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I have skimmed through many of the posts in this thread. I recently moved out of Broward County to NC, and I couldn't be happier. I spent my whole life in South FL (Miami & Pembroke Pines), and I didn't realize how much better it could be somewhere else. My family took a huge risk relocating, and it was done almost on a whim. We had vacationed for a few days in NC, and got the inkling to look at some home models. When we returned from our trip, I started researching different areas online, and in the next year or so, we made several scouting trips. We were scared to death, leaving all of our family, and good jobs that we had been at for a LONG time. Now that we have been here 4 months, I am realizing how much I disliked South Florida, and I didn't even know it before. The only thing I miss is my family, friends, and yes, I miss the Cuban food. I do not agree with some of the posters that Miami is only nice if you are rich. I'm not rich by any means, but I can tell you that if I was, I'd rather be somewhere other than Miami.
I moved from New York City down here in 2000 and eventually bought a house (lucky) in Coral Springs. I understand the frustration of the folks in the thread. The cost of living has gone up ridiculously and there seems to be a general sense from what I hear that we don't function well as a community down here.
I think part of what is missing in South Florida is that we don't actively engage each other in conversation. To some extent that is true in most of suburban America but it seems more so down here where folks just don't seem to care about their neighbor. I live in a nice gated community but I hardly know 4 or 5 neighbors.
I am seeing signs of hope though. The housing bubble bust has been good for us and I hope it removes the speculators and greedy folks from here. I see groups forming in meetups so I know that there is desire in the folks that live here to open up and get more genuine that what you see on the surface. Often I think it is the perception of a person and the only way you can truly know your fellow neighbor is to start breaking down the shells that surround us and talk.
I have skimmed through many of the posts in this thread. I recently moved out of Broward County to NC, and I couldn't be happier. I spent my whole life in South FL (Miami & Pembroke Pines), and I didn't realize how much better it could be somewhere else. My family took a huge risk relocating, and it was done almost on a whim. We had vacationed for a few days in NC, and got the inkling to look at some home models. When we returned from our trip, I started researching different areas online, and in the next year or so, we made several scouting trips. We were scared to death, leaving all of our family, and good jobs that we had been at for a LONG time. Now that we have been here 4 months, I am realizing how much I disliked South Florida, and I didn't even know it before. The only thing I miss is my family, friends, and yes, I miss the Cuban food. I do not agree with some of the posters that Miami is only nice if you are rich. I'm not rich by any means, but I can tell you that if I was, I'd rather be somewhere other than Miami.
As I mentioned in a post earlier - I am desperate to move my family away from South Florida - I am 37 years old and was born in Broward county - still live here - I can't stand it - the changes are unreal and I could not hope to afford a decent single family home in my lifetime here. Whereabouts do you live in NC? I've looked at charlotte and the vicinity and love it! any advice you could give would be appreciated!
As I mentioned in a post earlier - I am desperate to move my family away from South Florida - I am 37 years old and was born in Broward county - still live here - I can't stand it - the changes are unreal and I could not hope to afford a decent single family home in my lifetime here. Whereabouts do you live in NC? I've looked at charlotte and the vicinity and love it! any advice you could give would be appreciated!
I don't know how I found this forum, or particular thread--I was doing a search about autistic children....It just so happens that I just got back from SFL, Ft. Lauderdale and it just so happens that I live in Arkansas, and have lived in AR for ten years so this thread is pretty interesting.
I have to say that in FLL, the people were friendly. My 4 year old rubbed her hands all over a man's mini suv, and instead of being nasty about it, he was worried that she'd burn herself because he'd driven up from Miami.
I welcomed the oppty to speak Spanish while in Fla.
I enjoyed watching the local news (something I rarely to never do in Arkansas)....
But reading this forum explains why the Miami Herald is such a (shoddy?) newspaper (imho)....
Corruption... I would expect that a large city like Miami have a large daily, but instead it was small and simple and written simply, but eureka I found it....
If the people don't speak english, not much point in the paper teaching higher ed students.
Kudos to Sergio for starting the thread...I'm originally from Maryland and can't even begin to compare the east coast to the rest of the world...For one thing, the population decreases in the mid south. There are only 2 million people in Arkansas altogther while Fla probably has counties with that many.
anyway,
Just hopping in to say I LOVE FORT LAUDERDALE, almost as much as I love Nassau, Bahamas.
:-)
Last edited by Vacation Grifter; 08-02-2007 at 04:53 PM..
Reason: typos
I don't know how I found this forum, or particular thread--I was doing a search about autistic children....It just so happens that I just got back from SFL, Ft. Lauderdale and it just so happens that I live in Arkansas, and have lived in AR for ten years so this thread is pretty interesting.
I have to say that in FLL, the people were friendly. My 4 year old rubbed her hands all over a man's mini suv, and instead of being nasty about it, he was worried that she'd burn herself because he'd driven up from Miami.
I welcomed the oppty to speak Spanish while in Fla.
