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So Chels...I took a look on Google maps and determined that the place I rented an apartment was indeed on 58th St. I wouldn't be surprised if you're not living in the same group of homes I was. GTH outta there and come down to S Florida. I can see it hasn't gotten any prettier than when I lived there. You'll love it here. Start sending those resumes out!!!
Fauve - I am doing just that - my husband and I really think that it would be better for the kids over there. We are sending our resume out, but it is a little difficult because people want to know when we are coming down and that really depends on the job situation. Wish us luck, hopefully something will come along for us.
I love this subject. I take a neutral position on South Florida. It really just depends on what type of person you are; you'll either love it or hate it. The obvious Negative problems in order of importance are as follows:
1. The Income/Expense ratio- Biggest negative to living here. The cost of living here has skyrocketed. It used to be cheap to live here which is why so many New Yorkers and retirees moved down here in the 80s and 90's. The exploding population drove up prices, and the real estate bubble drove up housing costs. Add to that the hurricanes that drove up insurance costs. Meanwhile, wages have remained stagnant for years, and have actually gone down when you account for inflation. Unless you are a doctor, a lawyer, or an athlete, you really cannot afford to live the glamorous South Florida lifestyle as presented on tv shows. The beach is nearby, but you cannot go if you have to work 6-7 days per week to make a decent living. At the end of the month, most of your paycheck will be eaten up by housing, insurance, and food costs. If you are conservative with your expenses, you might have some money left over to blow at the Hard Rock or a night out at Las Olas. Just one night because you'll dump 75-100 going out anywhere besides a dive bar.
2. The drivers- Hands down the worst in the country. An AOL.com article rated the city of Miami as having the worst road rage of any city in the country. Fort Lauderdale is only 30 minutes away and shares many of the same types of drivers. As someone else already stated, its not that they are aggressive. Its that they are downright reckless. Turn signals are nothing more than a toy on the steering column because very few people use them. If you use your turn signal to switch lanes, the person in the next lane speeds up to beat you. The number of hit-and-runs rivals third world countries. I doubt your car insurance premium will go down when you move here. Maybe from NYC, but I doubt it because South Florida has become the capital of hit and runs, carjackings, and drunk drivers. Not to mention insurance fraud. To make matter worse, there is no alternative mass-transit here so owning and driving a car everywhere is your only option. Unless you live down in Miami and you utilize the metro-rail system that is underfunded and outdated, overrun by homeless crackheads and bums.
3. The people- Are extremely rude here. Coming from NYC that might not phase you because NYC is the capital for rude people. But just don't have false expectations of moving to a "small town" with a bunch of Simpletons. Because that's not what this place is. It has a lot of the same elements of rudeness that you find in NYC. You see it in the grocery stores, malls, and the roads. Its dog-eat-dog. People fighting over who skipped who in line at a Subway restaurant, or a rude old person yelling at a waitress because she brought stale bread. Instead of asking nicely for a fresh basket, the customer complains to the manager and chews out the waitress. Again, coming from NYC this might be the norm for you, but if you come from anywhere else (for example the midwest or south), the behavior of the people here will shock you. It is also really hard to meet friends if you are new.
I have been lucky because i grew up down here and have a core group of friends I've been hanging out with for years. But its really hard to meet new people. People in general are very distrusting of others here because so many are out to take advantage of you. Therefore its hard to break into new circles. Dating is tough here despite the large population of young people in their 20's because women are more concerned about protecting themselves (and rightfully so) from things like date-rape. There are an abnormal amount of disrespectful men who treat women like crap and prowl the bars and clubs like gangs of hoodlums.
As someone else pointed out, there are an abnormal amount of "hustlers" here who are out to take advantage of others. Also, there is very little sense of community here in Broward County. In most suburbs in other parts of the country people devote time to helping their community. Here it is normal to not know your next door neighbor. They could be building a meth-lab or running a prostitution ring next door and you wouldn't know it. South Florida is overrun with obnoxious lawyers. I swear there are more lawyers here than any place on earth, and they all come from the same breed of out-to-get-you types. The real-estate people are just as bad and numerous. Always out to ********* over in order to make a few extra bucks.
4. Crime- Is really bad down here. Its not murders that are bad, its the robberies, assaults, kidnappings, carjackings, scams, thefts, drugs, etc. And its not isolated to "bad areas". Its just about everywhere, even in nicer areas. No wonder why so many wealthier people live in gated communities with fortress walls and on-duty security staffs. They are just isolating themselves from the vultures out there. Its hard to let your kids play in the streets or parks because they could get kidnapped. Florida has an abnormal number of child abductions; it seems like every month we are on Fox news or CNN for some girl getting abducted at a park while playing. An entire generation of South Florida kids grew up in the South Florida school system where they were raised to be thugs. That's why whenever you go to the movies down here at the Regal Cinema, or where ever, there are always gangs of teenage thugs causing problems, treating people with disrespect. Then you go out to places like Las Olas or the beaches, and the older versions of those people are prowling the area causing trouble. Speaking of drugs, its not just the low-class or poor people doing them. Its the rich too.
