top 5 worst and best Miami neighborhoods (Hialeah, Miami Beach: rent, hotel, taxi)

[Tungsten_Udder]

Originally Posted by Phil~Denver

The reason being is that the majority of Hispanics claim themselves as "White",

And what's the source for that?

[ddrox08]

Originally Posted by Phil~Denver

Some demographic resources can be misleading.

The reason being is that the majority of Hispanics claim themselves as "White", thereby splitting the actual Latino population between those who claim "White" and those who claim "Hispanic". This then gives the African-American population the official majority in certain areas when it is simply not the case. Also, A good part of Hispanics are of African descent and claim "African-American", such is the case with many Cubans, Puertoricans and Dominicans. That is why it is necessary to compile data based on "white alone" and "black alone" to be more clear.

Either way, Carol City isn't perhaps the worst neighborhood in SoFla, even if its reputation says otherwise. Decent people live in all neighborhoods, rich or poor and drawing these distinctions is simply immoral, although I also partook in it. Sorry!

Oh I'm sorry, I forgot you were the actual expert recording the demographics. Aren't you?

[ddrox08]

Originally Posted by Phil~Denver

Some demographic resources can be misleading.

The reason being is that the majority of Hispanics claim themselves as "White", thereby splitting the actual Latino population between those who claim "White" and those who claim "Hispanic". This then gives the African-American population the official majority in certain areas when it is simply not the case. Also, A good part of Hispanics are of African descent and claim "African-American", such is the case with many Cubans, Puertoricans and Dominicans. That is why it is necessary to compile data based on "white alone" and "black alone" to be more clear.

Either way, Carol City isn't perhaps the worst neighborhood in SoFla, even if its reputation says otherwise. Decent people live in all neighborhoods, rich or poor and drawing these distinctions is simply immoral, although I also partook in it. Sorry!

And if most sources state that the overall population of carol city (not 33055 alone) is about 52% AFRICAN AMERICAN how can you explain the white OR people of Latin backgrounds situation? You said a majority of Hispanics claim themselves as white but even if they did not, the AFRICAN AMERICAN population would still be 52%.

[Phil~Denver]

...

Demographics for Carol City:


City: Carol City, FL
Miami-Dade County, FL
Zip code population (2000): 45,105
Estimated zip code population in 2007: 51,508








Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents in Carol City:

• Cuba (47%)
• Dominican Republic (8%)
• Colombia (7%)
• Jamaica (7%)
• Nicaragua (7%)
• Haiti (3%)
• Other Caribbean (3%)

O.K., you've made your point.

The broader point of mine being that there are indeed MANY Cubans in Carol City, unlike what someone else wrote, that there are no Cubans in Carol City, which is simply untrue.


.

[woo99]

What about doral?. Most people agree on the best and worst, but i didnt see much about Doral, just west of Miami International Airport. any opinions?

[thelancour]

Im curious. Can a middle class white person even live here anymore? Miami seems like a dreamworld that could have been a paradise. Definitely not living up to its full potential. When you are in miami beach coral gables and yeah thats about it... oh and SOME parts of downtown, it feels like the ideal southern florida metroplis setting. Lets get one thing straight, I am not racist, I am not orginally from miami (in fact i have only lived here 3 years) but why is it a white person cannot pass through overtown, opa locka, liberty city, north miami, and parts of coconut grove without feeling diconcerted or possibly being robbed, shot, and killed. When the shoe is on the other foot, a black man walking around miami beach, key biscayne or coral gables, is not going to be harrassed. I don't want to get a stereotypical racial bashing, but just trying to gather some opinions. A lot of my coworkers are of differnt ethnicity and they ALL agree with what I just stated. I understand that the city will never live to the expectations of every person wanting to live there, and I believe there are places where a person or family can enjoy a fruitful lifestyle here without having to live with high anxiety. In the end I think most people who choose to live here are going to have to accept it for what it is. Reading most of these posts I get the feeling people are dissapointed with the city, but as far as I can see, thats just the way it is.

