Looking into Moving to Pembroke Pines, FL. (Miami, Davie: real estate, apartments)

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by reese777

Compelled to Reply,

Why do you think I'm insulting you? I was not talking to you. I was talking to the original poster who was from Maryland.

Remember, it's my opinion of the AREA. That's all. You don't have to like it, but you should at least respect that it can be different then yours.

For the first, I was mainly talking about this

Despite the unique opinions of many South Floridians, they do not understand how great a community can actually be.

I thought that was a little insulting.

And on the second half, it is just your opinin, but it seemed overly dramatic and that statement made the rest look a little condescending (to me). Otherwise, we can agree to disagree.

Are you serious? You mention the DC Sniper shooting as evidence of the crime in MD, but then say that the Boca Raton Serial killer is no big deal? C'mon that's a bit hypocritical. Those are both one in a million crimes. Not like robberies, thefts, etc.

When did I say that it's no big deal? I just can't believe you would make it like something violent and barbaric can't happen in DC. And sorry, but robberies and thefts occur everywhere, and according to the stats, burglary and auto theft are below the national average in Broward and theft is only slightly above. Robbery is significantly above the national average but below average for areas with a similar population size. Check the links below.

You also said I'm delusional for believing that a woman could be raped for hours on end, except for that has been reported as happening on the local news in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach county repeatedly! Does that mean that every woman is raped in SoFlo? No way! It's something that does happen a lot in the area though. To say that I'm being delusional about that is an out and out lie and you know it.

Woah woah woah, were the DC sniper shootings happening a lot in DC? No. And neither do women REPEATEDLY getting raped in front of shopping malls. They are beating the hell out of that disgusting case in Boca just like they did with the DC sniper case, however that doesn't mean it's common! If it was common the local media WOULDN'T look at that case as being something above and beyond. You DO seem delusional about it!

Look, I can admit that drug dealers get shot in DC. I'm not drug dealer or a murderer so it doesn't reflect on me. The fact that Southern Florida has a high sexual assault rate shouldn't reflect on you either unless you're a criminal. Geesh, calm down.

Rape in Broward County is below the national average...56.0 rapes by force per 100,000 was the national average and the average in Broward County was 26.4 rapes per 100k and 31.9 per 100k in South Florida as a whole. No, I'm not trying to be sunny and happy, it's true. It's also true that forcible rape occurs at a lower rate in the Bethesda metropolitan division and DC metro as a whole than does in South Florida, however both are below national average and you make it sound like women are getting raped on the streets of Pembroke Pines every day just going shopping.
Forcible Rape - Crime in the United States 2006 (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/offenses/violent_crime/forcible_rape.html - broken link)
Table 6 - Crime in the United States 2006 (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_06.html - broken link) (use the search feature on your browser to find Ft. Lauderdale)

Really? Especially when there are posts after posts of people who cannot find a decent housing complex in Miramar OR Pembroke Pines on this very board?!? Have you been to Apartment Ratings dot com? Hmmm? There's only one complex in all of Miramar and Pembroke Pines with a very good rating based on more than one or two reviews and whose price starts below $1300 (Windsor at Miramar). But, Windsor is always full because they are one of the few good games in town. The other complexes are full of crime and trash (I mean literal trash, as in trash left in the street and overflowing from the dumpster). I mean really, these are the words of actual South Florida residents on that site and on this board! Are you really trying to say that there is a plethora of apartment complexes that provide nice, safe environments and that no one has to rent from a private owner? Are you actually implying that besides open court cases there's a way for tenants to know the credit history of their private landlords? Really? That's way out there and shows just how far you go not to have anyone criticize anything about the area.

