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Probably because it's so isolated and expensive that few people have ever actually stepped foot there....but I have, and agree it's gorgeous!
That's true. You would think it'd be more mentioned on this site because its urban and has natural beauty. I mean, it has the most beautiful lush green mountains close to the city, crystal clear water, and exotic vegetation.
Funny, I was kayaking in Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles last weekend, and the water seemed pretty clear and blue to me. Didn't see any mud, anywhere. On the other hand, I saw lots of foliage, sandy beaches along with natural shoreline, clear skies, clear, warm, and calm water, and hundreds of people kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, swimming, and sailing on the lake and through channels, underneath historic stone bridges, and along shoreline lined with condos and large historic homes and trails.
Also, looking at aerials of both cities, it doesn't look like Miami "for more beautiful and green than Minneapolis." In fact, between looking and Google Maps, aerial imagery, and the (lack of) a park map of Miami, it seems that Minneapolis is far greener (and in the fall, more colorful) and has far more parks than Miami. I don't see the "obese wall mart customer" comparison.
You forgot I lived in Minneapolis (for 1 year), you have to resort to looking at google maps.
Miami as a metro area is squeezed between two large national parks protecting a unique and fragile ecosystem found no where else in the USA. There are species of birds, lizards and mammals found in Miami's national parks found nowhere else in the USA.
Two such large parks are Biscayne (close to 173,000 acres where you can find crocodiles (not just alligators) and Manatees). The second is the famous Everglades (1.5 million acres), and is considered the largest subtropical wilderness in the entire USA. Minnesota's largest and only national park happens to be Voyageurs which is barely bigger than Biscayne at 220,000 acres, let alone compared to the Everglades. One problem though is, it's not connected to Minneapolis or Minneapolis' metro one bit. Miami metro touches and presses up into both those parks.
You're probably not going to get anything objective from SPDMiami anytime soon, so I wouldn't waste your breath (or typing).
SPDMiami and NEP 321 and some guy from Ohio jchbh81 everything they write rubs me the wrong me. Everyone is entitled to their opinion no matter how wrong or misinformed they may be.
You forgot I lived in Minneapolis (for 1 year), you have to resort to looking at google maps.
Miami as a metro area is squeezed between two large national parks protecting a unique and fragile ecosystem found no where else in the USA. There are species of birds, lizards and mammals found in Miami's national parks found nowhere else in the USA.
Two such large parks are Biscayne (close to 173,000 acres where you can find crocodiles (not just alligators) and Manatees). The second is the famous Everglades (1.5 million acres), and is considered the largest subtropical wilderness in the entire USA. Minnesota's largest and only national park happens to be Voyageurs which is barely bigger than Biscayne at 220,000 acres, let alone compared to the Everglades. One problem though is, it's not connected to Minneapolis or Minneapolis' metro one bit. Miami metro touches and presses up into both those parks.
You're right, I looked at Google Maps for aerial imagery.
I have been to the Everglades and I've been to Miami. The Everglades are quite beautiful on a human scale, but also very difficult to see for the average person without taking a trip designated for visiting the National Park, and even so, the vast majority of the park is completely inaccessible unless by boat (not an everyday activity). The park is not part of the city of Miami, and does not play a part in the daily lives of anyone living in the city. Much of the "everglades" that even comes close to touching the Miami metro is not the spectacular mangrove wilderness that you see in pictures, it is largely a brush filled bog (https://www.google.com/maps/@25.3966...7i13312!8i6656). The ocean in Miami only is visible on a consistent basis from the bayfront and the beaches along the shoreline, and is definitely beautiful, but is very much like the ocean in any other ocean city - big, blue, and surrounded by buildings, bridges, or beaches. In Minneapolis, the natural scenery comes into play within the city and outside the city. It's not a mangrove forest with alligators or an oceanfront beach. It's calm, clear lakes (you can call them muddy as much as you would like, but that simply is not the case), deciduous and coniferous forest, creeks, rivers, ravines, gorges, hills, rolling prairie/farmland, waterfalls, and limestone cliffs.
You're right, I looked at Google Maps for aerial imagery.
I have been to the Everglades and I've been to Miami. The Everglades are quite beautiful on a human scale, but also very difficult to see for the average person without taking a trip designated for visiting the National Park, and even so, the vast majority of the park is completely inaccessible unless by boat (not an everyday activity). The park is not part of the city of Miami, and does not play a part in the daily lives of anyone living in the city.
Let's talk metropolitan areas, Miami city limits are frighteningly small (35q miles, compare to Minneapolis who is close to 60sq miles despite Miami anchoring a metro twice as large). In that sense, you have two national parks in the borders of Miami and countless state parks. For Minneapolis, you have no national parks, and countless state parks.
As for the Everglades being a part of daily activities, I simply don't know. That's for inland people to chime in about. I can tell you on my drives down 905A, the contact points between Miami Metro and the Glades is not some bog brush but beautiful scenic wilderness, probably similar to your "northern boundary waters" but with a more tropical flair. Visible right from the road, I see people fishing there all the time.
I can tell you though for us people who live on the islands (in my case Miami Beach), boating, scuba diving, fishing are everyday activities. In fact, many condos here allow for you to dock your boat right inside your building, like a car garage. This is how much boating culture plays here. So Biscayne national park is an everyday thing, or at least a weekly thing. The beach for me is an everyday thing, I see it from my balcony.
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