Is miami really THAT bad?? (Coral Gables, Aventura: middle-class, transplants, real estate)

[Mack wild]

My friend is talking about going to Miami and I have heard bad things about it but if a friend is going I might just take this oppurtunity.

Here's what I have heard that's bad:

-Impossible to get even an entry level or restaurant job
-Gotta be able to speak Spanish
-Can't go out after dark without getting mugged
-The people are meaner than in other parts of Florida
-Way too hot, all of the time
-Cost of living is sky high

Now coming from New England Miami seems like a nice place to go with more opportunities and some stable weather (besides hurricanes). I mean there is NOTHING to do around here and NO jobs what so ever.

How long would it take for me to find a job that will pay the bills? If I split an apartment with someone on the outskirts is it unreasonable to assume that I could actually pay the bills and still afford food and gas? Is it really so bad that I can't go out with my friends to a club or bar or restaurant at night?

Please give me the real deal on southern Florida. I've been down to Florida 3 times and I had a friend that lived in the Daytona area for 5 years. Nothing but nice experiences, oppurtunities, and fun lifestyles seemed to be flaunted in my face when it comes to Florida at least compared to a small city or town in northern New England. So I am baffled at all the bad publicity Florida has gotten lately. Can someone give me a down to earth balanced account of what I can expect and if I can make it?

[intelfan11315]

The economy of south florida isn't good... but if all you are loking for is an entry level job it isn't that hard to find something...

-speaking spanish is definitely important in miami.. you have to understand it is more common to find a person who doesn't speak english than a person who doesn't speak spanish.

-what a load of crap, -- granted it depends on our area but i would walk around at 2,3,4 am without any worries at all.

-who knows about other parts of florida, but what i can tell you is the people i come across in miami are extremely friendly, happy and usually all nice people.

-way too hot?? speak for yourself! i long for the days of 90 + humidity in the summer days of Miami. That's my favorite time of the year. You decide what is too hot, but if i had it my way, I'd skip these cold winter months here of 70-74 degrees.

besides the housing )which is dropping) the cost of living in miami isn't much higher than the other cities of the US, and even the housing isn't as bad as the other large cities of the US.


-I love Miami, and I'd never choose another place in the USA to live! It is a great city, with the best weather and awesome people, but I also like the different people you can meet here, and I can guarantee, if you live in Miami you will not have a similar experience in any other US city.


-Can you make it in Miami,?? who am I to decide, if you are hard working and smart you'll make it anywhere in the world. If you aren't going to put your complete effortin,why bother worrying out hat place you are in?

[HowGoesIt]

I lived in New England (Boston) for a few years and there are definitely some major differences between the two.

- You don't need to know Spanish to live in Miami. I don't know any Spanish, nor do any of my coworkers or friends. However, if you work in retail or in the service industry, it would probably come in handy.

- There is a lot of crime down here. There are safe areas all around Miami, but there are a ton of rough spots too. If you live in Coral Gables, Aventura, Brickell, or South Beach, crime isn't too much of an issue. If you live in the 'hood, you will run into problems. I'd say about 70% of Miami proper is pretty ghetto.

- I've met a lot of friendly people down here. People are much more pleasant down here than they are up north. Every once in a while you will bump into some mean and nasty people, but that is pretty rare.

- It gets pretty hot down here, not going to lie. 9 months out of the year, the weather is great, but the summer months can get pretty brutal. During those months I just live at the beach.

- Cost of living in much lower than up north. I'm amazed with what I can get for my money down here. Real estate is falling like a brick and there will be some steals over the next few years.

[CLTKing]

Is Miami that bad? No, it is WORSE.
Traffic is a nightmare.
You better speak Spanish.
Don't go out at night. you will be kill.
Hurricanes can destroy your house every year.
The heat is horrible.
The people are nasty.

[Lost in Translation]

Originally Posted by Mack wild

Here's what I have heard that's bad:

-Impossible to get even an entry level or restaurant job
-Gotta be able to speak Spanish
-Can't go out after dark without getting mugged
-The people are meaner than in other parts of Florida
-Way too hot, all of the time
-Cost of living is sky high

You've just opened a huge can of worms and be prepared for an onslaught of both negatives and positives on Miami.

