Miami: Searching for Boundary Streets (rentals, purchase, university)

[big mean bear]

Coconut Grove is somewhat relaxed and not as snobby as Coral Gables. There are a lot of young, educated folks there as well as some aging hippies/artists and 'classic miami folk' like sailboaters, commercial fishermen, and people who own yachts. There are a lot of uppity people in CG that I can't stand to be around; this air of elitism doesn't exist in "the Grove". I live downtown, but in the future when I age (if I'm still in Miami) I might look to move to somewhere like Pinecrest.

[twiggers]

What is PInecrest like? Is it a reasonable drive from UM campus?


I don't mind the snobbiness of areas....we've always tended to find the nicest area in a city and live there and typically find that the classic stereotypes people have don't hold. And frankly, I don't care if I don't "fit" into a neighborhood. I just need a place to live and am not there to make friends with my neighbors!

[miamiblue]

Originally Posted by twiggers

What is PInecrest like? Is it a reasonable drive from UM campus?

It is an upscale suburban neighborhood with large lots and homes built mostly from 1950 onward. There has been a lot of teardowns in the neighborhood, with your Mediterranean style McMansions built out to cover an entire 1 acre lot with house, replacing mid-century ranches that actually had a yard, etc. It's a nice neighborhood, safe and clean (except for the people who throw their McDonalds bag out their windows as they are driving - for some reason, I've seen this a lot in Pinecrest).

It is a fairly easy drive to UM. If you live farther east in Pinecrest you can take Old Cutler Rd. and Red Rd. most of the way up to the Gables without having to get on US-1.

I don't mind the snobbiness of areas....we've always tended to find the nicest area in a city and live there and typically find that the classic stereotypes people have don't hold. And frankly, I don't care if I don't "fit" into a neighborhood. I just need a place to live and am not there to make friends with my neighbors!

Sounds like you'll fit in just fine, in that case. This area is pretty isolationist, and few residents are really interested in being active in the community or getting to know their neighbors - just go to work/pilates/mani-pedi, etc. and come home, go in the house, make sure the nanny is doing her job, and then go out again. Many residents are not friends with their neighbors and don't care to be. This attitude is definitely not restricted to Pinecrest, and does not of course cover ALL of Pinecrest, but rather reflect a general feeling of the community.

My boyfriend worked at Pinecrest Gardens and worked directly with the residents of Pinecrest for two years, trying to create programs to get the community together. He had never worked in a community with LESS sense of community than he did in Pinecrest, and he has worked in many municipalities across Florida. It is really a shame because the "village" had some very nice parks (Pinecrest Gardens/old Parrot Jungle is beautiful) and some really great community programs and events.

It is a very pretty neighborhood, though.

[twiggers]

Thank you so much for that info on Pinecrest! It sounds like a lot of neighborhoods that we lived in back in California...almost like bedroom communities.

Are there areas of Pinecrest to avoid or certain streets to stay between?

[ConeyIsBabe]

twiggers........ my advice is this: no amount of internet research can take the place of a personal visit to the area (Coral Gables).

As a 30+ year resident of The Gables, I know it has held its reputation as one of Miami-Dade County's finest residential communities.

So, if at all possible ..... visit the area before your move and evaluate your options

[twiggers]

COney: Thank you! We will definitely be visiting; however, we would like to narrow down our search before coming to the area. For example, we know that we are limiting our search to larger apartment complexes (we are worried about private landlords because of high rates of foreclosures) and we figure if we can identify all of the potential complexes that we can live in (that fit our criteria and are located within the areas we want to live in) then we will save ourselves a TON of time. We will likely only have 2-4 days to visit the area before moving.

[planetsurf]

Originally Posted by twiggers

For example, we know that we are limiting our search to larger apartment complexes (we are worried about private landlords because of high rates of foreclosures)

This might be hard -- most rentals in Miami (or SoFla) are in independently owned condo units or duplex/quads.

The larger commercial landlords tend to be in VERY poor areas.

Someone can corrrect me if I'm wrong, but this was always my experience around here.

Good luck.

[twiggers]

Planet: Really? Yikes, that doesn't bode well then. We are so worried about foreclosures and being kicked out of a place because of foreclosures. In addition, we're coming down 3-4 months before we plan to move and scope out places and we figured this would work with apartment complexes because the units always look the same.

[jbravo]

Originally Posted by planetsurf

This might be hard -- most rentals in Miami (or SoFla) are in independently owned condo units or duplex/quads.

The larger commercial landlords tend to be in VERY poor areas.

Someone can corrrect me if I'm wrong, but this was always my experience around here.

Good luck.

No correction.
But I know some!
Edgewater in Gables/Coconut Grove I think had rental buildings.
Problem is they probably converted.
Conversions, another failed FL Real Estate move.
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There is a large decent rental building in the Gables, University Dr and LeJeune. There are some smaller ones in Anastasia and some in Santander.
Quite decent.
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At least they were nice a couple of years ago.

[ConeyIsBabe]

If I were in your position and wanted to live near the UM..... I'd consider renting a home in Coral Gables, in the area surrounding the campus.

On the other side of US1, the side opposite the UM, there are several apartment complexes and it is a nice area.

There are many apartment buildings located north of Miracle Mile... not the best area of Coral Gables.

IMHO Coral Gables is more desirable and more affluent than outside ........ therefore my logic concludes that there would be less forclosures in the Gables than outside.