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Recent college grad from the Bay Area. I definitely want to visit Miami soon, but most of the information that I have received about South Florida is from TV docs about the Cocaine Wars of 1979-82. I know that there's more to the place than this. No serious plans to relocate anywhere just yet, I just want to know some info that will help me not waste a trip.
I've heard that Miami-Dade is rather polarized between African-Americans and Cubans; is this true? My native SF Bay Area is up there with NYC and LA among the most expensive places in the country...how's Miami in that regard? I would like to know the ethnicities which make up the area besides Cubans, African-Americans, and Haitians and the places a visitor should not miss while in town. What about the nightlife for a guy in his early twenties? Lastly, I would def like to know if I would encounter any problems going into certain areas since I'm African-American and taller than average, like w/the police or whatnot. Don't dress anything up but don't be completely reactionary either, people, just be honest.
First, the era of the "cocaine cowboys" is over. Second, you must take with a grain of salt any exaggerated, negative comments about how no one in Miami speaks English and that you will feel like you are in a foreign country while there. Third, keep in mind that the word "Miami" is often used to describe the entirety of Miami-Dade county, which includes the separate municipalities of Miami Beach, Aventura, South Miami, Coral Gables, Kendall, Hialeah, Cutler Bay, Homestead, Pinecrest, etc. Miami-Dade County has nearly 2,500,000 people while the City of Miami itself only has around 400,000.
Most people - even most Hispanics (many of whom were born and/or raised South Florida! surprise, surprise!) - speak English in Miami. You will hear a LOT of Spanish; however, that doesn't mean that the Spanish speaker does not speak English. For example, myself and some of my friends have graduate school educations yet still choose to speak Spanish with some of our friends and loved ones. As a young person, you will find that virtually everyone under the age of 30 - and 100% of young people who grew up in Miami - speak English fluently, and that many "Hispanic" young people speak little Spanish. Unless you go to lower-income areas of recently arrived immigrants, you will not have problems with communicating in English. I realize this wasn't part of your question but I really wanted to address this because so many people on this forum wrongly equate hearing Spanish with "I no speake Eenglesh." If this is a worry of yours, cross it off of the list.
As for racial/ethnic relations, I must unfortunately say that non-Hispanic white people, Hispanic white people, and, to a lesser extent, Hispanic mixed-race people tend to live in areas with few black people. I have heard some black people voice that they do not feel welcome in some areas, and I can understand this feeling because many areas where Anglo/Hispanic people live have black populations of only 1-5%. Residential segregation in Miami is very real. However, this will have little effect on you as a tourist. When you are in South Beach, you will see tourists that are black, East Asian, South Asian, Anglo-American, European, South American, etc. I would be shocked if anyone even looked at your wrong for being black in South Beach. However, if you are holding the hand of a white Anglo or Hispanic girl in a place like Kendall or Miami Lakes, be prepared to draw a few surprised looks or stares. Being a tourist in Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Downtown, and even Coral Gables you will be 100% fine and if you are friendly and outgoing, you will meet people of diverse ethnicities. You asked about the cops - they will not harrass you.
As for nightlife, I would recommend South Beach. The crowds in the club/bar scene there tends to be diverse and since that area is walkable, you won't have to worry about drinking and driving between venues and to your hotel. The Brickell area also has some upscale lounges/restaurants, but they are filled with affluent residents and not tourists. If you do decide to go out in Brickell, you will be 100% fine if it does not bother you that you will be one of the only black people around.
When do you plan to visit? The weather is best in the winter and early spring, in my opinion. Any more questions?
Thanks a lot for all that information. I forgot to mention that actually, I'm tri-lingual (English, Spanish, & Portuguese) so even if it was a real issue, I could get around it. I'll probably visit in between February & April, assuming that that's well before hurricane season begins. What's an average temperature in Miami during the winter and early spring? Also, is it possible to find an affordable hotel in a nice area and still have access to public transportation? In the Bay Area we have BART, which is our own version of the Subway and makes it a lot easier to get around Oakland & SF.
The average temperature in Miami during Winter and early Spring should be a high around 78, low maybe 65. It all depends if a cold front comes all the way down here or not. Hurricane season does not start until June 1st. Forget about public transportation in Miami, it is non existent and dangerous in some places. Not recommended. Rent a car, it is much safer, but don't let the natives see your GPS until, the vicious ones might attack.
First, I would like to point out that "Hispanics" and non-Hispanic whites live in very well-integrated areas with respect to each other. In 2000 (the last full census that was taken), Miami-Dade's "Hispanic" population was 57.3% and its non-Hispanic white population was 20.7%. In that same year:
The average non-Hispanic white person lived in an area that was 49.0% "Hispanic."
The average "Hispanic" person lived in an area that was 17.7% non-Hispanic white.
This shows near-perfect residential integration between the two groups.
Of course everyone CHOOSES where they want to live. Some middle class or affluent black people choose to live in Kendall, Miami Lakes, and Coral Gables just as there are some working class non-Hispanic white/"Hispanic" people who choose to live in Richmond Heights, Miami Gardens, and El Portal. I wasn't trying to say that black people are prohibited from living in "white" (including white Hispanic) areas because everyone knows that when you go to buy a home in 2009 just about the only color that matters is green.... What all I was trying to say is that just as a non-black person will often feel uncomfortable in Liberty City or Little Haiti, a black person may likely very uncomfortable in Westwood Lakes, Coral Terrace, or Westchester, neighborhoods where you can go a day without seeing a single black person because the black population is not even 1%.
Last edited by Marlin331; 01-08-2009 at 12:01 AM..
