Fort Lauderdale Positives and Truths Please (dorms, schools, universities)

[robertpolyglot]

The OP talked about Boston and Fort Lauderdale. I have visited both, but have visited South Florida many many more times.

Boston, while world class, seems to be smug. It lacks a sense of humor. I was in a grad program that contained northeasterners and New Englanders. Despite such a short distance between them, it seemed the northeasterns (closer to NYC) could roll with my sometimes obnoxious LA type of behavior while the New Englanders were less receptive to it. As a product of the Sunbelt to begin with, I would pick Florida.

Yes, there is a lot of sensory overload in FL and that makes for tension. It is schizophrenic in that it is relaxed...and NOT relaxed. And affluent enclaves near the beach can be shallow and superficial. However, there are a lot of normal people there, too, from what I could see.

[Lithium1330]

I moved to Ft Lauderdale (Poinsetta Heights) 4 years ago for work. Before the move, I lived in Boston (Medford) for 3 years. If you are into culture, art, outdoor activities and seasons change, then you can't go wrong with a city like Boston. It's centrally located in the Northeast - you can get to NYC in about 3 hours and Montreal in about 5 hrs by car. There are a number of theaters/playhouses in Boston's theater district. The Boston public transportation system is adequate to get around the city and just outside boston - the subway runs to 1am, I recall. Overall, the Boston is safe & diverse city - look at how many schools are situated within boston and students who go there from different cities and countries.

In Ft. Lauderdale, you'll definitely need a car. The only time you really see your neighbors walking down the street is usually after a hurricane has knocked out power to the neighborhood. And like some others said, you don't want to be waiting for a bus in the summer - 90% humidity in 90 degree heat. If you like "life is a beach" all the time, then Ft Lauderdale is probably a better fit for you.

I suggest visiting both cities to see which you like better. Personally, I really miss Boston. By the way, if you like diverse selection of food... Boston is a better choice.

[nohope]

i would not suggest you move to south florida........it would be too much of a drastic change for you......stick with Boston or one of the mid-atlantic states

[JSnFla]

moving to ft lauderdale from alaska would be comparable to moving to nicaragua from iowa

[mom2justynsarah]

1.) Can someone tell me the good things about living in Fort,Lauderdale? (every city I research on this site, someone is always bashing a place and complaining about it)

Beaches, fairs & festivals, clubs/shopping/sightseeing/museums etc. Also, don't forget about the Broward Center of Performing Arts.

2.) Do you really get bad tornadoes and hurricanes in the Fort Lauderdale Area? How Often? Yes, we do get a few isolated tornados and definatly hurricanes. BUT we can go for years without any hurricanes. I guess it all depends on El Nino or El Nina.
3.) As a 19 year old young black woman, is the city going to be enjoyable for me? Let me clarify: I am CERTAINLY NOT racist and love eveyone, but people told me SOME parts of Florida are stil VERY ignorant towards minorities.

Yes, you will be fine in the city!

4.) How the minimum wage down there? Here in Alaska it's pretty high at 7.50 and usual summer jobs start around $9 an hour.

I don't know about minimum age. But depending on what job you get or apply to it can be $8-$12 dollars an hour.

How Could I forget:

5.) How is Public Transportation? (I probably wont have a car there)

GREAT!

6.) Is Fort Lauderdale a generally safe/clean place to live?
Yes and no..

Thank you for anyone who enlightens me on what seems to be a beautiful little town.

XOXO[/quote]

[MisterNY]

*Let's be real, Public Transportation sucks big time. Boston wins there hands down.

*Diversity is here, but nothing like NYC. Lots of groups, but interaction between various groups is seriously lacking.

*For a 19 year old, black woman, I'd say stick with Boston. It's more progressive than South Florida for blacks (be it Caribbean/African/African American) for that matter. Coming from NYC, I can tell you this is nothing like NYC in terms of diversity and interaction. South Florida doesn't even come close. Atlanta, Orlando, Jacksonville are better southern cities in that respect.

* It is expensive to live in both places, but in South Florida you'll need a car, add insurance, gas (@ $4.15/gallon avg), maintenance....then you'll see savings from living in Boston with Public Transportation. Take my word on that.

