Miami good neighborhoods? (Coral Gables, Westchester, Pinecrest: real estate, apartment, rentals)

[Love_dessert]

This is probably a long shot, but wondering if anyone here has moved to Miami from Westchester county, NY?
We are considering moving to Miami, and are wondering if there’s an area similar to Westchester? (The town we live in is quiet but close to Manhattan, schools are highly rated, residents are interested in being involved in the community, it’s largely walkable, predominantly single family homes, a couple of fine restaurants and many parks and access to a private beach).
I have heard Coral Gables is a nice area, as well as Pinecrest. How would you compare these two? Is traffic from either heavy or is it pretty ok? How would you describe the vibe/ type of people who would like these neighborhoods and are there others that you’d recommend?
Thanks so much , any input is appreciated.

[WilliamInMiami]

Originally Posted by Love_dessert

Thanks so much , any input is appreciated.

Wello ok then, here's my input. All these damn New Yorkers coming down here and contaminating our fine state with their sissy liberal socialist politics are ruining this state. I'm amazed as to how many come down here to escape the mess they made up there, and then try to create the same thing down here.

Gov. Desantis came within a hair of losing the election to someone who was later found in a hotel OD'd on drugs with 2 gay male prostitutes. Those are the kind of people you NYers seem to like. Feel free to visit but please buy a return ticket.

[Huasho]

Wello ok then, here's my input. All these damn New Yorkers coming down here and contaminating our fine state with their sissy liberal socialist politics are ruining this state. I'm amazed as to how many come down here to escape the mess they made up there, and then try to create the same thing down here.

Desantis came within a hair of losing to the election to someone who was later found in a hotel OD'd on drugs with 2 gay male prostitutes. Those are the kind of people you NYers seem to like. Feel free to visit but please buy a return ticket.

If De Santis is your Saint. Please ...... You and your loved ones (If You Have Any) move to Westchester today !!!!

[bale002]

Originally Posted by Love_dessert

This is probably a long shot ...
We are considering moving to Miami, and are wondering if there’s an area similar to Westchester? (The town we live in is quiet but close to Manhattan, schools are highly rated ... predominantly single family homes, a couple of fine restaurants and many parks ... Coral Gables ... Pinecrest. Is traffic from either heavy or is it pretty ok? How would you describe the vibe/ type of people who would like these neighborhoods ... are there others that you’d recommend?

Thanks so much , any input is appreciated.

By some long shot, Pinecrest comes close to what you would seek. To close the gap, close your eyes and make believe it's Westchester County, NY.

Sort of like Coral Gables, close your eyes and make believe that it's some Mediterranean city like it pretends to be.

Traffic in and out of Pinecrest is okay depending on time of day and how well you learn the side streets, where the canals are, where the longer and shorter traffic lights are. Traffic on the main thoroughfares of Coral Gables is a nightmare most of the time, but it's usually okay on the residential streets.

The vibe is like people with money. Most mind their own business. Some are pretentious, shooting their mouths off about how people should live, especially just before elections, but most of the rest of the time doing everything possible to keep riff-raff out of their own neighborhoods.

Some of the top private schools are in Pinecrest and neighboring Palmetto Bay.

However, the best is in Coconut Grove, among the top 25 in the entire US according to some rankings, so if you can afford that, look there as well, closer to downtown and certainly more walkable than Pinecrest and even Coral Gables, the closer one is to Biscayne Bay.

As for public schools, Pinecrest over Coral Gables over Coconut Grove.

Coconut Grove seems to have its own vibe and doesn't seem to give off the impression that it is trying to be something else.

But I'm no expert. Marc Middleton and a few other real estate professionals here know better. Maybe they can help.

At any rate, in your case, I would venture to say Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, Coral Gables, in that order. Unless public schools are a priority over private; in that case Pinecrest.

Hope this helps, a little.

[elchevere]

South Miami is in between Pinecrest and Coral Gables….really like the neighborhood/village vibe of their quaint downtown. Not sure what your budget is but Ponce-Davis is a short drive away from South Miami and another neighborhood you might consider.

