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Miami is just it’s own unique city since it’s the capitol of Latin America. Ft. Lauderdale, just to the north, may actually have more in common culturally with Orlando.
I think J.Gatsby above me hits it on the head with how different Miami itself is from the rest of FL or the SE United States.. or even US in general on multiple accounts.
The question that begs to be asked here, and would really shape my overall response, is, how exactly is Miami being considered here? Are we ONLY taking into account Miami, Miami Beach, and possibly Hialeah or Coral Gables (Dade Areas)? If so, I think Jacksonville, while different from Tampa and Orlando, will feel more familiar to residents of both. If however we are incorporating Miami as a metropolitan region (Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and outlying Dade, places like Doral, etc. even), then I think the answer might be as a region that one would feel more familiar in Greater Miami. Peninsular Florida is it's own unique beast. At the same time though, recent suburban developments in Jacksonville, such as St. John's Town Center, feel quite similar to development patterns, aesthetics, at least, present in Orlando and Tampa upscale suburbs, more so I would say than in further north southern cities. FL does have somewhat of it's own suburb aesthetic even up into North FL.
Culture is gonna be again, largely taken from the definition that we are using here, as I mentioned. If I had to say, maybe an ever so slight lean to Jax based on my most recent visit, but then, I think you have to really live in a place to get a true feel for it's culture.
Landscape on average is gonna be Jacksonville. Miami sorta has it's own landscape, given that it is flatter, it has the Everglades surrounding it, and it is in it's own climactic zone relative to the other three. Jacksonville and Orlando look the most similar, but overall both look more like Jacksonville I think than they do Miami.
Built environment is also gonna be more like Jacksonville, particularly when considering Tampa. Those two feel the most like a traditional city in their built patterns, etc. in the state. Miami itself is also significantly denser. Again, different question if incorporating the Miami Metropolitan Region. Overall, perhaps it is just the size it has and that influence that has sort of a magnetic pull, but I've always felt more connected to Miami than Jacksonville. Interestingly, that was true even when I lived in Tampa. Also, perhaps just dating myself from college, but in some ways Orlando and Miami felt more kinship or something than Orlando and Tampa did, but I'm not quite sure how I'd describe that. A similar kinship isn't really felt with Miami and Tampa.
Miami is just it’s own unique city since it’s the capitol of Latin America. Ft. Lauderdale, just to the north, may actually have more in common culturally with Orlando.
Miami is just it’s own unique city since it’s the capitol of Latin America. Ft. Lauderdale, just to the north, may actually have more in common culturally with Orlando.
Yes, I'm glad someone pointed it out. I moved to Orlando in college after growing up in Miami and I remember immediately thinking that Orlando feels like Broward. In terms of demographics and built environment, Broward (especially West Broward) and Orlando are very similar.
I voted for Jacksonville though because I wouldn't consider FLL/Broward to be part of Miami. If the question was about South Florida, then my answer might be more nuanced. For myself and many that grew up there, once you go past Hollywood or Miramar, you're not in "Miami" anymore. Obviously it's the same metro area but they feel very distinct to me. Language is a huge part of that.
Culture, Orlando is more like Miami (although replace Cubans with Puerto Ricans) and Tampa more like Jacksonville.
I get your point and I don't disagree, but Cubans/Cuban Americans in Miami and Puerto Ricans in Orlando have a very different effect on their city's culture. Similar accent and food but that's about it. Cubans are a much older community with many being 3rd and 4th generation, much more conservative, many of them are not allowed to return to Cuba or don't even see it as their homeland anymore. The Puerto Ricans in Orlando are a more recent arrival, they are much more likely to still have strong ties to the Northeast or PR where they came from. And they do not have the massive influence on the city's direction that Cubans do in Miami. Puerto Ricans would be a more comparable group to Colombians or Venezuelans in Miami.
I get your point and I don't disagree, but Cubans/Cuban Americans in Miami and Puerto Ricans in Orlando have a very different effect on their city's culture. Similar accent and food but that's about it. Cubans are a much older community with many being 3rd and 4th generation, much more conservative, many of them are not allowed to return to Cuba or don't even see it as their homeland anymore. The Puerto Ricans in Orlando are a more recent arrival, they are much more likely to still have strong ties to the Northeast or PR where they came from. And they do not have the massive influence on the city's direction that Cubans do in Miami. Puerto Ricans would be a more comparable group to Colombians or Venezuelans in Miami.
That's all true, but I didn't mean that they are similar -- just that the Latin influence in Orlando seems to be much stronger than in Tampa (and especially Jacksonville) and so in that sense, I see more of a similarity with Miami, while Tampa would be closer to Jax.
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