[vpcats]

Originally Posted by fort lauderdale

You know, maybe it's just my luck. Just like some others have had bad experiences in Broward/ Orlando/ anywhere. People can have good and bad experiences everywhere, but I have just found that the people are not too nice in Miami when I head down there. I certainly encounter nice people, but overall, the whole language barrier thing gives me a really creepy feeling, and when I went to BLOOMINGDALES in the Aventura Mall and got laughed at for being a "gringo" by the store employees who started laughing at me and said something in spanish after they called me "gringo". I just don't go to Dade anymore, I commonly end up having really bad experiences like that all over. Like I said, it was just my experience, so I know there are plenty of good people in Miami-Dade living quite happily like yourself (and I know a couple!).. Not everyone is rude down there, but I can see where some people are coming from about Miami in my experiences...It probably has a lot to do with what neighborhood you live in too. Dade is huge!

Bloomies and Aventura doesn't quite seem like the place/area where someone would be making fun of your "gringoness" . Maybe they were laughing at something else and because of that language barrier you thought it was about you? Sometimes we predispose ourselves.

Anyway, there are areas in Miami that are becoming nasty, ugly, dirty, and there are rude people but that's certainly not exclusive to us.

I don't have the language issue but I do have a "gringa" look and I have never run into a problem because of that.

[miamiblue]

Originally Posted by vpcats

Bloomies and Aventura doesn't quite seem like the place/area where someone would be making fun of your "gringoness" . Maybe they were laughing at something else and because of that language barrier you thought it was about you? Sometimes we predispose ourselves.

Anyway, there are areas in Miami that are becoming nasty, ugly, dirty, and there are rude people but that's certainly not exclusive to us.

I don't have the language issue but I do have a "gringa" look and I have never run into a problem because of that.

I guess you've been very lucky and live in a very special part of Miami-Dade, but having grown up there and lived there my whole life (until one year ago), and with family still there, I can emphatically say that yes, the general population is rude. And sorry, the area is not "becoming" nasty, dirty, ugly and rude, but already is. The Target in Dadeland Station had to rip the carpet out of their dressing rooms and replace it with linoleum because patrons repeatedly urinated in the dressing rooms - and that shopping center is located in a rather upscale area, not a bad area at all. What does that tell you about the people?

My family, friends and I have all had experiences like fort lauderdale has mentioned. I've had more people in stores approach me speaking Spanish, and when I politely say that "I'm sorry, I don't speak Spanish", I get nasty attitude from the person who is supposed to be providing customer service. I do know some Spanish, but my experiences with attempting to communicate have all be bad since people are not willing to make an effort, so I stopped making the attempt as well. It's not about the fact that it's Spanish, if they were speaking German, Farsi or French, I would feel the same way. I also used to work in retail for a summer in Miami, and people are very discriminatory - even the manager of the store. If you weren't hispanic, you basically got shafted by customers and other employees.

I am a very open-minded person and try to assume the best of everyone. When I meet people, they have my benefit of the doubt. However, I didn't see that attitude being reciprocated by others in the community.

As far as crime goes, of course it's out there. I was never a victim of a crime in Miami except for one person I was involved in a fender bender with who was attempting insurance fraud to cover pre-existing damage. My parents have experienced identity theft of credit card info on several occasions. The neighborhood my parents live in has been a very safe area for most of my life, but in the past five years they have seen things start to change as the original residents are moving out and new blood comes in. A rental home down the street was used as a hydroponics lab to grow marijuana, and a man went berserk one evening on the street over and shot and killed his wife, then had a standoff with the cops for 8 hours before shooting himself. This is a neighborhood where homes are selling for $350k-$500k.

[vpcats]

Miamiblue... I won't quote you just to save space. I'm also not going to get into all these terrible things that happen ONLY in Miami.

Houses in my neighborhood sell for over $400K. That's not unusual anymore and I am not in South Miami, The Roads, Pinecrest, Key Biscayne or the beach .

[Strel]

Thanks for reminding me why I live in Tallahassee instead of south Florida.

It's a different world. People are actually polite and helpful here.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Strel

Thanks for reminding me why I live in Tallahassee instead of south Florida.

It's a different world. People are actually polite and helpful here.

Because the crime rate was lower in Broward County?

People are polite and helpful here too, if you wan't them to be, just like anywhere else. South Florida is not Miami-Dade.

Leon-4,618.8 crimes per 100,000
Broward- 4,295.9 crimes per 100,000

Florida-4,632.0.

[debntx]

Originally Posted by fort lauderdale

I will find the stats and post as soon as I can.

CD Natl Average- 325.2, Florida average crimes per 100k-4652

Fort Walton Beach (349.1) CD


Oakloosa County had
3,137.5 crimes per 100,000 in 2006. Thats pretty safe.

