Homestead (Miami, Hialeah, Hollywood: real estate, 2014, apartment)

[AngelinaMia]

Hi, I'm gonna have to move to south florida, but it's really expensive and i have 2 kids so my husband and i are thinking about moving to homestead, because it's less expensive, we like Pembroke Pines, but it's still very expensive... i was just curious about Homestead being a good place for kids? If Anyone that knows a lot about south florida has any good advice i will appreciate it.

Thank You. :-)

[compelled to reply]

Homestead is...not a good area for kids. There are some new developments out there that are ok, but is has this distinctive (And I don't use this word a lot) "third-world" feeling to it, a lot of crime, some of the worst schools in South Florida (that's saying a lot), a long commute to downtown Miami, and is generally isolated from better areas. This city got torn by Hurricane Andrew about 15 years ago, and generally the middle class left this area for SW Broward. They are building some OK developments out there because of the abundance in empty land but basically, you get what you pay for.

[sarasarita]

Homestead is not that bad!....third world gee!... I dont see that much crime like in Hollywood or Hialeah though!.

Homestead is very cheap, compare to penbroke pines, Doral or Kendall.. all depends where you are going to work and how much you can afford... if you want to paid 1600 minimun for a tiny apartment thats what you can get by Doral, Coral gables, etc. or 1600 for a huge house that you can get in Homestead.

About the schools they don't have that much good reputation because Homestead is growing.. and I don't see anyone complaining that their kids are doing bad or getting in trouble..

Go to realtor.com and search for rentals with the zip code 33033 for Homestead. (campbell area) or west kendall
here is a page for zip codes; Zip Code Listings for Florida

Homestead search: 33033, Real Estate Listings and 33033 Rentals for Rent - Realtor.com

for schools in Homestead Homestead Schools - Homestead Public Schools - Homestead School Ratings - Best Homestead Schools

I don't think no one has the right to discriminate and be steering.

[heydade]

I agree with compelled to reply. It definitely has a third world feel to it. Kind of light a twilight zone feel. Lots and LOTS of mexicans there...all migrant workers since their is a lot of agriculture in that area. They do have some nice developments (Key's Gate area). I think it's perfectly ok to raise a family there. I think it is worth the savings in housing in my honest opinion. Take care and good luck

[miamiblue]

Where will your work be located? This is a HUGE factor to consider. I, personally, would never want to have to commute north from Homestead if I could avoid it. That area is growing due to the affordability, and most of those people have to commute into Miami for work.

Homestead used to be a big agricultural center and thus there is a large migrant worker presence in the area. Pre-Andrew it was also a military town when Homestead Air Force Base was active duty. Now that the base is a reserve base, there is no longer a large military community there, which had left the city in rather bad shape until recent development started taking off. That said, the agricultural land is quickly being sold out to developers and turned into suburban (or exurban, in many cases) housing that is much more affordable to the middle class than most other areas in Miami.

I wouldn't say it's the worst or most desirable area of Miami-Dade to live in. There is a known gang presence in certain areas of Homestead, MS13 in particular. But I think that the area will continue to attract the middle class looking for an affordable place to live, and hopefully push out the bad elements.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by sarasarita

Homestead is not that bad!....third world gee!... I dont see that much crime like in Hollywood or Hialeah though!.

Crime in Homestead by Year
Type 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Murders 6 0 2 6 4 4 5 5
per 100,000 20.4 0.0 6.1 18.0 11.6 11.4 12.9 11.1
Rapes 27 31 19 22 24 6 8 7
per 100,000 91.7 94.6 58.0 65.9 69.9 17.2 20.6 15.5
Robberies 222 233 224 296 260 325 328 437
per 100,000 753.7 710.9 684.3 887.1 757.0 930.1 845.1 965.9
Assaults 415 445 466 402 332 421 477 590
per 100,000 1409.0 1357.8 1423.5 1204.7 966.7 1204.9 1228.9 1304.0
Burglaries 762 965 752 577 197 769 782 958
per 100,000 2587.2 2944.4 2297.2 1729.2 573.6 2200.9 2014.7 2117.4
Thefts 1,925 1,951 2,006 2,214 2,656 2,058 1,980 1,833
per 100,000 6535.8 5952.9 6127.8 6635.1 7733.5 5889.9 5101.3 4051.4
Auto thefts 233 270 271 276 271 245 293 324
per 100,000 791.1 823.8 827.8 827.1 789.1 701.2 754.9 716.1
Arson 0 1 0 3 6 6 3 8
per 100,000 0.0 3.1 0.0 9.0 17.5 17.2 7.7 17.7
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 323.2) 1127.8 1070.6 1020.8 1048.4 912.3 1002.4 947.0 952.6

