LA or south Beach. where would you live (Miami, Miami Beach: primary schools, universities)

[Gametyme]

If you were well of financially and had narrowed your search to LA or South Beach which would you choose? Lets say you are a young couple with no kids. What do you feel are the pros and cons of each city?

[cuba libre]

#1 - South Beach

At least you can prepare for hurricanes... Earthquakes strike at random.

LA is too broad of term... there are over 15 million people in the greater Los Angeles area (even though a third are renegade, border-jumping immigrants, or at least their grandparents were), opposed to about 100,000 full time residents in Miami Beach.

[Gametyme]

thanks for your input

[burgler09]

Miami beach in an instant, LA is waaaay too cold in the winter. I prefer Miami because it is more tropical with just a completely different vibe. Miami is a weird feel because it is such a fast paced city.. but at the same time you have a laid back feeling. It has a more exotic feel and feels like you aren't in the USA at all. Theres plenty of reasons to love it.. but at the same time a lot of the reasons i love this city are the same reasons so many people hate it. You're going to have to visit them both to really know.

[heydade]

LA for sure !! Because the weather is amazing..blue skies, most of the year in the mid 70's....mountains nearby.

[noland123]

I'll take Lower Alabama(LA) over South Beach LOL!!!!

[doggiebus]

LA for sure! Better weather! You can be skiing in the morning/afternoon and be on the beach watching the sunset at night. LA is closer to so many great places. Vegas is only 4 hrs away by car.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Originally Posted by cuba libre

#1 - South Beach there are over 15 million people in the greater Los Angeles area (even though a third are renegade, border-jumping immigrants, or at least their grandparents were), opposed to about 100,000 full time residents in Miami Beach.

Cuba_Libre: Your post makes no sense.

Based on the 2000 Census, 50.9% of residents in Miami-Dade County were FOREIGN-born residents. For LA County the proportion was 41% in the same year.

So if you are concerned with "renegade, border jumping" immigrants you are probably better off in LA than Miami/Miami Beach.

For the OP: I'd take Los Angeles over Miami because So Beach/Miami is far more ONE-DIMENSIONAL than Los Angeles. I like Miami but...

My Top Five Reasons for taking Los Angeles over Miami/So. Beach:

1. Geographic Diversity: Fla is FLAT. LA has ocean, mountains, and desert all within a short drive. Snow ski and surf in the same day! Miami has nice beaches but the Atlantic is a LAKE and that is BORING!!!!

2. Cultural/Arts scene: The cultural and artistic fire power in LA is far superior to Miami (read: museums, galleries, etc.).

3. Better Climate: Yes, those So. Fla winters are GREAT. But the other 8 months of the year are MISERABLE. LA = low humidity, minimal rain year round, and sun, sun, sun....

4. Top Universities: UCLA, USC, and Cal-Tech (where the rocket scientists are trained and Albert Einstein taught).

5. Ethnic Diversity: Miami is pretty ONE-DIMENSIONAL is this regard: all Cuban/Latin. Los Angeles is MORE diverse with a WIDER range of people from ALL over the world. The U.S. Census backs me up on this.

[Nolefan34]

Both places have some similarities. Beautiful women, beaches, outdoors weather, lots of Hispanics, bad traffic (although L.A. is worse in that category).

The weather category is really a wash because while L.A. had better overall weather, FL is warmer and has more sun. FL also has a lot of nasty weather that L.A. doesn't have. L.A. is more even-keeled while FL has lots of extreme weather.

Population- L.A. has 10 million people while Miami has 3 million. L.A. is just a lot bigger. Miami is comparable to Boston.

Hispanics- a majority in both cities.

Universities- Miami has UM and FIU as its primary schools. I don't really see how this category applies to the original poster's decisions.

Beaches- Miami wins by far. South Beach is better than L.A. beaches. The water is warm all year around and you don't need to own a wetsuit. There are topless girls on South Beach. No argument here. The only thing that South Beach doesn't have that L.A. beaches have are waves.

Cultural Diversity- L.A. wins in this department. However, Miami isn't so bad compared to most places. Miami is far superior in this department than other FL cities and most of the Southeastern U.S.

Bottom line is it really just depends on the person. I would probably stick with the city where you have the most friends and family. That can make all of the difference in the world.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

I would choose LA.

The weather is nice most of the year.
- More Diversity
- Awesome food (Mexican, Asian) Cuban food in my opinion sucks (sorry Cubans)
- California is a beautiful state with beautiful mountains. You can drive up to Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe (and see snow) even Reno and Las Vegas.
- More local businesses, independent coffee shops etc

I love that place. I just need to win the lottery now.