Open question for Miami lovers (Homestead: homes, buying, universities)
MiamiMiami-Dade County
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Do not forget to add the undocumented aliens. I am amazed how many of them are working minimum wage jobs in the south Florida area. Even out here, in the country you see the "guats" working on the horse farms.
Do not forget to add the undocumented aliens. I am amazed how many of them are working minimum wage jobs in the south Florida area. Even out here, in the country you see the "guats" working on the horse farms.
Miami's future is not going to be apocalyptic nor will it be stellar. The doomsday scenarios won't play out nor will the fanstasies of Miami being this unrivaled slice of paradise on Earth and evolving into more than it is today, economically speaking.
First the good: Miami is a strong base for Latin American and US Spanish language media. It is a major tourist destination for many people around the world. It has natural and artificial beauty. People want to live here despite the obvious drawbacks, so those are all huge things in Miami's favor, regardless of economics. Also, warm winter weather is a mjor selling point for many people from up north.
Now the bad: The local economy is very dependent on tourism and real estate speculation. Prices are (have been and will continue to be) artificially high and job opportunities are (have been and will contine to be) limited. Miami has a very corrupt government where you have to pay to play for the most part. Developable land is limited and while Miami attracts investors and the famous, it also attracts crazy and nutty people that are a huge drain on economic and government resources.
Miami will continue to be a place of haves and have nots for the reasons mentioned above. People that can afford to live here will continue to do so. Others that have ties to the area or just want to will do what it takes to live here even if it means struggling to get by. Many native Miaimians will choose to move away to take advantage of more frequent and better opportunities elsewhere.
The problem is, Miami doesn't want to change what it is. It isn't striving to be an encompassing place with a sense of community or diverse economy. It serves the wealthy quite well and the remianing residents are here to help keep the engine churning until they either want more or as long as they think getting paid in sunshine dollars is worth it. If that means living at home with 10 family members at the age of 40, so be it. That attitude is very common here, partly cultural and partly out of necessity. But it always sounds better to play it off as I love my parents so much, they need me and I take care of abuela as opposed to saying I can't afford rent and car insurance from my $11 an hour job. So is it denial? People making sacrifices? People not knowing any better or just being a product of the environment? People that think this trade off is satisfying for living in the 305? You be the judge.
Miami's future is not going to be apocalyptic nor will it be stellar. The doomsday scenarios won't play out nor will the fanstasies of Miami being this unrivaled slice of paradise on Earth and evolving into more than it is today, economically speaking.
First the good: Miami is a strong base for Latin American and US Spanish language media. It is a major tourist destination for many people around the world. It has natural and artificial beauty. People want to live here despite the obvious drawbacks, so those are all huge things in Miami's favor, regardless of economics. Also, warm winter weather is a mjor selling point for many people from up north.
Now the bad: The local economy is very dependent on tourism and real estate speculation. Prices are (have been and will continue to be) artificially high and job opportunities are (have been and will contine to be) limited. Miami has a very corrupt government where you have to pay to play for the most part. Developable land is limited and while Miami attracts investors and the famous, it also attracts crazy and nutty people that are a huge drain on economic and government resources.
Miami will continue to be a place of haves and have nots for the reasons mentioned above. People that can afford to live here will continue to do so. Others that have ties to the area or just want to will do what it takes to live here even if it means struggling to get by. Many native Miaimians will choose to move away to take advantage of more frequent and better opportunities elsewhere.
The problem is, Miami doesn't want to change what it is. It isn't striving to be an encompassing place with a sense of community or diverse economy. It serves the wealthy quite well and the remianing residents are here to help keep the engine churning until they either want more or as long as they think getting paid in sunshine dollars is worth it. If that means living at home with 10 family members at the age of 40, so be it. That attitude is very common here, partly cultural and partly out of necessity. But it always sounds better to play it off as I love my parents so much, they need me and I take care of abuela as opposed to saying I can't afford rent and car insurance from my $11 an hour job. So is it denial? People making sacrifices? People not knowing any better or just being a product of the environment? People that think this trade off is satisfying for living in the 305? You be the judge.
The people living with abuela at the age of 40 are usually living off her SSI check and probably their parents checks also. They are not the type that consider the concepts of relocation, responsability or personal growth.
The people living with abuela at the age of 40 are usually living off her SSI check and probably their parents checks also. They are not the type that consider the concepts of relocation, responsability or personal growth.
I actually agree with you Princess....
But despite that being true, there is a huge amount of the population born in Miami, living at home, as an adult, out of necessity, in addition to te people who choose to do so. The people that do entertain the possibilty of evolving over time and taking new job opportunities out of the area are usually the ones who move away.
Miami is very insular in a way, if you love the Latin culture it is hard to leave because very few other places compare to MIA in that regard. That is a deal breaker for a lot of people.
