ISO safe family friendly, liberal artsy community near Miami (Hollywood: condo, house)

[Chelito23]

Miami is not really a city with an artsy vibe. It is more similar to LA in that it is known for entertainment and commercialization. You will be very disappointed if you move here looking for something that the city cannot offer.

With that said, the closest you could come to is Coconut Grove. I don't consider the Grove artsy, seeing that most homes there are over a million dollars...and they have a major shopping center in the center of the grove! It used to be an artist colony (like SoBe) years ago, but then the dreaded investors arrived. Prices went up and the artsy folk moved out. It is still a great place to be, if you can afford it. But not "artsy" anymore!

The design Disctrict is purely a manufactered makerting ploy. It was a dumpy wharehouse area with no artistic past. In the 90's, as prices elsewhere started to rise, this high crime, run down, neglected area was still dirt cheap. Some artists bought abandoned buildings and used them for storage and some for studios. An actual enclave of a couple of blocks formed and is kind of like a yuppy village now with an artistic commercialized twist. The Design District is now as overpriced as anywhere else in Miami, with the exception that crime is even higher here and adjacent areas. Last year, a friend of mine was carjacked on NE 2 AVE during his lunch break near the Airport Expressway overpass. Things might start to improve though with the Midtown miami project...but prob. just turn the area less artsy than it "was" and even more ultra wealthy and yuppy enclavish. It must be hard to live in such luxry and be surrounded byt he extreme poverty of Allapatah, Wynwood, Lemon City....? Maybe these people don't mind cocooning themselves?

Since you have children, do not move to the DD unless you can afford private school. If you were to move there and enroll them in a public school, they would be Juan de Diego Middle School (you can see it abut I-95 before the 112 interchange) or Jackson (F school, abuts State Road 112 aka Airport Expressway) or Edison HS (F school for 4 consecutive years in a row, state now runs it, abuts I-95 at 62nd St. I think they built a sound barrier wall there so you prob. can't see it from the expressway anymore unless you exit there).

Miami is truely paradise for realtors. Come see it for yourself. Do not believe the realtors on this board or the people who are cocooned from the real world. We have a problem on this board where many people are wealthy or got into the housing market before prices went sky high. Since they were able to buy, they think everyone still can. Keep that in mind.

In addition, money here equates to happiness. Not necesarrily in a superficial way, rather the people who have money here can afford a wonderful lifestyle. To those who earn in sunshine dollars (the majority of our economy here is made up of low wages from the hospitality industry) rents, insurance, housing and living in safe areas is impossible. Most people who live in Miami live in poverty, which explains why there are so many unhappy residents and high crime. The people who deny the problems have enough money to isolate themselves from these problems.

When you visit, make it an extended stay to get the real feel. This is the land of the haves and the have nots. Many people here suffer from the ME syndrome and could care less about the problems that the majority of the community faces, they just don't understand what the area is like, outside of their gated subdivisions or secured condo towers or exclusive communities.

[CiXeL]

"It is more similar to LA in that it is known for entertainment and commercialization."

but at least LA has venice beach and other smaller artsy places. im sure the real artists fled from miami a long time ago since theres nearly no bohemian vibe whatsoever. the closest i find to hippies are at the everglades hostel in florida city and the closest i find to an artsy vibe is the rain barrel artist community on key largo/tavernier?


"Since you have children, do not move to the DD unless you can afford private school."

and see how much that private school costs before you think you can afford it


"Miami is truely paradise for realtors. Come see it for yourself."


funny i was just up past fakahatchee strand in the picayune state forest yesterday and realized that point on the map that says "no travel recommended beyond this point" is a MASSIVE MASSIVE failed housing development complex. thousands of acres of roads that lead to nowhere. its like a maze up there out in the swamp. all built in the 60s during the last failed florida development. its amazing whats up there. we were shocked that we were halfway to naples on roads that werent even on the map.

"In addition, money here equates to happiness."

and it appears most of the money they have was made somewhere else and brought here. it doesnt appear many people made their money here. i think they would find that rather difficult with the poor choice of labor pool you find here. noone wants to do their job and slackers are commonplace.

"The people who deny the problems have enough money to isolate themselves from these problems."


EXACTLY!

[vpcats]

Good response from Chelito -even if there's a little bit of an undertone in it, but it's pretty objective.

Now....if money was no object, I would stop recommending any of the places that we keep bringing up as the better areas.

Go for COCO PLUM or STAR ISLAND!!!!

True that you need a bit of reserves and cashflow if you want to live the life, and just buying property NOW in a good area will hit your pockets dearly but with a decent income you'll be ok. May not be hanging out with Paris Hilton or Federline (I wish there was a gagging face to add to this) but it can be done.

[doggiebus]

Chelito - Just remember he started this thread saying he is in the $400,000 - $600,000 range for a house, you can still get into a house in a decent area at this price in Miami-Dade County. Not a 5000 sq. ft home of course and maybe it needs some work. I am looking to move out of state, when I ask the same question on another thread, I want to know were the nice areas are to live (you know that it tells you a lot about an area), even if I can't afford that area, because maybe I can live in the area next to that area, that is slightly cheaper.

