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Hi, I currently live in the bay area of California (though at the moment I am visiting family in Oregon) and I need to get out of here! California, while a beautiful state with pretty nice weather, is not a very good place to live at IMO. It's very expensive here, the cost of living is outrageous, the taxes are high, we have an out-of-control Nanny State that is constantly infringing on our lives, you can't even put up a fence or install windows on your own property unless you have the states permission, they have stupid gun laws, it's just getting too much for me to bear. It's all too liberal, now I don't mind living around liberals, I respect people's opinions even if I disagree with them, I just don't like living around these liberal extremists here. They are very pushy and pretty much Communists. Florida is more conservative so it suits me, but I don't care really as long as it's not the extreme liberalism we have here on the West Coast.
I have been looking at South Florida, I have visited there before for a few months and really enjoyed it. I do have family in Florida too but they are up in the Jacksonville area and I don't like Jacksonville (I found it to be a rather racist and backwards city, no offense to JAX just my experience). I am looking at Miami-Dade, Jupiter (West Palm Beach), Ft. Lauderdale areas. Compared to where I'm at, the Cost of Living in Florida is a LOT better, and so are the taxes and the personal freedoms. The only thing that might cost more is home owners insurance but I am 24 and have no interest in buying a home yet, though car insurance may or may not be more expensive, I cannot figure out a straight answer yet. I want to find a decent paying job BEFORE I move as I understand that many Florida jobs pay lower, however I have done the math and even with minimum wage (which I don't want btw) I would still end up having more money than I make here in California on my $12 an hour. So this will not be an instant move, I will take my time to carefully research the areas and the job market.
I love Florida, even though it has a flat landscape I love the lushness and the beautiful water everywhere. I love the Caribbean cultures and atmosphere of South Florida, and the ocean breeze and the generally warm weather. The thing about me is, I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, so I need a place that is sunny. While California provides this, it's just too expensive (along with those other problems I mentioned) and seeing as how I'm fairly familiar with Florida I think it would be a great place to call home. Only downsides I can think of are Hurricanes, no family (I have good friends who live there though), and humidityr (I have lived there in June and July before and I thought it was bearable). Also crime, I need to know what parts are safe and what parts arn't, is Miami-Dade safe? I was in Coconut Grove when I was last there and found it to be alright.
1. Politically speaking, Florida is a swing state, as I'm sure you already know. The more conservative people upstate will warn you that Miami is a liberal haven of sin, when that's not really the case. People aren't really too hardcore about politics here, aside from the presidential elections of course, and it really goes both ways. You see young people with piercings, tattoos, and revealing clothing on one street and then you'll see old abuelas throwing holy water and preaching about how the world is going to hell because of a worldwide homosexual conspiracy. You might meet occupy wallstreet kids and fox news viewers with "take back America" bumper stickers and it won't really be a big deal. Generally, everyone can agree that the politicians here in this state are doing a bad job. People really are apathetic and maybe disillusioned about it, so it's rarely a topic of discussion and bringing it up and expecting serious non-joking debate might prove to be a challenge.
The reason I've brought all this up is because you've chosen to identify yourself as "West Coast Republican" so I imagine that this is a major factor in your life and decision. To sum it up, people don't really care very much unfortunately unless it directly affects them, but I suppose it makes it easier for people on opposite sentiments to get along.
2. I can't compare from experience, but I believe you're right on the money with your economic assessments. You should definitely look into that further. It would really go a long way if you know Spanish. I'm surprised you didn't ask about that. I'm white (germanic) yet wind up speaking Spanish more than English in my workplace, which is retail. Younger people speak English, but the older people generally use Spanish, so depending on the job and which neighborhood you're working in, it can make a lot of a difference. I won't say that Spanish is a requirement, because it isn't, but it really really can be an important factor. Why would they hire someone with limited capabilities when they can easily find someone who is billingual or at least has acceptable skills in both languages? Take that into consideration.
