Any advice about moving to Kendall? (Miami, Coral Gables: middle-class, section 8, apartments)

[Stef1999]

My husband and I and our 2 dogs are moving to Miami in one month. He will be working in West Miami, so we are looking at houses in Kendall. We would not like an apartment or a condo, we would rather have a house and possibly a yard. Is Kendall a good area? We have looked at Cutler Bay and Coral Gables, but I think they will be too far for his commute. Does anyone have any advice for house hunting? We also need a garage. He will be in town for a few days looking at houses with a realtor, but I would love some opinions. Thanks in advance!

[straight shooter]

Moving east of where your husband is going to be working might not be all that bad because he will be traveling east to west in the mornings. Traffic in the mornings is west to east. If you are looking for a house with a yard I would look at Kendall east of 137 Ave. West of 137 Ave. there are a lot of apartments, townhouses, and homes on small lots and the area isn't as desirable and more congested.

[WINTERFRONT]

Both West and East Kendall are good areas. There is just one not so good area in WK and that is the 152snd Avenue area - north of 88st and south of 72st.

[Marina1686]

Originally Posted by WINTERFRONT

Both West and East Kendall are good areas. There is just one not so good area in WK and that is the 152snd Avenue area - north of 88st and south of 72st.

I live there and I hate it, my neighbors are so tacky, rude and unassimalated However, I haven't heard of any incidents around here, I just noticed one fight a couple months ago. I totally don't fit here, I can't wait to leave this mouse trap.

[WINTERFRONT]

I call that area "Westchester By The Lake" hehehe

[Marina1686]

Originally Posted by WINTERFRONT

I call that area "Westchester By The Lake" hehehe

Is this area always been like this?

I had no idea this part of kendall was this bad. Where I live, properties are small ad I can't believe how some of my neighbors have 3, 4 or 5 kids and they are on the street all day long Also, I noticed at night and sometimes during the day, some neighbors put their plastic chairs outside and talk c&*# just like they do in tacky cubans cafeterias... Nobody here speaks English and I'm the only one who goes to the university (my car is the only one with a FIU decal). I bet a lot of people in this place don't work and live from the government. This place sucks, worst place I ever lived in Miami so far

[WINTERFRONT]

Originally Posted by Marina1686

Is this area always been like this?

I had no idea this part of kendall was this bad. Where I live, properties are small ad I can't believe how some of my neighbors have 3, 4 or 5 kids and they are on the street all day long Also, I noticed at night and sometimes during the day, some neighbors put their plastic chairs outside and talk c&*# just like they do in tacky cubans cafeterias... Nobody here speaks English and I'm the only one who goes to the university (my car is the only one with a FIU decal). I bet a lot of people in this place don't work and live from the government. This place sucks, worst place I ever lived in Miami so far

I think it was Valicky who enlightened me about the people of 152nd av and "section 8". I'm very familiar with the area as my friends, from middle school and high school, lived around there, but I was oblivious about their parent's income. The area is not as bad as it used to be, though... there was a time when people would talk about "gang activities" and certain notorious people who roamed the area. All of them were just lazy drug dealers who had connections with Homestead or South Dade "gangbangers" hahahhaha. There were some gang members but the area was never infested by real gang activity. I'm pretty sure most of them moved out, grew out of that mentality, or just got deported. One of my middle school teachers once said that cops would usually do most of their arrests around the 152nd av, but that was like 12 years ago. I doubt that is still being the case nowadays.

[MiamiRob]

Here we go with the "tacky Cuban cafeteria" and the "nobody speaks English here" drama! Oh boy! Anyways I lived in that area over 20 years ago and back then the area was pretty new when the Wal Mart was built out there and I had no issues . Of course I have no idea what it's like now though.

[joelibyan]

OP, do you mean West Miami, as in the city of? Or in the general sense of "western Miami-Dade county"? If you mean the city of West Miami, it abuts Coral Gables, so it can't be that far.

If you mean western, suburban Miami-Dade, that is a different story.

You might want to clarify to get a better answer.

That being said, there are plenty of forums about the best and worst neighborhoods in Miami that you can check out. I recommend grabbing a map while you do it!

My opinion on West Kendall? Do you like planned communities, heavily trafficked streets with lots of stoplights and strip malls? Go ahead and look around! It's pretty much Miami's biggest middle-class suburb. As an outsider (like I was when I moved here in 2006), you might find a better quality of life a bit farther east. Look in East Kendall, Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay, South Miami, Coral Gables, etc. The homes in these areas are a bit older and tend to have more land.

[valicky]

That area wasn't always like that. I lived on Sunset and 152nd around 84-85. It was very nice. We used to walk to the shopping center on the SE corner. Back then there was even a Hallmark shop there! I lived in the townhouses on the NW corner. People were very nice and you didn't need to speak Spanish at all. Seems like a lifetime ago.