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Not sure I agree with your opinion of only 4 months of good weather in Miami....mid October through the end of May are quite nice--not just Dec-March...and I grew up with humidity (actually good for your skin) so it is not something I would have to get used to....Having been there for 2 weeks this past August I found it to be tolerable, even pleasant, provided you live in close proximity to the beach...point taken on rural/redneck Florida, but besides thè short flights to South America and the Carribean, a short drive to the Keys and short plane rides to great East Coast cities of NYC, Atlanta, New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, etc not to mention much, much easier access and more direct flights to Europe--I travel a lot and enjoy it....as for Miami Beach within the general area is access to some fun and great communities/neighborhoods such as Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Wynwood, Little Havana, Midtown/Design District, Bal Harbour, Ft Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach--all within an hour.
The downside, at this particular time , is that real estate in Miami Beach has gone up too much and too fast (though, this time financed with lots of all cash purchases--not credit or risky loans) and their property tax rate is 2%, higher than CA...not sure now is the time to chase an already red hot market that has nearly doubled within the past 4 years. In the meantime, I get to travel there 6 times a year on business with the option of spending a month at a time. The prudent move would be to stick with this program until if/when the market corrects...I am in no rush or under any timetable or pressure to move and I am in a fortunate position to call the shots--decision entirely up to me. Not too many people have this option.
Well, one of the other problems is Miami being underwater in the near future. Even the Vice Mayor wants to leave Florida:
And California will be dried out, have no water, will suffer the "Big One" earthquake and so on. So if Miami is underwater because of climate change, San Diego is probably dried out and nobody can get water.
I grew up in the NYC metroplex, left in the 80s and visited a handful of times since then, always preferring to keep the visits short after a few juicy bites of what is good about the Big Apple. The south Jersey area, coast and inland, are gorgeous but like most of the East Coast, the general mindset is ruthless and materialistic. Boston is worse, more ruthless and just as materialistic, though they keep their materialism quiet, preferring to let their clothes, cars and houses speak for themselves. The only thing I miss about Boston is the BSO. I've lived in SF Bay, San Jose-Santa Cruz, OC, Hawaii, and for a short time longer St Louis until I move to San Diego next month. Wherever I have lived, I have missed a certain sophistication that I have found only in the NYC/NJ area - it has less to do with education than experience. Living in a metroplex population 18 million creates an unbelievable exchange of information that puts most people in the know, whether it concerns the arts, travel, politics, or food. What hooks them, and what is their saddest failing, IMHO, is the elitism. Take the arts. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of prodigiously talented people out there. Yet only a few can be touted, because only a few can get access to all the money required to publicize them worldwide. Yet you and I could probably hear a mind-blowing violinist at a UCSD chamber music concert. So I don't care if it's Sarah Chang, I just like what's good. But in NYC/NJ, it's all about the name, and all others are overlooked. It's a truly awful mentality. I was just there, visiting family. When I got into the plane heading home, the woman sitting next to me and I exchanged loud exclamations of relief that we were getting out of there.
Someone on this thread said it perfectly when they said that in the Midwest, people dress to show respect. Friendliness is real here, a lot more so than many places. When they ask "how are you?" they actually look you in the eye and wait to hear the answer, they actually care. I'm not romanticizing it here, it's also very parochial, petty and racist, which I guess you might expect in a place where few meet anyone who is not like them. I have learned to enjoy the good and overlook the bad wherever I am, or leave when the bad overwhelms and destroys the good.
Of course, I'm speaking in general terms. There are wonderful exceptions.
I'm looking forward to living in San Diego because it's a whole lot more diverse than St Louis and the weather is outstanding and I cannot face another winter. I'm choosing it over the major metro areas north of it, because as was said, LA is a toxic dump, OC is rat race IMO, and while SJ and SF have more trees and open space, they are downright cold in the winter. Hawaii is too hot and the locals hate us, which gets really tiring.
When I first moved to CA, years ago, I thought it was a cultural abyss. Though I loved the fact that one could wear whatever one wanted even in a 5 star restaurant. As I got to know the regions I was in, I realized one had to discover what was happening, you had to hunt for the concerts, and know people who would tell you about them. In NYC/NJ cultural events are blasted everywhere. You don't have to talk to your neighbors, and you will keep your head down in the bus or train without making eye contact with anyone, but you are going to see the billboards and ads about what's going on. I prefer the approach that connects me with my neighbors. I feel sorry for the Eastern Seaboard and I am disappointed that I cannot abide living there because it offers great beauty plus I am familiar with the layout, shall we say. But it aint gonna happen.
I also want to reiterate that if someone says they are well educated and insists on telling you what school they went to, it's means nothing except that in some circles, they expect preferential treatment based on that, which is a red flag. I'm equally disgusted, maybe more so, with people who are impressed by such things. It only illustrates that they are lacking in other kinds of intelligence, and something I value even more, which is wisdom.