[ddrox08]

Originally Posted by thelancour

Im curious. Can a middle class white person even live here anymore? Miami seems like a dreamworld that could have been a paradise. Definitely not living up to its full potential. When you are in miami beach coral gables and yeah thats about it... oh and SOME parts of downtown, it feels like the ideal southern florida metroplis setting. Lets get one thing straight, I am not racist, I am not orginally from miami (in fact i have only lived here 3 years) but why is it a white person cannot pass through overtown, opa locka, liberty city, north miami, and parts of coconut grove without feeling diconcerted or possibly being robbed, shot, and killed. When the shoe is on the other foot, a black man walking around miami beach, key biscayne or coral gables, is not going to be harrassed. I don't want to get a stereotypical racial bashing, but just trying to gather some opinions. A lot of my coworkers are of differnt ethnicity and they ALL agree with what I just stated. I understand that the city will never live to the expectations of every person wanting to live there, and I believe there are places where a person or family can enjoy a fruitful lifestyle here without having to live with high anxiety. In the end I think most people who choose to live here are going to have to accept it for what it is. Reading most of these posts I get the feeling people are dissapointed with the city, but as far as I can see, thats just the way it is.

Well you have to realize that the first 2 areas you listed have far less poverty and crime. You can go into any city and feel uneasy if it has poverty and crime ( i.e. Florida City ) and I also don't think North Miami is too bad. I mean sure there's crime but I don't think it belongs in the same category as the other areas. The way I see it, if you look for ugly.. You will find ugly.. If you look for positiveness, you will have more positive experiences, but I definitely see where you're coming from. Miami-dade county has very segregated neighborhoods and the economy is unevenly proportioned.

[Tungsten_Udder]

Originally Posted by thelancour

but why is it a white person cannot pass through overtown, opa locka, liberty city, north miami, and parts of coconut grove without feeling diconcerted or possibly being robbed, shot, and killed.

I haven't walked about Opa Locka, Liberty City, etc. for a while--since I lived in Miami really, which was awhile ago, but I highly doubt that folks walking through those areas have a good chance of being robbed, shot or killed. I routinely walk through areas here in northern New Jersey that people have the same exact beliefs about.

What I believe instead is that those folks feel disconcerted and FEEL like they might be robbed, shot, killed, etc. The question is, "Why do they feel that way?" There are probably a number of factors, including:

* A belief that crime statistics are something like a lottery, where each person is holding a unique number and has an equal chance of "winning",
* Worry because of stories that the local television stations and newspapers dwell on to obtain viewers and readers,
* Movies, television shows, music videos, etc. that give an impression that going into those areas amounts to putting one's life in danger,
* Social reinforcement, where the fact that other people also believe the same things seems to lend credence to one's own belief.

That's not to claim that it's impossible that average Joes can be robbed, shot or killed in those areas, but it's improbable--almost as improbable as that average Joe being robbed, shot or killed in a small, country town like "Podunk, Iowa".

When the shoe is on the other foot, a black man walking around miami beach, key biscayne or coral gables, is not going to be harrassed.

The probability that they'll be a crime victim in those areas is most likely the same. It's just that they do not worry about being crime victims in those areas, because material leading to those beliefs is not generated by the media or social reinforcement.

Aside from visits to psychologists, the way to combat the worry is to bring the worriers into the areas they worry about and let them spend some time there. It's like getting someone with bee phobia to spend time in open fields among flowers. Of course, this isn't easy to do, as the person with the phobia is going to resist the experience. But maybe if more of us without the phobia were willing to accompany the phobic, and forwarded regular but non-nagging offers, we might help. I regularly offer to walk with the phobic through neighborhoods that they are afraid of, where we can talk about their fears, but it's difficult to get people to take me up on it.

