What do you like or dislike about living in Miami? (Miami Beach: home, university)

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by Marina1686

A lot of the main cities have theme parks, so you don't hgave to drive 5 hours to the closest one.... A/C is a lot of extra bucks on electricity for the average people. Are you talking about high or middle/low class people? I'm speaking for the average citizen that makes arounf $10K-$30K a year...

God .. who cares about theme parks .. I would rather have the beaches and the ocean .... that is the first I have heard having theme parks is a high note regarding quality of life .... ask the Orlando bashers on the Orlando forum how they feel about Disney ?

[Shoegal1075]

Originally Posted by Marina1686

A lot of the main cities have theme parks, so you don't hgave to drive 5 hours to the closest one.... A/C is a lot of extra bucks on electricity for the average people. Are you talking about high or middle/low class people? I'm speaking for the average citizen that makes arounf $10K-$30K a year...

I don't think most main cities have theme parks. Allentown Pa has Dorney and what ever city in Jersey has 6 flags - but I wouldn't think of those cities as great places to live and they are far for people in NY to get to. But Miami like NYC just doesn't have the real estate to put a big theme park and with traffic being what it is now, imagine what traffic would be like with a theme park - oof - don't even want to think about it. Also, may I ask what the people are doing who are being paid 10k-30k? That is awfully low and while I know florida pays on the lower side, I know from the interviews I have been on that it isn't that low and if you are talking about retail jobs they are going to pay that price no matter where you are so, a city with huge rents and expenses would not be the ideal place for someone who makes that amount of money. I would save what ever I could and move to another area as soon as possible.

[Marina1686]

Originally Posted by flyers29

10-30k is certainly not "average"...hell the federal poverty level is roughly $19k.

Isn't 30k the poverty line?

[Marina1686]

Originally Posted by Rock Newman

If Marina is making an "average" wage of $10-30 K a year ... then no wonder he/she hates it down here .... actually on those wages you will hate pretty much any big city in the US .

I just can tell you I don't live in Coral Gables neither Little Havana.... A lot of 10k earners love Miami and love being tacky and poor... and a lot of rich and prepared folks hate it here.... so let's balance opinions... Did you know the average household in Miami only makes $28,000? which means the average person makes betwen $12k to $20k

[Marina1686]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

I don't think most main cities have theme parks. Allentown Pa has Dorney and what ever city in Jersey has 6 flags - but I wouldn't think of those cities as great places to live and they are far for people in NY to get to. But Miami like NYC just doesn't have the real estate to put a big theme park and with traffic being what it is now, imagine what traffic would be like with a theme park - oof - don't even want to think about it. Also, may I ask what the people are doing who are being paid 10k-30k? That is awfully low and while I know florida pays on the lower side, I know from the interviews I have been on that it isn't that low and if you are talking about retail jobs they are going to pay that price no matter where you are so, a city with huge rents and expenses would not be the ideal place for someone who makes that amount of money. I would save what ever I could and move to another area as soon as possible.

Even attorneys and doctors offices are paying that range... My sister is a medical assistant in a provate clinic and she only makes $9 an hour... she has to put injections and check patients, deal with insurance companies, tons of paper work and all by herself. A typical office job with an AA pays $8-$10 an hour today... Had u seen how much is paying Bank of America now?

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by Marina1686

I just can tell you I don't live in Coral Gables neither Little Havana.... A lot of 10k earners love Miami and love being tacky and poor... and a lot of rich and prepared folks hate it here.... so let's balance opinions... Did you know the average household in Miami only makes $28,000? which means the average person makes betwen $12k to $20k

Average household makes $ 28 K in M iami ... I would like to see where you got those stats ?

Remember the actual city of Miami is a small , relatively poor place ... when people discuss "Miami " on these forums you usually include Coral Gables , Pine Crest , Aventura , Miami Beach , Miami Shores and other relatively wealthy areas ... thus I can assure you the average household income in Miami Dade County is well above $ 28 K .

[gixxer1000]

The median household income in just the city of Miami is $23k. The median household income in Miami-Dade county is $35k.

First, a quarter of household in the area are single people. Only 47% were married couples living together. 17% are single mothers.

Second, there is a difference between the median and the average. The average income in Miami about $50k. The median is the "middle". So half the households in Miami-Dade make more than $35k.

Example:

$15, $20k, $25, $30k, $30k, $35k, $40k, $60k, $80k, $90k, $120k

Median = $35k (middle number)
Average = $50k (add them all up and divide by 11)

This is how the income is distributed in Miami. So while $35k is the median the people above the median are doing very well while the people below the median are not.

[teacoffee]

Back in the 1980's my Dad lived in Miami and I used to spend my summer vacation there. Loved it back in those days and always planned to move there one day. Dad's gone now but back in 2004 I had an opportunity to move to Miami and took it. Ended up staying until 2006 when an illness in the family took me back north.

Things I liked about Miami:
Fall/Winter
Being close to the Keys
Meeting people from a ton of different cultures/countries etc.
Nightlife
Shopping
Beaches
No state income tax
Cuban coffee
Fresh fruit and veggies
Going to Dolphin games
Fishing/sailing
Instantaneous thunderstorms

Things I disliked:
Humidity (thank god for a/c)
Rude people (usually with NYC/NJ accents)
Traffic
Gas price gouging (terrible before/after hurricanes)


This is as honest as I could be. Would I move back? If I was still single maybe...Married and had kids?.... probably not.

[R66]

Originally Posted by bale002

Each one has his own values and measures. Personally, I don't think Miami is worth that much more, but on an even budget, even with less space, I would give Miami the slight edge.

Bale002, you are pretty bright dude. I am feeling your vibe, you been around.

I'm still debating wheather to buy a Flat in Miami-Dade, Broward or head back to Los Angeles.

Great reading here... all posters are qualified.

[R66]

Originally Posted by bale002

Yes, that's certainly part of it. Brickell/downtown and Dadeland try to address that (Las Olas and Cityplace in Broward and West Palm Beach, respectively), but still fall short in some, perhaps many, respects. I was also referring to the layout of the actual condo units, like oversized bathrooms and living rooms at the expense of undersized bedrooms. I know that many low-end apartments in Europe or South America are tiny, but the big ones usually do it right in terms of spatial proportions (I have a tiny one in South America that does it right), rarely the case in Miami. It is really hard to fine something suitable, even up to big six-figures, then maintenance costs throw everything out of whack.

Another well informed post.