I have said countless times on here that the apartment complexes down here are poorly managed dumps and not one person should even consider one. I have also said to avoid condo conversion complexes, where so many of the new landlords are trying to lease out the places to the absolute scum of the earth and it seems like half of them are about to go into foreclosure (the condo conversions contribute largely to the high foreclosure rate). I agree, we could use some decent apartment complexes. However the place I rent in Weston is reasonable, in a well managed neighborhood, and the landlord is responsible and has been a landlord for many years. All it takes is a little common sense and some research to make sure you are renting in a quality complex with a quality landlord. My point being is that this isn't the only complex in the area that's like this, there are several more established condominium complexes all over town that have more established landlords and fairly reasonable rent. The Bonaventure area of Weston, Pembroke Lakes, Rock Creek in Cooper City, Davie near the university, lots of Plantation all have decent established condominium complexes with responsible landlords who usually aren't about to go into foreclosure and you won't get raped by walking outside your door.

As far as apartmentratings.com, well, read apartment reviews all over the country on that website. Anything over 40% is good on that website no matter where it is. People on that website LOVE to complain.

And about the armored car robberies, well, over the past year or so it's been really taking off nationwide. It is getting pretty common but what I am saying is that it's starting to happen in DC too and we stole the idea from the other big cities up north (I am aware they are classically safer than the south but they started having armored truck robberies)...I'm not saying it's acceptable, I am just saying that you would be shocked at how common it is getting nationwide. Kind of like the drug store Robberies. The people I work with in Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, Phoenix, Orange County, CA, Pittsburgh all think it's only happening there but it isn't. The armored car robberies are an unfortunate new crime trend and I bring up the drug store robberies as another example of something that wasn't common 3 years ago...

[nitokenshi]

I went to Walter C Middle it was an awesome school. Then I went to Charles Flanagan high that school is basically a prison. In fact its now double fenced one around the perimeter and one around the building so nobody can escape. I had a handful of good teachers but the ones that were bad are far beyond craptastic. They made me feel like garbage even though I would be the only one interested. I would never forget the English teacher who refused to write a letter of recommendation even though I had As he said " Why? you don't do anything". I graduated in 05 and will never forget the horrible experience.

Pembroke Pines is nice though. Lots to do there is the water park, cb smith, muvico that is in an egyption theme, not too far from Hollywood beach and boomers.

[compelled to reply]

Yes, Flanagan is crap lol. WCY is decent. Pembroke Pines gave up with the county and started with the charter schools.

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by reese777

Okay, here's the deal...if you are moving from Maryland from anywhere in the DC metropolitan area I would NOT move to South Florida. Despite the unique opinions of many South Floridians, they do not understand how great a community can actually be. I can tell that in the two years I've lived here I've been literally shocked at how much crap people put up with in this area. As a fellow northerner I agree 100%. South Florida lacks a sense of community. I attribute that to the very transient nature of this place though.

First and foremost, this area is diverse only if you are used to seeing mostly white people. If you are from Maryland, specifically the DC area, you are used to seeing much more diversity. I grew up with whites, blacks, latinos, indians, middle easterners, thai, chinese, japanese, etc. You really only have three "ethnic" groups here in SoFlo and they are so homogeneous (to me) that the diversity thing really doesn't pan out. This is just my opinion based on where I was raised.

I agree 100% on this as well. Calling south Florida diverse is humorous. A lot of people who have never left south Florida or who have been here most of their lives think this place is very diverse. Trying going to Much of the North Eastern cities or even Chicago, now those places are diverse.

I will tell you that NO SCHOOL in South Florida, I don't care if its Weston or Cooper City, is as good as the WORST school in Montgomery County or Howard County, Maryland or Fairfax or Arlington, VA schools. If schools are really that important to you STAY IN MARYLAND. The example of FL school curriculum I'm about to give does not really have an impact on a person's life, but I have a friend who graduated from high school here in Broward. She told me that although she was in advanced classes (in MD honors or g/t) she had never read Shakespeare until the 12th grade. This really surprised me because I was forced to read Shakespeare when I was 12 in the 6th grade. I know not reading Shakespeare doesn't mean you won't grow up to be successful, but I'm just trying to illustrate that the schools here are really, really behind the most successful school districts in the US. Don't move here and expect good schools. It's just not a reality.

I won't totally disparage broward schools (I taught for two years). It isn't pure hell, but it isn't top notch either.