[dadeguy]

Originally Posted by thelancour

Im curious. Can a middle class white person even live here anymore? Miami seems like a dreamworld that could have been a paradise. Definitely not living up to its full potential. When you are in miami beach coral gables and yeah thats about it... oh and SOME parts of downtown, it feels like the ideal southern florida metroplis setting. Lets get one thing straight, I am not racist, I am not orginally from miami (in fact i have only lived here 3 years) but why is it a white person cannot pass through overtown, opa locka, liberty city, north miami, and parts of coconut grove without feeling diconcerted or possibly being robbed, shot, and killed. When the shoe is on the other foot, a black man walking around miami beach, key biscayne or coral gables, is not going to be harrassed. I don't want to get a stereotypical racial bashing, but just trying to gather some opinions. A lot of my coworkers are of differnt ethnicity and they ALL agree with what I just stated. I understand that the city will never live to the expectations of every person wanting to live there, and I believe there are places where a person or family can enjoy a fruitful lifestyle here without having to live with high anxiety. In the end I think most people who choose to live here are going to have to accept it for what it is. Reading most of these posts I get the feeling people are dissapointed with the city, but as far as I can see, thats just the way it is.

I routinely work in what are considered the "most dangerous" areas in miami. I'm in the security and access control business so that comes with the territory. I'm hispanic but often confused for white. I have shoulder length hair á lá 1970's look. I'm of average height and somewhat overweight and display a perpetual grin. no one messes with me and not because I'm a bad arse. I think that some people are fearful of what they see or what they believe will occur. personally I've never had a problem but then again I don't have that expectation. however I don't have blinders on. if I see a person whom I consider to be a potential problem I engage them with enough time and distance to allow me to take appropriate measures.

[planetsurf]

Originally Posted by thelancour

Im curious. Can a middle class white person even live here anymore? Miami seems like a dreamworld that could have been a paradise. Definitely not living up to its full potential. When you are in miami beach coral gables and yeah thats about it... oh and SOME parts of downtown, it feels like the ideal southern florida metroplis setting. Lets get one thing straight, I am not racist, I am not orginally from miami (in fact i have only lived here 3 years) but why is it a white person cannot pass through overtown, opa locka, liberty city, north miami, and parts of coconut grove without feeling diconcerted or possibly being robbed, shot, and killed. When the shoe is on the other foot, a black man walking around miami beach, key biscayne or coral gables, is not going to be harrassed. I don't want to get a stereotypical racial bashing, but just trying to gather some opinions.

MY opinion is that Miami is VERY typical for a larger city. Go to the east side of Atlanta, much of Brooklyn/Bronx/Newark in NY, Southside Chicago, East LA or Compton, parts of Orlando, Charlotte, etc. Nearly every metro area over 1 million people in the US has it's good and bad.
It's poverty, black folks in SoFla tend to be poor, white folks in SoFla tend to be richer, hispanics tend to be rich, poor and in the middle.
"Black folks" are "safe" in safe areas... no kidding. There ARE areas in this country that are poor and hispanic or white where specifically black folks are less safe -- parts of East LA or Southside Boston come to mind. But I can't think of any in Miami. Remember Howard Beach?? Italian yu-t saying a friendly hello to some black kids with baseball bats.
In poor areas, EVERYONE is less safe no mater what color they are. In richer areas, EVERYONE is safer no matter what color they are.

Let's take the Black Grove (that's the name, no disrespect intended). VERY poor what, 10 square blocks, in the middle of a VERY upper middle class area bordering on VERY rich.
Then across US1 (south of CGables) is very working class hispanic. I don't think twice about driving through there, whether buying shrimp off a truck or cutting through to Coral Way, but I do "lock my doors" when driving through the Black Grove (especially at night). Racism? I don't believe so. Look at the crime statistics, more crime happens there. Just cautious. It's no worse than ANY poor neighborhood anywhere. We used to go to a BBQ place there, we were rarely the ONLY non-Blacks and NEVER had an issue. (I never asked to see the tax returns of the other people there though.) The farmers market is on the border there. Again, NEVER any issues.

Would I want to walk down Grant Ave on a Friday night? Nope. Too much poverty there for my "rich," white ass to not be a target for SOME people. It is what it is, a very poor pocket in the middle of a pretty upscale area.