From Milwaukee to Miami (Kendall, Aventura: apartment, neighborhoods, living in)

[karisann]

My husband just accepted a new job in Bay Harbor Islands. I've lived in Wisconsin my entire life and have never been to South Florida so I'm not sure where to start looking for housing for our upcoming June move. We're in our 30s, have no kids and 2 cats. We have a budget of approximately $1600 for a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment. Any advice on where we should look for housing is much appreciated!

[JacobMAX]

The first thought is to recommend living in Bay Harbor Islands itself. It's pretty nice and pretty safe overall, not that much expensive (doable for about $1.6k for a well sized 1bd/1 or 1.5ba or a smaller 2bd/1 or 2ba). There's Surfside nearby, just as nice (if not more so) and I think it's a little more expensive though. There's also North Bay Village directly to the south of Bay Harbor Isl., similar profile and look and feel overall, probably similar price-wise too (not 100% sure, but it isn't far off).

There's other neighborhoods further away more or less in that price range that are nice and would probably be a good fit (the ones I cited are very close to Bay Harbor and not far at all from the beachside and the Downtown area); like Miami Shores, parts of Upper East Side/Midtown/Edgewater, Aventura, and others.

[Cubanchic]

Be in for a culture shock! When I was 13 we moved from New Jersery down here and was thrown for a loop and that being that I was Cuban but grew up in a very American area of Jersey. Used to get teased a lot because of my jersey accent, which has gone away for the most part untill I hook up with Jersey relatives.

I would take this as an adventure to another country, because it will feel that way for you at first. I rememeber having to over see a contract for heavy equipment in the in Cleveland that lasted a month and noticed the complete difference in what was a city to Miami.

I am not that closely familiar with north Miami as Jacob but I am sure he will steer you in the right direction.

[karisann]

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice from both of you! My husband who's from South Dakota has visited twice and assures me I'll love it, but I'm sure we'll both be in culture shock.

[doggiebus]

If you stay in and around Bay Harbour Islands, Aventura, Sunny Isles area you will be in for less of a shock then if you lived further South.

[WINTERFRONT]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

If you stay in and around Bay Harbour Islands, Aventura, Sunny Isles area you will be in for less of a shock then if you lived further South.

How so? She'd have less of a shock in places like Kendall, Perrine, or Redlands than in Bal Harbor, Sunny Isles or Aventura... South Dade is just the same as every other copy-n-paste suburb in America. Sunny Isles is a whole different world, and probably out of her reach.

[cfbs2691]

South Florida is nothing, not even remotely in any way similar to the midwest..
There will be culture shock... but life's an adventure!

Best of luck on your new adventure OP!

[Cubanchic]

My husband is mid westerner and he loves Miami, but he needed to adjust. He needed to adjust to my very conservative Cuban family. We are run of the mil almost mid americans
.