Tiny seaside towns can feel sleepy or lively. Lighthouse Point, Florida, somehow does both at once. Locals call it “LHP,” and if you spend one long weekend here, you’ll understand why people come for a visit and then start scrolling for homes before checkout time. Below you’ll find the Top 10 Reasons to Move to Lighthouse Point, put together like we’re talking over iced coffee, no stiff sales pitch in sight. Let’s get you acquainted.
1. Water in Every Direction
Step outside and there is a fair chance you’ll see, smell, or at least hear the water. The city is laced with roughly 18 miles of navigable canals that feed straight into the Intracoastal Waterway. A quick idle under the drawbridge and you are in the Atlantic. Folks with boats rave about:
- Dock‐behind-your-house setups
- No-wake zones that keep the canals calm
- The city-run marina near NE 24th Street, perfect if you do not own waterfront yet
Even if you are boat-free, you can kayak from Dan Witt Park, grab paddleboards from a neighbor, or linger on the Pier. The sea breeze sneaks into almost every backyard. You will never forget you live by the coast.
2. Commute Without Headaches
Lighthouse Point sits in Broward County, but it is wedged neatly between heavy hitters. To the south, Fort Lauderdale. To the north, Boca Raton and West Palm. Miami’s skyline flickers an hour down I-95. Morning drive to downtown Fort Lauderdale runs 25 minutes if you leave before 8 a.m. Airport run? Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International clocks about 30 minutes, Palm Beach International just under 45. Not bad for a beach town. You get the sand without giving up the paycheck that might still be in the city.
3. The “Hidden in Plain Sight” Factor
Tourists pour into Fort Lauderdale Beach and Deerfield Beach, skipping right over LHP because there is no giant resort telling them to exit. Residents keep it that way. The city measures a bite-sized 2.4 square miles with about 11,500 people. Translation: traffic lights stay green, grocery lines stay short, and police actually wave because they recognize you. It feels like a private club but without the gate code.
4. Food That Begs for Elastic Waistbands
You want glossy date-night spots or barefoot fish-taco shacks? Both. A handful of local favorites you might not find in the travel guides:
- Cap’s Place Island Restaurant: open since 1928, reachable only by the little shuttle boat, rumored to have hosted clientele from Al Capone to JFK
- Nauti Dawg Café: dog-friendly patio, sunrise dock seating, Key lime French toast if you time brunch right
- Le Bistro: French techniques meet Florida seafood, chef’s table is five steps from the sauté pans
Chain restaurants exist along Federal Highway, yet residents brag more about the moms-and-pops tucked into marinas.
5. Parks That Punch Above Their Weight
For a two-mile town, Lighthouse Point spoils you with green space.
- Frank McDonough Park: baseball diamonds, shaded playground, Farmers Market on Sundays in season
- Exchange Club Park: 21 acres on the Intracoastal, recently revamped walking loop, manatee sightings after a cool front
- Dan Witt Park: where the youth soccer league takes over on Saturdays, adult kickball sneaks in at night
Jogging around the city perimeter turns into a water view almost the entire route. Bring headphones or do the jog in silence. Either works.
6. Schools That Score Above the County Average
Families glance at GreatSchools before they call movers. Lighthouse Point holds its own. Residents are zoned to:
- Norcrest Elementary, graded A last cycle
- Deerfield Beach Middle, International Baccalaureate track available
- Deerfield Beach High, STEM magnet and award-winning robotics team
Private choices sit a short drive away: Pine Crest, Saint Andrew’s, and North Broward Prep. Biggest perk? Short bus rides. Kids come home with energy left to play, instead of napping off a highway commute.
7. A Real Estate Menu You Cannot Fake
Let’s talk numbers. As of spring 2025, the median single-family price floats near 1.25 million dollars. Waterfront pushes that average north of 2 million, dry-lot ranch homes hover in the 800s. Condos along Federal Highway can still be snagged in the high 300s, especially if you catch a two-bedroom that needs new floors. Inventory tilts toward sellers right now: roughly two months’ supply. Yet buyers who watch the daily updates know price reductions show up after 30 days when unrealistic listings adjust.
Why people stay bullish on Lighthouse Point:
- Land is finite. No open fields to annex.
- Canal depth allows full-size yachts, a rarity in South Florida canals.
- Newer construction sprinkled in with mid-century remodels, which keeps architectural flavor diverse.
Property taxes land around 1.2 percent of assessed value. Home insurance, yes, pricy, but local wind-mit credits soften the punch if your roof meets 2022 code. Do your inspection homework and you can still beat Miami’s premiums.
