help me get out of Miramar please! Where do we go?

[deboinair]

Originally Posted by sflove

Well Angelscorpio...we were perfectly happy here until we started noticing police blockades and helicopters with search lights on a REGULAR basis. I also do not appreciate having obscenities yelled at me by middleschoolers while I'm running down the road. Some the conversations I've heard out of there mouths actually makes me more sad than angry. A while back a local musician was shot of his front lawn a street over from my home. My neighbor actually got a knife pulled on him while got out of his car at a stop light right outside of the circle. So yeah... it's not Miami Gardens YET but it's getting there. I'm sorry... I actually like to feel safe in my own home.

Google mapping this place. The area doesn't look bad. Just a little old. Most of the houses seem to have been built in the late 80's. There is a section of houses that look fairly new. The landscaping looks good also. The map is three years old though. The older condo's there though, do have a project feel to it. Overall it doesn't appear to be a bad neighborhood.

[sflove]

I know it doesn't appear that bad and that is why we bought here. It doesn't seem that bad a first glance at all. That's not to say it's severely ghetto either. After you hang around here for a while you see it for what it really is. All of Miramar isn't exactly the best...even on the West side. That's the problem with South Florida in general. Many places appear much nicer than they are. If I didn't have a child it wouldn't bother me as much but I think I would still move when I got the chance. It's not just about status for me... I really feel like South Florida is a beautiful place that got they bulldozed over. They really did pave paradise to put up a parking lot. If I didn't feel like it was stupid idea to live in a trailer in a hurricane zone, I'd consider the park out on US 27 in Pines for the scenery and quiet, not the status of "Pines."

[HonestIntellectual]

I found this the other day: USA-O-METER - Home of Relocation Maps, Resources, Data and Advice
I think you will find it useful too. And yes, from the little I know, those maps seemed quite accurate. You just need to take into account that they don't say price. You need to research prices in the area too. Sometimes the good areas are good areas because they are also expensive, so that filters many people.
I was thinking about relocation, but those maps should be useful in the same way for someone who is looking for a house. I would also recommend checking sites like realtor.com and rent.com for houses, and visiting the place more than once of course. For a house I would even recommend talking with the neighbors and asking about the area (if they don't like that or you don't like them, guess what, those are the neighbors you will have if you buy there, so better know it early before you do anything). I am also sure that there has to be some sort of "schools ratings" website with reviews. Search for it in google, I forgot the name now.

[sflove]

Yeah... I've been looking on many listings websites but the thing with miami is one street might be wonderful and not a block down is terrible. I guess we will have to do a lot of foot work because looking on a map can be very misleading.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by sflove

I'm not saying a lot of Miami/Broward isn't fake and I by no means have any intention of buying a $300,000 house I can't afford. All I'm asking is what neighborhoods give you the best bang for your buck when it comes to schools and safety.

I had to look up your area to see where it was, and yeah, while it's west of University Drive, it's in an area not that far west of some not so great neighborhoods, so I can see where what you're complaining about would tend to creep further west.

I'd have to look at the real estate to see what house prices are, but in your shoes I still might check out Miami Lakes. It's further south than you're presently located, and further away from where your husband works ( you said he was a Hollywood police officer?), but it'd still be a relatively quick ride from Miami Lakes to Hollywood, ( I'd take back roads, not the expressways). Miami Lakes is incorporated now, and has their own police force ( or it may be contracted with Miami Dade County to provide police- as Palmetto Bay does), so you might find it somewhat safer than where you are now. You can talk to some of the residents there, folks familiar with the area about the schools, and the quality of life in general.

For other locations, I don't know how far west in either Miami Dade or Broward County you want to live, but there's also Pembroke Pines. Personally, I find the entire area way too crowded for my taste, but it seems a lot of folks like it, and it looks to me that it's got a lot of family oriented amenities and the cost of housing there is relatively reasonable. IMO worth checking out, anyway.


Good luck in your search. At least you've got a few years to check out school systems in various areas, since your baby is just a few months old, and any others that might come along haven't maybe even hit the "gleam in their father's eyes" at this point.

[Lo Maximo]

Out of curiosity why is Hollywood not an option? I know a couple families that live there closer to the beach (i.e. away from the rougher area) and they seem to enjoy it.

[sflove]

Hollywood beach would probably be ok but in looking for 3 bedroom homes ( we might need 3 by the time we move from here) the beach in general is too expensive. I was looking for Hallandale, Aventura or Sunny Isles but I really don't want to spend $2000/month on rent. We might be able to afford 2 bedroom near the beach but not a three. At the time we were looking for houses to buy we did not go with Hollywood because the majority of it isn't all that safe. The pockets that are safe aren't any cheaper than anywhere else and are generally surrounded by not so nice areas. We looked at several houses and I'm glad we didn't buy there because the schools definitely aren't good there either. Basically where we are now there is a lot of overflow from Hollywood and Miami Gardens and I want to sell before it becomes a total ghetto and we get stuck.

[sflove]

Do your friends live past US 1 Lo Maximo? Hollywood is big and just like the rest of Miami, one street can be great while a block down is nasty. But if you know of a specific area or complex that has a good family vibe I really would love to know.

[JohnD_fla]

Originally Posted by sflove

Anyway, my question is where do we go next?

Eliminate Miami-Dade. If you're looking for space for a family in a decent part of Broward and your budget is less than 2k then forget about the beach areas. You should be looking west. All the way west. West Pembroke Pines, Cooper City, west Davie, west Plantation, west Coral Springs.

[angelscorpio]

Originally Posted by sflove

Well Angelscorpio...we were perfectly happy here until we started noticing police blockades and helicopters with search lights on a REGULAR basis. I also do not appreciate having obscenities yelled at me by middleschoolers while I'm running down the road. Some the conversations I've heard out of there mouths actually makes me more sad than angry. A while back a local musician was shot of his front lawn a street over from my home. My neighbor actually got a knife pulled on him while got out of his car at a stop light right outside of the circle. So yeah... it's not Miami Gardens YET but it's getting there. I'm sorry... I actually like to feel safe in my own home.

This is new for me then. I heard like two years ago something related to some domestic violence around those areas and also some minor disputes between Cubans vs black American ppl especially where they converge. I think someone wrote something about it here long time ago. But what you told is an all-time high.



I'd suggest the area between 87 ave and 186 st, Miami Lakes, even Hialeah Gardens OR... Have you seen these new apartments on I-75?