[Love_dessert]

Thank you, good to know about traffic and schools.
Are public schools in Florida not as good as private? Where we live public schools are rated very highly (and the insane taxes reflect that), so haven't considered private.

Originally Posted by bale002

By some long shot, Pinecrest comes close to what you would seek. To close the gap, close your eyes and make believe it's Westchester County, NY.

Sort of like Coral Gables, close your eyes and make believe that it's some Mediterranean city like it pretends to be.

Traffic in and out of Pinecrest is okay depending on time of day and how well you learn the side streets, where the canals are, where the longer and shorter traffic lights are. Traffic on the main thoroughfares of Coral Gables is a nightmare most of the time, but it's usually okay on the residential streets.

The vibe is like people with money. Most mind their own business. Some are pretentious, shooting their mouths off about how people should live, especially just before elections, but most of the rest of the time doing everything possible to keep riff-raff out of their own neighborhoods.

Some of the top private schools are in Pinecrest and neighboring Palmetto Bay.

However, the best is in Coconut Grove, among the top 25 in the entire US according to some rankings, so if you can afford that, look there as well, closer to downtown and certainly more walkable than Pinecrest and even Coral Gables, the closer one is to Biscayne Bay.

As for public schools, Pinecrest over Coral Gables over Coconut Grove.

Coconut Grove seems to have its own vibe and doesn't seem to give off the impression that it is trying to be something else.

But I'm no expert. Marc Middleton and a few other real estate professionals here know better. Maybe they can help.

At any rate, in your case, I would venture to say Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, Coral Gables, in that order. Unless public schools are a priority over private; in that case Pinecrest.

Hope this helps, a little.

[Love_dessert]

Originally Posted by elchevere

South Miami is in between Pinecrest and Coral Gables….really like the neighborhood/village vibe of their quaint downtown. Not sure what your budget is but Ponce-Davis is a short drive away from South Miami and another neighborhood you might consider.

Thank you, looks great, but based on what I looked up as median price, it's not in budget.
I'd consider renting too, to make sure area is what I expect before buying.

[bale002]

Originally Posted by Love_dessert

Thank you, good to know about traffic and schools.
Are public schools in Florida not as good as private? Where we live public schools are rated very highly (and the insane taxes reflect that), so haven't considered private.

This can be a very subjective question.

My own take is that Pinecrest public schools are pretty good, but a significant percentage of families in Pinecrest send their children to private schools. State law in Florida allows families to send children to any public district school, so Pinecrest district schools accept students from outside the district, unless they are full with local students. However, as I mentioned, many families in Pinecrest send their children to private schools so there are plenty of open spaces in the public district schools.

My impression is that public district schools in Coral Gables, Coconut Grove and South Miami range from just okay to abysmal, though other people may use other adjectives to describe them.

Having said that, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove and South Miami all have pretty good public magnet schools, but admission is competitive, the rules are complicated, the process murky, and space limited.

As a result of recent price increases, houses in Pinecrest start at around $1M, Coconut Grove east of US1 was already well beyond that, and I'm pretty sure that housing prices in most areas of Coral Gables and South Miami have increased apace with Pinecrest.

There are also condo and apartment rentals, many in buildings less than 15 years old or brand new that may be of interest.

But I am no expert on real estate, better to consult a professional.

Hope this helps.

[TirantMartorell]

Originally Posted by Love_dessert

Thank you, good to know about traffic and schools.
Are public schools in Florida not as good as private? Where we live public schools are rated very highly (and the insane taxes reflect that), so haven't considered private.

Public schools in South FL are not like up north. Here, most people who can afford private schools send their kids to private schools. You generally don't buy a home here seeking a good school. All of Miami-Dade County is one school district. In the north, small wealthy communities organize their own school districts and parents seeking good public schools buy there. Here, it doesn't work like that.

[StopThe Steel2024]

Cocoplum where my brother lives it where it's AT