Family of 5 planning to relocate from Raleigh, NC to Fort Lauderdale (Miami: crime, living in)

[Fl1150]

Its kind of funny people are trying to make you choose something you might not personally just because of their own irrational fears. No Ft.Lauderdale is not best place but has gotten better over the years but I would always say look closer to the suburbs than the actual city.

[azriverfan.]

There is a difference in vacationing in a place and living there. The day to day element is far different than spending a limited number of days in a hotel or condo on the beach. Based on what I've experienced, I would not recommend raising a family in South Florida. There are too many inconveniences that would make it difficult.

[AlexRodriguez]

Originally Posted by Fl1150

Its kind of funny people are trying to make you choose something you might not personally just because of their own irrational fears. No Ft.Lauderdale is not best place but has gotten better over the years but I would always say look closer to the suburbs than the actual city.

Most people believe that Broward county is just downtown Ft. Lauderdale and neighboring areas. Others talk about their experiences when they used to live here back in the 80s or even the 90s. Cities like Weston, Parkland, Coconut Creek, North Coral Spring, West Pembroke Pines, Cooper city & South West Ranches are extremely nice and safe. I have had some friends (from Miami) visiting Weston and they couldn't believe a city like Weston existed in South Florida.

[Fl1150]

Originally Posted by AlexRodriguez

Most people believe that Broward county is just downtown Ft. Lauderdale and neighboring areas. Others talk about their experiences when they used to live here back in the 80s or even the 90s. Cities like Weston, Parkland, Coconut Creek, North Coral Spring, West Pembroke Pines, Cooper city & South West Ranches are extremely nice and safe. I have had some friends (from Miami) visiting Weston and they couldn't believe a city like Weston existed in South Florida.

Yea some people get so consumed with the media telling them this place is bad but when in fact the bad areas tend to be isolated to certain areas. Its funny because it does not stop people from moving here as much as people might think. Plenty of families make the move all the time and end up really enjoying the area with everything it offers.

[canesfan33068]

Originally Posted by perry335654

Wow, with over a 1-million plus here in Venice of America, what a statistical inference, n>30, not impressed

You must have attended South Florida Public Schools as you just demonstrated your inability to make a reasoned argument.

The fact that South Florida has 1 million plus residents is of no consequence to your rational. Those 1 million residents are not registered participants of city-data forums. The number of opinions contrary to your own must be examined within the context of how many registered city-data forum users there are and further how many consistently post in this form the Ft. Lauderdale area.

[canesfan33068]

Originally Posted by perry335654

This is the best post I have read so far the others show the lack of education here in South Florida or the hyperbola of drama. I like Miami the best of all but would not want to live here but just find it an exciting place to visit. Too expensive for me. I am sure Raleigh is a fine place too, just come to Miami/Fort Lauderdale/South Florida and visit it as a tourist, great place.

Hyperbola??? Ah... Hyperbole... You seemed to be guilty of that which you accuse others. Even more ironic is the OP is concerned about the quality of education in South Florida which you cannot seem to help but demonstrate is sorely lacking. This only serves to discredit your statements that much more.

You obviously also have poor reading skills. The OP in her original post stated she had in fact vacationed in South Florida at least once. So your invitation to visit as a tourist is rather silly.

[canesfan33068]

OP I will not waste your time attempting to tell you what you should do. That is not what you asked from us. You asked to provide pros and cons on the Ft. Lauderdale area and so I will provide you with my list of pros and cons.

Pros:

Tropical Climate
Ethnic diversity (I realize NC and Raleigh specifically have sizeable Hispanic populations)
Seemingly limitless outdoor activities
Proximity to the Caribbean (Cruises etc.)
Some would say Proximity to Disney/Epcot/MGM/Universal (roughly three hours driving)
Variety of Restaurants and food choices
Shopping Outlet Malls/Flea Markets etc.
Proximity to Florida Everglades and Florida Keys
Pro Sports Teams (Hockey/Baseball/Football/Basketball)
Casinos/Horse Tracks/Jai-Alai/ and World Class Night life

Cons

Public Schools (to be fair most all of the Southeastern U.S. has very poorly rated Public Schools systems)
Not just Crime but Voilent Crime
Intense humidity
Pests (Snakes/Alligators/Palmetto Bugs/Lizards)
Very expensive Flood/Homeowners Insurance
Very high sales tax
People are not "generally" sociable
It is a transient State. Most people are from the Northeast (NJ/NY/CT/MA) most sports franchises only sell out when they are facing a team from the previously mentioned states.
Traffic Congestion (add to this elderly people who drive against oncoming traffic from time to time and Ducks, Alligators, and Turtles that block the road when you really need to get to "fill in the blank")
While not required it would be very beneficial to learn Spanish/Creol/Patois
It Rains heavily every afternoon for 15 minutes in what in most states would be considered a severe storm warning shelter in place type of storm.
You will be living/commuting/working/studying along people of various cultures whose idea of right/wrong or social graces will be very foreign to your own. These include Teachers/Police Officers/Other Drivers/Health Care Workers etc.


Having provided my list I will add that all of these things make for an interesting life. Just as 8 feet of Lake effect Snow makes life interesting if you live in Northwestern New York State this week. I guess you add it all up and weigh it against not having to shovel snow, pay to heat your home, salt the driveway and sidewalks, scrape the snow off the car, rake leaves, buy snow tires, buy winter clothes, buy or cut firewood, pay state income taxes.

You will most likely want to factor in the following

Private School Tuition for the kids to offset bad public schools
High cooling costs as air conditioning is not an "option".
tinting home and car windows
Cost of living in a gated community (crime)

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by canesfan33068

You must have attended South Florida Public Schools as you just demonstrated your inability to make a reasoned argument.

The fact that South Florida has 1 million plus residents is of no consequence to your rational. Those 1 million residents are not registered participants of city-data forums. The number of opinions contrary to your own must be examined within the context of how many registered city-data forum users there are and further how many consistently post in this form the Ft. Lauderdale area.

So you must be form Fort Lauderdale ? What a laugh, take a Statistics course.

[canesfan33068]

Originally Posted by perry335654

So you must be form Fort Lauderdale ? What a laugh, take a Statistics course.

I see it took you a while to respond with another reasoned argument... Your reply unlike mine lacks any supporting statements of your criticism to my post. But at least we can appreciate that you are consistently incapable of having a debate based upon the facts. Your attempted application of Mathematics to disprove another's opinion would embarrass a 4th grader.

Are you familiar with "Lies, damn lies, and Statistics"?

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by canesfan33068

I see it took you a while to respond with another reasoned argument... Your reply unlike mine lacks any supporting statements of your criticism to my post. But at least we can appreciate that you are consistently incapable of having a debate based upon the facts. Your attempted application of Mathematics to disprove another's opinion would embarrass a 4th grader.

Are you familiar with "Lies, damn lies, and Statistics"?

I guess you didn't see the word form, if you are going to correct people make sure you have your stuff correctly or is my hyperbole of drama too superfluous for your taste.