Curious where to settle down near Miami!

[shippit]

One thing I should mention; a big strike against condo/apartment is I want to pick up some sort of kayak or small skiff for fishing the flats. Im inclined to think thats going to be totally impossible to manage in an apartment and Im going to want a garage to stick it in.

Also, having survived Sandy while in NY (which Im sure was a walk in the park compared to some of the monsters that hit the Atlantic coast of Florida), I want to make sure I have the ability to load up a generator or put out some solar cells if need be, that becomes a lot less feasible in an apartment or condo.

Definitely appreciate the feedback regarding Broward and North Miami Beach, looking into the lay of the land up there now.

Regarding restaurants & night life, definitely not looking for that Wouldnt mind having a good restaurant near by but its not something Im searching for or anything.

[straight shooter]

You can consider an inflatable kayak but I do see your point, there is nothing like a house with a garage and a yard for practicality and options.

[FlyMIA]

Originally Posted by shippit

Regarding restaurants & night life, definitely not looking for that Wouldnt mind having a good restaurant near by but its not something Im searching for or anything.

Plenty of that. As you can see by the map the area is really not that big geographically. So even if you are in North Miami Beach you are still only 25mins away from Miami Beach/Downtown Miami. Broward 35-45mins which is not a bad drive at all. Also any area will have their own "downtown" or one fairly close by.

[unquiltom]

If location in relation to work is not a factor, it sounds like you'd want to be closer to the Keys for your free time needs. Tarpon and bonefishing is some of the best in world and if you want to kayak, that's the place to go.

[shippit]

Honestly that sounds amazing, but I just dont see many homes for rent down east of Homestead, plus it looks like the entire area just west of 821 is a killing field. Still and all, agreed, what Im hearing about the keys definitely matches what you said.

Methinks Im going to have to settle a bit north and maybe aim a bit higher than a skiff... who knows tho, perhaps a better opportunity will present itself.

[StarfishKey]

You haven't mentioned what you'd consider for a commute, but you might want to consider northern Key Largo. There are plenty of houses for rent around - although it is very unlikely you will get a pool - and the weekend life is exactly what you would want. You can also go swimming in the ocean (there are a few small beaches) or join the Jacobs Aquatic Center to supplement the pool, plus many houses have hot tubs or have room for you to put in a store-bought above-ground type thing for $600 or so [if you just want to be able to soak in some water without laps or a pool party].

It is not a crazy party atmosphere and is very safe, although in some neighborhoods there will be other houses rented that might play some loud music in the evenings. But for the most part, no one's going to bother you and many neighborhoods are working class fisherfolk as you mentioned you'd like. Many such homes have generators already, and a bunch of the cheaper places on dry lots (no waterfront) are X zone, meaning above flood so you have less concern about your stuff in storms. Another option is to rent a smaller house for half that cost that has no waterfront and only a smallish yard, and use the savings to do a lot more fun things. My opinion is you're surrounded by water, so you'd hardly miss it for all the other great benefits of the area. It's a happy life.

The commute time would be around 45min-1hr, depending on where you're going, and particularly if your work times are a bit flexible so you can avoid the highest traffic times. There are other people with your same passions who commute to Miami for work from Key Largo, but not such a high number that the traffic is crazy. The worst traffic is during peak weekend hours and vacation times/holidays, especially if there's an accident. But many people ride bikes, golf carts, or scooters locally (or boats!) and avoid spending much time in it.

Plus if you're renting, you can always change your mind and move up North to the Miami area if you don't like it. You wouldn't be as close to the airport, but there are smaller airports down here, a shuttle to MIA, a bus that goes all the way down to Key West, and the drive to the airport isn't really that bad if you're only going a few times a year.

I used to live in the Kendall area, it was nice and quiet with privacy available, parks, and plenty of newer cheap homes that have pools - but you're living in a swamp with a million strip malls, and so beyond convenience and lower price, it wasn't that fun and there was almost no breeze or shade. I didn't make it to the beach that often because the drive was 45min-1hr because of traffic (and Miami having almost no highways that go East-West), so I almost never saw the water. In the Keys I see the water every day without even trying, and there is more variety of water activities beyond only beach bumming it. If I had the money I'd live on Key Biscayne with a 40-something foot yacht to get around, but since I'm not a billionaire, the Upper Keys are a great substitute.

[Cubanchic]

My sister and her partner live in Marathon and if it is fishing that you want and can work remotely then the keys are your best bet.

We stay in their place when they travel and basically fishing is just right outside thier door.