Crime in Hialeah by Year
Type 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Murders 10 8 9 9 13 12 8 5
per 100,000 4.7 3.6 3.9 3.8 5.6 5.2 3.5 2.2
Rapes 49 48 40 48 31 46 38 26
per 100,000 22.9 21.4 17.2 20.3 13.3 19.9 16.6 11.6
Robberies 530 499 461 431 427 385 387 374
per 100,000 247.5 222.0 198.5 182.0 183.8 166.4 168.6 166.8
Assaults 1,203 1,114 1,059 1,012 958 911 915 858
per 100,000 561.7 495.6 455.9 427.4 412.4 393.6 398.5 382.7
Burglaries 2,200 1,865 1,596 1,609 1,804 1,699 1,542 1,673
per 100,000 1027.3 829.6 687.1 679.6 776.5 734.1 671.6 746.2
Thefts 8,132 7,636 6,513 7,029 7,141 6,314 5,698 5,416
per 100,000 3797.2 3396.8 2803.9 2968.7 3073.7 2728.2 2481.8 2415.7
Auto thefts 2,798 2,776 2,570 2,079 1,861 1,821 1,532 1,585
per 100,000 1306.5 1234.9 1106.4 878.1 801.0 786.8 667.3 706.9
Arson 52 52 63 44 33 36 31 28
per 100,000 24.3 23.1 27.1 18.6 14.2 15.6 13.5 12.5
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 323.2) 542.6 482.6 421.0 400.5 400.9 378.4 350.2 345.7

Crime in Hollywood by Year
Type 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Murders 9 3 7 11 4 8 6 8
per 100,000 6.8 2.2 4.9 7.5 2.7 5.5 4.1 5.4
Rapes 35 52 51 44 46 45 60 58
per 100,000 26.6 37.3 35.7 30.2 31.5 30.7 40.6 39.2
Robberies 360 424 393 392 412 408 330 384
per 100,000 273.3 304.1 274.9 269.0 282.5 278.3 223.3 259.3
Assaults 541 602 592 576 482 369 377 288
per 100,000 410.7 431.8 414.1 395.3 330.5 251.7 255.1 194.5
Burglaries 1,476 1,266 1,235 1,205 1,289 1,296 1,314 1,338
per 100,000 1120.5 908.0 863.8 826.9 883.9 884.1 889.1 903.5
Thefts 6,027 6,056 5,834 5,917 5,670 4,767 4,366 4,113
per 100,000 4575.3 4343.5 4080.6 4060.3 3888.0 3251.8 2954.0 2777.5
Auto thefts 1,295 1,213 1,138 1,026 1,017 838 818 803
per 100,000 983.1 870.0 796.0 704.0 697.4 571.6 553.5 542.3
Arson 34 36 41 35 43 26 23 10
per 100,000 25.8 25.8 28.7 24.0 29.5 17.7 15.6 6.8
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 323.2) 539.1 518.6 491.0 475.6 454.8 407.0 383.3 376.6

[sarasarita]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

Crime in Homestead by Year

Type 2006
Murders 5
per 100,000 11.1
Rapes 7
per 100,000 15.5
Robberies 437
per 100,000 965.9
Assaults 590
per 100,000 1304.0

Crime in Hialeah by Year
Type 2006
Murders 5
per 100,000 2.2
Rapes 26
per 100,000 11.6
Robberies 374
per 100,000 166.8
Assaults 858
per 100,000 382.7

Crime in Hollywood by Year
Type 2006
Murders 8
per 100,000 5.4
Rapes 58
per 100,000 39.2
Robberies 384
per 100,000 259.3
Assaults 288
per 100,000 194.5

City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 323.2) 539.1 518.6 491.0 475.6 454.8 407.0 383.3 376.6

Wow, lots of numbers there! Dude... crime is in all places! i guess thats way some people in hialeah, hollywood and downtown miami etc. use those bars on their windows and doors!

[sarasarita]

Originally Posted by heydade

I agree with compelled to reply. It definitely has a third world feel to it. Kind of light a twilight zone feel. Lots and LOTS of mexicans there...all migrant workers since their is a lot of agriculture in that area. They do have some nice developments (Key's Gate area). I think it's perfectly ok to raise a family there. I think it is worth the savings in housing in my honest opinion. Take care and good luck

So heydade.. I will never recommend you to move to texas, california, Arizona or any city near mexico!

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by sarasarita

Dude... crime is in all places!

I agree, except I haven't seen bars on the windows in Hollywood except on some of the businesses towards downtown . Plus Homestead has a higher rate of robbery than Hialeah has of burglary...and burglary is one of the most common crimes there is, robbery is not. That means I actually stand a significant chance of getting mugged in Homestead !

And when I said third world, I wasn't referring to the Mexicans (I honestly could care less about the origin of the people there or anywhere or I would of just moved to the woods by now like some of you need to), I was referring just to the general aura. Theres something in the air out there.

[sarasarita]

Guys you can be very disrespectful with those types of comments… You guys don’t know if she is Mexican or any race, religion, origin or social status!! … You don’t know if she’s offended by now.

AngelinaMia, just try to find a good school for your kids if that’s most important for you and work around that to find an affordable place in the area.