Moving to Miami and need advice - Miami-Dade or Broward? (Orlando: rental car, rental)

[BDK2008]

We are moving to Miami from Orlando this summer - my husband will be working near the old Orange Bowl site. We are looking to buy a home - up to $600K. We have 3 kids - 2 in elementary, one in middle school - schools are important but I don't want to pay $60K a year for private school.

Many people have recommended Broward County over Miami-Dade - others have said that Coral Gables and Pinecrest are the places to be - good school and better commute for my husband.

How bad is the commute from Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Miramar to Orange Bowl site? What is the commute from Coral Gables or Pinecrest?

Pros and cons? THANK YOU!!

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

You should consider renting first, but I guess It would be tough on the kids. I think Miami would be closer but some people just don't like the diversity in Miami(some anglos) and just feel better living in Broward. That really depends on your personality. If it bothers you when someone speaks Spanish don't even consider Miami With your budget you can live in a nice area with good schools in either county. In my opinion Broward is overrated.

[BDK2008]

Thank you! Anyone else?

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by BDK2008

We are moving to Miami from Orlando this summer - my husband will be working near the old Orange Bowl site. We are looking to buy a home - up to $600K. We have 3 kids - 2 in elementary, one in middle school - schools are important but I don't want to pay $60K a year for private school.

Many people have recommended Broward County over Miami-Dade - others have said that Coral Gables and Pinecrest are the places to be - good school and better commute for my husband.

How bad is the commute from Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Miramar to Orange Bowl site? What is the commute from Coral Gables or Pinecrest?

Pros and cons? THANK YOU!!

Your instincts are correct: Coral Gables and Pinecrest are beautiful places with good schools that are a reasonable commute to the Orange Bowl area. Honestly, there is nothing nicer in Broward than the nicest areas of Miami-Dade (Coral Gables and Pinecrest included), so save yourself a lot of time spent sitting in traffic and just live closer to work. $500,000-$600,000 will buy you a beautiful home in an upper-middle class neighborhood in either place I have mentioned.

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by lolitazz

You should consider renting first, but I guess It would be tough on the kids. I think Miami would be closer but some people just don't like the diversity in Miami(some anglos) and just feel better living in Broward. That really depends on your personality. If it bothers you when someone speaks Spanish don't even consider Miami With your budget you can live in a nice area with good schools in either county. In my opinion Broward is overrated.

As one of those Anglos I disagree with your pov. We Anglos love diversity of which there is NONE in Miami except the imaginary diversity within the Latino/Hispanic community debating over different forms of that demographic who's black, who's white or "OFF WHITE" (my personal favorite) how the lowly Mexicans are scum, how the Cubans are fascists, how the Euro progeny are so much better, how certain people from certain places in Spain are so unique and don't even speak Spanish (as if we care)...and the stupid infighting goes on and on.

Then we have that demographic acting like an entire 35 sq mile area in AMERICA speaking EXCLUSIVELY SPANISH (or other similar language too long of a ridiculous debate for me to go into) is not only NORMAL, but required. NOBODY in AMERICA needs to speak Spanish unless they are wanting some type of specific reason to, such as marrying into a Spanish speaking family, or working with immigrants and need pigeon Spanish etc etc.

I also resent the cd poster's typical attitude saying: If you come here and don't speak Spanish you are a tourist.

I also resent the cd poster's typical attitude saying: I don't care if Cubans get preferred immigration treatment over other immigrants, they are my blood.

I also resent the cd attitude that dragging the third world ways, such as shoving a huge amount of people into a small area and living in extreme population density is something WE need to EMBRACE here, saying "Americans are ignorant as to how other people live" etc etc. No we are not. How about trying to ADAPT the better aspects of coming here instead of just for economic gain. Did I mention my son's acquaintance who was defecating in the trash can and when my kid asked why he said that's how they did it in his home country and so his family did the same thing here when they came. This occured in WPB. My kid had to inform him the plumbing here is fully able to manage his needs! LOL poor guy.

