This is the third time I’ve made this video.
The first one, back in 2021, blew up. I did it again in 2023, and it blew up again. Three years have passed, and there’s a fresh batch of reasons to complain about this place.
I’ve called Delray Beach home since 2015, and as a real estate agent, I hear the gripes firsthand. So here we go again — the honest, slightly painful truth about living in Delray Beach.
1. The growth won’t slow down
If you want a sleepy town frozen in time, living in Delray Beach is going to bug you. Since the last time I made this video, the growth has picked up speed, not slowed down. Atlantic Crossing finished phase one and is deep into phase two, with more restaurants, retail, and office space on the way, plus roughly 20 luxury condos priced from the high one millions to $2 million. New apartments are going up on a stretch of land near the train tracks that everyone assumed would sit empty forever.
Casa Anita, an eight-residence boutique town home community, just broke ground. Fifth Avenue Town Homes is building five modern coastal units downtown. Magnolia Place, a boutique collection of 10 island-inspired homes, sold out fast. Onyx Delray is under construction now, bringing 26 two- and three-bedroom condos to Southeast 5th Avenue by late 2027. And a five-acre lot at Southeast First Avenue and Southeast 2nd Street just got cleared, with plans still under wraps.
Add Sundy Village’s new commercial building and four-story parking garage to the list. If you prefer a place with no future and no momentum, living in Delray Beach is not for you.
2. The golf course upgrade
Here’s a strange complaint: golfers and non-golfers both hate this one. The city is investing $32 million to rebuild a course that’s been beat up for a century, and the transformation is stunning — sand traps, level tee boxes, palm trees, a new clubhouse and restaurant. It should open late this year or early 2027.
The catch? Green fees are going up. Longtime locals aren’t thrilled, but after a hundred years, a course deserves an upgrade. If you want cracked fairways and crooked tee boxes, stick with the old course elsewhere, because living in Delray Beach now means playing on something built to last.
3. The city is spending big
If you don’t like a city that puts its money where its mouth is, stay away, because living in Delray Beach means watching roughly $400 million pour into upgrades. A new water treatment facility, the first since the original went up 75 years ago, will cost $280 million and finish around 2028. Pompey Park is getting a $50 million overhaul with a new campus, pools, and tennis courts, built with sustainability in mind.
The Northwest District is getting new pavement, underground electric lines, fresh parking, and roundabouts. Add the $32 million golf course and the roughly $20 million beach restoration project completed earlier this year, and you’ve got a city following the money. If that philosophy bothers you, living in Delray Beach won’t sit well.
4. Too many restaurants
With 108 restaurants in town, choosing where to eat can feel overwhelming. Akira Back brings Michelin-star Japanese fare to Pineapple Grove. Barcelona opened in Sundy Village just months ago. Bourbon, chef Michael Mina’s steakhouse at the Seagate Hotel, has been open about a year. Double Knot, an upscale sushi bar in Sundy Village, opened just last week. Gabriella’s serves fine New York-style Italian.
Hyde Park makes you feel like you’re underground in Chicago. Lake Colonial mixes French and Vietnamese in a stunning space. Geronimo’s covers Tex-Mex. That’s eight, and there are a hundred more I didn’t mention. If bland food and empty streets are more your speed, living in Delray Beach will frustrate you fast.
5. Best beach in Florida, three years running
USA Today’s 10Best named Delray Beach the top beach in Florida for 2024, 2025, and now 2026. The city backs that title up, spending nearly $20 million this year on beach restoration. There’s volleyball, catamaran rentals, a shipwreck for snorkeling, and steady waves year-round. If a top-ranked beach isn’t a draw for you, living in Delray Beach might not be your scene.
6. Four straight years of the Blue Flag Award
While living in Delray Beach, its earned the Blue Flag Award four years running, the first U.S. city to do it alongside Malibu, California, and still the only one. The award recognizes cities that manage their beaches well — protecting sea turtle hatchlings, guarding native dune plants from invasive species, and educating the community. Every year, the mayor and commissioners gather for the flag-raising ceremony. If community involvement and beach stewardship don’t matter to you, living in Delray Beach won’t feel like the right fit.
7. The relaxed pace
If you run on a strict no-relaxation policy, this charming village by the sea will wear on you fast. Living in Delray Beach means being surrounded by yoga studios on the north side and downtown, salons for massages and pampering, and gyms on nearly every block. A weekend farmers market runs all winter, monthly summer yoga events pop up around town, and the Cocoa Market puts wellness front and center.
There’s sunrise and sunset beach yoga, wine events, and a cigar bar for anyone who wants to slow down with a stogie. If chilling out isn’t your idea of a good time, this town will drive you nuts.
Bonus: owning a piece of it
If owning quality real estate holds no appeal, look elsewhere. Living in Delray Beach means access to golf course homes, oceanfront condos, canal and lake views, rental properties within walking distance of over 108 restaurants, and luxury homes with boat lifts that drop you straight into the Intracoastal.
This stretch of coast sits between two international airports, sandwiched between Miami and Palm Beach, where money keeps flowing in and propping up property values. If real estate that could double as your retirement account doesn’t interest you, don’t buy here.
Want the good, the bad, and the ugly delivered every week? I break it all down in my newsletter, out every Wednesday morning. Sign up using the link below. Reading it will make living in Delray Beach easy and you’ll be a local in no time.
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