There are also more homeless people here per square block than anywhere in the U.S. except maybe New Orleans. Now you may wonder why this is a problem since you don't go to that area of town. Well guess what. They are everywhere. They flock to places where they know people who have money go on a regular basis like downtown or gas stations. Publix parking lots too. They hound and hustle you for money and they are pros at it. If you decide not to give them money they curse you out, or in some cases, mug you. You really have to make sure to lock your car doors at all times both while driving and while leaving your car unattended at a Publix or a shopping mall because you can be certain some low-life will be waiting to raid your car when you run into Publix for 10 minutes just to grab some Milk and bread. When you go out at night they are there too, and lots of the are paranoid-schizophrenic where they have outbursts in public. You cannot sit on a park bench to enjoy the scenery because its already taken by a bum.
5. The heat/weather-Despite what some post on here about loving the weather, most of those are vacationers who do not live here. Most people who live here hate the heat and plan their daily activities around the heat. It is very intense in the summer and causes lots of problems. Health/safety is one risk brought by the heat. If you are an athlete you train outdoors in the early morning hours before it gets too hot outside. If you are elderly you are warned not to go outside during the summer between the hours of 10AM-4P.M. because you risk heat stroke. If you love the beach, you are warned not to go between 10am and 2pm because of the increased risk of sun exposure to your skin, but if you wait until after 2pm you get drenched by the daily afternoon monsoons we get in SOuth Florida. If I had a dime for every time I was on the beach and had to gather my belongings and run for cover because of t-storms, I'd be a rich man. I once had the rear-view mirror inside of my car melt off and fall onto the seat because the heat melted the glue holding the mirror to the windshield. By the way, we get at least one major hurricane threat per year that forces you to have to take off from work to board up your house and stock up on supplies, and your kids miss school. Then if the hurricane actually impacts you you are certain to lose power. If the hurricanehits your area it could destroy your home. Another problem brought on by the heat is mildew. You cannot keep valuable items in your garage where it is not air-conditioned because they will get destroyed by mildew. Mildew grows wherever there is humidity and a lack of air-flow. Hence garages are breeding grounds for mildew development.
We also have lots of insects, snakes, and alligators living here because of the climate. Chances are if you live in a developed area you won't have a run-in with an alligator. But there is an abundance of snakes and insects. Especially during the summer time you can get eaten alive walking from your house to your car. Anywhere near water is mesquito-infested and you will need to wear insect repellent if you plan to go out for the 4th of July or on a camping trip. The mesquitos carry a potentially deadly disease called incephilitis (or however you spell it). Most bites are harmless, but every year people die from getting that disease from insect bites. Also beware of fire-ants nesting in your lawn.
6. The lay-out of the land- is very generic and cookie cutter. The roads are all designed in a grid pattern, and very few roads have any curves, winds, or slopes. the land is completely flat and no area is much more than 15 feet above sea level. The tallest land feature in most areas is a molehill. At most major intersections you will find 4 things: A Publix, a Walgreens, a CVS, and a gas station (either Shell, Chevron, BP, or Exxon). Then behind that you'll find a generic strip mall with a bunch of pointless stores. Usually corporate because most of the small businesses were eaten up by the big fish over the years. In the strip plazas you'll typically find a Subway restaurant chain, a Chinese take-out, and a coin-laundromat. Then you'll get an assortment of other small businesses like a check-cashing store, a pawn shop, and a tax/accounting office. The only parts of Broward that have sort-of remained in-tact are the older areas like downtown and the development to the east of US1. Everything else fits the mold of what I just described. A vast county, full of strip plazas, fast-food chains, Publix's, Walgreens, and CVS stores. Then you'll drive past a bunch of gated communities blocked off from the rest of the world by security gates manned by security guards. Once you get into the less well-off areas you'll see crack houses, abandoned buildings, and police roaming the streets in patrol vehicles.
Besdies those things you will love South Florida. I wish you luck moving here. Just get a good job nailed down before moving or else you'll regret it.
Last edited by Nolefan34; 01-18-2009 at 07:59 PM..
Nolefan, you are not the first person to tell me this and i have to say that I agree with you. I happen to be very personable and in your face, so my neighbors can not really ignore me. I hope that when I am ready to go that my experience will be a better one than some people have had. I am willing to take the chance, the truth is that it can't be any worse than it already is here in NYC. Oh by the way, I don't think that we are all rude, I have had both good and bad experiences in several places. I hate thinking that people lump us all up together. I am nice to people who are nice to me.
