Renting in/near Miami - Safe living for a young woman?? (Pembroke Pines: apartment, rent)

[ShelliF]

My husband recently got a new job based out of MIA, so we will be relocating. Due to the nature of his job I will be spending most of my time alone in whatever area we move to, & we have heard so many horror stories of the area that we are getting concerned.
Now I have lived in cities before (Houston, Austin, Shreveport) & realize there are always going to be poor, undesirable, & crime-ridden areas, but how bad IS Miami compared to your avg city?? Do the "dangerous" areas change if you are a resident rather than a tourist? Will I be able to go shopping, visit the beach, run errands etc safely on my own?

FYI: I am an early-20s Caucasian, if that matters. Despite my age I have ZERO interest in the clubbing/bar hopping/party scene & tend to stick to quiet, calm, nature-based leisure activities.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by ShelliF

My husband recently got a new job based out of MIA, so we will be relocating. Due to the nature of his job I will be spending most of my time alone in whatever area we move to, & we have heard so many horror stories of the area that we are getting concerned.
Now I have lived in cities before (Houston, Austin, Shreveport) & realize there are always going to be poor, undesirable, & crime-ridden areas, but how bad IS Miami compared to your avg city?? Do the "dangerous" areas change if you are a resident rather than a tourist? Will I be able to go shopping, visit the beach, run errands etc safely on my own?

FYI: I am an early-20s Caucasian, if that matters. Despite my age I have ZERO interest in the clubbing/bar hopping/party scene & tend to stick to quiet, calm, nature-based leisure activities.

No, unless you hire a bodyguard but those are quite expensive and Sometimes take advantage of white people. My boss who is also caucasian like you she buys everything through Amazon, even groceries. For the beach she drives all the way to Cocoa Beach or Naples. She also pays everything online or by mail. She has to wait though until her husband can take her mail to the post office because the first time she went to the post office she was called racial slurs by the clerks, her car was keyed in the parking lot, and when she was getting in her car, she was mugged at gunpoint.

[Pear Martini]

what Princess said...and watch out for the groups of roving hispanics and jew gangs

[Pear Martini]

OP...we know nothing about what type of rent you will be able to afford so we can at least lead you in the right/safest direction.

There are areas that are quite safe, but this is no small town either. Doors must be locked, etc.

[xS☺B☺s]

Wow. Princess kicked her ass before she even arrived.

Even more shocking Pear jumped in.

Damn that was hot.

Do that again gals!

(wiki)

[ShelliF]

Wow, I glad you folks are so classy and helpful. Seriously??

Like I said in my initial post, I have lived in cities before. I'm not an idiot. However I -HAVE- been in areas where going out alone as a young woman really COULD get you attacked or harassed. Where your car -WOULD- be keyed, & flashing your headlights at a car w/o them on would get you mugged & possibly killed as a gang initiation. So try not to be complete a$$holes, would you? Like I said, I know nothing about Miami, we've never even been there. Cut me some slack.

We will be looking at a 2/1 apt for $850-$950 a month & have found a few seemingly nice properties. Don't care about living IN the city proper, but need to be close to Miami International. Does anyone know of nice quiet areas or complexes that you would recommend?

[JimboUSMC17]

Unfortunately that rpice range won't get you a place in the greatest area. Do you have a child? If not why not consider a 1 bedroom? I'd think an apt in the $1200 range would be in a better neighborhood. So you may want to get a job.

[ShelliF]

No we don't have a child, however we're accustomed to having a 2nd bedroom for use as an office & being so far from family I would like a space for guests to stay. Already $950 is $300 more than we spend for a nice suburban area apartment here in TX! My husband & I both work - I am in the healthcare industry so am optimistic about finding work fairly quickly. That said, we also have a lot of student loan debt & wanted to keep our expenses to a minimum.

That said, if increasing our budget is the only way to stay in a safe area then so be it - we will just look at changing domiciles asap.

[hurricaneMan1992]

A friend of mine recently moved out to TX with a HIGHER pay than here and rent 40% less--and he lived in an old, run-down building (though in a good area-South Miami). If it's not too late, consider staying in TX unless the salary is considerably higher. You probably could get a job in health care, but the salary won't be high, and you'd probably need a second car. Did I mention car insurance is amoung the highest in the US?

OK, back to your question--you probably have to live up in Broward to get 2br under $1k in a reasonably nice area. Check out Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Cooper City for example, which should be about 45 minutes commute to MIA.

[theredsnowman]

Originally Posted by ShelliF

Wow, I glad you folks are so classy and helpful. Seriously??

Like I said in my initial post, I have lived in cities before. I'm not an idiot. However I -HAVE- been in areas where going out alone as a young woman really COULD get you attacked or harassed. Where your car -WOULD- be keyed, & flashing your headlights at a car w/o them on would get you mugged & possibly killed as a gang initiation. So try not to be complete a$$holes, would you? Like I said, I know nothing about Miami, we've never even been there. Cut me some slack.

We will be looking at a 2/1 apt for $850-$950 a month & have found a few seemingly nice properties. Don't care about living IN the city proper, but need to be close to Miami International. Does anyone know of nice quiet areas or complexes that you would recommend?

ShelliF,

First, Miami is awesome, so don't worry.

Next, snopes.com: Flashing Headlights Gang Initiation

What do you consider close?

Last, check this out, it is close to Miami International, by almost any standard: Welcome to Blue Lagoon Condominiums - Out of the blue, a new Miami lifestyle emerges.

thanks