I enjoyed watching the local news (something I rarely to never do in Arkansas)....
But reading this forum explains why the Miami Herald is such a (shoddy?) newspaper (imho)....
Corruption... I would expect that a large city like Miami have a large daily, but instead it was small and simple and written simply, but eureka I found it....
If the people don't speak english, not much point in the paper teaching higher ed students.
Kudos to Sergio for starting the thread...I'm originally from Maryland and can't even begin to compare the east coast to the rest of the world...For one thing, the population decreases in the mid south. There are only 2 million people in Arkansas altogther while Fla probably has counties with that many.
anyway,
Just hopping in to say I LOVE FORT LAUDERDALE, almost as much as I love Nassau, Bahamas.
:-)
Fort Lauderdale=nice, but too freaking expensive. For someone to say Broward County is "hell" needs to see the rest of the U.S, where the air is hazy, the traffic doesn't move on Sunday afternoon (I think its hilarious when people here complain about the "traffic", I have never got stuck in traffic here for more than a few minutes), and people are still set on segregating by ethnic lines.
Unlike Miami, you can have as good as a life as anywhere else here. Heck, even better. I happen to have bought pre bubble, and 6 years ago when we were looking to live virtually ANYWHERE in the country, we settled on Broward County because, well, quite frankly, its appealing. If we had to do it again, we would probably pick elsewhere due to the cost of living, but then, it was almost a no brainer. Basically, its still nice, but I think it's no longer really worth it anymore, unless your job can really handle it.
Miami=Not much going for it as a place to live aside from the beaches and interesting culture.
There are definite pros and cons regarding living in South Florida and I can definitely see reasons why people would hate living here and why people would love it. It completely depends on what's important to you. Having lived in Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Miami, Miami Beach for over thirty years as well as NYC and LA, etc. I feel as though I have a pretty good perspective on what it's all about. Aside from my personal opinions (ok, maybe a few opinions thrown in), here are what I believe to be indisputable facts that may influence you're opinion towards the love/hate camp. It's all about PERSPECTIVE!
*If you're coming from NYC and miss certain types of freedoms (i.e. picking up a tennis racket on a whim and finding and open court to play Tennis anytime and any day of the year [for free] or being able to play and have the time to play decent golf courses all year round at a reasonable price then you will LOVE this place.
*If you're coming from NYC and love the theater,museums, etc. you might HATE this place.
* If you're single guy coming from, oh, say Effingham, Ill and moving to South Beach you will be completely blown away by the most mind-blowingly beautiful girls you have ever seen on this planet and will LOVE this place. You will not care about the abscence of jobs outside of the hospitality industry nor the old studio apt. you're living in. You'll be able to walk to a world class beach and life will be virtual paradise.
*If you're coming from LA or NYC looking to escape the traffic and the increasingly ethnic population, then you will be very disappointed and I would call it a PUSH. NYC traffic is arguably better (that's right, I said better!). The reason why is at least NYC traffic, although more crowded, makes sense because the drivers are generally way more competent (even the crazy cabbies) and the traffic signals, at least north and south, keep traffic moving orderly. South Florida has the worst combination of very old, young, and completely incompetent drivers making it one of the worst and most dangerous places to drive in the world (and I've driven in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tokyo, NYC, LA, the Dominican Republic, etc). Not to mention, if someone changes a tire of the side of the road, everyone is compelled to "rubber neck" and huge traffic delays occur. The problem is, and this is no exaggeration, it happens on a daily basis. Mix all of this with 90 degree temperatures, humidity, generally rude people to begin with, and you've got the formula for the unofficial "road rage capital of the world". Even LA, the traffic generally flowed better, and I commuted everyday. Traffic (highways) made more sense, as did alternate routes. As bad as LA traffic is, you always get the feeling there's a reason for the traffic (sheer volume) LA's bad, Miami is worse.
*If you have money, you'll LOVE this place. There are great restaurants, it's a beautiful place, the weather (relative to the rest of the planet) is fantastic, thus there are many outdoor activities to choose from). Caribbean Islands, Disney World, the Keys, etc can be just a last second vacation destination. Golfing paradise. Major League sports town.
*Coming from the North with a young family? The education system stinks and you might HATE it here. People are generally rude and parts of Miami are more Spanish than English with absolutely no desire to assimilate into American Culture. That's not a racist point of view, simply a fact. Anyone that tells you otherwise is the real racist.
It sounds like I'm more negative than positive on South Florida, and maybe I am, but it's not a boring place, I'll give it that. Just depends what you're looking for. One man's paradise is another man's hell.
Last edited by 1919BlackSox; 08-03-2007 at 04:58 PM..
Reason: spelling
There are definite pros and cons regarding living in South Florida and I can definitely see reasons why people would hate living here and why people would love it. It completely depends on what's important to you. Having lived in Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Miami, Miami Beach for over thirty years as well as NYC and LA, etc. I feel as though I have a pretty good perspective on what it's all about. Aside from my personal opinions (ok, maybe a few opinions thrown in), here are what I believe to be indisputable facts that may influence you're opinion towards the love/hate camp. It's all about PERSPECTIVE!
