Reviews on Cutler Bay Area (Whispering Pines) (Miami, South Miami Heights: homes, neighborhoods)

[ace587]

Originally Posted by grandcentraluk

Puts you further south, so if your commute requires you to head north, you are adding to your drive time. Plus, the elementary school zoned for Isles at Bayshore is worse than that in Whispering Pines. Finally, Isles is a newer community built during the construction boom. As a result, many homeowners are underwater, resulting in more foreclosures and short sales than in Whispering Pines, which has been a stable area for many years.

If schools don't matter and the commute isn't a big deal and your goal is to get a house at a great price, Isles is a good place to look. Otherwise, I'd stick with Whispering Pines if remaining in Cutler Bay.

i work in the grove so just a nice drive up on cutler road. really not into the schools i have no kids at the moment. Just a place to live far from the city and near the speedway (club racing) and have access to nice bike routes

[familyrobinson]

Isles at Bayshore is a nice option for you. We moved there in 2011 and have been very happy. It is located in the Lakes by the Bay district of Cutler Bay, which is clean, beautifully landscaped and very family friendly. It is a gated community and the clubhouse is gorgeous. Thankfully, this neighborhod is still thriving inspite of the many foreclosures (our home was one), and the developer (Lennar and Pride Homes) continues to build and sell.
The clubhouse was purchased by the Lakes by the Bay district, so it is included in your property taxes if you live here, and is kept pristine and manned at all times.
It is far south, but you get so much for your money. They have roaming security and a citizen's crime watch. My kids are still in pre-school, so I do not know about the schools, but there are a lot of great charter schools just north of this area.
Hope this helps and good luck!

[TriCounty]

Why does Cutler Bay have such a bad reputation? It looks like a normal suburb to me.

[doggiebus]

I think it has more to do with the surrounding areas to the west and south, more so than Cutler Bay itself. Cutler Bay has always been a working class neighborhood, with the hood nearby.

[grandcentraluk]

I think it has more to do with the surrounding areas to the west and south, more so than Cutler Bay itself. Cutler Bay has always been a working class neighborhood, with the hood nearby.

This. It doesn't help that it is just south of two nicer areas (Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay) and that the zoned high school (Southridge, up until this year when Centennial Middle was changed to a high school) was really, really bad.

That said, I'm a Ridge Rat and as soon as I could, I moved north to Palmetto Bay. It is nicer, and the schools are better.

[TriCounty]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

I think it has more to do with the surrounding areas to the west and south, more so than Cutler Bay itself. Cutler Bay has always been a working class neighborhood, with the hood nearby.

The thing is, people specifically refer to Cutler Bay as being bad. I know some of the surrounding cities such as South Miami Heights and Goulds have crime issues, maybe they confuse the area with those sections? Even an old topic on this board references what I am talking about: Why is Cutler Ridge/Bay so da*n ghetto?

[JacobMAX]

Originally Posted by TriCounty

The thing is, people specifically refer to Cutler Bay as being bad. I know some of the surrounding cities such as South Miami Heights and Goulds have crime issues, maybe they confuse the area with those sections? Even an old topic on this board references what I am talking about: Why is Cutler Ridge/Bay so da*n ghetto?

Yes, that's probably true. Although it definitely is a area that is far from the best in the County, it's a pretty decent neighborhood and from what I hear mostly calm and with a low number of issues - and frankly, the greatest issue is actually those neighborhoods that surround it (So. Miami Heights, Goulds, Perrine) and the the crime that ends up spilling over from them.

[doggiebus]

Originally Posted by TriCounty

The thing is, people specifically refer to Cutler Bay as being bad. I know some of the surrounding cities such as South Miami Heights and Goulds have crime issues, maybe they confuse the area with those sections? Even an old topic on this board references what I am talking about: Why is Cutler Ridge/Bay so da*n ghetto?

I agree those areas get lumped in as Cutler Bay by many people, and in turn don't help the image of Cutler Bay. Changing the name from Cutler Ridge to Cutler Bay has helped, becoming its own village/city has also helped, especially in the landscaping they have done that has helped to make the area look nicer.

[UrbanCrossroads]

Just yesterday I drove through Cutler Bay, as I had some business to attend to in that area. While driving on Franjo Road and on some of the nearby streets, I couldn't help noticing that several homes have fallen into disrepair. Nonetheless, the neighborhood itself (it's actually a separate city nowadays) always has been and continues to be a quiet middle-class neighborhood. And it still contains a lot of decent-looking homes, some of which are on large lots. Cutler Bay is by no means a bad neighborhood. It's got some shady areas near US1, but that's about it. The further in you go, the more likely you will see nicer-looking homes and subdivisions.

And regarding South Miami Heights, the blocks located close to the high school (Southridge) are disgusting and sketchy. But further north (north of 184th street) it's a more decent-looking neighborhood.

[n2da2nd]

I live around the Southland Mall area for almost 4 years and I really love the area. There are some nice neighborhood along Caribbean Blvd. and Marlin Rd. as well as Franjo Rd.