Should I move to Miami?

[JohnD_fla]

Originally Posted by rose1222

I have to make a decision in about a month! Will be visiting FL next week. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I wouldn't do it if I were you. You mentioned several things in your post that made me think that Miami may not be a good fit for you. People are recommending Tampa, which may be a bit better not not a whole lot better. Fort Lauderdale may be a better choice.

[BigSicily954]

OP...

Considering what you're looking for, I don't really see the benefit of you moving to Miami.

You don't want traffic.
You don't party.
You want calm, safe and quiet.
You're not looking for a superficial atmosphere.
You're looking for a young professional crowd.

Seems like you can find what you're looking for in another city but without all the baggage Miami has.

Good luck.

[big gipp]

Dam I wonder do any of these posters actually live in Miami and if so why. You really seem to hate your city if you do. Miami is what you make it...I Love It!

[ace587]

Traffic in the central area isn't as bad as like Kendall. Like i said before, go with the Grove. You can find apartments under the 1600 range in 27th Avenue. Not the newest ones but plenty of young folks living there. The Grove isn't as lively before like its Brickell counterpart. It depends where you work really and what time of the day you take the highway or the streets. After a while you get to know which part of Miami to avoid for traffic and which time not to go. From spending time in LA and NYC, Miami's downtown traffic doesn't come close.

[BigSicily954]

Originally Posted by big gipp

Dam I wonder do any of these posters actually live in Miami and if so why. You really seem to hate your city if you do. Miami is what you make it...I Love It!

Ask yourself why you're in the minority.

[deboinair]

Originally Posted by big gipp

Dam I wonder do any of these posters actually live in Miami and if so why. You really seem to hate your city if you do. Miami is what you make it...I Love It!

Of course you love it. You probably haven't lived here long. Everybody starts off with so glad I live in Miami blah,blah. After the years pass by you are like ugh. Wtf?

Miami is great IMO because of the events and it is extremely close to the hottest vacation spots like Jamaica, Bahamas, Costa Rica, DR, etc. Living and working. I'll pass any day. I'm half way there. Moved to Broward. Trying to work in Broward now.

[HonestIntellectual]

I see many things in common with me in that initial post (many, not just some) and---ironically---I am planning to relocate from Miami in December when I finish my classes at the university (and looking forward to it). And the main reason for my planned relocation is not the jobs, but what I want for myself socially and personally. I am looking for the same things as you, and finding those has not been easy for me here and I am even involved at a college setting (you would expect a university is going to be overflowed with decent, smart, and friendly women who want exactly the same, but that has not been the case where I have been).

I have done my research and since I have the perspective of someone who lives here and have similar goals, I think the places that I concluded to be good for me will work for you too. I have also been at New York for a couple of months (visiting, not working, but I got the whole perspective from what I saw) and concluded that it wasn't the best place for me to live unless I got rich lol then it seemed pretty good (i.e. not the case now). I have also been at Coconut Grove, various places of Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, The Keys (Key West, etc.), Naples, some days at Tampa, and many times at Orlando.

I would place the Keys and Coconut Grove in the same bag, by that I mean I see them as good places to visit, but not to live at if you don't really care about "partying" environments. These places are not a magnet for those that prefer the peace and quiet, but they are still good for tourism (sort of like New York, but in a "beach" area instead). Miami Beach is similar, but it has more variety. The central part of Fort Lauderdale (where I worked) is a mixed bag, parts of the area looked and are like a ghetto. The east side didn't catch my attention much since its only big plus in my eyes is really the beach (which is far better and less crowded than the one at Miami Beach) and I am not going to go live somewhere just because there is a good beach nearby (it's nice, but I won't be living all the time in the sand, that's something for one weekend and that's it). Other factors matter much more to me. The better neighborhoods for both rents and houses were in west Fort Lauderdale, at west Sunrise and Weston---but Weston is an expensive area, so it is not surprising that it is quite good. I saw Tampa for a few days 5 years ago and it certainly looked like it has more "peace and quiet" than here, but I have heard that is not the same now. Nonetheless, it didn't give me the impression of being an area that would attract many young professionals. Finally, I would have to say Orlando is more crazy than 6 years ago, but it is still less so than Miami in many ways, especially in terms of the common aggressive driving. I would joke around (some jokes are the truth mind you ) that I can drive anywhere with any level of crazy drivers after the years of driving in Miami. I feel like a pro . Seriously...