*If you're coming from NYC and miss certain types of freedoms (i.e. picking up a tennis racket on a whim and finding and open court to play Tennis anytime and any day of the year [for free] or being able to play and have the time to play decent golf courses all year round at a reasonable price then you will LOVE this place.
*If you're coming from NYC and love the theater,museums, etc. you might HATE this place.
* If you're single guy coming from, oh, say Effingham, Ill and moving to South Beach you will be completely blown away by the most mind-blowingly beautiful girls you have ever seen on this planet and will LOVE this place. You will not care about the abscence of jobs outside of the hospitality industry nor the old studio apt. you're living in. You'll be able to walk to a world class beach and life will be virtual paradise.
*If you're coming from LA or NYC looking to escape the traffic and the increasingly ethnic population, then you will be very disappointed and I would call it a PUSH. NYC traffic is arguably better (that's right, I said better!). The reason why is at least NYC traffic, although more crowded, makes sense because the drivers are generally way more competent (even the crazy cabbies) and the traffic signals, at least north and south, keep traffic moving orderly. South Florida has the worst combination of very old, young, and completely incompetent drivers making it one of the worst and most dangerous places to drive in the world (and I've driven in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tokyo, NYC, LA, the Dominican Republic, etc). Not to mention, if someone changes a tire of the side of the road, everyone is compelled to "rubber neck" and huge traffic delays occur. The problem is, and this is no exaggeration, it happens on a daily basis. Mix all of this with 90 degree temperatures, humidity, generally rude people to begin with, and you've got the formula for the unofficial "road rage capital of the world". Even LA, the traffic generally flowed better, and I commuted everyday. Traffic (highways) made more sense, as did alternate routes. As bad as LA traffic is, you always get the feeling there's a reason for the traffic (sheer volume) LA's bad, Miami is worse.
*If you have money, you'll LOVE this place. There are great restaurants, it's a beautiful place, the weather (relative to the rest of the planet) is fantastic, thus there are many outdoor activities to choose from). Caribbean Islands, Disney World, the Keys, etc can be just a last second vacation destination. Golfing paradise. Major League sports town.
*Coming from the North with a young family? The education system stinks and you might HATE it here. People are generally rude and parts of Miami are more Spanish than English with absolutely no desire to assimilate into American Culture. That's not a racist point of view, simply a fact. Anyone that tells you otherwise is the real racist.
It sounds like I'm more negative than positive on South Florida, and maybe I am, but it's not a boring place, I'll give it that. Just depends what you're looking for. One man's paradise is another man's hell.
Wow , superb post one of the best I have seen here . I happen to like South Florida a lot and yes I am 27 and single , make good money , live in Boca Raton , party on South Beach , love the ocean , etc , etc ... but I could see where I might not like it if I had a wife and kids !!!
Wow , superb post one of the best I have seen here . I happen to like South Florida a lot and yes I am 27 and single , make good money , live in Boca Raton , party on South Beach , love the ocean , etc , etc ... but I could see where I might not like it if I had a wife and kids !!!
Just got back to this board after a week's vacation and I have to agree, the last few posts have raised some terrific points and have done a fine job of characterizing South Florida, both pro and con.
Though it's off-topic, I work for a South Florida news organization (not at liberty to say which one, but you might be able to guess) and wanted to comment about observations made a few posts back about the Miami Herald. It's certainly not what it used to be (until about 1990, it made most 10-best U.S. newspaper lists), but it's still the best of an increasingly mediocre bunch in this region. In fact, South Florida used to be a terrific area for newspapers. Now, circulation and ad revenue are declining and coverage reflects that. The Sun-Sentinel is undergoing what its management touts as "transformative change" -- that's a fancy name for corporate downsizing and dumbed-down, simpleminded coverage. The Palm Beach Post still does some solid work, but it's too far north to have a real impact south of Boca Raton and its staff is still too white/Anglo/male to be effective covering South Florida as a whole.
I can't believe how prejudice you all sound. Miami has it's problems 'but no different than other places. Traffic is bad in Atlanta too. I was born in Miami and it doesn't bother me to here other languages spoken. Not once has any person been rude to for speeking English like someone posted (that sounds ridiculous). More people travel to this city from other countries and love! Please note that there are 127 different languages spoken here. Furthermore, there is a difference betwwen hispanics many come from different countries and the only thing they have incommon is the language. There are some that are blonde with blue eyes too and very white. Remember hispanic is not a race. I just means they speak spanish. I have to add a great deal of lawyers. doctors and teachers I know are Cuban-American and they speak perfect English. Many have been born here and so have there children. I have to thank my Miami born Cuban-American doctor for saving my life. Please note my parents are Miami born too.
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Maybe there is hope