Panama City (495.3) CD

Bay county had
4,703.5 crimes per 100,000. A little higher than the state average (and higher than the frequently knocked Broward County)

On the other hand, Escambia County had a bit higher crime rate than the state average (and much higher, once again, than the frequently knocked Broward County)
4,962.1 crimes per 100,000.
Pensacola (427.2) CD

A lot of rural counties in NW Florida were VERY Safe, however, and a great place to raise a family.

Yes, there are rural counties in NW Florida that are very safe but let's not leave the impression it's just rural areas that are safe. Often the areas that are VERY safe are actually suburbs of Pensacola and Panama City... not rural at all, just smaller towns within a few miles of the bigger towns. Also, I grew up just over the bridge (well, the bridge wasn't there when I was growing up ) from Destin and that entire area is very, very busy with tourists, business growth and locals. Anything but rural. And yet remains, as you said a great place to raise a family. Thanks for the stats. Where did you find those stats, by the way??

[Strel]

Originally Posted by fort lauderdale

Because the crime rate was lower in Broward County?

People are polite and helpful here too, if you wan't them to be, just like anywhere else. South Florida is not Miami-Dade.

Leon-4,618.8 crimes per 100,000
Broward- 4,295.9 crimes per 100,000

Florida-4,632.0.

South Florida is not Miami-Dade.
It ain't north Florida either.

Yes, I have lived in both.

[miamiblue]

Originally Posted by vpcats

Miamiblue... I won't quote you just to save space. I'm also not going to get into all these terrible things that happen ONLY in Miami.

Houses in my neighborhood sell for over $400K. That's not unusual anymore and I am not in South Miami, The Roads, Pinecrest, Key Biscayne or the beach .

OK, I never said these things happen ONLY in Miami, but the common experiences I have had there are FACTS. We were talking about Miami, were we not? I never said "this never happens in WPB or FLL" - because I am sure it does, but I have not had those experiences there to talk about those, so I'm just mentioning what I do know. I am not the only person who has lived/currently lives there to have these experiences. Not everyone is bad, of course, but day to day dealings can make you feel like despite all of your effort to be nice, people are still rude.

The neighborhood I was referring to was not any of those places either - try Kendall. Let's not make assumptions here, we all know what happens when we do that... I am not sure what you were getting at with the statement about housing costs anyway. I was just trying to point out that we never experienced crime in the neighborhood (a middle class neighborhood) until recent years, but even so, we have not been directly impacted by these crimes.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by debntx

Yes, there are rural counties in NW Florida that are very safe but let's not leave the impression it's just rural areas that are safe. Often the areas that are VERY safe are actually suburbs of Pensacola and Panama City... not rural at all, just smaller towns within a few miles of the bigger towns. Also, I grew up just over the bridge (well, the bridge wasn't there when I was growing up ) from Destin and that entire area is very, very busy with tourists, business growth and locals. Anything but rural. And yet remains, as you said a great place to raise a family. Thanks for the stats. Where did you find those stats, by the way??

The city stats I just found on the CD website, and the county stats I found here
2006 Crime in Florida Data
I went to offenses by county to make it easy to compare, but I gave you the main page so you can see all the stats.Notice that a LOT of NW Florida has really low crime. I was not denying at all that NW Fl is safer overall than South Florida or Central Florida. Also I do understand that most of the crimes are probably occuring in certain neighborhoods, just as what is true in most towns in the US.

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by miamiblue

OK, I never said these things happen ONLY in Miami, but the common experiences I have had there are FACTS. We were talking about Miami, were we not? I never said "this never happens in WPB or FLL" - because I am sure it does, but I have not had those experiences there to talk about those, so I'm just mentioning what I do know. I am not the only person who has lived/currently lives there to have these experiences. Not everyone is bad, of course, but day to day dealings can make you feel like despite all of your effort to be nice, people are still rude.

The neighborhood I was referring to was not any of those places either - try Kendall. Let's not make assumptions here, we all know what happens when we do that... I am not sure what you were getting at with the statement about housing costs anyway. I was just trying to point out that we never experienced crime in the neighborhood (a middle class neighborhood) until recent years, but even so, we have not been directly impacted by these crimes.

Sorry if I misunderstood. I took the housing cost info as a indicator of good/better and I said that those prices are not unusual anymore so it's not necessarily a great indicator of good/better. I mentioned the other areas as landmarks of "established" areas that are normally thought of as "better" Prices there are higher too, yet they have their share of problems and crime also.

I think we're just part of a city that's getting very big and very crowded but NYC (I know - apples and oranges) deals with many more problems and it seems to me that there isn't as much complaining about it as there is about Miami, and I lived there for 35 years, so I sorta know the place (that's why I mention NYC).

I'm just going to leave well enough alone now.