I also resent the preposterous cd assertion that WE ANGLOS need to learn Spanish or are ignorant because we have no desire to learn any form of any Spanish language to live HERE. LOL AS IF learning Spanish is even possible to use in a business setting without being just as dysfunctional. Then there was the massive amount of posters jumping an Anglo nurse poster here, who they thought she should learn Spanish for WORK LOL, yeah, kill me with your Spanish 101 mastery. Ridiculous. Shows the vast lack of understanding what goes into being a professional instead of recommending she do further education for a Masters, Phd or science field they think she needed freaking Spanish.

That being said, when I almost had to move to Miami pit out by the airport for a job, the people were all nice and friendly and even the condo gate keeper apoligized for her English which was totally unnecessary since her English was better than my husband's English after being here for three years LOL.

The point is, the radicals have taken over ....lets not forget the lovely license plate "Hispanics discovered Florida"....a subtle race bating agenda by the radicals who proclaim "we were here first". If Miami ever shows ANY diversity we'll be thrilled. Meanwhile it is a Latino/Hispanic political enclave stuck in their own world without a clue about the REAL America. Thinking that 35 sq miles is the entire extent of this beautiful DIVERSE country.

By the way, the OP is only moving from Orlando. I think she has a very real clue about the whole "diversity thing". Last time I was in Orlando it seemed like it was becoming the mid state version of Miami. Not a single employee in the rental car garage spoke English when I asked them questions they looked at me like I was speaking Chinese....at the airport ....and even the guy in the booth was low level conversant.

[305guy]

Ok, how do I follow that?

I'd definitely look into Pinecrest which is a very nice area with great schools. I'd say in the morning/afternoon it would be at least 45 minutes to an hour to get to the OB site. But you'd have low crime where you live and the entire area is very pristine. If you want to live closer to work you can check out the Roads or the Coral Gables area. It is an older, more established area and it's closer to the beaches, airport and generally more central.

Coral Gables is probably your best bet if you want very low crime, proximity to work and good schools. Don't worry about "people not speaking english and only wanting to speak spanish" - it's entirely overstated on this forum. Come visit for a couple of weeks and drive around everywhere- judge for yourself.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by lolitazz

You should consider renting first, but I guess It would be tough on the kids. I think Miami would be closer but some people just don't like the diversity in Miami(some anglos) and just feel better living in Broward. That really depends on your personality. If it bothers you when someone speaks Spanish don't even consider Miami With your budget you can live in a nice area with good schools in either county. In my opinion Broward is overrated.

Hollywood, Pembroke Pines and Miramar are more diverse than almost anywhere in Miami, and so is Broward County at large. Hollywood is kind of segregated, but you will not find whites, Hispanics, blacks, and Asians living amongst each other without awkwardness in a middle class neighborhood anywhere in Miami-Dade, save maybe a few spots near Kendall. You will find that anywhere in Pembroke Pines or Miramar. This isn't a racial thread anyway, as the OP never mentioned race, but I would go with Pinecrest if you can afford it! Pembroke Pines and Miramar are soulless and sterile compared to Pinecrest. I don't think the schools are that good in Coral Gables, but that is also a great area otherwise. I would not suggest Hollywood. Although it has some nice sections (mostly east of US1), the rest of it comes off as being pretty dumpy (in a "white trash" sort of way, if it really matters). I also don't suggest east Miramar which can be rough around the edges (crime is overrated and not that bad, but the schools are bad), and would suggest Cooper City, which is directly above Pembroke Pines and has schools that will exceed anything in Miami-Dade.

[FlyMIA]

If you can afford Coral Gables or Pincrest I would move there. Miami-Dade has a lot more to offer than Broward. Broward overall does have better schools and is a little bit cheaper but Miami is Miami. If you want diveristy, a lot of things to do and want to live near the city Miami-Dade county in the place.

[ray1945]

Take a look at Miami Lakes in the northwest corner of Miami Dade. It's a planned community with nice homes and good schools. The commute from ML to the Orange Bowl site would be about the same as the one from Pinecrest.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

LOL I was just trying to be politically correct with this "Miami Diversity" and my comment was borderline sarcastic. I was just being honest, because if the poster feels like some of the posters here(for example get upset when once in a blue moon they bump into some clerk who doesn't speak English) she will be extremely unhappy down here, and she needs to know that before she moves. I know many anglos who live here and don't have any issues with Miami, and please notice that I said "some Anglos" not all anglos.