Is the keys gate area in Homestead really that much better than the rest of homestead? (Christmas: renting, house)

[hurricaneMan1992]

It's insane now with the rents seemingly being uniformly high no matter how far out you go. You'd have to go at least up to Coral Springs, perhaps even Boca, to find a decent 2 br for under $1k. A friend of mine pays $1350 for a 1 br in far west Kendall--just $50 more than my 1 br in South Beach (which, granted, does not come with parking).

Personally, so save money I'd rather deal with "Hollywierd" or Dania than go all the way down to Homestead, as there really isn't much going for the place, and at least in Hollywood there are real beaches.

[popcorn247]

Homestead is close to the Florida Keys, fishing in Biscayne Bay, Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park, some great Mexican restaurants, good city services, a feeling of community, the race track, festivals at the Fruit & Spice park, u-pick fields for strawberries and veggies, yummy veggies and baked goods at Knaus Berry Farm, fresh strawberry ice cream and berries at Burr's Berry Farm, a slower pace of living. Nah, Homestead has nothing going for it I haven't been to the 'beach' since 1994 and I don't care to go any time soon. But if I did, I could easily get on the turnpike for places north of here.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Keep in mind "close" to the Keys is still like 40 minutes, and that's only to Largo. There's fishing on the Bay, but you'd better have a boat to catch much of anything. The other places popcorn mentions are indeed nice to visit (There's also a Thai Buddhist temple and Monkey Jungle, and Zoo Miami is not *that* far up the 'Pike), but after a long and grueling commute (also consider some of these things may be closed by the time you get home and change), it's most realistic to enjoy them on weekends, which you could also take the 'Pike down south to do. That said, if you work in the area (or are retired), there are definitely things to do around Homestead, so I stand corrected in that respect.

[doggiebus]

Originally Posted by sflove

We are rethinking moving down there...I'm not sure what we are going to do but the areas I was looking at aren't exactly keys gate I guess... it's the complexes around keys gate that are cheaper. Homestead just landed a spot in the the top 100 most dangerous cities in the U.S. with a population over 25000. The crime stats are terrible and the only area down here that tops it is Opalocka. Looking at the crime listings on homestead police website you can tell most problems are to the West of the turnpike but it is not perfect on the east side either. It's hard to tell how "bad" the East side really is/isn't in comparison to the rest of Miami but the stats over all for homestead are terrible. I guess we will have to go down there more in the exact location we are looking into to see if it seems ok...It is really frustrating trying to find affordable housing in Miami period. It seems like every other block is a bad area and it extremely difficult to tell how bad it really is. There are a lot of areas down here that look old and "bad" that aren't and a lot that look new that are section 8. UGH!

I think its a great idea to visit, Homestead overall isn't that great. I have a few friends that live there and love it and others that are trying to get of the area because of the crime and other bad things. With that said, you hit on something that is common to most of Southeast Florida, bad areas next to good areas. That's just how it is, there is a bad section of Coconut Grove right next to multi million dollar homes in Coconut Grove. The City of South Miami has the same issue.

East of the Turnpike in Homestead is all new, West of the Turnpike is older, until you get west of Krome Ave. If I were you I'd live close to South Miami or Kendall and commute to work to the base (its against traffic).

[angelo7221]

You will definitely get the "Miami" vibe upon deciding to live here; it seems to me wedged between Kendall and Doral in terms of "vibe" and "dynamic" (if these terms in fact are applicable in providing a synopsis). I am referring to points east of S Dixie i.e. "Breakstone", "Pacifica" and "Keys Gate: The Return". Prior to these developments existed the two "Keys Gate?" developments off of Lucy/N Canal and Kingman, Lakeshore Village and the Villages of Homestead. In the beginning, at inception, these neighborhoods possessed somewhat of an exclusivity. Not only could one enjoy the quietude of a bedroom commuunity a few stops shy of Kendall and Miami on the Turnpike (which, back then, incorporated less of travel time), but its overall closeness to the Keys and Black Point Marina; and all the amenities this closeness made available gave this area a certain luster. Nowadays, while there is still a cleanliness and desirability here, you really cannot reap the harvest of "true bedroom community living" unless you live isolated in an area like say, the Keys Gate Country Club. And even notwithstanding this aspect, it is hard not to smell the blight and economic disparity circumscribe in and among "Homestead's quandrants"; its mini-ghettos, migrant farmer housing areas, trailer parks and courts and the posh acre estates that lie along the Redland. In essence, you will not get any sense of community, inherent in a bedroom community, but in terms of safety, convenience, and an escapism from the riff-raff, you are again offered an area not as skeevy as West Kendall nor as "wannabe posh-city" as Doral; the luster of an "escape to Broward" has worn thin as its own communities have reached a maximum overload. What's next? Making nw 74 st and Krome habitable?

[angelo7221]

Downtown Medley...nw 74 st/ Penssuco Pkwy

[popcorn247]

Interesting article Best Places to Invest in Real Estate in Florida - NerdWallet

[hurricaneMan1992]

Originally Posted by popcorn247

Interesting article Best Places to Invest in Real Estate in Florida - NerdWallet

Thanks for sharing. Interestingly, Brickell (Miami) is the arguably the "hottest" place now but is actually pretty far down the list!

[popcorn247]

Originally Posted by hurricaneMan1992

Thanks for sharing. Interestingly, Brickell (Miami) is the arguably the "hottest" place now but is actually pretty far down the list!

I think that 'affordable' housing might be in more demand than luxury housing. Thus the reason for Homestead and other 'less desirable' places. (I love Homestead)

[mtn2palm]

This is all great stuff. I am checking back daily to see what the locals have to say....so keep it coming-the good, the bad, the ugly. I am from a small NC mtn town-the entire county has 26,000 people! We actually have a lot of local businesses, Dollar General, and Walmart-no mall. We moved to eastern NC a couple of years ago for work. It's a college town and although smaller as a "large city", it has 89,000 people. Years ago before the flood, the good and bad areas were more cut and dry-which I suspect hurricanes, etc did the same thing to Homestead. When the worst of section 8 gets flooded they get interspersed into the good areas. At Christmas the small mall is dangerous especially at night as well as Walmart at any given time. We have truly lived in the outskirts of the hood here and we have fared ok. I'm not sure that is something we want to struggle with in Homestead area. BUT we do want to stay below $1,200 if possible, and we would consider limiting the bedrooms we need from 3 to 2 if it would grant us true safety and peace of mind. We could possibly do better in a year depending on how well our house in the mountains rents. Any takers?!

Keep being as specific as you can on area names and subdivisions. It's been great!