Indian family looking to relocate to South Florida area (Miami: movies, schools)

[jayuiyer]

We currently live in New York, have been here for 15 years. Now my husband has found this huge work opportunity in Miami and we are considering relocating to the South Florida area. We have two boys - ages 6 and 3. What are some good living locations we should consider, preferably with a decent sized Indian community. (I gotta have my fix of Indian friends to discuss Bollywood movies lol).
Secondly what are some good school options that we can look at? Private is ok - just dont know where to start the search.
Appreciate any help with this - nervous and excited about this move

[unkindraven]

You'll probably need to clarify what a decent sized indian community is here to you. There are not many indians here, at all really, and the few that are present are really scattered. The only concentration I can think of (and its a small one) is by sweetwater and fontainebleau - both of which are lower-middle income quiet immigrant communities.

[StarfishKey]

If you do a search of the Florida and Miami forums, you will see you are not the first to ask this question. There are several other threads discussing where the Indian populations are to be found. It is NOT going to be like NY. But it's great that he has a good job waiting, and that will help a ton with the rest. Since we are getting more and more posts about Indians relocating to SFL (which some non-Indians like myself are extremely happy about because it means not only more diversity of people but also more great Indian and better grocery stores coming!), it might mean that there is going to be a decent-size community here, even though Asians in general are a very small minority down here currently. I think sari shops would be a great addition to Miami style of dress also, because they are an attractive option for the heat, although I personally don't currently know of any in town.

If the food side of things interest you, you might like to know that a lot of the traditional Indian spices and vegetables, as well as of course fruits like Indian dessert mangoes, grow very well in the Miami area. You might have to amend the soil a bit or use pots for some, but they will do pretty well in the climate. Of course if you are able to live close to the water or further South, you will have less chance of ever having a freeze, and can protect them plants if they need to be on the rare cold nights that come along.

There are also many different threads discussing the better schools here. "Advanced search" is your friend!

Welcome if you decide to come down!

[r_k]

Where will your husband be working? That's very important to know before deciding where to live. Generally speaking there are more Indians in Broward than in Miami itself.

[oronzous]

I'm under the impression that the Indian community in Miami is not that small but it is made of temporary workers, that go back to their country when their visa expires.
As such they do not engage in the activities that make a thriving community, such as cultural centers, ethnic stores, etc.

[KKapoor]

We are relocating to Miami this summer too from Iowa. We had visited Miami in March and had stayed in the Doral area. I did notice an Indian store and an Indian restaurant. Have you visited Miami yet? Let me know what area are you looking at?

[pierrekid]

Are you talking about india indian or american indian? If you are talking about india indian then you will find a huge community in the weston pembroke pines area. Its not miami but its about a 25-30 minute drive. Alot of my Indian classmates were from those areas. Many commuted daily to class and back.

[Cubanchic]

My ex Husband's wife is Indian but her family originally came to Jamaica before coming here. There is a small community in south Miami and if you visit Miami there is a Indian store on Miller road and right before 67th avenue heading east that a lot of the Indian community frequents. My ex's wife and her family taught me Indian dishes and the store owner knew a lot of the folks that would come by there.

[jayuiyer]

Thank you all for the reply. I'm still getting used to the forum and couldnt find my original thread for a while so I never saw the replies - LOL.
So it looks like we will move somewhere near the Coral Gables or Pinecrest areas (I visited them last week and fell in love). I guess if there arent enough Indians around, I'll have to bring the diversity with me
I'm looking forward to the move, the warm weather and mostly the mangoes

[tallrick]

Go to Weston. There are a LOT of Indian IT workers living there.