What’s in a name?

We have a condo in Florida at The Pines. The full name is Pines of Delray North, a 55+ Community. It is distinguished by tall Norfolk Pines scattered around the lovely, well-maintained grounds. When Jerry Seinfeld’s mother lived here, he wrote several episodes about this complex. He used the made-up names of Pines of Clark Gable and Del Boca Vista. We met Betty Seinfeld once at a party; I enjoyed meeting her and telling her my favorite Seinfeld episode. Jerry Seinfeld’s episodes about the Pines are spot on, especially the one about staying with parents who had an uncomfortable sleeper sofa and refused to turn on the air conditioning. I know from experience.

As we drive around Palm Beach County, I notice the many euphemistic and grand names of other complexes down here. First are the Valencias: Valencia Isles, Valencia Falls, Valencia Estates, etc. They have beautiful, dramatic entrances with fountains and flowers. Then I found out that "Valencia” is a code word for old, not beautiful as I had expected. The next code word I came upon was “reserve.” It means rich. So there are Mizner Reserve and Addison Reserve where the homes start above one million dollars. There is also a place called The Preserve. Do you think the people who live there stay young or are better preserved?

Many of the names seem descriptive like Lake View, Forest Lake, or Delray Shores. However, looking a little deeper, there is neither lake, nor forest, nor shore at these places.

The town of Delray Beach was not settled until the late 1800s. So the area is young by standards of the northeast. The oldest existing house in Delray was built in 1898. Initially, the town was known for its farms and fishing. So, why aren’t these large complexes--built on what was once farm land--called Cabbage Acres or Green Pepper Land? I know. These are not glamorous names, and the idea is to lure people to Eden in their retirement years.

Back in the 1950s and 1960s when development of vacation condos initially started, several gigantic complexes were built: King’s Point and Huntington Lakes, for example. These are largely small, utilitarian apartments that are now inhabited by surviving widows in their 80s and 90s. Another one is famously called Century Village, and you can guess how old you have to be to live there! Finally, and this is NOT a joke, there is a complex rather pessimistically named Journey's End.

So, if you are thinking of buying a place in Florida, I hope this little guide to names will help. It is not exactly the information a realtor will share.