Nolefan, you are not the first person to tell me this and i have to say that I agree with you. I happen to be very personable and in your face, so my neighbors can not really ignore me. I hope that when I am ready to go that my experience will be a better one than some people have had. I am willing to take the chance, the truth is that it can't be any worse than it already is here in NYC. Oh by the way, I don't think that we are all rude, I have had both good and bad experiences in several places. I hate thinking that people lump us all up together. I am nice to people who are nice to me.
New York's excuse for rudeness is that it's a huge city (a world city). People live on top of one another; it's fast paced, hectic and a true "melting pot" (unlike Miami).
If I lived in New York, I'd accept the rudeness. Why? Because there are multiple reasons for it and in New York, you have all those amenities, i.e. parks, museums, mass transit, theaters, major landmarks, billions of restaurants, truly diverse neighborhoods and a plethora of things to do. In other words, in New York, I'd take the rough (the rudeness) with the smooth (the things I mentioned in the last sentence).
There's no excuse for it in South Florida and as far as I'm concerned, there's virtually nothing for me or my family here.
BCreass - I take it you live in Florida. I don't think that there is any excuse for being rude, no matter where you are from. But what people are forgetting (or maybe not), most of the people who are rude there have come from NYC and were even more rude here. NYC is considered the melting pot of the world, but I beg to differ. Yes, we have many, many different people of different cultures who live here, however, they rarely interact with one another. For instance, if you come here, you can see all kinds of different people, but they live in segregated areas. 74th Street, Roosevelt Ave, all Indian, 94th Street Roosevelt All Dominican and Mexican. 85th Street 30th Avenue - South Americans (Brazilian, Venazuelan, Argentinian, Paraguayan and columbian). These people don't really mix with one another believe me. I happen to believe that Floridian's definitely interact with eachother much more than we do here. But that is just my thinking.
BCreass - I take it you live in Florida. I don't think that there is any excuse for being rude, no matter where you are from. But what people are forgetting (or maybe not), most of the people who are rude there have come from NYC and were even more rude here. NYC is considered the melting pot of the world, but I beg to differ. Yes, we have many, many different people of different cultures who live here, however, they rarely interact with one another. For instance, if you come here, you can see all kinds of different people, but they live in segregated areas. 74th Street, Roosevelt Ave, all Indian, 94th Street Roosevelt All Dominican and Mexican. 85th Street 30th Avenue - South Americans (Brazilian, Venazuelan, Argentinian, Paraguayan and columbian). These people don't really mix with one another believe me. I happen to believe that Floridian's definitely interact with eachother much more than we do here. But that is just my thinking.
When I left that area, there were lil or no Indians on 74th- mostly jewelry stores, and korean grocery stores. I was truely amazed how much it changed when I drove by there in March last yr.
You wouldn't even recognize it anymore. I think a lot of the rudeness is misconstrued too because of foreign people. Especially in NYC, some cultures respond to things differently, so an american's perception of rude obviously differs from a foreigners perception.
You wouldn't even recognize it anymore. I think a lot of the rudeness is misconstrued too because of foreign people. Especially in NYC, some cultures respond to things differently, so an american's perception of rude obviously differs from a foreigners perception.
lol..I think people are more scared than rude to talk to strangers in NYC. I know of one building in ur vicinity where people who live on the same floor for years, would get into the elavator and not make eye contact or say hi. In MD, when I first got here, everyone was saying hi, I was like WTF, what's wrong with these peoples as back in NYC, that didn't happen often. The only place I experienc rudeness when I was there was in Bayride, with good reason I guess.
I define rude as someone butting in front of you in a check-out line, knowing that they skipped you in line but doing to anyways betting that you won't say anything. Then when you confront them they start a whole scene. I define rude as being demanding to others and flat out disrespectful. When I see a young guy harassing a girl in public who just wants to be left alone that is rude. I define rude as a reckless driver cutting you off on I-95 coming inches from your bumper forcing you to jam on your breaks, not because he didn't see you but because he wanted to get ahead of you. There are many types of rude, and I see and encounter it every day in south florida. I have accepted it and realize that it will only get worse, not better. It has nothing to do with race by the way. I have seen this from all racial groups, including white non-Hispanics. I am a white, non-hispanic guy and I got jumped while I was riding my bicycle in a middle-class white neighborhood by a group of thuggish white guys. They stole my bicycle and rode away. Fortunately, I caught them days later because they were stupid enough to ride the bike around along major highways. long story short, I called the police and got my bike back but it was destroyed. They filed the serial number off and destroyed the bike to the point where it could not be repaired. I had to ride a damaged bike for a while because I didn't want to spend another 400+ dollars on a new bicycle.
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