LA, San Diego, or Miami? (Orlando, Hollywood: best neighborhood, foreclosures, crime)

[dadeguy]

Originally Posted by ihatemiami

MOST DEFINATLY San Diego! Miami is THE biggist rip off I have ever experienced. Unless you speak Spanish don't come to Miami--Cubins think 'Americans' (as we are called here--gee, thought I lived in America) should speak Spanish. Everyone here is on the take--what can you do for me and how much money can I rip you off for! Including--ESP! Miami-Dade County! Everytime you leave the house you put yourself in danger here and it is soooo expensive to live in "the Sunshine State"--give me the RAIN of Seattle!! I HATE MIAMI--anyone want to buy some stupid condos on the water for 60% discount, + outragious HOA's AND TAXES!! I am from Las Vegas--I thought I knew about the fast life and crooks--but Miami can teach the most hard core a thing or two! Hold on to your wallets around Miami as someone will be into your pockets in No TIME!! Miami is NOT for the faint at heart--NO MERCY HERE!! Just a bunch of overpriced BOXES they call condos--and thieves! Can't wait to get back to civilization!!!!

so ...... does that mean you aren't returning?

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by dadeguy

so ...... does that mean you aren't returning?

Let's hope not ... I am with you there !!

[mrswondering]

thank you everyone for the insight....i appreciate all replies. It seems like Miami is not being painted a very nice picture of. We used to live in San Diego for about seven months and we truly did love it there, it was just too expensive to live in at that time. However, with careful planning and budgeting we could probably do just fine.

I think most people are scared of Miami because it is 65% hispanic, that is rare to have a city in America where more than half the population is hispanic. I dont speak spanish, but thats nothing Rosetta Stone cant fix!.. But on the other hand we do have a young daughter so crime is a big issue for us...hmmm..seems like san diego is winning this round.....

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by mrswondering

thank you everyone for the insight....i appreciate all replies. It seems like Miami is not being painted a very nice picture of. We used to live in San Diego for about seven months and we truly did love it there, it was just too expensive to live in at that time. However, with careful planning and budgeting we could probably do just fine.

I think most people are scared of Miami because it is 65% hispanic, that is rare to have a city in America where more than half the population is hispanic. I dont speak spanish, but thats nothing Rosetta Stone cant fix!.. But on the other hand we do have a young daughter so crime is a big issue for us...hmmm..seems like san diego is winning this round.....

Unless someone has lived in both cities(not just visited) I would take any advice giving here with a grain of salt. I love the weather in San Diego & LA, but I don't know anything about its schools, crime and culture. Even though I really dislike the summers here, something tells me that California is not as great as it seems.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Rock Newman

Parkland , Weston and even Cooper City in Broward are nice ... also Boca Raton , Wellington and Palm Beach Gardens in Palm Beach County .... Jupiter can be very expensive ... but areas like Tequesta and the place the Florida Marlins hold their spring training ( I forget the name ? ) are affordable and upscale .

I would delete Doral from the Dade County list unless you speak Spanish .... prefer Coral Gables , East Kendall , Pine Crest , Miami Shores and Palmetto Bay if you are going to live in Dade County .

I think Doral is very bland and congested but not really a bad place to live otherwise. It's crime stats are inflated because of the disproportionate amount of commercial/industrial areas in the city limits and while you will hear mostly Spanish which can make some feel uncomfortable, I haven't found a lack of English spoken to be a major problem in the area. On the list of decent areas to live in, I would also add anything north of the Grantigy/I-75 from 57th Ave westward, including Miami Lakes, as well as Aventura, Biscayne Park, and most of the beaches. Western Broward is mainly better if you have children or if, like me, you prefer to come home to more peace in exchange for less of some of the amenities.

[muiere2]

I live in Miami Beach Fl. I left San Diego a year ago but i also lived in LA.... in three weeks I'm moving to Missouri!(can't stand Miami) I would recommend San Diego. they did a very nice job with that city.(also they have a lot free concerts and museums for the locals----they take care of their own) .Miami is trash. I just have to stay on the east coast because i travel a lot to Europe and the flights are cheap but other then that San Diego!!! I graduated from SDSU !!!!!Yey

[MRICTTECH]

Listen to rock newman. I am from la. Lived in fl. It trully sucksksksksksk

[Island_OnThe_Land]

As a resident of LA County, Doggiebus nicely summarized the sales tax & property tax rates. I would only add that property tax rates in Calif. can only rise 2% per year (and the base is set at 1% of the purchase price). So for those that have owned a home for a long time, prop. taxes are quite low.

The case for San Diego: weather, laid back lifestyle, revitalized downtown, best surfing in continental USA.

The case AGAINST San Diego: lacks diversity & culture as compared to LA, outside of downtown SD there is not much personality or character to its neighborhoods, job base is FAR MORE limited than in LA.

Miami's winters beat San Diego/LA but the summers in San Diego/LA beat Miami.

Crime is actually quite low in San Diego AND Los Angeles....despite hype about gangs in LA. The crime rate in LA is at a 40 year low....despite the slumping economy.......

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Island_OnThe_Land

The case for San Diego: weather, laid back lifestyle, revitalized downtown, best surfing in continental USA.

The case AGAINST San Diego: lacks diversity & culture as compared to LA, outside of downtown SD there is not much personality or character to its neighborhoods, job base is FAR MORE limited than in LA.

Granted a lot of SD can be very cookie cutter and suburban but there are areas away from downtown with plenty of personality and character, mainly the beach communities west of I-5. The older, more urban neighborhoods surrounding Downtown SD such as Hillcrest and North Park are pretty nice with lots of character and personality.

And yes compared to LA, SD is lacking in diversity and culture but it does offer enough for most people I feel. Plenty of museums, art galleries, symphony, and other cultural events but not on the level of LA of course.

All three places are fairly different, what exactly are you looking for? LA and SD can be very pricey for some so not sure if the extra costs are worth it depending on what you are looking to get out of a place. Generally you have to pay a good amount for a house in a good school district. So even though many homes have come down a lot in price in SD, many of them are not in the best school districts. The same essentially applies to LA. Not sure what it's like with Miami in relation to home prices vs school quality.

[Reptoid Humidian]

Originally Posted by mrswondering

thank you everyone for the insight....i appreciate all replies. It seems like Miami is not being painted a very nice picture of. We used to live in San Diego for about seven months and we truly did love it there, it was just too expensive to live in at that time. However, with careful planning and budgeting we could probably do just fine.

I think most people are scared of Miami because it is 65% hispanic, that is rare to have a city in America where more than half the population is hispanic. I dont speak spanish, but thats nothing Rosetta Stone cant fix!.. But on the other hand we do have a young daughter so crime is a big issue for us...hmmm..seems like san diego is winning this round.....

Yes, but only on the internet. If you can afford a trip to Miami in August or one of the summer months, I highly recommend it. If you can deal with the humidity then then it's probably a good match.