I have concluded that the best places for me without leaving South Florida completely are Weston or a good place at West Palm Beach. I have thought about it, but I don't want to separate from my family completely, at least not yet (if I continue not finding what I want I will) so I also have the restriction of a "reasonable time from highway to be able to visit family." The good beaches from Fort Lauderdale should be the same ones in the east of West Palm Beach (WPB), so that is also reachable---and surely with far less crowds and less expenses than at Miami Beach. My research on WPB is not complete yet, so I can't tell you the best places there now, but I know it will fit my taste better. (I care more than the average person about living in a place I like where there is potential for me to meet people I like too. I am even open to paying higher rents just to live where I like, where I can meet others like me and also enjoy my personal space. I don't want partying, but I would like a place where I can run, prosper, and say good morning to my neighbors without people looking at me like I am nuts---because no one here is like that.)

I think it is pretty obvious by now: what I recommend for you is West Palm Beach. And it looks like I will also end up picking that, but I still have a few more months to go.

[StarfishKey]

Originally Posted by HonestIntellectual

I would place the Keys and Coconut Grove in the same bag, by that I mean I see them as good places to visit, but not to live at if you don't really care about "partying" environments. These places are not a magnet for those that prefer the peace and quiet, but they are still good for tourism (sort of like New York, but in a "beach" area instead).

This is just not remotely accurate so I have to correct you here. Although I haven't lived in Coconut Grove, I have never thought of it as a "party" place - just a walkable town with a lot of busy restaurants and shops. However, your reference to "the Keys" is clearly only describing Key West. The Keys are a chain of islands 100 miles long (at least the chunk that's on the highway), and all except for Key West/Stock Island are known for relaxed living. They ARE literally "a magnet for those that prefer peace and quiet" - especially No Name Key. People come here to fish, snorkel, and dive, and spend most of their time relaxing in the outdoors. There is a lot of drinking and also smoking pot, but it is in a "sit in your yard and crack open a beer with a neighbor" kind of way, not a "go clubbing and drink 'til you black out" kind of way. The idea that a place like Key Largo or Islamorada could be compared to NY is just silly - they are just small boating towns. And just for the correction, when you say in a "beach area," actually, the Keys are a "rock area" with very few beaches anywhere in the chain. So I'm just clarifying because you say you've been in Key West but it's obvious you haven't spent any time in the rest of the Keys, they are busy and touristy to different degrees depending on the island, but they're not actually loud and crazy at all in the way that Key West is - Key West is like New Orleans' French Quarter, or an island Las Vegas, but the rest of the Keys are pretty quiet and just filled with water sports and boats and ecotourism. They are very peaceful, with everything closing down pretty early at night, and not a lot of places to party or engage in debauchery until you hit Key West.

However, being a young professional here myself, I can readily admit that there is not a lot that is either young or professional about the Keys. I live in the Upper Keys, and the average age here is about 55-60 - nearly double my age. And since there's no business outside of tourism and ecostudy, there aren't a lot of full-time well-paying jobs with benefits here that require high-level degrees. A lot of people have degrees here, but they have retired and now live on a boat tied to a marina to live a carefree life away from their ex-spouse, lol...

I am able to do most of my work from home, but there are a number of people who live here who commute to work in Miami, and to me that is the best of both worlds. But you still wouldn't run into a lot of young people during your evenings and weekends at home, so not best maybe for the OP. Yoga studios are opening up throughout the Keys though, and while there is not an abundance of healthy food there are some small farmer's markets that are growing, and more vegetarian options and juice bars than there used to be.

[HonestIntellectual]

Starfish is right, I spent nearly all my time at Key West. And yeah that's the impression that I got from Key West, especially at night. I am not a big fan of boating or fishing, so I didn't spend the time at the places that were more focused on that. And for Coconut Grove, I did like it better than the Keys, but it also felt good to visit rather than to live there---at least for me. I know the two places look and are different, but I felt similar about the two. I guess that's because of my taste. Key West looked a little crazier than Coconut Grove at night though.

[miamicunarder]

Why was my post deleted? Sadly, I can't recall what I wrote but I'm sure it wouldn't contain any insults.