In Need of Info for Miami (Tampa, Orlando: appointed, apartments, rental homes)

[RoseC]

Hi, (i'm new to this)
We're opeining a resturant in south beach miami (collins ave and 22nd?) and I have some chefs coming in from different parts of the world to work there. I'm having some trouble with researching the area and culture there. i don't have time to spend over there driving around and neither does my assistant. but if someone can help me with a few simple questions or direct me to someone that can help that would be great.
first,
1. What area's are great for living? (safe, etc)
a.How difficult would it be to get from that area to south beach Via public transportation?
b. Is public transportation terrible there?
c. What is the housing/renting situation like? That is, are most rental homes or apartments lease or month to month?
d. what schools (high, junior and elementary) are decent?
e. Is there a chinese community any where in Florida?
f. any additional information outsiders should know about Miami?
thanks!

[MiamiVice1985]

I would not come here if I was you. Unless you have a car and a lot of money, you will be living below state averages for almost everything; schools, housing, purchasing power, crime ridden areas. You seem like too nice of a person to get mixed up in Miami in its current condition.

[illini84]

Originally Posted by RoseC

1. What area's are great for living? (safe, etc)
Depends on what you're looking for. South Beach is nice, but rowdy and more for younger, single people. Coral Gables is very nice for families. Coconut Grove is kind of a mixed bag. Brickell is nice and full of young professionals.
a.How difficult would it be to get from that area to south beach Via public transportation?
It would be almost impossible from any of the areas I mentioned above. The Metrorail does not go to South Beach, so you would have to take a bus. It would probably be somewhere around 2 hours each way from Coral Gables/Coconut Grove and maybe an hour from Brickell.
b. Is public transportation terrible there?
Yep. I've yet to see a large city whose public transportation is worse than Miami's.
c. What is the housing/renting situation like? That is, are most rental homes or apartments lease or month to month?
Depends. I've lived in two places here and although I signed a year lease each time, both landlords told me I could leave if I gave 30 days notice or if I found a replacement. The first time I moved, it took me only 2 or 3 days to find a replacement. This would be something you'd have to check on prior to moving here, though.
d. what schools (high, junior and elementary) are decent?
I don't have children, so I can't answer this appropriately. From what I hear though, most of the public schools are graded "F" (failing), so private schools are the way to go.
e. Is there a chinese community any where in Florida?
I think I've seen about 2 Asians in Miami since I moved here 6 months ago.
f. any additional information outsiders should know about Miami?
thanks!
Just read through a few other threads to get the pictures...

Hope everything works out.

[TannerMan]

1. There are plenty of great living areas. Right on the beach would be good to be near the restaurant, but price is another issue, Others are Brickell, downtown, miami shores, miami springs, miami lakes, doral, and countless other areas, a price range would help narrow it down.
a. To get to the beach from Brickell or downtown would be a breaze, and anywhere from the mainland would be realitevely easy by road.
b. If you choose downtown or Brickell you'll have the best transportation south florida has to offer, from other areas it would probaly be easy to get to the beach but for anything else it would be a terrible system.
c. Right now the RE market is shaky and renting would be your best shot and finding a rent would also be a breeze.
d. There are few good public schools, private and some charter schools would be a better option in most of Miami.
e. Miami-Dade has probaly the largest chinese community in Florida, but specific neighborhoods would probaly Doral with the highest percentages of asians in probaly all of South Florida, but North Miami Beach is where the asian community is blatantly seen, streets actually filled with asian buisnesses and heavy neighborhoods with them. Other areas might be pockets in Southwestern Dade.

Again a price range will help narrow down places where you can look at.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by TannerMan

e. Miami-Dade has probaly the largest chinese community in Florida

Miami-Dade proportionally actually has one of the smallest. The largest are Orange County (Orlando) by FAR, followed by Broward County then followed by Hillsborough County (Tampa). Out of all of those, I think only Orlando really has a truly visible Chinese presence, although the Asians there tend to be more Vietnamese or Asian Indian.

Anyway

1. Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Brickell, Miami Lakes, PARTS of Kendall, Miami Springs (parts), Coral Gables, and Aventura are my choices.
A. Really difficult. Doable but very loooong.
B. Terrible.
C. Terrible. Overpriced but the prices seem resistant to fall. Mostly lease.
D. Zero in on Palmetto Bay or Pinecrest or you will be sorely disappointed.
E. See first paragraph. South FL Asians (including Chinese) are mostly in Broward (and not even in large numbers there, sans Miramar, Cooper City, parts of Davie (yeah I know, but they are moving into that area rapidly), parts of Coral Springs, or west Pembroke Pines), although you will find a major Chinese pocket in North Miami Beach and Doral seems to have a few too.
F. Hope you have a lot of startup money! Miami/South Florida is adaptable as your wallet.

[TannerMan]

illini84 how can you possibly say Miami is the worst public transportation of a large city, get out more. Yes its terrible here but outside of NY, LA, Chicago, DC, and few other cities probaly SF and possibly Atlanta and Dallas, have mediocre sytems. Miami has one of the largest system overall its just not even close to being sufficiant for it. Its not terrible really just not sufficiant. Not defending it just letting you know its hardly the worst system.
Believe it or not Miamis metro-rail, metro mover, bus, rapid bus line and you add Tri-Rail are massive and something most american cities hoped they had to the least. Public transportation in America is horrible outside of selective cities.

[nitokenshi]

the transportation system in Miami is good in theory with the tri-rail, monorail, buses but it was executed poorly making it almost useless.

Its weird there are tons of Chinese restuarants. But you will rarely see a chinese or any kind of Asian. Its like their in hiding or something.

[nicsma2002]

Originally Posted by nitokenshi

Its weird there are tons of Chinese restuarants. But you will rarely see a chinese or any kind of Asian. Its like their in hiding or something.

I've wondered about this myself. The employees in the Chinese restaurants are almost always Chinese. Where in the world do they all live? I never see them around anywhere. I would love to see more of a Chinese presence, would make this place seem more international. Come out and play!

[TannerMan]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

Miami-Dade proportionally actually has one of the smallest. The largest are Orange County (Orlando) by FAR, followed by Broward County then followed by Hillsborough County (Tampa). Out of all of those, I think only Orlando really has a truly visible Chinese presence, although the Asians there tend to be more Vietnamese or Asian Indian.

When it comes to chinese Miami is actually Floridas magnet.
CHINESE POPULATION:
Miami-Dade-22,678
Broward-18,754
Orange-9,992
Hillsborough-6,591

Asians in total do tend to spread out more and thats the stats you showed. But after living in Orlando for 4 years the asian community was no more evident over there than it is here, theres no neighborhoods like what you find here. Actually Orlandos' "chinatown" is a strip mall built in an impoverished neighborhood with some asians but the neighborhood is still mostly black/carribean.

[compelled to reply]

That's in pure numbers, consider how many less people live in Broward, Orange and Hillsborough. Proportionally it's Orange followed by Broward and Hillsborough. Yes Orlando's "Chinatown" is set in Pine Hills but they live all over the county, with a really big cluster in Dr. Phillips area. They tend to blend. Mills Ave is mostly Vietnamese.

Orange County- 4.3% Asian
Hillsborough/Broward- Tie 3.0% Asian
Miami-Dade- 1.5%