As far as other matters go, this area really is not a good area for any human being. I feel safer walking the streets of Washington, DC naked with $100 bills taped to my breast then I feel walking to my car at 6:00am with my mace, safety whistle, and menacing disposition on my face. And I live in a GOOD part of Miramar, way west of University. Pembroke Pines is no better then Miramar and South Florida is just a high crime area period. As a woman you should be concerned with the high amount of sexual assaults in this area (and also sexual assaults against children).

Crime happens every where including rapes. They do get some odd/deviant crimes down here though. But it isn't something that would make you feel extremely uncomfortable.

I'm telling you, the major cities up north are actually safer then Broward and Miami-Dade county. The crimes in DC or NY are usually isolated to specific neighborhoods while the crimes in SoFlo are EVERYWHERE. You cannot BUY your way out of a bad area like you can in MD and DC (and if you're from MD you know what I mean by staying away from bad neighborhoods and being okay-- for example, back in the day you would stay out of SE, but be okay in NW DC). Of course, crime is in every facet of American life, but some places are worse then others. SoFlo is WORSE.

This sort of reminds me of that new rapist that is on the loose. This guy held this lady and her kid up at gun point, made them drive him to their home where he raped the mom and then left. Hope they catch that savage soon.

Other things that suck here you should know about is housing. I'm an attorney. Although I work for the federal government, I make what most people in SoFlo would consider a very good living. That being said, in the two+ years I've lived here I have been on the verge of homelessness three times! There is no affordable housing. You mainly have to rent from private owners, but BEWARE. Private owners want three months rent to move in. Plus, this area is among the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. I currently have to vacate my condo because the owner is going into foreclosure! Several people at my job are experiencing the same thing. There aren't hardly any apartment complexes because greedy investors turned them into condos a few years ago. So you're stuck with renting from private owners if you want to have a chance to live in any place that is somewhat safe, but then you have to worry about actually being able to stay there and not get a knock on your door by the BSO telling you to vacate because your landlord took your rent money, didn't pay the mortgage, and left you high and dry.

100% agree with this

This is a very long post, so I'll just end it by saying this...In September I would have been in SoFlo for three years. I hope by December I'm back home in Maryland, snuggled up in a blanket, by the fire, drinking hot chocolate.

I have been trying to relocate to NYC since September but the bad economy isn't helping much. I might be stuck here meh, you are given lemons, gotta make lemonade I guess

PS: Hurricanes suck. Seriously, don't come here. Just don't.

amen to that!

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

This sort of reminds me of that new rapist that is on the loose. This guy held this lady and her kid up at gun point, made them drive him to their home where he raped the mom and then left. Hope they catch that savage soon.

What she was implying is that this happens everywhere, every day, at every time and that all women in South Florida are going to get raped for several hours and then maybe murdered every time they go out. That particular ass hole you are talking about struck in Pompano and in an iffy part of Sunrise to the east. Not exactly known to be good areas. So much for no defined lines.

I agree 100% on this as well. Calling south Florida diverse is humorous. A lot of people who have never left south Florida or who have been here most of their lives think this place is very diverse. Trying going to Much of the North Eastern cities or even Chicago, now those places are diverse.

Eh, Chicago isn't really that diverse. It's pretty much blacks, a few different types of whites and a lot of Mexicans. And they all stick to their own (that's what I meant by segregated) neighborhood and anything outside of the city is pretty much pure white, pure black, or pure Hispanic. And as far as NE cities, well, Philly isn't diverse at all IMO, pretty much a black or white city, neither is Pittsburgh, or Providence. It's a little more diverse than that here. However, it's not even close to DC (including NoVa or Maryland too) and the variety of people does not match NYC. However the difference is that up north people are more close to their roots, down here, a lot of Hispanics have roots in Miami but Broward is pretty much just a typical sunbelt area in that everyone is from somewhere else so the identity and the culture is lost. I think a lot of the grudges are lost too (NOT speaking for Dade or parts of Palm Beach) and that makes for a relatively harmonious place but I know your experiences have been otherwise, wild style.

Actually I take that pack about Providence. Now that I'm remember that place was very diverse.