3. It's certainly sunny and can be nice, but at times (usually the summer it seems) it can be very rainy and gloomy...And seeing the dark cloudy skies and rain contrast with the palm trees, urban buildings...It might inspire some sad feelings. And while the sun is nice when you're at the beach or only out on the street to get a cup of coffee, man it can be brutal if you have to work outside in it for hours. Russia has its famously cruel winters, and we have our summer heat.
4. Hurricanes are probably less of an issue than you might expect. The last one to hit here if I remember correctly was Katrina (was that in 2006?). And even then its impact here was much less than when it hit New Orleans. So it's not exactly a regular thing, though there was one stretch where it seemed like it was one hurricane after the other. Nevertheless, there's plenty of time to prepare and take precautions, the media will exaggerate it like crazy and buying stuff at the chaotic markets will probably cause more stress for you than the actual storm itself. I'm 19 though, so I wasn't around for Hurricane Andrew. Perhaps that is why I don't worry about hurricanes too much.
5. You can fairly easily tell the bad areas apart from the others. Some places can be deceiving, but with common sense you'll be fine. It's not the '80s lol, so it's not like there's drug smugglers and gangsters shooting up public areas on a regular basis. There's affluent areas that are so nice where safety is pretty much a non-issue, and if you're feeling extra paranoid, then there's gated communities. And of course, there's lots of middle class suburban sprawl. Please don't think that everyone is either a millionaire or living in the ghetto. There are a many regular people struggling with things like debt and other financial woes. The inequality and state of some areas is really unfortunate, but that's just one part of the bigger picture. The people in Broward and the other counties up north sometimes look down on Miami as big urban Cuban slum, so maybe you'll find those areas to be more suited for your tastes.
6. Now the real danger here in South FL are the drivers. There won't be any documentaries or movies about the recklessness and borderline insanity of some of the people you'll see behind the wheel in this city. But rest assured, within a few months, you'll have a lifetime of horror stories. I've never been out West, but I've heard that they're generally patient and conscious of others. Out of all the things I've written about in this post, this might very well be the main culture shock.
Looking over this post, it may sound like I'm hating on the city, but it's the opposite really. I've lived here for practically my whole life, and I've enjoyed it very much. I'm just sharing my honest experiences as a local. Moving to a new city is a big decision, and there are things you should be aware of when you make that decision. If you do ultimately decide to move here, I hope you find what you are looking for and like it here.
One thing that stuck out to me about your post was your concern about racism. Miami is a very racist city, and extremely segregated. I have lived in a lot of places, but it is the most divided place I have ever lived in. It not like people don't ever cross the color lines, but it is very apparent as an issue in the very sharp lines between neighborhoods (it's a driving city so nobody ever walks through and thus runs into people of another culture accidentally), and there is not much social mixing nor diversity economically - so where you work, and where you live, are who you hang with. And in Miami that is not going to include a wide range of skin tones, generally. Also, it is common to hear people spouting hatred for other groups based on their skin tone being different (as well as for their different culture or nationality). Race is a big issue in Miami, so don't move thinking it is all one big happy blended family.
I liked Miami for many different reasons, but the racial issues were a main reason I recently left. My friends are from every background, and I found that to be an issue - it was hard to meet new people who looked different from me, and hard to have friends visit from outside the city because neighbors and coworkers always got a little uptight when seeing us all together. I was tired of hearing conversations warning me against this group and that group on a weekly basis when talking to people at work, in the neighborhood, or even at the local store.
There are people in Miami who overcome this. But it is an important issue to me and I just don't feel comfortable living in such an openly racist environment. Based on your comment, I thought I would mention it in case you wouldn't either. I want to live in a diverse community, and Miami - while having a diverse population overall - does not have much in the way of actually diverse individual communities, where everybody lives and works and hangs out together the way that they do in many other cities. Miami had a strong history of institutionalized segregation not so long ago, and the legacy of that history still lingers, added to it the racial issues of people from Caribbean and South/Central American nations who have moved to the city.