This said, I sense more frustration than elitism in op's post - more culture shock, though perhaps it was poorly expressed. I get why you might have expected the cities in the West to function in similar ways as in the East. I suggest you re-think the connection between education and sophistication. They are very different. And take into consideration that you might actually enjoy the way things operate on the West coast, if you would relax and start looking your neighbor in the eye.
The downside, at this particular time , is that real estate in Miami Beach has gone up too much and too fast (though, this time financed with lots of all cash purchases--not credit or risky loans) and their property tax rate is 2%, higher than CA...not sure now is the time to chase an already red hot market that has nearly doubled within the past 4 years. In the meantime, I get to travel there 6 times a year on business with the option of spending a month at a time. The prudent move would be to stick with this program until if/when the market corrects...I am in no rush or under any timetable or pressure to move and I am in a fortunate position to call the shots--decision entirely up to me. Not too many people have this option.
Yeah, used to be you could get Miami area real estate at a HUGE discount to San Diego/LA prices. That was one of the major selling points of SoFla, a relatively cheap piece of paradise. There is still a sizeable gap in home prices between the two places but sounds like it has narrowed a bit. Agreed you are wise to wait for the right opportunity.
Not sure I agree with your opinion of only 4 months of good weather in Miami....mid October through the end of May are quite nice--not just Dec-March...and I grew up with humidity (actually good for your skin) so it is not something I would have to get used to....Having been there for 2 weeks this past August I found it to be tolerable, even pleasant, provided you live in close proximity to the beach...point taken on rural/redneck Florida, but besides thè short flights to South America and the Carribean, a short drive to the Keys and short plane rides to great East Coast cities of NYC, Atlanta, New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, etc not to mention much, much easier access and more direct flights to Europe--I travel a lot and enjoy it....as for Miami Beach within the general area is access to some fun and great communities/neighborhoods such as Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Wynwood, Little Havana, Midtown/Design District, Bal Harbour, Ft Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach--all within an hour.
The downside, at this particular time , is that real estate in Miami Beach has gone up too much and too fast (though, this time financed with lots of all cash purchases--not credit or risky loans) and their property tax rate is 2%, higher than CA...not sure now is the time to chase an already red hot market that has nearly doubled within the past 4 years. In the meantime, I get to travel there 6 times a year on business with the option of spending a month at a time. The prudent move would be to stick with this program until if/when the market corrects...I am in no rush or under any timetable or pressure to move and I am in a fortunate position to call the shots--decision entirely up to me. Not too many people have this option.
QUOTE=StreetLegal;37010525]I can see the appeal of Miami/Miami Beach, I really can. But I just can't get past what a downgrade it is from San Diego/So.Calif. A glorious 4 months of winter (and the winters in Miami are great) does not erase a solid 6 to 8 months of hellish humidity.
San Diego is merely the "third tier" city in Calif. as compared to its internationally recognized northern neighbors (LA and SF). Yet, San Diego retains a very good quality of life (assuming you can afford it of course). All the while its got the geographic and cultural smorgasbord of California at its doorstep (from Yosemite to Joshua Tree to Big Sur to LA, San Fran., Carmel/Monterey, Wine Country, etc.).
Miami is in Florida. So your in state big city options are Mickey Mouse (Orlando), Jacksonville and Tampa. The short flights to Latin America are nice but also require a passport, getting past airport security and taking a plane flight.
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Sorry, but even those native to FL will tell you it is miserable in August and for several other months. The old "humidity is good for the skin" only goes so far. They say that from A/C houses and A/C cars.
And there is a big difference between dealing it with it for a couple of weeks vs. months on end.
FL is hot and sticky for most of the year, unlike Southern CA there is little to no variety with change in temps, most of the year the temps whether it is Miami, Orlando, or Jacksonville are within a few degrees of each other. While in Southern CA it can vary by 20 plus degrees.
In Southern CA you can go to the oceans or the mountains during the hot months to get some cooler temps, there is no where to go in FL. And FL is so flat and pretty ugly other than the beaches(which is it's only selling point).
Add in the rudeness of South FL and while it might be fine for a vacation, it isn't a nice place to live.
It is so horrible here in FL that 20 million people live here. FL is about to become, or has become, the 3rd largest state (population) in the nation.
Yep, sure is a hellish place to be. For a few.
If 20 million people ran off a cliff... would you as well? It is obvious that 20 million people living in the United States have a different mindset then say the near 40 million of California or the remaining 257 million in the nation. More likely than not, I would say these other people do not prefer the climate of Florida...
It is so horrible here in FL that 20 million people live here. FL is about to become, or has become, the 3rd largest state (population) in the nation.
Yep, sure is a hellish place to be. For a few.
And what is so wonderful about that? Are the roads going to improve? Have some major industries relocated to FL? Is education and healthcare going to improve? What's so great about more people moving to FL?
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