Miami Vs Miami Beach (Coral Gables, Doral: apartment, for rent, condos)

[rob2in]

I was just curious about the difference. My friend that lives there tells me Miami Beach is a cosmopolitan international Diverse(Mostly Europeon) Island with life and culture all in walking distance. Like a small Manhatten. He tells me that Miami Mainland is nothing like the Beach. He says its like Latin America and is not very diverse like the beach since the dominate major group on the Mainland are the Cubans. How accurate is his Opinion?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by rob2in

I was just curious about the difference. My friend that lives there tells me Miami Beach is a cosmopolitan international Diverse(Mostly Europeon) Island with life and culture all in walking distance. Like a small Manhatten. He tells me that Miami Mainland is nothing like the Beach. He says its like Latin America and is not very diverse like the beach since the dominate major group on the Mainland are the Cubans. How accurate is his Opinion?

His opinion is SPOT ON, except it's still very Latin influenced in Miami Beach, but still a mixture of cultures.

[THASPECIAL]

Originally Posted by fort lauderdale

His opinion is SPOT ON, except it's still very Latin influenced in Miami Beach, but still a mixture of cultures.

Yeah he is right.......except it isnt just Cubans in the actual mainland but also large groups of blacks (american), Haitians (blacks), and a mix of alot of other different Latin/Carribean cultures.....there are american whites but its not a majority by a long shot........the beach is a safer area with lots of clubs and nightlife and an awesome city type of atmosphere and all the famous people, wealthy, and visitors are found there .......the mainland is a different world.....its a more local hard working type of people that live there .....either you are a person living pay check to paycheck, or you are living la vida ghetto, or you are homeless or maybe you might be one of the lucky ones who lives in one of the few really nice areas of Miami-Dade county

[Ron Burgandy]

He is correct. Its a night versus day difference between Miami and Miami Beach. All the bad things you read/hear about Miami are nearly always in Miami and in no way associated with Miami Beach.

[Alward]

I've lived smack bang in the middle of "South Beach", the part of Miami Beach to which I believe we are referring in this discussion. I've also lived in downtown Miami (where I currently live today). I should also note that I've lived in Europe, Asia & the west coast.

To be honest.. I will NEVER move back to living on south beach after living in downtown. Granted - you need to find the right place (there are many bad areas in downtown), however that's not hard to do these days with all of the new buildings that are being put up along the Biscayne corridor, and all of the very luxurious dining spots.

I take serious issue with this statement about downtown:

..its a more local hard working type of people that live there .....either you are a person living pay check to paycheck, or you are living la vida ghetto, or you are homeless or maybe you might be one of the lucky ones who lives in one of the few really nice areas of Miami-Dade county

I agree with the hard working part - but don't for a second think that people here are poorer. I know many wealthy people from here in Miami and the majority would never think to live on south beach versus places like Coral Gables or in the downtown condos.

The reality of the matter is that downtown (Brickell) is by FAR, the largest financial area of Miami. All of the money is there and all of the investment banking is done there. Being the door to the America's - there are many banks from all over south america here in downtown - and they have LOTS of money.

On the other hand, Miami Beach is tourist-centric, which means that a LOT of people living and working there are bar-tenders, waiter/waitresses, etc.. Will all due respect - I highly doubt that such a career brings in the kind of money that an international investment-banker would. Of all the people I know - they people living on the beach are FAR MORE paycheck-to-paycheck than those living in the mainland. You'll see a lot of bling-bling, but those are rented fast cars and the wealthy people just go there to flash (flash permanently if living there). Wealthy people outside of south beach i.e. downtown are far more conservative with their money, ergo you just don't see it as much.

In terms of housing... I live on the 40+ floor of a downtown condo, with a beautiful view and a nice park (Bayfront) right in front of me. My counterparts on the beach pay comparable amounts for a small smelly apartment with poor pluming, on the 2nd or 3rd floor.

In reality, it really depends what you want. I'm a businessman and I need to be around like-minded, turbo-charged individuals that can make things happen. That worked for me very well here in the downtown / financial district. On South Beach, I couldn't make my business work, because everyone was unreliable. They'd be late for meetings, fail to deliver on promises, and make ludicrous demands in negotiations (if they were even capable of negotiating). It took me years to learn that lesson of Downtown Miami vs. Miami Beach.

That said - I do indulge in some of "the beach's" good things. I love south pointe. However, as some on the up-and-coming projects in the downtown come to life, I will have less and less reason to go to south beach.

Happy New Year to all.

[illini84]

Your friend is correct. Most of Miami is a sh*thole, except for Miami Beach and Brickell. Coral Gables and South Miami are nice too, but those aren't actually part of the city of Miami. They are their own cities (actually, Miami Beach is too) with their own rules and governing bodies. Although Brickell is nice, it's largely a financial district so there's nothing going on at night and on the weekends. Miami Beach (particularly South Beach) is what you see on TV (beautiful people, celebrities, fancy restaurants, flashy cars, etc.). This is nowhere close to representing Miami as a whole!

[grove_nurse]

Yes, Miami Beach is very different from the mainland, but I agree with Alward, many of us would not want to live there. Although there is a number of wealthy nice areas (mostly north of South Beach), a large number of the people who live there tend to be working in the service industry, and they are more focused on partying than family. Additionally, the units for rent will either be very expensive, or completely disgusting, yet people will pay that kind of money to be in the middle of the night life, only to get tired of it after a couple of years, which is when they will leave SoFla altogether or move to a more residential area.
As for the mainland, there are many distinct nice areas, surrounded mostly by not-so-good neighborhoods, it's just a matter of knowing where to look.

[Valea]

Originally Posted by illini84

Your friend is correct. Most of Miami is a sh*thole, except for Miami Beach and Brickell. Coral Gables and South Miami are nice too, but those aren't actually part of the city of Miami. They are their own cities (actually, Miami Beach is too) with their own rules and governing bodies. Although Brickell is nice, it's largely a financial district so there's nothing going on at night and on the weekends. Miami Beach (particularly South Beach) is what you see on TV (beautiful people, celebrities, fancy restaurants, flashy cars, etc.). This is nowhere close to representing Miami as a whole!

Your so right and what a scam that is.
I live in Doral we have a Mayor and his army of asistance and city counsels,list is endless than you go to the next town and its same thing and so on and so on.
I am used to 1 mayor not 20 and 1 local representative/assembly not 500,000 who do nothing as is. I am moving back to NY as Miami isnt for me (love the weather) but not till after next elections I want the chance to vote against every Doral incumbent

[305guy]

Originally Posted by illini84

Your friend is correct. Most of Miami is a sh*thole, except for Miami Beach and Brickell. Coral Gables and South Miami are nice too, but those aren't actually part of the city of Miami. They are their own cities (actually, Miami Beach is too) with their own rules and governing bodies. Although Brickell is nice, it's largely a financial district so there's nothing going on at night and on the weekends. Miami Beach (particularly South Beach) is what you see on TV (beautiful people, celebrities, fancy restaurants, flashy cars, etc.). This is nowhere close to representing Miami as a whole!

When you refer to Miami are you referring to Miami-Dade county or city of Miami?

[illini84]

I was referring to the city of Miami. There are definitely nice parts of Miami-Dade county!