The spectacular Boca Raton Resort & Club

When it comes to country clubs Boca does it better, with more than a dozen communities set amidst green acres, especially around "Country Club Mile" -- the stretch of Military Trail from Boca Raton to Delray Beach. Country club communities generally offer a choice of residences including single family homes, town homes, villas, coach houses, patio homes and mid-rise condominiums. Many single family homes also have their own swimming pools and prices vary from affordable to stratospheric. Country Club amenities include the social epicenter -- a luxurious clubhouse, with restaurant(s) lounges and fitness center. Outdoors, community swimming pools, golf courses and tennis courts set the scene for an idyllic lifestyle, often enhanced by jogging trails, lakes and children's play areas. Strict security at entrance gates and roving patrols add to the exclusivity. However, country club living traditionally comes with a price when the golf course and clubhouse are part of an equity club requiring membership dues in the thousands. Fees for food and beverages are also mandatory in some clubs.

Most country clubs started out primarily as golfing and tennis communities but times are changing. Homes are going up in new villages; homes are being torn down in older villages and new younger residents are moving into older established country club communities bringing down the average age and raising the number of year-round residents.

The classic country clubs communities include Boca Country Club, Boca Greens; Boca Grove Plantation, Bocaire Golf Club; Boca Pointe; Boca West; Boca Woods; Broken Sound; Polo Club; St. Andrews; Stonebridge and Woodfield Country Club. Newer clubs, just north of Boca Raton with homes still under construction, include Addison Reserve, Polo Trace and Mizner Country Club.