Where to find the "good" in South Florida

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

What about Fort Lauderdale? ..or Palm Beach County for that matter?

It would be just as bad really. Except you can't blame the Hispanics for your problems once you get up to Palm Beach. There you can blame all of the rich ex-New Yorkers who are oppressing you and don't speak English, but Brooklynese. In Ft. Lauderdale it's not really appropriate to (most of the Haitians that actually (in reality) fill the cheap labor jobs speak English) but people seem to try and squeeze it in and blame the Hispanics for any problem that they have anyway, because (in many cases, not all, some are just silly and seem to have no reasoning at all) they don't know how to get up and do something for themselves unless it involves the words "North Carolina".

Really though, your not in a good situation to move down here. If you have business skills, a degree in something or know a trade that it's in demand down here, I would say go for it, but this is a very difficult start-up city. There are better places to start up. Palm Beach would be good if you were older and Ft. Lauderdale could be fun if you were coming for a job transfer and so could Miami, but you just aren't in the right spot to do well here. You might even end up turning into one of the miserable posters here on the forum.

[Aries09]

I am a Miami Native and I don't suggest you move here now. I am actually going to relocate to Atlanta with a friend.

Miami has become very expensive and the job market is horrible... The cost of living is unbearable!!

Do more research before you move!!

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

What about Fort Lauderdale? ..or Palm Beach County for that matter?

[WanderingImport]

I know the South Florida real estate market bubble has burst. Its been that way for at least a year now and I've heard prices are slowly declining. Despite this, prices are still unbearably high. However, I'm not exactly looking for real estate, just a roomate.
I actually had a friend move to Miami Beach just below Surfside last year and he ended up getting a roomate and paying $300 a month including utilities. Not saying that would ever happen to anyone in the Miami area again, just saying it happened. LOL
Anyway, he made it down there (and with just one job as a valet) so if I did some major digging for something similar to that, why couldn't I?
I do know the area pretty much like any local. I know the Palmetto is a no-no. The Falls, Dadeland & Sunset Place are all on the "useless 1". The Design District supposedly has been up and coming for the last 10 years. Downtown is a ghost town, but they are constructing skyscrapers like theres no tomorrow. ..and of course, I love to brag to everyone up here about how often I frequent Miami. Although its an 8 hour trip, I had been to the area no less than 10 times just in '07.
People complain about the terrible drivers in South Florida, but I actually get along better in traffic down there (call me a crazy, terrible driver, but I just can't handle the slow idiots up here)

Oh, and one last funny detail... southern accents aren't my thing.

[miamiblue]

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

...I do know the area pretty much like any local...

It sounds like you've already convinced yourself, so go for it. I'm not completely sure why you came on here asking for real world advice from people who actually have experience living in a place if you've already got it figured out. People seemed to be just trying to give you honest opinions based on the question you asked, and I guess you are not liking their straightforward answers.

Since you said you enjoy the traffic in Miami so much, I assume you've already priced out your auto insurance there as well (let us not forget the little things).

If you enjoy bragging to others about visiting Miami, you might as well live there for the real deal experience. You definitely won't have to worry about hearing southern accents.

Best of luck!

[tbarreto]

I wouldn't do it either. After living there for 30 years I can tell you it's a hostile environment-economically, socially and weather-wise. Jobs underpay, cost of living is horrendous, traffic is abominable, some people are nice but the majority are rude and uneducated. Don't get swayed by the "beach scene" or promises of riches. There are other places in FL that are much nicer and affordable to live. And remember, hurricane season is right around the corner!

[WanderingImport]

Its not that I don't appreciate your straight forward answers. Quite the contrary, I do appreciate them. I wouldn't have posted on here if I didn't care to hear them. They are all great posts with the best advice you could personally give I'm sure.

However, you might be right about me already being convinced to move to South Florida. I fully realize that the Miami area does underpay and most of the jobs end up going to the lowest bidder, so to speak. I also know about the traffic as I stated in my last response. That can be hell, I know. (There was one time I drove from Savannah to Miami and ended up getting stuck in the friday afternoon commute. The usual 8 hour trip took me more like 12 to get to the South Miami-Coral Gables area) This is a price to pay for living in the most populous county in the state though.
Miamiblue made a great point about the auto insurance rates for Miami-Dade. I've heard they are one of the highest in the nation. I know Broward County can't be that much better, so I assumed I would be keeping my Georgia insurance, tag, etc. Thats my loophole around that.
Anyway, I guess I'm too convinced that if I continue to do my homework and look for a decent rent in a decent area of town (the hard part), I'll be okay.
As they say, if you want something bad enough, you'll eventually get it... or something like that.

[PBCboy]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

It would be just as bad really. Except you can't blame the Hispanics for your problems once you get up to Palm Beach. There you can blame all of the rich ex-New Yorkers who are oppressing you and don't speak English, but Brooklynese.

I live in Palm Beach County and I don't fall under any of those categories... In fact the middle class is more affordable in Palm Beach County than in Miami-Dade or even Broward, though they need to bridge that middle income gap a little more.

Many people have told me that I have a NY-style accent though... WTF? For some bizarre reason most people think I lived in New York.

[Pink flamingo]

You will need to be bilingual for either of those jobs because of the vast nationalities that come to area from all over the world.