You like to use statistics, eh? The 600 lb gorilla statistic that you seem to be ignoring is that 2/3's of people in Miami-Dade SPEAK SPANISH AT HOME. That says it all. As for the OP, I think the "Vice City" days were better... The good ol' days are gone, and I think that Miami is setting itself up for more tensions and chaos if current immigration and economic trends continue, problems that will make the glory of Cocaine Cowboys seem boring.[/quote]
Nah. I'm middle class white non-Hispanic and I do just fine thank you.
NEVER need to speak Spanish for work, EVERY checkout person at Publix or Whole Foods in Coral Gables/S Miami branches speaks English (many aren't even Hispanic), EVERY waiter I've EVER encountered at Oceanaire (contrary to your experience,) PF Changs near there, Deli Lane, Pollo Tropical, Matsuri, McDonalds, OneBurger (GREAT cheeseburgers), Starbucks, EVERY restaurant on Lincoln Road, etc speaks English. The only times I've EVER encountered non-English waiters is at smaller places in very Hispanic areas (like Los Gallegos on Bird & 62ish -- which is not that good btw).
I JUST went to Jamba Juice & Eisteins in Coral Gables for lunch. I don't think I even heard Spanish this time -- it's VERY gringo/mixed.
My kids school is ENTIRELY English even though some of the kids come from Hispanic families. EVERY kid speaks English. EVERY single one.
And your supposed 800 lb gorilla ... my wife & kids are technically Hispanic and she occasionally speaks Spanish to them at home. Many of our friends are the same way. So count my gringo butt as one of the folks living in a home that speaks a language other than English (it didn't ask if ONLY another language was spoken).
In 12 years (off and on) of living in Miami, the only times I've had "issues" with non-English has been after remodeling our house and dealing with some of the guys doing the finishing work. But I managed (with occasional help from DW or her mom) just fine, and we weren't forced to use ANY of them.
"According to the Census, 58.5 percent of the county's 2.4 million residents speak Spanish — and half of those say they don't speak English well. English-only speakers make up 27.2 percent of the county's residents."
SO, ~1.4 million speak Spanish and ~700k don't speak English well -- ~34%. Sounds about right to me. Mostly new immigrants or old people, that will swing back to English in a generation.
I'll have to visit Maroone this weekend, I JUST drove by there to take a little trip to Home Depot. I heard that from someone else here too (unless you're TeddyBear). Got a cafecito while at HD - she asked me what I wanted in English! (That IS pretty unusual.)
I'm not suggesting for 1 second you won't hear or read Spanish in Miami, you will. And for some people that is enough culture shock to turn them off. But you DO NOT, absolutely, 100%, NEED Spanish to survive here. My parents are near 70, live in Aventura and don't speak 3 words of Spanish (nor almost ANY of their friends).
Last edited by sunrico90; 01-08-2009 at 02:55 PM..
Reason: orphaned post
But you DO NOT, absolutely, 100%, NEED Spanish to survive here. My parents are near 70, live in Aventura and don't speak 3 words of Spanish (nor almost ANY of their friends).
Aventura is close to Broward, and is almost completely out ouf the grasp of Hispanic-only predominance.
Don't think that YOUR CASE ALONE explains the plight of more than 250,000 white non-Hispanics that have left Miami-Dade County since 1990. Also, not everybody is lucky enough to live in "Coral Gables" and have a rich Jewish wife... Your little little list of responses... don't use fluke experiences and assume they are the norm. I.e. at a cafe you get asked what you want 9 times out of 10 in Spanish, and the 10th time they ask you in English. Under your definition of English fluency, everyone at that cafe would know how to speak English.
Last edited by blank check; 01-08-2009 at 12:07 PM..
Aventura is close to Broward, and is almost completely out ouf the grasp of Hispanic-only predominance.
Don't think that YOUR CASE ALONE explains the pight of more than 250,000 white non-Hispanics that have left Miami-Dade County since 1990. Also, not everybody is lucky enough to live in "Coral Gables" and have a rich Jewish wife... Your little little list of responses... don't use fluke experiences and assume they are the norm. I.e. at a cafe you get asked what you want 9 times out of 10 in Spanish, and the 10th time they ask you in English. Under your definition of English fluency, everyone at that cafe would know how to speak English.
Aventura is part of the statistics, no? It's part of MY definition of "Miami."
You 100% right about the cafecito -- I mentioned it WAS unusual. It was just funny; I'm on 8th St, an hour ago, and didn't even use my "tarzan" Spanish to get a coffee.
But it isn't unusual in Jamba Juice or ANY WHERE else I mentioned.
Oh, and if either of us is "rich" it's my family. My wife's Jewban mother worked VERY hard for a living, just retired and lives VERY modestly.
We live in Coral Gables b/c we love it, worked VERY hard, saved and bought something we could afford. We CHOOSE to live here as do plenty of other gringos.
Well if you didn't marry a Jewban, would it be safe to say that you wouldn't be living in Coral Gables or even Miami entirely? Having a spouse that is part of the dominant culture here must make things a lot easier. Just sayin', you have some cushy circumstances...
Well if you didn't marry a Jewban, would it be safe to say that you wouldn't be living in Coral Gables or even Miami entirely? Having a spouse that is part of the dominant culture here must make things a lot easier. Just sayin', you have some cushy circumstances...
She DID turn me on to the charms of Coral Gables. MANY of my friends actually live in Aventura, that or MB is probably where I'd be. But I was actually VERY surprised at how many great, middle class mostly/all English families we've met that live between CG, S Miami, Pinecrest & E Kendall.
I've ALWAYS said Miami can be hard if you're struggling. If you don't speak Spanish it IS a little harder too (just less job ops). I'm not blind. But Spanish is NOT the biggest issues for the vast majority of people I know, cost is.
I'm cushy b/c we work VERY hard and have been smart with our money.
We're swimming nicely and enjoy life.
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(That IS pretty unusual.)
