Miami Can't be that Bad...? (Jacksonville, Tampa: movers, crime, construction)

[klmsu9]

Originally Posted by illini84

We are very self-absorbed down here and think about ourselves more than we think about others. If you get stuck on the road, you're pretty much on your own. Don't expect people to smile and strike up conversations with you anywhere. People and places (like restaurants and hair salons) will scam you if they think they can get away with it. You always have to assume the worst of strangers and be pleasantly surprised when they turn out to be good.

insert city X or Y and its the same anywhere. i live in the 5th safest city in the nation and its no different- arrogant self-absorbed people, people wont stop to help, they try to scam you, etc. Its the same everywhere to assume the worse of strangers. People are people, the city doesnt make the person.

You will see lots of accidents on your way to work, many of them fatal. Also, we have no functional public transportation, which makes things worse. Roads are in terrible shape. If you don't work in the area where you live, expect commute time to be brutal.

as above insert city x or y. always dumb people driving no matter where you go. few citys have very good public transportation or can afford it these days with the economy and fuel prices. Bad roads? come up to michigan and ill show some terrible roads with foot deep craters. Roads everywhere are terrible. asphalt is made from oil which is at an all time high, so counties cant afford to patch or fix the same amount of road in the budget. Its not solely miami i can promise that, and im SURE theyre still 50 times better than up here.

Wages: below par given the high standard of living for most jobs. We got a much bigger bang for our buck in Chicago on our slightly above middle class income.

one area is not representation of the average and i dont see any big city as being more"cost effective" than another. and actually there are tons of more expensive places to lvie than miami- boston, ny, california, on and on. Cost of living is extreme all over and unemployment is at the highest nationally and in certain states its been in as long as people can remember. wages are continuing to stay level or go down while cost of living is going up. welcome to the USA, its like that everywhere.

[UrbaneAspects]

I like that article the guy posted about Miami kind of people. Lets not say that ALL cities are like Miami; Its not.

Its true that unless you're making lots of $$$, then you may enjoy it, with a struggle. I posted JADED IMAGE OF MIAMI and that post explains my feelings about it.

Im telling you The Spirit Of Miami is what makes people act the way they do. And he is ABSOLUTELY right that Miami is a transcient city because too many people move here thinking it's heaven when it's really HELL, and people move IN and OUT and it creates friendships and relationships that are low quality. Thats just how it is here. Its a touristy city. In my opinion it'll always be that way as long as CSI, Miami Vice, and Hollywood continue to portray it that way. And the people will never change. The only change happens when people come here and turn into superficial, shady monsters...Just like my family that has lived in Miami for decades. Monsters!

[Marlin331]

Wow. You need a hug.

[tallrick]

Just be aware of your surroundings and not become a target for criminals. Take the job while it lasts and be careful that you are still able to move when the money stops flowing.

[Marlin Darlin']

Originally Posted by UrbaneAspects

I like that article the guy posted about Miami kind of people. Lets not say that ALL cities are like Miami; Its not.

Its true that unless you're making lots of $$$, then you may enjoy it, with a struggle. I posted JADED IMAGE OF MIAMI and that post explains my feelings about it.

Im telling you The Spirit Of Miami is what makes people act the way they do. And he is ABSOLUTELY right that Miami is a transcient city because too many people move here thinking it's heaven when it's really HELL, and people move IN and OUT and it creates friendships and relationships that are low quality. Thats just how it is here. Its a touristy city. In my opinion it'll always be that way as long as CSI, Miami Vice, and Hollywood continue to portray it that way. And the people will never change. The only change happens when people come here and turn into superficial, shady monsters...Just like my family that has lived in Miami for decades. Monsters!

It doesn't matter how "Hollywood" portrays Miami. I know a lot of things, including cities, that are portrayed a certain way but in fact could not be further from the truth. Moreover, why does the way Hollywood portrays Miami affect your relationships with other people? If you failed to find your niche don't blame it on everybody. I can see how this would be hard if you arent part of a university or work community. The most common personality type in Miami is "mucho macho," or "look at me, I'm rich and having fun!" For me, this is fun to watch as well as be a part of. If you dont like the predominance of this try moving to somewhere like Tampa or Jacksonville where it is nonexistent.