* You wont survive alone on minimum wage anywhere, let alone South Florida.

* If the sunny weather is what you want from time to time, just shop for deals and come here when you feel like it. Living here for you won't be a walk on the beach, certainly if you're new, alone and underfunded.

Your best bet would be to visit both places, get the good and the bad from people in similar situations as yourself. I'm giving the truth about South Florida. It's not all that great. Oh yeah, people here are extremely rude. Make sure you polish up on your spanish, you'll need it. Good luck!!

[nanokilla]

their ar a large percent of blacks in broward and the onoly thing ppl can really say is stay out of the hoods

deepside
shallowside
sunland
dillard
tater town
melrose
lauderdale manors
lauderdale lakes(parts)
sistrunk
also this is only central broward

[8.00 per hour]

At 19 and you're black?

Education first.....

Don't be like me, get educated now...

And with that being said

Florida is like 48 or 49th in education?

Stay were you're at...

Come down at least when you're able to land a decent job

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by mom2justynsarah

1.) Can someone tell me the good things about living in Fort,Lauderdale? (every city I research on this site, someone is always bashing a place and complaining about it)

Beaches, fairs & festivals, clubs/shopping/sightseeing/museums etc. Also, don't forget about the Broward Center of Performing Arts.

2.) Do you really get bad tornadoes and hurricanes in the Fort Lauderdale Area? How Often? Yes, we do get a few isolated tornados and definatly hurricanes. BUT we can go for years without any hurricanes. I guess it all depends on El Nino or El Nina.
3.) As a 19 year old young black woman, is the city going to be enjoyable for me? Let me clarify: I am CERTAINLY NOT racist and love eveyone, but people told me SOME parts of Florida are stil VERY ignorant towards minorities.

Yes, you will be fine in the city!

4.) How the minimum wage down there? Here in Alaska it's pretty high at 7.50 and usual summer jobs start around $9 an hour.

I don't know about minimum age. But depending on what job you get or apply to it can be $8-$12 dollars an hour.

How Could I forget:

5.) How is Public Transportation? (I probably wont have a car there)

GREAT!

6.) Is Fort Lauderdale a generally safe/clean place to live?
Yes and no..

Thank you for anyone who enlightens me on what seems to be a beautiful little town.

XOXO

[/quote]whoa, wait a minute. public trans. is great in ft lauderdale? you are joking right?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by 8.00 per hour

Florida is like 48 or 49th in education?

Florida is the only place that I have seen that is so resistant to accept any improvement. That was 5 years ago. We are a mediocre but better 29th now and Florida was one of the first states to establish a statewide community college system, which means the 2 year colleges are quite decent on the national scale and are connected to other state universities. You should probably check out BCC, you have nothing to lose.

Originally Posted by MisterNY

*Diversity is here, but nothing like NYC. Lots of groups, but interaction between various groups is seriously lacking.

That's funny that you say that. One of the number one things I notice is how segregated it is up here in the tri state area compared to just about anywhere. People up here (I'm up in the tri-state now) not only do not interact, but can not even live in the same neighborhood. Insulated ethnic enclaves are the rule. Family friends here tend to be all of the same ethnicity. I honestly can not say the same for my family in Florida. I actually have family in South FL that intermarried into black and Middle Eastern families. Try pulling that off as a Jew or Italian from Brooklyn or Staten Island and having friends too. It's hard enough for an Italian to marry a Jew, let alone full fledged interracial relationships.

Boston on the other hand, I see TONS of interracial relationships every time I go. I think interaction between different groups there is much better than NY, which IMO is borderline nonexistent other than sitting on the same subway train or working in the same office. As far as South Florida, I think people are singing kum-by-yah in the streets in Broward compared to NYC. You don't really hear too many incidents like 16 year old guidos beating up blacks in Howard Beach because they are black, or vise versa in Jamaica. And don't even get me started on LI. I love NY and even LI and understand how things work up here but interaction between races is not really a strong point at all. Now, there is plenty of ignorance in South FL, but I think that there is way more day to day interaction and people tend to have a more diverse group of friends there.

And you know, part of that is the lack community here compared to a NE city...