Where to move in miami ??!? (Miami Beach, Kendall: rentals, condos, house)

[agradigrach]

We're a family with 2 teens 16 and 19 from south Europe and like the Miami climate very much. We've been living in Chicago for about 10 years, and can't take the climate much longer.... What would be a good area to move in Miami that is relatively peaceful and has friendly people living there. thanks

[planetsurf]

House or condo? Do you need a school for the 16 yo?

For a house, for ME, either on the islands in Miami Beach or the triangle between Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, S Miami and Pinecrest. Each area around there has a slightly different vibe (like smaller well kept homes vs VERY jungly, vs HUGE multi million $ homes), something for every taste. Drive ALL around there, you might find a pocket that is perfect for you.

People are basically pretty friendly but you WILL notice a difference in the day to day "pleasentness" vs life in the MidWest. Even people in Chicago tend to be more pleasant than SoFla (& Miami).

Depending on your job situation, you might want to look at places like Jupiter, Parkland or Weston too. Depends what you want. WE like living in a real city and still having a nice yard but you may have different priorities.

Good luck.

[induhvidual]

Welcome to SoFL
You are going to love it.
Everyday is a beautiful day here.
Good luck with your move

[agradigrach]

We want to start renting somewhere before we consider buying, something with 3 bedrooms and no more than $1800. The 16 y/o will be going to high school there and the 19 y/o to community college. I was looking through areas and a friend told me Biscayne Park 33161 was a good area. Any suggestions ?

[somebodymiami]

Biscayne is prob expensive i would recommend somewhere in like the fountain blue area.. its an alright middle class area pretty much all rentals and condos...the local HS is coral park its an alright school its rated a C pretty much all hispanic so..(but thats a granted being in miami) most of miami schools with the exception of probably coral reef palmetto and a few others are all C and Below.. so depending on how you feel about that you may want to look into charter or public... as for housing it really all comes down to what you like and where you work.. the area i suggested is about 15-20 mins from downtown.

[planetsurf]

3 BRoom house for under $1800 might be hard. Might be doable though -- check out Craigslist to get a feel for prices.

High Schools are VERY hit and miss here. More miss than hit. Some fantastic Charter schools, a few fantastic normal publics as well as some very mediocre schools with good AP or IB programs (like Coral Gables High).
Florida schools - FL elementary, middle and high school information

I believe 33161 is zoned for NM High -- BAD school. NMB is better, but not THAT much. Then schools like MB High get better again -- good mix of kids and academic levels there (know a family at that one & they're happy).

[kevinkagy]

Some good public high schools are: Miami Coral Reef HS, Miami Palmetto HS, Miami Killian HS, and some specialized magnets, such as MAST (Key Biscayne), DASH (Miami Design District), and New World School of the Arts (Downtown Miami). Coral Gables HS, South Miami HS, and others in the area are okay, and just that, okay.

The first three mentioned high schools are in Miami's southern suburbs of Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and East Kendall.

[agradigrach]

Aside from schools, which are the safer neighborhoods not farther than 15 miles from downtown ?

[burgler09]

I would check out South Miami for your budget. That would get you about 10 miles from downtown. South Miami would be a good spot for you. Right by the university of miami

[agradigrach]

how are the rest of the neighborhoods not far from downtown and their price range ?