[Chelito23]

It seems like the only people that Miami "is for" are the self-proclaimed rich people who don't care about crime, their community and are too busy to deal with all the BS that the REAL residents have to live with(dysfuntional schools, corruption, over priced housing, rudeness that SURPASSES NYC, etc.)

I guess isolating oneself in a condo tower compound and office 60 hours a week would isolate anyone from anywhere. The OP may as well move to Billings, Montana then. I mean damn. And good luck finding the kind of woman you described, this is Miami in the year 2008 buddy. Good luck and "welcome."

[hituw2x4]

I don't know if I would want to raise a family in Miami. I am originally from NJ and moved to south Florida when i was 19. The beach and weather is nice and that is about it. I have found that the people down here are not nearly as nice as up north, they are very conceited and flashy. It is very hard to make friends here as well. I know you are not concerned with crime but that is another reason not to raise a family here. Traffic also sucks, but that is anywhere. Everything seems really expensive down here too including housing prices, gas, and taxes. Best advice would be to try it out and see how you like it.

[bencheli]

Like I said, I used to be a social worker and still do work with the juvenile justice system. I'll always care about the local schools, community, etc. I've worked in some very rough cities (i.e. Camden), so when I say the crime in Miami doesn't bother me, it's all relative.

To each their own. I've got to make some money, take care of my family, etc. So I guess I'll find out about Miami for myself soon enough.

[TannerMan]

What is this "image" of paradise so much of you say is portrayed, as far as I can tell all hollywood does is give the city a dangerous image, CSI. Miami Vice, Burn Notice, Bad Boys, Dexter, Cocaine Cowboys series, and countless other crime, drug movies and tv series. The beach and weather portrayed are not lies, but the image movies really show of Miami is of a beautiful city which is not a lie, but it also portrays it as a dangerous, crime infested city with drugs overflowing on the streets. Hollywood does alot of things, but to decide where yu want to live or visit completely upon a movie is beyond ridiculous and stupid.

[miamiblue]

bencheli, you actually sound like the type of person Miami NEEDS. It needs a lot less of the soulless types who just want to lease a Ferrari, cover themselves in designer X, Y or Z and strut around on Ocean Drive. It needs more people who value more than their own image to infuse a much needed sense of community that is definitely lacking.

I am a second generation Miami native, and the place actually used to have a sense of community. The neighborhood I grew up in in Kendall (suburb removed from the glitz and glamour of Miami Beach) used to be an area where neighbors knew each other very well, people would watch out for each other and each other's children. My parents have lived in that neighborhood for 30+ years, and they are watching the neighborhood change as new arrivals replace their friends who are retiring and moving on. The change they see is people who 1) buy the house and immediately try to turn an average 1970's ranch into some kind of Frankenstein McMansion, 2) drive their SUVs all over the neighbors' yards because they don't know how to properly back up, 3) let their children play in the street without teaching them to get out of the road when a car comes, 4) curse out neighbors who ask them to make sure their kids get out of the street when cars are coming because it is unsafe. New neighbors do not make any attempt to get to know the people around them. This is a nice neighborhood with average older homes in the $350k-$500k price range, not some junky area. So much for a sense of community.

My boyfriend used to work for a city park in a very affluent community in Miami. He created and managed events and programs for the municipality, including art festivals, kids' camps and art classes to name a few. The participation was dismal, and people complained incessantly about everything. He had worked in several municipalities doing the same type of work and said that this was the absolute worst he had to work with.

As far as finding someone goes, it sounds like you want a decent person who is relationship material. I hate to say it, but it will be more difficult than it already is on its own. I was extremely lucky to meet my boyfriend, who was actually a new arrival to Miami when we ment. I never expected to meet someone like him there, and even stopped looking altogether, assuming that I would just wait until I moved away to find a decent person worth having a relationship with. But, there are good people scattered about, it's just a matter of finding them, and you never know where you might find them!