I think the most diverse places are out west actually because there tends to be more integration. DC/MD is relatively integrated too and I agree that the variety does not quite compare to that area. No it's not the most diverse place in the whole world but calling it "diverse" is perfectly warranted as there are a lot of cities large and small that don't have the level of diversity and integration as here. It is laughable to compare it to a NY or an LA or a DC but not at all laughable to compare it to a Chicago or a Houston and it IS laughable to say a place like Philly is more diverse.

[Wild Style]

[quote=compelled to reply;3553454]

What she was implying is that this happens everywhere, every day, at every time and that all women in South Florida are going to get raped for several hours and then maybe murdered every time they go out. That particular ass hole you are talking about struck in Pompano and in an iffy part of Sunrise to the east. Not exactly known to be good areas. So much for no defined lines.

I drive by that area in Sunrise every day, there is nothing effy about it. One of the areas nicest apartment complexes isn't even 20 yrds from it (the Oasis). Also had a friend who lived in that area, very quiet middle class area.

Eh, Chicago isn't really that diverse. It's pretty much blacks, a few different types of whites and a lot of Mexicans. And they all stick to their own (that's what I meant by segregated) neighborhood and anything outside of the city is pretty much pure white, pure black, or pure Hispanic. And as far as NE cities, well, Philly isn't diverse at all IMO, pretty much a black or white city, neither is Pittsburgh, or Providence. It's a little more diverse than that here. However, it's not even close to DC (including NoVa or Maryland too) and the variety of people does not match NYC. However the difference is that up north people are more close to their roots, down here, a lot of Hispanics have roots in Miami but Broward is pretty much just a typical sunbelt area in that everyone is from somewhere else so the identity and the culture is lost. I think a lot of the grudges are lost too (NOT speaking for Dade or parts of Palm Beach) and that makes for a relatively harmonious place but I know your experiences have been otherwise, wild style.

My wife is from Chicago born and raised. To say it isn't diverse is one of the most untrue statements I have ever heard. Huge Italian Population in sicero (spelling), Large Armenian Population, Large Philipino areas, Large Hassidic jew neighborhoods, Large Nigeria area in sheriden, large arab population in kedzi, large south east asian population in devon street. I know that place very well, to say it isn't diverse is extremely untrue. Anyone who has spent a lot of time there can tell you that one. Jersey is very diverse, so is most of the north east. South Florida can't compare. It is mostly Caribbean/Hispanic cultures which make up the so called diversity down here. The major north east cities and Chicago are far more international in nature. As for diverse neighborhoods, I know brooklyn like the back of my hand and there are tons and tons of neighborhoods where people are living together with out issue. Even in Queens you can go to lefrek and see russians, nigerians etc.This is true for a lot of nieghborhoods through out the city. Diversity isn't that great in S Florida. It is, what it is.

Actually I take that pack about Providence. Now that I'm remember that place was very diverse.

I think the most diverse places are out west actually because there tends to be more integration. DC/MD is relatively integrated too and I agree that the variety does not quite compare to that area. No it's not the most diverse place in the whole world but calling it "diverse" is perfectly warranted as there are a lot of cities large and small that don't have the level of diversity and integration as here. It is laughable to compare it to a NY or an LA or a DC but not at all laughable to compare it to a Chicago or a Houston and it IS laughable to say a place like Philly is more diverse.

Again chicago blows S. Florida away, it can not compare, my in laws are there, my wife grew up there. I know that city well. Now integration is one conversation but diverse cultures, south florida can not hold a candle stick to Chicago at any time of the year. Chicago also has the largest or one of the largest polish populations outside of poland, a HUGE greek population is there as well. A huge senegalese population in Sheriden. Large Ethiopian population, a really huge mexican population. Tons of Jamaicans, and there is a chinese town, Japanese, Germens etc. You should spend time there that place is one of the coolest cities I have visited. If it wasnt for the ignorant amount of cold I would move there now.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

My wife is from Chicago born and raised. To say it isn't diverse is one of the most untrue statements I have ever heard. Huge Italian Population in sicero (spelling), Large Armenian Population, Large Philipino areas, Large Hassidic jew neighborhoods, Large Nigeria area in sheriden, large arab population in kedzi, large south east asian population in devon street.

