Tampa vs Fort Lauderdale (26 Years Old)

[organo]

Which has more crime?

[parisandgrey]

Originally Posted by organo

Which has more crime?

southeast florida aka miami area hands down has more crime than tampa...but theres always more crime in big cities, just like there will always be more crime in a city like LA than a city like Tulsa, Oklahoma


to the OP I copied and pasted this from another thread and it should give you more insight into the difference of Miami and central florida cities:


_________________


on paper that may be true but I have lived in both cities and miami is the fast paced, young, hip trendy cousin of tampa-the slow paced, cute, small country bumpkin

even in 2012 tampa is extremely slow paced, which is not a bad thing it all depends on what people like
on paper tampa's average population age may be lower than miami's but in REAL LIFE, you see SO many more q-tips in the tampa bay, clearwater, st. pete area than southeast florida aka miami
even most of tampa bay's tourists seem to all be 40years or older I asked someone why that is and this is the answer they gave me:
"It depends. Miami is a little much for older people who want to bask in the nice weather and just golf or check out Spring Training, and also a bit much for underage kids who do want to go to Orlando. Miami is more for single 20-30 somethings, and better if you are well off financially than not. Tampa is cheaper and has less crime, and is a less socially and racially stratified place than Miami.
Source(s):

been to both many times over three diff. decades"

and I completely agree with that person

I don't know why people in central and north florida feel like they need to "prove" that their cities are as good as miami when there is just no comparison...miami is the hot spot city in the entire state of florida hands down- when it comes to vacations, young sexy people, movie shoots, models, south beach, nightlife and the fast paced lifestyle miami will always be #1 in the state of FL.
Now does that mean places like Orlando and Tampa aren't great? No, they both have their own unique charm and amusement parks galore but it just all depends on who you are, how old you are, what you want in life and what kind of lifestyle you are used to


Central Florida-Tampa and Orlando
Pros-
Great for families
Much less crime than south florida
Cheaper than S.FL
More places to rent than S.FL
More "Green" than s.FL such as pastures, "woods" cattle, pine trees and such
Drivers arent as crazy as south florida
People are friendlier than south florida
Schools are better in terms of size and less problems than the ones in miami
Everything a person "needs" is available without the crazy fast paced lifestyle
Definitely more jobs available than miami and you dont have to speak spanish

Cons:
Dead nightlife compared to miami/south beach
If you are from somewhere like LA, SD OR NYC you will get tired of tampa/orlando very quickly
This is just my opinion but south florida native (miami, fort laud, boca raton, palm beach) women are the hottest in the state, and other than a few transplants you wont find a lot of them in central and north florida unless they are attending college
Beaches arent as pretty and tourist friendly as miami beach, fort laud beach, palm beach etc
More rednecks and hillbillies than south florida, think confederate flags and bumper stickers- this seems to be a common observation from people who are from big cities like miami, nyc, and la that visit places like tampa or even orlando
Lots of q tip tourists from places like north carolina, virginia, texas, south carolina ALL year round



Miami/south east florida-

pros:
Hot, young sexy people-The largest grouping in one spot of hot, sexy, modeling contract worthy people will be found in miami, south beach, fort laud, boca raton, palm beach etc that doesn't mean there aren't some people like that in other areas of the state I'm just saying you'll find the LARGEST AMOUNT of people like that in south florida
great nightlife-south beach
Its the place to be in florida
Great malls such as aventura, galleria, sawgrass, pembroke
Spring breakers woohoo!
More of a cultural melting pot than any other area of florida-theres a lot of latinos, blacks, europeans etc etc racism is not really a problem in south florida, whatever color, ethnicity you are you are accepted
More to see, more to do, great beaches and lots of places to hang out, lots of bars, clubs

cons
Not that great to raise a family
Not a lot of jobs but depends on what you do
High cost of living- rent, insurance, food, taxes on bills
Not that many places to rent unless you want to pay $1,000+ for a one bedroom
CRIME
If you are from a small town or used to a slower paced lifestyle you will probably start to hate miami after a few months
Miami despite being the most well known city in FL is actually quite small compared to places like Vegas and LA so it can get old quick
Drivers are maniacs-there was a news story not that long ago about some driver that shot at another driver through the passenger window down in miami ..probably for cutting him off or something
Schools are getting bad, a lot of parents are turning to home schooling in SE FL, theres just too many drugs and violence
Homeless people in downtown miami - lots of them

[fkostas]

What's a q-tip tourist?

[MiamiRob]

Originally Posted by fkostas

What's a q-tip tourist?

q-tip is a white haired old person.

[cricky]

I think Miami is where the party is at. But FTL is close enough to head down for the night. I do it every weekend. Still some cool places to go out in FTL. But, it no NYC.

[kyle19125]

I'm arriving late in the thread but would say it depends upon what type of 26 year old you are. If you've moved on from the frat-boy days and are into adulthood, Tampa might be the better pick. If you're still living the college days, Fort Lauderdale is the obvious better choice.

[JSnFla]

for the most part the tampa area feels like you are in the united states. in many areas in dade and broward counties u feel like u r in a 3rd world latin country

[Nolefan34]

Originally Posted by JSnFla

for the most part the tampa area feels like you are in the united states. in many areas in dade and broward counties u feel like u r in a 3rd world latin country

I think that your comment is way overplayed. That mostly applies to Miami, not Broward County. Tampa and Broward County are actually very similar. Tampa has lots of crime and lots of bad areas. In fact, the crime rates in Tampa are actually higher than Broward County. Tampa is also rated as one of the most depressing, miserable cities in America along with Jacksonville. I don't put much stock into those CNN lists, but I didn't see Miami or Fort Lauderdale on those lists.

The main differences between Tampa and Broward County are that Tampa is more inland and has more of a rustic, hilly, farmish feel in the suburbs. Broward County is entirely flat and has few areas that would be considered rustic, except Southwest Ranches and parts of Cooper City and Davie. The other difference is the people in each area. Broward County's non-Hispanic population is heavily from the Northeast and Tampa's population is heavily from the Midwest. Of course both areas are diverse and have people from everywhere, but that is the general rule. As such, Tampa tends to be a more politically conservative area and Broward tends to be more politically liberal.