8. Crime Numbers You Brag About to Cousins Up North
The LHP Police Department logs some of the lowest crime stats in the county. A recent annual report shows single-digit burglaries, almost all unlocked vehicles. Violent crime usually rounds down to zero. That small-town familiarity plays a part: cruisers make slow laps on the side streets, neighbors text one another if a garage is left open. You sleep with windows cracked open because the breeze is worth it.
9. Community Events That Don’t Feel Forced
Big cities hire event planners. Lighthouse Point just lets the community calendar fill itself.
- Keeper Days every January, honoring the Hillsboro Lighthouse Keeper with a weekend carnival and boat parade
- Taste of Lighthouse Point in February, local restaurants hand out sample plates under twinkly lights
- Holiday Boat Parade in December, think floating Christmas trees inching down the canal
Even the low-key gatherings matter. Tuesday night yoga on the marina lawn, fish-fry fundraisers for the firehouse, wine-and-cheese chats at the library. Many residents move here knowing no one and then find themselves on a raffle committee within six months. Happens all the time.
10. The “Why Didn’t I Do This Sooner” Lifestyle
Add up the nine points above and you get this tenth one. Quality of life. Locals describe it with overused words like relaxed or easy. Hard to capture on a spreadsheet, but here are day-to-day examples:
- Sunrise dog walks where the only sound is gulls
- Ten-minute grocery runs that actually take ten minutes
- Kids learning to handle a tiller before they can parallel park
- Evenings where you eat stone crab on your own dock, Florida playlist humming softly
Yes, hurricanes are real. Heat sticks around through October. But flip the coin: you grill dinner in February, seashell hunt at lunch, and wear flip-flops year-round. Balance tilts in your favor more often than not.
Quick FAQ for Serious House Hunters
Got a few lingering questions? Let’s knock them out.
How competitive are waterfront listings?
Very. Budget an extra five percent over ask or show proof of funds that calms a nervous seller. Pre-inspection offers help too.
Are HOA fees unreasonable?
Most single-family streets skip HOAs entirely. The handful of townhome enclaves run between 300 and 600 dollars monthly which usually covers roof reserve and landscaping.
Does the city flood?
Certain southeast pockets see standing water in fringe king tides, but the majority of houses sit at or above nine feet elevation. Inspect gutters, add flood vents if you remodel and you will rest easier.
What about new construction?
Twelve spec builds broke ground in 2024, many on tear-down lots. Builders love piling houses to current Miami-Dade standards which means impact glass and elevated slabs. Expect 7,000 square feet inside and price tags past 4 million.
A One-Day Preview Tour
Not ready to move sight unseen? Borrow this itinerary the next time you visit.
Morning: Grab Cuban espresso at Bonefish Mac’s to jolt awake. Drive slowly along NE 31st Avenue to eyeball sailboats tied up behind homes.
Late morning: Walk Exchange Club Park, keep an eye out for manatees near the seawall.
Lunch: Tie up your rental boat at Nauti Dawg Café, order the blackened mahi wrap.
Afternoon: Meet a real estate agent to view at least one canal home and one dry-lot home so you feel the price delta.
Sunset: Climb the 175 steps of Hillsboro Lighthouse on the monthly public tour.
Dinner: Cap’s Place if you can score a reservation. Otherwise, Le Bistro for snapper Francaise.
By bedtime you will understand why Zillow tabs multiply.
Tips for Crafting a Winning Offer
You narrowed the search, now you want to pounce. Use these strategies.
- Send proof of funds with the first email, not as an afterthought.
- Offer a post-closing leaseback if the seller has not found replacement housing yet.
- Cap inspection credits at a fixed dollar amount rather than asking for unknown repairs.
- Write the personal letter if you must, but photos of pets or children sometimes violate fair housing guidelines, so lean toward a letter focused on shared love of boating or the city park.
Do it right and you will beat all-cash investors who assume money alone seals the deal.
Ready to Drop Anchor?
People move for different reasons: jobs, school districts, maybe plain burnout with cold weather. Whatever shoved you toward Florida, the Top 10 Reasons to Move to Lighthouse Point lay out why this tiny patch of Broward sand keeps showing up in buyer shortlists. You got water views, a downright friendly police blotter, food that sneaks onto Instagram feeds, and streets that whisper small town even while Miami glitters an hour away.
So here is your nudge. Call a local agent, book the lighthouse tour, run mortgage numbers, or at least plug “Lighthouse Point homes” into your alerts. When the right listing pops up you will be ready, iced coffee in hand, confidence high. And when you finally slide that boat behind your very own dock, you will only wonder why you did not do it sooner.
See you on the water.
