Considering moving to Miami (Miami Beach, North Miami: extended stay, insurance, condo)

[hedgefundpirate]

I am considering moving to Miami.Crime is not a great concern as I have lived in the LA area.I was thinking that Ft Lauderdale would be a good area as I need to be close to Miami but not in the city or in a good neighboorhood.Any thoughts.I have also heard Miami has a problem with illegal immigrants but almost everywhere does now.In LA the gangs are almost to the point of being out of control unless you are a millionaire and live out in Malibu or the OC.

[Miami Vice]

Traffic is a mess. I would suggest moving as close to your job as possible. Where are you coming from and why are you considering Miami?

[elfyum]

You could commute to Miami from FtL, but during rush hour you'd have to pay me SERIOUS $$$ to do it!!!!!!!!!
If you can afford it, why not just move to a good area in Miami? It rules anyway!!!!!!!
There's already a thread on that, but... Miami Beach, Aventura, Miami Shores, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Morningside etc...There're tons to choose from!

[vpcats]

Hey Hedge - wouldn't suggest Liberty City or Overtown but how Miami do you want to be? Hedging would lead me to think you're in banking/finance. Brickell is it for that. It's our Wall Street. And it's VERY VERY nice. You would want to live there (with enough money of course). Anyway, between Brickell and Coral Gables would put you very close to all the banks and keep you in a nice area. There's also an area called The Roads that is mostly houses. I think I've automatically decided what you will be working in. I may be way off the bat but what the heck. Gave it a shot.

[bale002]

Unfortunately, your post is basically meaningless without a financial profile and stating clearly why you need to be close to Miami (there are many Miamis, which Miami, downtown?).

If you work in finance and/or have business interests in downtown Miami in general, and you can afford Brickell, then Brickell is the obvious choice, unless you have some other compelling reason to live in Ft. Lauderdale (which you don't state).

In short, too little information in the original query to give a meaningful response.

[hedgefundpirate]

I have 3 daughters and a wife.My wife is afraid of crime.Good schools are very important.I am in the legal/finance business.I know that there are many areas of Miami that are perfectly safe.We lived in Los Angeles and let me tell you that is one city compared to anywhere else that is going straight down the flusher.I have heard coral gables is very nice.We will be visiting soon.I know that many Florida residents complain about high property costs but they seem cheap compared to Southern California.

[Chelito23]

I have read the LA posts and followed them closely. I think if you want to live in South Florida in general, trying to get away from SoCal problems...you will be in for a huge shock. The same problems exist here. LA might be 5 years ahead, but South Florida is on the same road. There is a middle class exodus in progress. The prices are much lower compared to LA across the board...but if the problems are the same, and the writing is on the wall, why spend all the time and money to relocate to the same problems?

Traffic is nightmarish. At least LA has major freeways, South Florida expressways are generally older and not designed for a major city (Dolphin 836 and Palmetto 826 to name a few). Also, some are toll roads....so that makes a commute hellish at any time.

Crime ocurrs here everywhere, regardless of the neighborhood. Even the Gables and Miami Beach residents experience Rolex robberies-people being held up when they get out of their cars in their own driveways for their watches. Other than that, cars are burglarized or stolen completely qith regularity(and shipped away to other coutnries to be sold). Who doesn´t know anyone here who has experienced a car robbery or burglary, and most likely, personally experienced it. Many homlesss people. A culturally devoid downtown Miami. Only empty condo towers built due to speculators and flippers. At street level, many dollar and cheap electronic stores. High windstorm insurance, and going higher. Most concerning is the ghettoization of the whole area....the accepted mentality is to be ghetto. People are rude and nasty, and it will be unavoidable to go to the store without having contact with people who do not have prison backgrounds or drug use. I know, most people say that happens in all cities, but not to the extent that it happens in South Florida. Even the good areas experience these problems seeing they are where the stores and shops are that everyone uses.

I think South Florida is nice if you are wealthy...you can cocoon yourself from these problems in your gated estate. You have the water, nice winters, great beaches...but other than that...it´s just how I put it. The job market sucks and pays low all across the board. The schools are horrible and overcrowded with gang problems. Be prepared to pay for expensive private schools.

Also, government corruption rivals if not surpases CA...you can´t imagine it until you live here. South Florida used to be a nice, affordable place to live even as recently as 10 years ago. Now, things have changed. Good luck and please don´t assume that everywhere will be nice just because LA is the worst. You can do much better, but why leave the worst place in the country (based on your complaints) to one of the other worst areas on the other coast? Good luck and visit for an extended stay to see for yourself.

[Christian11]

Originally Posted by hedgefundpirate

I have 3 daughters and a wife.My wife is afraid of crime.Good schools are very important.I am in the legal/finance business.I know that there are many areas of Miami that are perfectly safe.We lived in Los Angeles and let me tell you that is one city compared to anywhere else that is going straight down the flusher.I have heard coral gables is very nice.We will be visiting soon.I know that many Florida residents complain about high property costs but they seem cheap compared to Southern California.

3 Daughters.... US citizen daughters? Wow! You will have a swarm of illegals trying to marry them! LOL hehe

Now seriously, crime is through the roof. Liberty City is an absolute hellhole, don't even consider going close to it. Don;t live anywhere near LIberty City or you will be shot at for no reason at all (specially if you look/behave anything like a cop or talk like a cop). If you drive a white Crown Victory (cop car), you will be shot at in certain places in Miami.

Miami is like a sister town in crime to LA. There are several MS-13 gangs in Miami too, so be on the lookout for them.

Hope youe Espanol is good, you will need it more in Miami then you do in California, no doubt.

Oh if you are not totally hooked up on the ca$h, you will live in the projects/ghetto. To live in Miami safely, you need tons of $$.

Schools in Miami suck. There is a lot of "bilingual education" in that area, meaning some schools have 1/2 their pupils learning everything (math, science, reading) in Spanish only. Go for private schools if you can afford. They start at like 400/mo per student and your kids will grow up smarter. My friend lived in the area and went to a private and publc schools, he said HUGE difference in quality of learning. Only thing to do is talk to your kids about drugs. LOts of dealers infiltrate the schools in the MIami area.

Be careful. Families are easy targets in Miami. Common safety strategies (lock car while riding, getting a security system for house/apt, getting a gun, leaving lights on, etc) are best practiced ANYWHERE in the Miami - Dade county areas. Don't let the "good areas" fool you. The ghettos and the nice areas are very close to each other due to overcrowding.

Be safe! Peace out!

Chris

[elfyum]

Ya know, all this scaring people about Miami is getting old!
To the original poster - you are from LA, I am from NY. Miami is the same.
City is city. If you are from one, you will NOT see it as these seemingly sheltered people see it. If you're from a city, you know where & when to go/not to go...30 million people can't be wrong! (My estimate of total major city pops...I figured 8 for NY, 3 for LA, 1-3 for Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix etc...)

[firemed]

Originally Posted by elfyum

Ya know, all this scaring people about Miami is getting old!
To the original poster - you are from LA, I am from NY. Miami is the same.
City is city. If you are from one, you will NOT see it as these seemingly sheltered people see it. If you're from a city, you know where & when to go/not to go...30 million people can't be wrong! (My estimate of total major city pops...I figured 8 for NY, 3 for LA, 1-3 for Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix etc...)

I think Maimi is scaring people from Maimi.