The bottom line is that Miami works for some people. Most people I know that live here and who are transplants from other states (or countries) like living here. Most people I've met that are from here originally hate it and want to move out.

You don't need to know Spanish, but not knowing it can hurt you in some industries (especially financial, health care, and any service-related fields). I know many people who do not know Spanish, and who are earning nice incomes and have no plans to even learn the basics.

The getting mugged comment cracks me up. Yes, if you live in Opa-Locka, Overtown, Little Haiti or any other ghetto area, your chances of getting mugged are pretty high. If you watch yourself and stay in the safe areas, you'll be fine. Just remember at all times you are in a big city.

I find people here to be in the middle of the rudeness spectrum. They are not warm and open like in the South, but they are not coarse and unpleasant like in parts of the Northeast. You'll find most people to be rather apathetic and self-absorbed here, so don't expect to find any sense of community here.

I love the weather here and I think it's by far the best benefit of living in So Fla. Agreeing with a previous poster, I actually like the hot and humid summer and prefer it over the current climate, which some people describe as near perfect.

The cost of living is high, I won't lie to you. Good paying jobs are scarce, unless you come here with a set of skills employers are willing to pay for. If you are looking for entry-level work, it will be tough. The housing market is getting better, but with the high cost of insurance and unreasonably high property tax rates for new home buyers, it is still out of the reach of most people who earn middle-class incomes or lower.

My advice: if you have low aversion to risk and little or nothing to lose, come down and live in South Beach for a year. Get by on waiting, working in a bar or hotel, and see how you like it. If you're young without any real current career prospects, it might be a risk worth taking. If you're coming down with family, have already begun a career track, and have debts to pay, I would not recommend coming down here.

Good luck!

[noland123]

Originally Posted by CLTKing

Is Miami that bad? No, it is WORSE.
Traffic is a nightmare.
You better speak Spanish.
Don't go out at night. you will be kill.
Hurricanes can destroy your house every year.
The heat is horrible.
The people are nasty.

This list is hilarious as well as ridiculous

[Mack wild]

Originally Posted by Lost in Translation

My advice: if you have low aversion to risk and little or nothing to lose, come down and live in South Beach for a year. Get by on waiting, working in a bar or hotel, and see how you like it. If you're young without any real current career prospects, it might be a risk worth taking. If you're coming down with family, have already begun a career track, and have debts to pay, I would not recommend coming down here.

My friend wants to go down there, and so this is my best chance to escape the small boring northern town with nothing to do and nothing but dead ends.

In addition to what the cost of living would be for a shared apartment (which is much different then owning a house and paying property taxes) I would owe around 350 a month. So I mean if I can make around 1,500 - 1,800 a month I will be fine.

I could do it if I can find the job support. That's what I am worried about the most. I think I could stay safe and smart, with all the beaches the heat is not going to ever ruin my mood like a long winter in New england, traffic? Just plan ahead and be on the ball. I mean most of the issues I hear don't bother me much. The two big things that worry me are:

-the reports of aggressive, over the top and just outrageously ridiculous crimes on innocent people for no reason.

-Spanish.

I don't know Spanish. My resume has a lot of customer service and food industry/restaurant stuff on it. It seems like the jobs I will be going for in order to get a quick job, may turn me down because I don't know Spanish.

If I can't get a entry level service job because I don't know Spanish, things could go ugly for me. Almost every job I have ever had has been in the service industry.

[Lost in Translation]

Originally Posted by Mack wild

The two big things that worry me are:

-the reports of aggressive, over the top and just outrageously ridiculous crimes on innocent people for no reason.

-Spanish.

Funny that these are your two biggest concerns, as these will be least of your worries in So Fla unless you live in places you've already been told to avoid.

[Mack wild]

Originally Posted by Lost in Translation

Funny that these are your two biggest concerns, as these will be least of your worries in So Fla unless you live in places you've already been told to avoid.

If these will be the LEAST of my worries then what will be the MOST of my worries?

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by Mack wild

If these will be the LEAST of my worries then what will be the MOST of my worries?

Low pay, corrupt government and the summer danger of natural disaster. Every piece of property in Miami is overpriced, and it may take a total collapse to fix things.