At the same time, Miami is what it is. If you come here with enough money to insulate yourself from the BS that most middle class people have to deal with, it is wonderful. If you come with a well paying job lined up, things will be great. If you come with a work ethic and desire to suceed but limited funds, you will be very frustrated. Not to say you can't be happy here, just that you will have to do an inordinate amount of adapting in order to find a balance between personal and professional sucess.
Miami is unique in many regards and if you feel like you don't fit in in most other US cities, you will probably enjoy Miami and fel very at home and have a higher tolerace for BS. If you liked your life before comming here, you might find yourself in the category of being unhappy unless your desire is to be immersed in Latin culture and warm weather.
But despite that being true, there is a huge amount of the population born in Miami, living at home, as an adult, out of necessity, in addition to te people who choose to do so. The people that do entertain the possibilty of evolving over time and taking new job opportunities out of the area are usually the ones who move away.
Miami is very insular in a way, if you love the Latin culture it is hard to leave because very few other places compare to MIA in that regard. That is a deal breaker for a lot of people.
At the same time, Miami is what it is. If you come here with enough money to insulate yourself from the BS that most middle class people have to deal with, it is wonderful. If you come with a well paying job lined up, things will be great. If you come with a work ethic and desire to suceed but limited funds, you will be very frustrated. Not to say you can't be happy here, just that you will have to do an inordinate amount of adapting in order to find a balance between personal and professional sucess.
Miami is unique in many regards and if you feel like you don't fit in in most other US cities, you will probably enjoy Miami and fel very at home and have a higher tolerace for BS. If you liked your life before comming here, you might find yourself in the category of being unhappy unless your desire is to be immersed in Latin culture and warm weather.
As much as I personally didn't enjoy Miami, many people do enjoy it, meaning that Miami is not Detroit, where no one wants to live. As you say, Miami is just different from other major US cities, which is neither good nor bad, but it is certainly not for everyone and it does not really allow for too many deviations from the norm, in terms of what's the mainstream culture there. Unlike other cities, people also move to Miami with such high expectations of the place, only to end up disappointed, or realizing that year round sunshine didn't really make their lives any better + Miami's own problems affecting them.
I enjoy your posts, by the way. You should write some sort of Miami guidebook, factual, yet also tongue-in-cheek comedy too.
As much as I personally didn't enjoy Miami, many people do enjoy it, meaning that Miami is not Detroit, where no one wants to live. As you say, Miami is just different from other major US cities, which is neither good nor bad, but it is certainly not for everyone and it does not really allow for too many deviations from the norm, in terms of what's the mainstream culture there. Unlike other cities, people also move to Miami with such high expectations of the place, only to end up disappointed, or realizing that year round sunshine didn't really make their lives any better + Miami's own problems affecting them.
I enjoy your posts, by the way. You should write some sort of Miami guidebook, factual, yet also tongue-in-cheek comedy too.
The people living with abuela at the age of 40 are usually living off her SSI check and probably their parents checks also. They are not the type that consider the concepts of relocation, responsability or personal growth.
Bingo !!!!
What's even more astounding is the hypocrisy where :
1) the vast majority of those you mention often boast of the assets they have and how grandma lives with them (intead of the reality of visa versa ) .
2) while sipping coffee pound the pavement to a Republican tune and equate Democrats with "socialism" when they themselves live off every government program listed.
3) and the excuses for not paying child support .. or even worse blaming everything on their spouse .. only to sit in diapers at age 40 with grandma cooking the fried steak after a night of spending her money at the clubs.
4) or how they earn their living .. like buying a salvage car and reselling it .. ore claiming tlo be a doctor and using tire repair kits to make a bigger butt or buying some other junk and pushing it off in an underhanded way .
They even might promise a prompt delivery .. and never follow through.
What even worse is how the county actually embraces this . It's so rampant that it's almost desensitized the people who actually follow the rules . It's not only sad .. it's pathetic .. and its toxic .
Now the bad: The local economy is very dependent on tourism and real estate speculation. Prices are (have been and will continue to be) artificially high and job opportunities are (have been and will contine to be) limited. Miami has a very corrupt government where you have to pay to play for the most part. Developable land is limited and while Miami attracts investors and the famous, it also attracts crazy and nutty people that are a huge drain on economic and government resources.
.
There is much more to the local econony even though tourism and real estate are big players in the game .
Just to name a few examples --
There is tremendous research and science at Jackson , there's modeling and entertainment , fashion and design , and even a major university which draws intellectuals from all over the world to teach and study .In fact most of the students at UM are in fact NOT from Miami . After the 4 years they leave . Now why do you think that is ? One would think that a college period in ones life is a wonderful time to also establish a career base list of leads .. yet they don't . So even the clubs , fun, beach, and nighlife (which often attract young people greatly) isn't enough to stay .
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