Moving to Miami with husband and 14 y/o and 11 y/o (Kendall: rental, townhouse)

[kayaker2000]

We are possibly moving to Miami this winter. I have two daughters, 14 and 11 years old. We would be moving for me to accept a position downtown. We would be solidly middle class, not upper middle class. I have no information on the area, except what I have read here. Any advice on where to live, good schools- middle and high schools, and after school programs would be appreciated. We will not be able to afford private schools. We currently live in the Midwest, so we know this will be a big change.

Thank you! Kayaker2000

[doggiebus]

Living some place for a year is a good way to get to know the area and other areas. What is your price range for purchasing a home? Are you looking for a single family or a townhouse? What is your rental price range? As side note, coming from the midwest Miami may not be your cup of tea, you may want to look at Broward County even though you would have to commute to work each day.

[kayaker2000]

We are hoping to rent for at least the first year and would prefer a single family home, but could do a townhouse. $1,500 would probably be our top rental price we could afford. How far of a commute would I have from Broward County?

[doggiebus]

Depends on what part of Broward you decide to live. I would stay south of I-595 to keep the commute to a minimum. I am not familiar enough to speak about rental prices, but my guess is $1,500 isn't a lot for a single family home, probably a townhouse is closer to that budget in a decent area.

The best public schools in Miami-Dade are in Pinecrest, East Kendall, South Miami, Palmetto Bay, Coral Gables (I hear mixed reviews).

[kayaker2000]

Thank you. I will check out the Broward County area south of I-595. I am specifically worried about the move for my older daughter. She is currently a freshman, a good A/B student, but very shy. She does best when she can get involved in girl only programs. I really appreciate the help

[doggiebus]

Freshman year is a good year to transfer, as many students have come together from different middle schools. So this is the year that the children form friendships, etc. You may want to post a question in the Ft. Lauderdale section so the members there can give you areas to look at in Broward.

[kayaker2000]

Sounds good. I will post in Ft. Lauderdale, thank you!

[somebodymiami]

Hmmm well the school system is much different down here.... a high school student myself i hope i can give some useful info...

As previous poster stated the best schools are prob going to be


Public Schools(Most public school have around 2000-4000 kids so they are big)
Coral Reef (south west miami dade but in a shady area)
Miami Palmetto ( good area good school)
Coral Gables(good school but imports some kids from Little havanna)

or you can try to get here into maybe MAST Academy its smaller but probably one of the best school and its located near downtown so if you get a spot in downtown miami...


As far as neighborhoods go i dont really know what you are looking for because it is different here .... the middle class here isnt really like the middle class in the mid west ...


There are many other schools such as

G holmes braddock
Miami sunset
south miami
south west miami
miami coral park

i wouldnt really discard these schools but they arent the best but not the worst either.... just expect lots of people speaking spanish only and get used to your daughter being called a gringo (if your white) ... its not really an offensive term its used more playfully...


regardless of where you stay at though since she is only a freshman you can apply for her to get into a magnet program to go the school of her choosing so schools really isnt an issue....... id be more worried about finding a neighborhood suited to your needs.... also as suggested you can move to broward county and commute...

as for your daughter being shy ... shouldnt be a problem most hispanic people arent very shy they speak their mind .... so she will prob get over that and if not then well she might get teased a little but not that much...but again it would most likely just be playful.... also their is a big ghetto culture and lots of drug use in the schools (mainly marry j) there are also preps and refs etc etc.. she should be fine though..and welcome to FCAT

[kayaker2000]

Thank you! A lot of very helpful information, especially given your perspective as a high school student.

[John P Colorado]

Kayaker2000,

I grew up in Miami. I lived there up until a few years ago and now live in Colorado. I will not lie to you. It will be a very hard and tough transition for you and your family. I do not know your background, however it will feel like you moved to a different country. I especially feel concern for your 14 yr old (shy) daughter. Generally speaking, this will not be a good environment and influence on her life. I would NEVER move my family there. Not a good place to raise a family. Sorry, for being so blunt and pessimistic; I'm just trying to be honest. I do wish you and your family the best.