And your other comment. "Money equate to happiness" Some of that is true for some people, but this is not just Miami issue, you have the same issue in other places in this country, LA, SF, SEA, NYC, etc.

Don't forget, just because someone has $10 billion dollars doesn't mean they are happy or that someone with only $1 is unhappy. (There is a video of Britney Spears saying life is passing her by, here is a woman that is traveling the world, and living life by many peoples standard to the fullest. It is all ones personal view.) Money doesn't make people happy, well maybe some. We live in such a materiallistic society, I know I am guilty of it myself. But just because you have every thing you would want in the world, doesn't neccisarily mean you would be happy. So to say you will not be happy in this town if you don't make a certain amount isn't true. It is what you make of it.

[doggiebus]

Originally Posted by stuckinrichmond

OK, guys, let me rephrase...

If you were artsy and liberal and had to live and work in the Miami area, where would you go? I mean, you can't tell me that there aren't at least pockets of cool places to live in a city like Miami. I'm talking suburbs too. In a city where the hottest creative advertising agency is located there HAS to be something that fits this description.

What is Cooper City like? What about Pinecrest? Come on guys, help me out.

I have to let you know Crispin the agency you are talking about, moved their top creatives out to Boulder, CO last Spring, so that they would be in a more Creative area. If that tells you anything.

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

Chelito - Just remember he started this thread saying he is in the $400,000 - $600,000 range for a house, you can still get into a house in a decent area at this price in Miami-Dade County. Not a 5000 sq. ft home of course and maybe it needs some work. I am looking to move out of state, when I ask the same question on another thread, I want to know were the nice areas are to live (you know that it tells you a lot about an area), even if I can't afford that area, because maybe I can live in the area next to that area, that is slightly cheaper.

And your other comment. "Money equate to happiness" Some of that is true for some people, but this is not just Miami issue, you have the same issue in other places in this country, LA, SF, SEA, NYC, etc.

Don't forget, just because someone has $10 billion dollars doesn't mean they are happy or that someone with only $1 is unhappy. (There is a video of Britney Spears saying life is passing her by, here is a woman that is traveling the world, and living life by many peoples standard to the fullest. It is all ones personal view.) Money doesn't make people happy, well maybe some. We live in such a materiallistic society, I know I am guilty of it myself. But just because you have every thing you would want in the world, doesn't neccisarily mean you would be happy. So to say you will not be happy in this town if you don't make a certain amount isn't true. It is what you make of it.

I'd be the happiest girl in the world if somebody would pay my homeowner's insurance so I can go spend on fun things!

[JR86]

I think what you're looking for doesn't exist in Miami, at least I haven't seen it. I remember one time there was a band performing outside in the Grove and everyone around me just kept making fun of the fact that they were outside playing on the street, like its so weird?

So, just go someplace nice like Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Kendall, Coconut Grove, and accept the fact that you will probably just have to settle for the big tours when they stop by, the art basel show, and the opera, plus a couple of touring musicals. There's not much artsyness going on outside of the universities, go check out their shows. Bottom line, don't expect to walk outside and go check out an art gallery or jazz club, you will have to find these places and drive to them, because they won't be around the corner.

Now if you want glam.... that's a different story.

[CiXeL]

"I remember one time there was a band performing outside in the Grove and everyone around me just kept making fun of the fact that they were outside playing on the street, like its so weird?"

wow thats a trip. its THAT alien a concept to them?
so much for open air concerts like warped tour.

poor people arent concerned with luxuries like art they just eat ramen and pop out kids which is what all poor people of all ethnicities do.

in LA i used to have the getty center only 45 mins away and it was free except parking. good luck finding something like that here.

[lauralei2]

I live in Cooper City. It is a very conservative town. About 35,000 people. Usual small town scandle stuff... commissioners, mayor & ETOH. You might pay $10,000 in taxes on that $600,000 home. The elementary schools are terrific. A small-town atmosphere in the suburbs. Pembroke Pines Theater of the Performing Arts has a small theater in Cooper City, just off Flamingo Road. Very nice, quaint. Word of caution...The new development "Mxxxxx" built on the last dairy farm in Broward County, has high-tension electrical lines going right through it, and there is an jet fuel gasline that runs underground...and is still being used I think.
I like to think of our area as semi pedestrian friendly. A nice shuttle bus takes you through the city to pertinent stops. We have a very nice pool and tennis center. Many things for the kids and adults. Parks are all over the place.

If you like liberal, maybe Downtown Hollywood would be a choice. Nice shops & cafe's. Homes from the 1920's nearby. Sort of like what South Beach used to be like before it went glitzy. Like everything, the prices have gone up here, but are stabilizing. And then there is Coconut Grove (in Miami). Beautiful vegetation, bohemian lifestyle until it has become bought out by less-bohemian type people. Don't mean to be negative, but it is true.

[CiXeL]

1920s houses?
here in south florida that would mean a brushed concrete slab Ooooo. /sarcasm