Is Little Havana dangerous? (Miami, Miami Beach: to buy, living in, safe)

[305guy]

Yeah i'm still sticking to my original post and agree with the other posters . The area sounds too good to be true and you should check it out in person to determine if you want to live there.

I wish I could tell you that's a great area no matter where you live, but the area is not the best/not the worst and will have pockets of run-down neighborhoods and possibly high crime. I'm not going to tell you it's a horrible neighborhood because it's not, but definitely see it for yourself.

[illini84]

Originally Posted by 305guy

Sounds like a lot for 750 sq. ft....what area are you in?

South Beach--that probably explains it...

[Chelito23]

OK, I live 9 blocks from there, so I can give some advise. That is a busy corner...I am wondering if they just gave that address as a general refernce. At that exact corner there is a laundrymat, on the other side there is a predominantly vacant, dated strip mall with doctors offices and other anonymous storefronts that have tinted windows and bars, so they aren't exactly open to walk-ins, for whatever kind of service they offer..., on the other corner there is a mini park (several large trees with a fountain and monument to José Martí, actually nice) with a strip mall with a bar/pool hall behind it. The other corner has a Sunoco gas station. In any event, there are some garages where mechanics work within a block or two of that area, and I am pretty sure that one must have been renovated and the Craigslist addy was just a general area reference.

Little Havana is not bad as a whole, but that area is not a nice place to live, especially at night. It is dirty, unkept, overpriced and has many cantina type "cafeterias" that are more lke clandestine caberets at night. The "waitresses" sell 20 dollar beers and "flirt" with the customers since they are not technically bars or brothels...it is really seedy. So, you have the type of people that frequent those kind of places lurking around the area, especially at night. Many of the residents nearby are poor and recent immigrants, the area is densly populated, the streets are crowded with cars parked on both sides and not wide enough to get through, many homes are subdivided and have multiple families renting out different rooms, so you will see mountains of garbage on the curb thoughout the week and overflowing dumpsters....lots of stray animals living off the garbage...and our famous Miami thug culture in full effect, pimped out cars in front of ghetto looking homes. There are also many half way houses and ALF's here, an ALF is an assisted living facility for the mentally disabled, who can function in society, but may just stare at you, or talk to themselves as they pass you, or yell at a tree. That price is actually TOO much for that neighborhood, please do yourself a favor, go there and drive around and you will see what I mean. Go back at night and you will know without a doubt that this corner is not anyplace you would want to be. You will also uunderstand why every home and business has bars on them at this point as well. Ummm reference point...this is like 5 blocks from the now closed Orange Bowl...people used to charge cars to park on their lawns, so this area has a special legacy of cement paved lawns, which makes the neighborhood even hotter during the day and night.

The better areas of Little Havana are south of 8 St and west of 22 Ave. Anything else is most likely run down and undesireable.

Being female, single? and blonde on that block...would be a sight to see. I think you would be uncomfortable and out of place unless you like living among non-Enlish speaking immigrants, many who are single men...and many second generation immigrant families packed into the area housing, people living in rehabilitation type facilities and the occasional gang banger as well.

If you want affordability and a Hispanic theme, check out Flagler St. above 27ave, still a little seedy...but nicer than this area.

Local shopping is nonexistent unless you need access to multiple "dollar" stores, pawn shops, "cafeterias", pool halls and "pet shops" (in miami this is really a santería vodoo shop).

Little Havana can be nice, but don't walk, RUN from that place, soley based on the address. This being Miami, areas change rapidly, within a matter of blocks, since you see I live 9 blocks away....so keep looking, but like I said, look at streets higher than SW 8th St...nothing in the NW...unless it is above 22 Ave and even then block to block varies.

Good luck.

