So, I am no working in Miami...where to live??? (Kendall: homes, magnet school)

[rogerbacon]

Originally Posted by crisp444

Yes, I'd be glad to tell you about it. It's a fairly affluent area of East Kendall that is called "The Falls" due to the Falls shopping center at SW 136th Street and US1. There are several rentals on SW 92nd Avenue and also at SW 104th Street and US1, closer to Continental Park. The rest of the area is made up of single-family houses, many of which have large yards and lush vegetation. This area largely does not have the traffic problems that much of Kendall has, and I find driving around the Falls area more pleasant because the roads tend to just be one lane each way (sometimes two) and more relaxing than the wide, high-speed roads in West Kendall. Schools around there are generally very good, and the the local high school (Killian) has a pretty good reputation as well.

The Falls is a very nice area. I lived there for quite a while. The condos that Crisp444 is talking about are right behind The Falls shopping center (an easy walk) and are actually in the Palmetto school district. I had a friend that moved from the FIU area to that area behind the Falls so that she could send her daughter to Palmetto. This was back in 2004 so you might want to check and make sure the district borders haven't changed, as they sometimes do.

[Shoegal1075]

Thanks Roger - I am touring Miami this weekend in hopes of finding something LOL. Any more suggestions, keep them coming!

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Chelsa,

I personally would prefer a single family home over a condo for a family so aventura and key biscayne out of the equation. I also wouldn't live in a condo just to have palmetto high assigned to me. Take it from someone who graduated from that school. Its a good school but not much different than other middle class schools. It just has more white(a lot of Jews) & black people than other areas. The homes in that area are unffordable.

The only areas that seem affordable and still have good schools are doral and some parts of Kendall. I like the area that has killian hs assigned like the crossings and calusa Your money would probably go further in that area than in doral.

For school boundaries check http://gisims2.miamidade.gov/cservices

The maps are crappy and hard to read but you can enter the exact address and get the assigned schools.

[Marlin331]

Chelsa: You might also wish to consider the area in the 33165 zip code - generally, the area east of the Turnpike but west of the Palmetto, north of Miller Drive but south of Bird Road. The eastern part is called Blue Lakes; the western part is called Westwood Lakes. It's generally a middle class area that is heavily Cuban-American with a decent presence of non-Hispanic Jews and Anglo-Americans. Little diversity outside of that, though, and the schools, while not award-winning, are fine. The homes are fairly modest and were built between the 1950's and 1970's, but the area is very safe and pretty affordable. Also check out the Sunset area directly to the south. The demographics are pretty similar but skew more upper-middle class, and the homes are a bit larger and more expensive.

[Shoegal1075]

Originally Posted by crisp444

Chelsa: You might also wish to consider the area in the 33165 zip code - generally, the area east of the Turnpike but west of the Palmetto, north of Miller Drive but south of Bird Road. The eastern part is called Blue Lakes; the western part is called Westwood Lakes. It's generally a middle class area that is heavily Cuban-American with a decent presence of non-Hispanic Jews and Anglo-Americans. Little diversity outside of that, though, and the schools, while not award-winning, are fine. The homes are fairly modest and were built between the 1950's and 1970's, but the area is very safe and pretty affordable. Also check out the Sunset area directly to the south. The demographics are pretty similar but skew more upper-middle class, and the homes are a bit larger and more expensive.

Thanks - I'm just a little worried about commuting? I don't want to spend my life in traffic. I'm so spoiled by the trains just sitting and doing nothing until your stop is up. I read so much more in NY than I do here - it is a little crazy to that this is the case - Crisp, is it just me or is NY just more grounded? I'm not saying this in a mean way - I legitimately am asking your opinion. I just feel like Miami is very pretentious - but this may be because I don't really know anyone. Right now all I see are things on the outside. I'm not trying to be judgemental but I feel like unless I'm wearing my designer bag and shoes noone wants to have a conversation with me - it is a little crazy.

Anyway back to the question at hand - if want to live in house or townhome with a relatively short commute to work and still be in an area that is affordable and in an area that has good schools, where should I move to?

