newest Plantation Walk corridor. Days revolve around schools, golf, and corporate parks; evenings are quiet and car-dependent outside of Plantation Walk and the Broward Mall area.

The Market

Zillow's 2026 typical home value is $487K, up 6.2% year-over-year, with homes going pending in roughly 13 days. Inventory mixes single-family on Jacaranda's lake-and-canal grid, no-HOA ranches in Plantation Acres ($400K–$700K), waterfront single-family in Plantation Isles ($600K–$1.3M), and 700 new luxury rentals at The Rise Plantation Walk.

Districts

Jacaranda — the 1980s–90s Gulfstream-developed lakes-and-canals grid west of University Drive — is the largest, with subsections Lakes, Pointe, Cove, and Villas. Plantation Acres on the western edge is rural-feel, often HOA-free, near I-75. Plantation Isles offers boat-dock waterfront, and Plantation Walk's 27 acres anchor the newest mixed-use core with 700 apartments at The Rise.

Getting Around

I-595 cuts east-west across the southern edge and connects directly to FLL (~10 miles east, 15–20 minutes) and I-95. Florida's Turnpike runs through the eastern third; the Sawgrass Expressway borders the west. There's no Tri-Rail station inside the city — the nearest is Fort Lauderdale (~14 minutes east by car). Broward County Transit Route 22 and the 595 Express bus handle local transit; everywhere else is car-dependent.

Schools & American Heritage

American Heritage Schools' Broward campus on Broward Boulevard is Niche's #1-ranked K-12 private school in Florida (2026), with ~3,000 students on 40 acres and the most National Merit Scholars in the state. South Plantation High runs the world's only high school magnet dedicated to Everglades restoration and environmental science (2,235 enrolled, 2025–26). Plantation High and a deep Broward County public roster round out the district options.

Parks & Golf

Plantation Heritage Park (90 acres, 1100 S Fig Tree Lane) is the county-managed flagship, with an 18-hole disc golf course and tropical hardwoods. Plantation Preserve is a 7,148-yard par-72 championship layout looped by a 55-acre Everglades-style wetland preserve and a 1.5-mile multi-use trail. Plantation Central Park (77 acres) holds the city's Olympic-sized public pool; Frank Veltri Tennis Center anchors competitive tennis.

Employers & Economy

DHL Express runs its US headquarters in Plantation; TradeStation, the University of Phoenix's South Florida campus, and HCA Florida Westside Hospital (224 beds, founded 1974) anchor the rest of the corporate base. Historical anchors American Express (1975–2017) and Motorola (1969–2015) left major office stock behind that has since been redeveloped. The corporate corridor concentrates along Broward Boulevard and University Drive.

Storm Risk & Climate

Roughly 10% of Plantation's 22-square-mile land area sits in a designated FEMA flood zone per the city's floodplain office, though hurricane-driven rainfall can flood properties citywide. The city sits in the South Florida hurricane belt with a high Storm Events risk score; peak exposure runs June through November. Newer construction at Plantation Walk and along Broward Boulevard meets elevated flood-elevation minimums; older 1960s–70s east-side stock carries more exposure.

Notable Addresses