Los Angeles vs. Miami: How Do They Compare? (San Diego, Long Beach: real estate, condos)

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Let me be clear. I am born and raised in Los Angeles. Love our fair city. But I have always been intrigued by Miami and interested in comparisons between LA and Miami.

I am not trying to be negative. Realize that ALL PLACES have good points and bad points. I think a case can be made for either place but here is my list of why LA beats Miami and why Miami beats LA:

Why Los Angeles Over Miami:
1. As the 2nd largest city in the US, Los Angeles offers FAR MORE cultural and art institutions than does Miami.

2. Los Angeles has the MOST diverse population of any large US city: white, latino, asian, black, etc.

3. GEOGRAPHIC diversity: LA offers beaches, mountains, and desert all in one location.

4. Educational / Brain power: Los Angeles has UCLA, USC, and CalTech all in one metro area.

5. LA has better and more varied architecture. I can hear architecture critics in San Fran or NYC cringe but really just look at downtown LA. There is a great diversity of style and era.

6. Climate: Yes, So. Florida is GREAT in the winter. But I'll take LA's year round balmy climate, esp. the dry summers when it never rains and there is NO HUMIDITY.

7. Music scene: great musicians live and come to LA and have for years. You can see almost anything on a nightly basis.

8. No "real" surf in Florida. LA is no Hawaii but we get some pretty awesome swells.

9. Much better mexian food in Los Angeles.

Why Choose Miami over Los Angeles:

1. That darn Pacific ocean is really cold.
2. The Miami winter BEATS the LA winters.
3. Less traffic in Miami than Los Angeles.
4. Less smog in Miami than Los Angeles.
5. The bars stay open later in Miami.
6. So. Fla real estate is cheaper but than again the wages are far less in Miami so maybe this one is a wash.
7. The cuban food is better in Miami.

[happ]

Miami has the best winter in the nation except Hawaii is even better. I like Miami [esp South Beach] for outdoor activities [swimming\ biking\ eating\ partying]. I like the Cubano influence and Caribbean cultures. Also Miami has some great botanical gardens\ Coconut Grove & beautiful palm trees.

There definitely are major similarities between Los Angeles & Miami [maybe that's why I feel comfortable in both cities]. But, overall, I would never leave LA because of even more opportunities & interests here in California.

[King0fthehill]

Diversity? Don't let that fool you. LA is becoming less and less diverse (and much more poorer; see its middle class percentage at 28% vs. the natural avg. of 50%) as it becomes more and more Hispanic...oops Mexican. Miami is also a much more middle class in nature, and its Spanish usage is alot more prolific and not limited to working class types (which itself is derived from Hispanics being of all classes there).

Also, LA has nothing that remotely rivals the nightlife and party culture of Miami, nor does it have anything vaguely similar to the miles and upon miles of posh high rise condos.

Being a Caribbeaner, I have a natural lust for Miami, seeing how its the de-facto capital of the Caribbean and Latin America

[edwardius]

Originally Posted by Island_OnThe_Land

LA has better and more varied architecture. I can hear architecture critics in San Fran or NYC cringe....

SF has probably the most boring architecture in the country. Its a complete abomination. It has a bunch of boring old boxes and the Transamerica Building. That is it.

The climate is nice in SF, but architecturally, the place should be bombed and they should start over in SF.

In LA you find funky stuff like this.

by Frank Ghery's Binocular building in Venice CA Photo - Buzznet

[skywalker400]

Ick, you can keep Gehry's work in LA please. I think SF wins by being developed earlier and therefore having a more varied stock of architecture(from victorian/edwardian on), in a much more dense environment. Neither city is Paris though, and SF does benefit much from its topography and views. BTW OP, no love for art deco in south beach?

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Ferraris in LA. Lamborghinis in Miami

[HamptonU]

Originally Posted by King0fthehill

Diversity? Don't let that fool you. LA is becoming less and less diverse (and much more poorer; see its middle class percentage at 28% vs. the natural avg. of 50%) as it becomes more and more Hispanic...oops Mexican. Miami is also a much more middle class in nature, and its Spanish usage is alot more prolific and not limited to working class types (which itself is derived from Hispanics being of all classes there).

Also, LA has nothing that remotely rivals the nightlife and party culture of Miami, nor does it have anything vaguely similar to the miles and upon miles of posh high rise condos.

Being a Caribbeaner, I have a natural lust for Miami, seeing how its the de-facto capital of the Caribbean and Latin America

Im not sure if u have ever been to LA....but have u ever heard of millionaire mile in west LA near the hombly hills area thats about 3 or 4 miles of just high rise condos and apts......as far as parting well i party in Hollywood, Downtown, Orange County, Long Beach, Santa Monica, West LA and then can drive a hr and half south to San Diego, so we definitely have a pretty good party life.....and where i party in LA don't close till 3 which good enough for me cause i when Im commutting to work in the morning im not trying to combat with ppl that have been partyin all night and are more than likely tierd and drunk

[King0fthehill]

Run that be me again -- I didn't understand a thing you wrote.

I'm not saying LA doesn't have a nightlife scene, I'm saying its scale and scope doesn't come close to that of Miami's. And yes I know about that strip of condos on Wilshire from roughly a little past Beverly to Westwood..those condos are concentrated on that ONE street..you go on block in and it drops off into single family homes.

[2Easy]

They're really not all that much alike like many might think. LA is a much bigger city and has areas that are much more densely populated. Miami does have the nightlife edge, but it also has a very large senior population that balances that out. Overall as far as stuff to do it's LA and it's not even close.

[TheRealAngelion]

Originally Posted by King0fthehill

Run that be me again -- I didn't understand a thing you wrote.

I'm not saying LA doesn't have a nightlife scene, I'm saying its scale and scope doesn't come close to that of Miami's. And yes I know about that strip of condos on Wilshire from roughly a little past Beverly to Westwood..those condos are concentrated on that ONE street..you go on block in and it drops off into single family homes.

Oh really. And what exactly is the measure of that scale and scope? Is there some kind of list or ranking or are you just expressing a personal opinion?

You also suggested that Miami has a larger middle class than LA. Do you have data to back that claim up?