Collage students in Miami.. (Fort Lauderdale, Plantation: apartment complexes, rent, how much)

[Malili]

Hi...I´m moving to Miami on January 2008, with two classmates, we´re going to be there for 1 year in an internship and we´re looking for a nice area to live in. Since we don´t know the city, we would like to know what areas are nice, you know... safe with different stores, malls, beach etc... We would like to be in a not so latin crowded area (hard to find in Miami ...I know)..mainly because we want to speak in spanish less as possible. What can u advice us??

[THASPECIAL]

Originally Posted by Malili

Hi...I´m moving to Miami on January 2008, with two classmates, we´re going to be there for 1 year in an internship and we´re looking for a nice area to live in. Since we don´t know the city, we would like to know what areas are nice, you know... safe with different stores, malls, beach etc... We would like to be in a not so latin crowded area (hard to find in Miami ...I know)..mainly because we want to speak in spanish less as possible. What can u advice us??

I wouldn't worry so much about the "speaking spanish" thing ....unless you are talking to a bag boy at a grocery store or maybe at some fast food places....or in some cases if you are trying to get a certain job...but I grew up in Miami and even though there were lots of Hispanics (85%) in my area....I never really felt like i was not able to easily talk with people...because most of the younger Cubans and other hispanics speak English fluently....I say that because if you dont want to be around a hispanic community in the whole Miami-Dade county area then your other choices are being in a majority African American community or a Haitian American community....unless you wanna live right on South Beach with all the European Tourists, Russians, and Jewish people ...but there will still be lots of hispanics there too so i think you wont find anywhere in Dade county without a large portion of people being hispanic.....It all depends on what "college" you are going to also.......So just let us know what college so we can tell you the best place to live in that area.....Good Luck

[Malili]

Well..first of all thanks for your information. We´re not going to be at a college there, we´re in our last year in collage in our hometown and now according to the major and the university requiremnts we have to make an internship next year, and we´re doing it at a company located in Doral, so we want a place to live...not so far from that area..with all the things I mentioned before..and we don´t know exactly where to search...the idea is to live together..the 3 of us..

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Malili

Well..first of all thanks for your information. We´re not going to be at a college there, we´re in our last year in collage in our hometown and now according to the major and the university requiremnts we have to make an internship next year, and we´re doing it at a company located in Doral, so we want a place to live...not so far from that area..with all the things I mentioned before..and we don´t know exactly where to search...the idea is to live together..the 3 of us..

Just live in Doral. Aside from the traffic and distance to the beach, nothing wrong with that area since it's so close to work. Yes, it's a mostly Hispanic population but it's mostly a middle class community so you won't really notice. Honestly the closest non-Latin "crowded" area (Well, it's over 70% white) I can think of is a small, somewhat staid family suburb in Broward County called Cooper City, which is a 30 minute commute. Honestly the only areas I can think of in South Florida that are under 20% Hispanic are the city of Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill/Lauderdale Lakes, and south Palm Beach County. It would be obscene to live in an area that far just because you want to not live around a certain group of people. I'm not calling "racist", I understand it's just a preference, but it's really a far way to go.

Well, anyway, Broward County is generally white dominated and less Hispanic that Dade and the ones that live there tend to be pretty equal to the "whites" economically, making it more of a class than race issue, but believe me, it's not worth commuting for. Doral is a mostly middle class, is very bland area anyhow.

Wait a second...collage?

[Malili]

Thank u.

I see... Well a 30 minutes commute doesn´t seem so bad. For what u said I´m guessing Broward County can be a little expesive??...Do u know how much could it cost the rent for a place there?.. not too big, I don´t know...about 550- 600 sq ft. I´m looking at different web sites but I just keep finding places in Plantation and Fort Lauderdale.

Sorry..I meant "college".

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Malili

Thank u.

I see... Well a 30 minutes commute doesn´t seem so bad. For what u said I´m guessing Broward County can be a little expesive??...Do u know how much could it cost the rent for a place there?.. not too big, I don´t know...about 550- 600 sq ft. I´m looking at different web sites but I just keep finding places in Plantation and Fort Lauderdale.

Sorry..I meant "college".

Lol its ok. Just a little ironic !

They are both expensive. Dade is probably marginally more expensive than Broward. I would seriously just live in Doral. From Fort Lauderdale or Plantation you are talking closer to an hour. I wouldn't live further north than Davie or live east of Nob Hill Road/Palm Ave for commuting sake. From the SW Broward commuter suburbs (which most have a large Latino population, just not as large as Miami, and these communities mostly lack an ethnic majority) you are closer to 30 minutes, although if you have an accident on the turnpike extension, it gets rough due to a lack of alternate routes.

Anyway, you are probably talking around 800 a month for an apartment of that size.

I really don't think you are going to have an issue in Doral though. It's not the "best", but if you work there, it really does the job as a place to go to sleep and shop. You have the Dolphin Mall and Miami Intl. Mall nearby. You aren't far from Dadeland either. It's really a more middle class community, even if it is mostly Latino. It's about class imo. not nationality.

[Malili]

ok..thank u...

we´re gonna keep looking and I think we might find a nice place in Doral for that price...Broward sounds good too..so ..we´ll see...thanks for all the information.

[crisp444]

Malili,

I would advise that you live in Doral. It is a nice area with a lot of nice apartment complexes. It is unnecessary to commute to Broward county; why spend more time driving in traffic than is necessary? Though most people in Doral do speak Spanish, most people are fluent in English, especially young people. Although many have Spanish-speaking parents, most young people I've encountered in Doral speak English better than Spanish and as a result prefer English. I am fluent in both languages and have never had a problem finding speakers of either language! When you go to a restaurant, store, or the theater most people working there will be more than happy to help you in either of the two languages, so do not worry about this issue. Though many people on this forum will tell you to avoid Doral due to the high percentage of Spanish speakers that live there, you can go anywhere and talk to pretty much anyone using English.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by crisp444

Malili,

I would advise that you live in Doral. It is a nice area with a lot of nice apartment complexes. It is unnecessary to commute to Broward county; why spend more time driving in traffic than is necessary? Though most people in Doral do speak Spanish, most people are fluent in English, especially young people. Although many have Spanish-speaking parents, most young people I've encountered in Doral speak English better than Spanish and as a result prefer English. I am fluent in both languages and have never had a problem finding speakers of either language! When you go to a restaurant, store, or the theater most people working there will be more than happy to help you in either of the two languages, so do not worry about this issue. Though many people on this forum will tell you to avoid Doral due to the high percentage of Spanish speakers that live there, you can go anywhere and talk to pretty much anyone using English.

100% agree, can ya believe it

Originally Posted by Malili

ok..thank u...

we´re gonna keep looking and I think we might find a nice place in Doral for that price...Broward sounds good too..so ..we´ll see...thanks for all the information.

I wouldn't commute. Doral is totally fine.

[crisp444]

Haha, I'd say the same thing about Weston only there about half of the population doesn't speak Spanish at all. It's a beautiful community but it just feels SOOO far from Miami during morning and afternoon heavy traffic... I honestly wonder where the high earners there actually work, because I can't imagine that all the attorneys and executives commute all the way to Miami and back every day.