Does Miami build Apartments and Subdivisions or are there just slummy single story houses? (Kendall: apartment complexes)

[coolieandre]

I recently visited Miami, and had an amazing time. While I was there, I noticed only single story "slummy" looking homes. Are there any bigger homes then just the single story typical Florida house? Maybe I was just in the inner- surrounding city, so they all seemed "slummy". Also, are there newer apartment buildings, and actual subdivisions with names anywhere in the Miami metro area?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by coolieandre

I recently visited Miami, and had an amazing time. While I was there, I noticed only single story "slummy" looking homes. Are there any bigger homes then just the single story typical Florida house? Maybe I was just in the inner- surrounding city, so they all seemed "slummy". Also, are there newer apartment buildings, and actual subdivisions with names anywhere in the Miami metro area?

Most of your newer subdivisions and apartment complexes are out towards Kendall or Miami Lakes, and there is a massive amount of them in western Broward County, in fact thats pretty much all it is once you go west of University Dr and along the I-75 corridor, which basically just resembles the suburbs of any major city.

Also, you have charming older neighborhoods like Coral Gables, Miami Shores, Coconut Grove (parts), Pinecrest and you have your glitzy vertical suburbs like Brickell,Aventura and Sunny Isles. And likewise, Kendall has the newer cookie cutter stuff. Broward County to the north is probably about half newer subdivision stuff, 30% what you describe, and a little bit of older nice neighborhoods.

[heydade]

yeah..sounds like she was looking at downtown miami only. A shame...you never saw Coral Gables and other very nice Miami suburbs

[coolieandre]

So how far of a commute is that to Downtown?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by coolieandre

So how far of a commute is that to Downtown?

Coral Gables is about 15 minutes, Coconut Grove is immediately due south, Miami Shores is about 15 minutes, Kendall is about a half hour maybe closer to an hour if you go west enough, Aventura is about 20 minutes, and Miami Lakes/suburban Broward is about 30-45 minutes away.

[305guy]

Originally Posted by coolieandre

So how far of a commute is that to Downtown?

Kendall (west of the turnpike) to downtown during rush hour is an hour travel time.

[rogerbacon]

Until the last couple of decades there haven't been many two-story houss built in South Florida. The reason is cost. It costs more for that second story to be build to hurricane codes and there was no reason to build up because there was pleanty of land. Well, things have changed now. Now the land they build houses on is so tiny that they have to make houses two-story just to have enough living space. You call single-level homes slummy because you are probably fom somewhere where land was scares to people build up (and probably built houses out of some cheap material like wood too). Down here havign a one-story house menas you are lucky enough to have bought when there was actual land available. Now houses have 0.01 to 0.015 acres.

[coolieandre]

No not necessarily. The homes I did see in "inner Miami" were slummy, in terms of poor maintenace, and the proximity to the next house. Basically, some parts remindied me of back home in Jam. I'm not saying one story homes are slummy either. Being from an Island, I'm used to that type of building. And yes, in Georgia they build up to 4 stories but they are cheaply made, with bricks literally stuck onto wood for decoration.