Move to Miami - opinion on some neighborhoods (Miami Beach, Kendall: apartments, rentals)

[florida_guy1234]

Hey guys,

I'm currently a graduate student and will be moving to Miami in around 8 months to accept a job offer (salary in the $60K range). I'm single, gay, trilingual (English-Spanish-French), and not looking to start a family for at least 10 years, so family-friendly/good schools aren't an issue at this point in my life. I'll be working in downtown Miami (2 Biscayne Blvd.) and am looking for opinions on some different neighborhoods in Miami-Dade. I am NOT bothered by traffic, ethnic diversity/having to speak Spanish, "rude people", or the veritable array of other similar complaints that I've read through in this forum. My main concerns are crime (I'm willing to accept big-city crime, but I'd prefer to not live in a slaughterhouse ) living costs (don't want to pay more than $1,500/month for a nice apartment), gay-friendly/liberal, preferably walkable, good shopping/malls/entertainment nearby, and preferably within a short commute (less than/at 20 or so minutes) to downtown Miami. I'd prefer to not live in a community where everyone is 35+ and married with children. Proximity to the beach is always a plus, but not really a huge factor in the grand scheme of things. That being said, I'm looking at:

1. Ives Estates area (Ives Dairy road near I-95.)
2. Aventura
3. Miami Beach
4. Kendall
5. Coral Gables
6. Downtown Miami

I'd just like to hear some feedback on those areas in relation to the concerns expressed above, and any other areas that might suit my needs based on your own experiences. Thanks!

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by florida_guy1234

Hey guys,

I'm currently a graduate student and will be moving to Miami in around 8 months to accept a job offer (salary in the $60K range). I'm single, gay, trilingual (English-Spanish-French), and not looking to start a family for at least 10 years, so family-friendly/good schools aren't an issue at this point in my life. I'll be working in downtown Miami (2 Biscayne Blvd.) and am looking for opinions on some different neighborhoods in Miami-Dade. I am NOT bothered by traffic, ethnic diversity/having to speak Spanish, "rude people", or the veritable array of other similar complaints that I've read through in this forum. My main concerns are crime (I'm willing to accept big-city crime, but I'd prefer to not live in a slaughterhouse ) living costs (don't want to pay more than $1,500/month for a nice apartment), gay-friendly/liberal, preferably walkable, good shopping/malls/entertainment nearby, and preferably within a short commute (less than/at 20 or so minutes) to downtown Miami. I'd prefer to not live in a community where everyone is 35+ and married with children. Proximity to the beach is always a plus, but not really a huge factor in the grand scheme of things. That being said, I'm looking at:

1. Ives Estates area (Ives Dairy road near I-95.)
2. Aventura
3. Miami Beach
4. Kendall
5. Coral Gables
6. Downtown Miami

I'd just like to hear some feedback on those areas in relation to the concerns expressed above, and any other areas that might suit my needs based on your own experiences. Thanks!

Miami Beach is a gay mecca, but in general folks in the rest of Dade County aren't very friendly towards gays at all. There is actually a lot of blatant homophobia.I think Miami Beach is THE place,but as far as the neighborhoods to check out though...

Ives Estates- nice neighborhood, but not really "Walkable". A good place to check out, but it will run you about a half hour/maybe even 45 minutes downtown.Closer to Broward which means its a little more open liberal/open minded
Aventura-same as above, but more walkable and upscale.
Miami Beach- 15-20 minute causeway ride to work. More expensive than the other locales, but very fun, walkable, cool place! I would look at none of the other options.
Kendall- Miami's version of suburbia. It kind of has all of the cons of suburbia without any of the pros. Forget about Kendall.
Coral Gables- I'm not familiar with the costs, but if you locate near Miracle Mile it can be pretty walkable and all around nice, about 20-30 minutes downtown
Downtown Miami- Commute will be about zero minutes, but it really blows to live downtown due to crime/vagrancy and other factors.

I'm not really an "Expert" in Dade County (I go there about twice a year to go shopping or South Beach, but I used to go down a lot more), but I think Doggiebus should be able to give some more detailed advice.

[doggiebus]

I second Miami Beach.

[blackklight]

miami beach is probably what you're looking for. lots of young people and it's really diverse.

[Chelito23]

Your request has Miami Beach written all over it.

Coral Gables would be the next runner up.

Avoid all the apartments/condos in downtown and Brickell...ghost town high rises with no stores in a walkable distance.

You didn't consider Coconut Grove on your list, but I think that it would be a great alternative if you aren't into the Sobe club scene. I have friends who live on the beach, and not that traffic is a concern per se, but they can't ever take their car and go to the store because when they get home there won't be parking....guests never have anywhere to park...a lot of open air clubs play music all night (loudly)...which once again isn't a problem if you are looking for the party lifestyle, otherwise pick your complex in Sobe carefully to make sure it is liveable all around.

Ives Dairy Road is NOT within your commute range if you plan on having normal working hours...nor would Kendall.

South Miami is a mix of suburia meets urban, with a nice little pedestrian friendly downtown, near hospitals, malls and a short metrorail ride to downtown...so you might want to consider that area as well.

[tallrick]

Your biggest obstacle will be living costs. Definately check out Miami Beach, Coral Gables and South Miami. Coconut Grove is a bad idea, as all the "affordable" areas are adjacent to the high crime area. That's the area between Martin Luther King elementary and Frances Tucker elementary school. Remember, in bad neighborhoods the older schools all have a person's name. Better areas have the schools named by geography or things (pinecrest , palmetto, Sunset, ETC)

[florida_guy1234]

Thanks very much for all of the replies!! I will definitely give a strong consideration to rentals in Miami Beach. I guess my primary concern there is overcrowding/parking/noise issues, but I do love the idea of being so close to downtown and the beach at the same time...

As far as living south of downtown on the mainland in an area like Coral Gables or South Miami (areas I'll also strongly consider), how bad is the traffic congestion on US1 during rush hour? Is it what you would consider "normal" congestion for a large and dense city, or is it unreasonably bad/impossible to deal with?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by florida_guy1234

Is it what you would consider "normal" congestion for a large and dense city, or is it unreasonably bad/impossible to deal with?

It's "normal" traffic by most metro standards, but it is still very, very congested. Give it about 30 minutes or so from the Gables/South Miami.

[Dro420]

Ives Estates is pretty crappy. My high school is right in the middle of some neighborhood in Ives Estates and it causes a lot of traffic in the area around school times.

[nyc2fl]

I would say Miami Beach, particularly South Beach, is where you need to move, no question about it!

Gay friendly community, walk everywhere, no married people with kids, ethnic diversity (although mostly Hispanic) and short commute to downtown (approx 20 minutes over any of the Causeways).

If you will have a car then I suggest moving to an apartment on West Avenue. I rent a one bedroom for 900 and it has assigned parking. The closer you get to Washington Avenue or the beach, the apartments in your price range will be smaller and older and only street parking which is a nightmare for you and guests.

Good luck!