Certainly wasn't saying it wasn't a diverse, I was saying they are about the same. Look at it this way, Chicago has Italian neighborhoods, but Broward County has a higher percentage of Italians than the Chicago area, in fact it's the only Italian plurality county side of the Northeast. However there is no Italian enclave, they just spread all over. As far as the Jewish population, c'mon, does this one really need explaining? Just drive down any South Florida street Saturday at sundown. This is a famous Jewish capital and every type of Jew lives here, including some tight hasidic communities although you do have to seek them. Diversity is not as immediately evident here because the different groups don't stick together like they do in an established international city such as Chicago, except for the said West Indian culture here. I didn't say this area is more cosmopolitan because that would be laughable, I just said the variety of cultures is comparable (not more). I.E there are ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago but there aren't really of that group outside of the neighborhood, so in sheer numbers it's not any different from here. I'm not saying Chicago isn't diverse, I'm just saying that this place isn't homogeneous. There are arabs here, there are South Asians here, there are Filipinos here, there are Koreans here, but you have to seek it out because this isn't a cosmopolitan kind of place. This part of South Florida is more socially similar (not quite but I'm just trying to come up with a better analogy) to a college campus as although ideas flow freely, there is a transience to the place and some elements of different cultures are lost or not as visible.

Now, Polish and Greeks, man do they have us beat in Chicago. They live everywhere up there. And if I said freaking beach town Fort Lauderdale is more international and cosmopolitan than Chicago than yes, you can call me an 'effin moron. However it's just more integrated here that's all I was saying, there is no such thing as a truly "homogeneous" neighborhood here, neighborhoods tend to be mixed and can have almost any kind of person. And no it's not just blacks from the islands, Colombians and a few NE transplants and it's certainly not a Latin monoculture like some others might claim, there is every type of person here however because there is no real "identity" it might not appear to be diverse.

Neither place is on the same level as DC or NYC or LA in terms of vast range of cultures, and we aren't even on the same level of cultural integration as say Sacramento or Houston. So I'm not trying to make it out to be some international mecca, I'm just trying to give it credit where it's deserved. All I know is that I was born pretty poor in a section of Queens that was entirely "Italian" and it was turning "Guyanese" and we were tired of that crap and that's why I became practically a nomad when I was a child. Although it's cool to see how the other cultures live, I grew to like the idea of a more blended society (and yes reese MD is better at that than us).

About the rape, didn't that happen east of Nob Hill? Sunrise doesn't really look that bad anywhere but it's starting to break the University Dr barrier. There are a lot of section 8 residents there and (I do not intend to offend anyone, I know not all people on section 8 are like this) the types of residents moving in are brining a lot of problems.

[Wild Style]

compare this to Moderator cut: link to a competitors site removed. Broward can not compare. This is a fact.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

compare this to Moderator cut: link to a competitors site removed. Broward can not compare. This is a fact.

Here is the thing. The core of Chicago is very diverse and no, not comparable, but the region as a whole is about the same. Everywhere outside of the city of Chicago is 80-100% something. And more people live outside of the city than inside. But it's barley 2 million vs 9 million so like you said can't compare lol. And you also compared it to the city of Ft. Lauderdale which is REALLY incomparable. Theres only 150k people lol. This is at least slightly more fair

Cook County, Illinois - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder
Broward County, Florida - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder

Not that far off at all, black population about the same, Hispanic population about the same, asian population a tad higher in Cook. And when you compare ALL of Chicagoland's counties it's really not that far off.

Wow I just really looked my links over and even I can't believe how comparable they are. Even the median income is almost exactly the same lol. Cook County (Chicago and inner ring suburbs) has a lot of "other race" residents however, I think that might have to do with the Mexican population as they tend to put that on the census. I really though Cook County wouldn't look so similar on paper.

[Wild Style]

the region yes but if you compare fort lauderdale to chicago and the ring of suburbs outside of the city core of chicago, it wins hands down. Not saying Ft. Lauderdale is the pits or anything. Just saying, it really is a BIG town more so than a big city sort of place. But that person who was painting this place to be some dangerous and bad place was a bit off. At least for now she is.