[Shoegal1075]

Originally Posted by ♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥

Chelsa,

I personally would prefer a single family home over a condo for a family so aventura and key biscayne out of the equation. I also wouldn't live in a condo just to have palmetto high assigned to me. Take it from someone who graduated from that school. Its a good school but not much different than other middle class schools. It just has more white(a lot of Jews) & black people than other areas. The homes in that area are unffordable.

The only areas that seem affordable and still have good schools are doral and some parts of Kendall. I like the area that has killian hs assigned like the crossings and calusa Your money would probably go further in that area than in doral.

For school boundaries check http://gisims2.miamidade.gov/cservices

The maps are crappy and hard to read but you can enter the exact address and get the assigned schools.

Princess, you live in Kendall what would the commute be like? I don't mind living around cubans - I realize being Puerto Rican here makes me the minority and I'm okay as long as there is a good area for safety and schools.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

I live close to kendall further south. It really depends a lot on the street that takes you to the expressway. How far you are from the exit and how busy that street gets. Kendall drive can be a pain and it's probably the worst I avoid that street during traffic hours. The areas I mentioned earlier are close to the turnpike and while I'm not 100% sure trAffic on 120 st is not as bad as 104 st or Kendall dr. Traffic is heavy in the afternoon everywhere in sw Miami. You would have to take the dolphin west all the way to the palmetto or the turnpike. Usually after you merge traffic moves. The worst traffic is in the dolphin itself and in the palmetto from NW 36 st till sw 8st/24 st I woul say it takes from 30 minutes to an hour.

[Marlin331]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

is it just me or is NY just more grounded? I'm not saying this in a mean way - I legitimately am asking your opinion. I just feel like Miami is very pretentious - but this may be because I don't really know anyone. Right now all I see are things on the outside. I'm not trying to be judgemental but I feel like unless I'm wearing my designer bag and shoes noone wants to have a conversation with me - it is a little crazy.

I've found that there are a lot of pretentious people in NYC and in Miami. With that said, however, I know plenty of people from both places who are not materialistic or ostentatious. I have to say, though, that middle and upper-middle class people seem to have a lot more "stuff" in Miami than in NYC. Money goes further down there, so it's not uncommon for people in those income brackets to have large houses and luxurious, water-view apartments. Oh, and as I'm sure you've noticed, there are a lot of nice cars down there. People in Miami love their cars, and I have even seen people my age (mid-late 20's) who choose to live at home and not have rent just so they can afford an $800/month payment on a really nice car. Contrast that to nice areas of Manhattan, where upper-middle class couples live in one-bedroom apartments and take the subway. On the other hand, New Yorkers seem to spend a lot more money on dining out and entertainment than Miamians do, in my experience.

Once you get your boys enrolled in school, attend PTA meetings and sports games. You'll meet other parents with similar interests as you, and I'm sure that many of them will not be show-offs. Also, look into meetup.com; it has a lot of different groups (cooking, dining out, sports fans, gardening pros, etc.) of like-minded people who have interests other than designer bags and shoes. It takes time to meet people once you move somewhere new, but be patient and I am sure that you'll begin to appreciate the Miami area more once you settle in and start taking advantage of all of there is to do.

[Marlin331]

Chelsa: if you're working downtown, you should consider taking the MetroRail to work. If you end up living in Kendall or South Miami, just drive to one of the MetroRail stops, park, and take the train to work. South of downtown (I have no experience with public transportation north of downtown), the train is quick and reliable, as it's elevated and doesn't have to worry about traffic or intersections.

Also, if you end up living east of 874 or the Palmetto in East Kendall/South Miami and wish to drive to work, do not take the expressways to work; take US1. It has a bunch of lights and you will be in heavy traffic, but it is a far more direct route to downtown than the Palmetto-->Dolphin. Princess is correct that the Dolphin Expressway - and the Palmetto a few miles north and a few miles south of it - has the worst traffic in Miami during rush hour.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Yes us1 is a better road to take to downtown Miami And the lights are coordinated. If you can find something affordable with good schools that would be the best commute in my opinion. Forget metrorail, you won't use it, it's quicker to drive north us1. Get satellite radio or listen to NPR or audiobooks if you get bored driving.