Is it Miami so miserable as people claim? (real estate, rent)

[buttlerfly11]

The new label of Miami as "the most miserable city of the United States" has been well known across the Nation.

The press article mentioned several problems, which I honestly think are not exclusive from Miami.

Which is the biggest problem of Miami?

[FlyMIA]

The article is a joke but yes Miami has its problems. I put in government because the public transit is a joke, too many high salaries for people doing nothing, too many government employees don't speak English, public schools are not great either and I always question some of the decisions they make.

[WINTERFRONT]

Over population??? @_@

is this list for real?

[mt971x]

All the above?

[MiamiRob]

Let's address the issues one by one:

Traffic: Traffic is bad in Miami Dade county due to the constricted land area that has allowed for 2 major highways ( FL. Tpk. & I-95) to traverse the entire metro. We are not Arlanta/ Houston/Dallas/ DC with it outer belt rings that let's you bybass the central cities.

Government corruption: From the police (remember the Miami River cops?) to many politicians it is a problem but not endimic solely to Miami.

Illegal immigration: This isn't really that big of a issue compared to the SW states that border Mexico.

Crime: What major metro doesn't have this problem? At least we aren't New Orleans who has recorded it's 29th. murder in the first 57 days of this year.

Low wages/high cost of living: This really wasn't a huge issue until Hurricane Andrew (Home Owner's Insurance) & then the housing bubble during the 2000s. It is a serious problem still.

Quality of work conditions: Care to explain this one? Not sure what this means.

Superficial attitude from people: It's glamorous Miami! Paducah, Kentucky we will never be.

Over population: I wouldn't consider Miami too be overpopulated.

Nightlife: One of the best in the nation and a major plus for tourism & the economy.

Quality of customer service: I've never had a problem. I usually have more issues when dealing with a customer service agent on the other end of a 1-800 line!

If you are underwater on your mortgage or Unemployed like the Forbes list claims , of course you are going to miserable and that "misery" can be anywhere not just Miami.

[FlyMIA]

Traffic in Miami is not that bad either compared to other cities, especially considering how little public transit there is. DC, Atlanta, LA, NYC, Chicago, that is bad traffic.

[Coconut1]

No.

[intelfan11315]

Miami is a great place to live, I think one thing that could make it rough on people would be the Wages to price of rent proportions (the rent is too damn high).

On this board, people tend to come here to complain, which is typical of just about any forum. I don't think the general public would agree with the views of a lot of these haters.

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

Let's address the issues one by one:

Traffic: Traffic is bad in Miami Dade county due to the constricted land area that has allowed for 2 major highways ( FL. Tpk. & I-95) to traverse the entire metro. We are not Arlanta/ Houston/Dallas/ DC with it outer belt rings that let's you bybass the central cities.

Government corruption: From the police (remember the Miami River cops?) to many politicians it is a problem but not endimic solely to Miami.

Illegal immigration: This isn't really that big of a issue compared to the SW states that border Mexico.

Crime: What major metro doesn't have this problem? At least we aren't New Orleans who has recorded it's 29th. murder in the first 57 days of this year.

Low wages/high cost of living: This really wasn't a huge issue until Hurricane Andrew (Home Owner's Insurance) & then the housing bubble during the 2000s. It is a serious problem still.

Quality of work conditions: Care to explain this one? Not sure what this means.

Superficial attitude from people: It's glamorous Miami! Paducah, Kentucky we will never be.

Over population: I wouldn't consider Miami too be overpopulated.

Nightlife: One of the best in the nation and a major plus for tourism & the economy.

Quality of customer service: I've never had a problem. I usually have more issues when dealing with a customer service agent on the other end of a 1-800 line!

If you are underwater on your mortgage or Unemployed like the Forbes list claims , of course you are going to miserable and that "misery" can be anywhere not just Miami.

^^^ Post of the Month.

[bale002]

Yes, this list is a joke, none of the problems cited are specific to Miami.

In my view, Miami's biggest problem is property insurance prices. That is specific to Miami (maybe in common with other US southern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico communities).

Also, despite the building boom of the mid-2000s which was more focused on speculation than the needs of real people, the housing stock is still limited and unsatisfactory, even spread over a very wide price range.

Those factors, coupled with relatively high property taxes, make Miami housing a dubious proposition.

Basic education in schools is mediocre across the planet and across human history. Where Miami falls short is that, though an international city, its cultural scope is skewed and it lacks broad and deep cosmopolitanism. For that you have to go to a city like New York, London, or Paris.

The local economy also lacks breadth and depth. History shows that most people who prosper coming into Miami bring with them wealth accumulated elsewhere and a special set of skills enabling them to take advantage of what Miami, and southern Florida and Florida in general, have to offer: international trade (and all that it implies for international finance, law, and travel); warm climate (and all that it implies for real estate trade, finance, law, and insurance, plus warm climate sports and entertainment); and no state income tax.

If you don't have competitive advantages in some combination of the above, or sheer substantial wealth (successful retiree, movie star, etc.) then Miami is certainly a struggle, like any other city or any other place anywhere in the world.

Good Luck!