[305guy]

Yeah....that's my rule of thumb....if you're looking for a place in Dade, stay from any address that has "NW" (stands for Northwest) in it. It'll be like Cheilito's description above of the area. Not the best Miami - nor the worst - has to offer.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Miami is so hard to predict... I agree

NW is mostly bad, but then again you have some small clusters of nice neighborhoods (Miami Lakes, Miami Shores, Miami Springs and others). SW also has ugly areas too (not as many though, Naranja, Goulds, south Miami, West Perrine)

You cannot even go by the name.... you have to see it. The ugly areas are easy to spot. Nicer middle class areas in Miami are usually residential with no businesses around them. They have grass lawns, wood fences, and the homes look big enough.

[Theory555]

I'm sure you won't be the only blonde (or white or blue eyed or green eyed etc) girl in Little Havana. Sure it isn't the predominant natural hair color (just as it isn't for most Americans...I believe the blonde percentage of Cubans should be similar to Spain's which I think is between 12-20% depending on region?--not too different from other European countries--excluding the Nordic territories of course). On the bright side, you'll be glad to know there are MANY MANY MANY fake blondes all over the city! So between the natural blondes and fake blondes...you'll be okay. You should also know that Little Havana is no longer predominantly Cuban so my statistics are worthless as most statistics are.

This is meant to be tongue in cheek! lol Point is don't worry about being "different"--you won't be (except for language). But Little Havana is not the place to rent. It's not the safest place in town and for $1,000 a month---they are ripping you off. For that price go to the Gables...I'm sure you'll find a place there at that price and you will be safer (and police respond quicker).

As for going to restaurants in Little Havana? Feel free to go and feel safe (well at least as far as Versailles and La Casita are located...I don't venture further East from there so someone else will have to tell us how far East you can go and still be safe?).

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by illini84

Rent is expensive in Miami--I pay $1400/mo. for an unfurnished 750 sq. ft. apartment with no parking that is average (old, crappy, cheap building, but renovated decently on the inside)...just to give you an idea...

Go Illini !

Yeah, where DO you live...Coral Gables? That is kind of high, you could do better in LA in some cases.

As for Little Havana, I've never felt ill at ease there. On the actual Calle Ocho, there are always so many people coming and going. Heck, if Cuban grandmothers with their silver hair in a bun and their henpecked husbands in a "guayavera" (sp.) tranquilly saunter up and down the sidewalks of this neighborhood, as if they weren't even in the U.S., it shouldn't be a problem. I couldn't live there because I would always be feasting on the good $hit they have in those Cuban bakeries...fantastic stuff.

You never specified if you were a Hispanic blonde or an American one. Now, if you are the latter, expect to get some "extra" degree of attention from the Cuban machotes who feel compelled to live up to their reputations. But that's about it.

[Mr.Patron&Redbull]

As a few posters said, you didn't specify if you spoke Spanish. I'm going to assume that you don't. I feel like Little Havana markedly improves once you go west of 27th Avenue, but none of it what I would call dangerous. Even if you don't look good, you'll get some catcalls from the gentlemen ha!

Really though, if you don't speak Spanish, it's not the kind of neighborhood you want to center your social life around. There just really isn't much to do and people are perpetually broke out there.

[illini84]

Originally Posted by Mr.Patron&Redbull

Really though, if you don't speak Spanish, it's not the kind of neighborhood you want to center your social life around. There just really isn't much to do and people are perpetually broke out there.

That's a good way to put it. I've spent a fair amount of time in Little Havana and most people don't speak English there. Most of the store signs and advertisements are in Spanish, so you'll have some trouble getting around if you're limited to English. It's kind of a crappy area with not much to do, although the crime isn't TERRIBLE. So so. I wouldn't walk alone at night, but this goes for most of Miami (minus Miami Beach, parts of Coconut Grove, the Gables, and the outer lying suburb-type communities). If you can find a place anywhere else, go for it...I can almost guarantee you wouldn't be too happy with Little Havana...

[gymbuff]

Search really really hard on Bricklell. you will be in a much prettier and safer area for about the same price.