Miami is also full of old-time corruption, so I don't know if that qualifies for your definition of backwards. It's modern in many ways, but also stupidly run and behind a lot of other major cities in terms of things that benefit local residents, like a public transportation system, highway construction that has actual completion dates, and outdoor places one can safely bike or legally bring a dog.
I don't know if it's better than where you're moving from in terms of quality of life.
One thing that stuck out to me about your post was your concern about racism. Miami is a very racist city, and extremely segregated. I have lived in a lot of places, but it is the most divided place I have ever lived in. It not like people don't ever cross the color lines, but it is very apparent as an issue in the very sharp lines between neighborhoods (it's a driving city so nobody ever walks through and thus runs into people of another culture accidentally), and there is not much social mixing nor diversity economically - so where you work, and where you live, are who you hang with. And in Miami that is not going to include a wide range of skin tones, generally. Also, it is common to hear people spouting hatred for other groups based on their skin tone being different (as well as for their different culture or nationality). Race is a big issue in Miami, so don't move thinking it is all one big happy blended family.
I liked Miami for many different reasons, but the racial issues were a main reason I recently left. My friends are from every background, and I found that to be an issue - it was hard to meet new people who looked different from me, and hard to have friends visit from outside the city because neighbors and coworkers always got a little uptight when seeing us all together. I was tired of hearing conversations warning me against this group and that group on a weekly basis when talking to people at work, in the neighborhood, or even at the local store.
There are people in Miami who overcome this. But it is an important issue to me and I just don't feel comfortable living in such an openly racist environment. Based on your comment, I thought I would mention it in case you wouldn't either. I want to live in a diverse community, and Miami - while having a diverse population overall - does not have much in the way of actually diverse individual communities, where everybody lives and works and hangs out together the way that they do in many other cities. Miami had a strong history of institutionalized segregation not so long ago, and the legacy of that history still lingers, added to it the racial issues of people from Caribbean and South/Central American nations who have moved to the city.
Miami is also full of old-time corruption, so I don't know if that qualifies for your definition of backwards. It's modern in many ways, but also stupidly run and behind a lot of other major cities in terms of things that benefit local residents, like a public transportation system, highway construction that has actual completion dates, and outdoor places one can safely bike or legally bring a dog.
I don't know if it's better than where you're moving from in terms of quality of life.
The racial issues is one of the reasons I am leaving. I really thought Miami was going to be this progressive city. I found it to me more backwards than the northern parts of Florida I am familiar with. When I can go out and do all my daily activities and not see and black people, that is a problem (or white people but that is another issue). It is surprisingly openly racist too.
When I can go out and do all my daily activities and not see and black people, that is a problem (or white people but that is another issue). It is surprisingly openly racist too.
Apparently you've never visited NoFla. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!
Apparently you've never visited NoFla. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!
I am referring to areas that have since been resettled by northerners (like a lot of FL). I am not referring to areas, like the Panhandle, or areas that still carry much of the "Old South" with them (rural areas surrounding Gainesville). I cannot speak for those area because I have only driven through them, not actually lived there.
At least when I would go out where I grew up, I would see all races together. In Miami, I will go out and only see Hispanic. That is not diversity. The only way for cities to progress passed racism is to interact with the other race. It is to live with them. Unfortunately, Miami is so ridiculously segregated, that seeing a black person when I go out is a rare sight.
Who are the racists, which groups are being discriminated against, and why?
Mainly I have heard it against black people. People have openly said stuff like, "The Cubans just work harder than the Haitians." When I point out that people are people, they are almost shocked that I don't agree with them. Like somehow being born on one island makes all the people better than people born on a different island. Or when someone acts up, they will just point out that it is because they are black.
Also, I have never heard so many people talk about helping their own race, and having to give people of their own race help. Imagine if a white person said, "I need to help my white brethren." How would that come across? Yet in Miami, that is all I hear.
This kind of a thing was a real shock to me, and it is really uncomfortable to live around.
Do not move to Miami. Huge step down from the Bay Area. You will regret it. Best wishes.
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