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There is no place in the United States like Miami-Dade County. Its attractions include the Caribbean sun, beautiful beaches, the nightlife, and the Spanish-speaking entertainment industry. According to the Census Bureau (2022), 69.1% of Miami-Dade County residents were of Latin American origin, 54% were born outside the United States, 75.1% of households spoke a language other than English, and 21.4% of people didn't have US citizenship. Many residents in Miami-Dade can't vote.
Not even in New York City, the world's capital, with all its diversity, there are so many people born outside the United States. The number of American citizens in New York surpassed Miami by 6.2% in 2022. Although Miami-Dade is geographically located in the United States, it feels like the backyard of Latin America, a more prosperous republic than the original countries of its inhabitants.
Miami-Dade offers the advantage of reducing culture shock for newly arrived Latin Americans but limits the possibilities for upward social mobility if the newcomer doesn't know English. The language barrier makes it difficult to obtain better-paying jobs and successfully integrate into the United States. The dominant industries are tourism, customer service, cleaning, landscaping, roofing maintenance, and retail sales. Most jobs in Miami-Dade don't require high academic credentials but rather meet the needs of newcomers. Professional industries include real estate, business management, and banking.
The median household income is $76,607, while a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home costs between $320,000 and $400,000. Rents for a one-bedroom apartment start at $1,500 per month, depending on location. A significant sector of the population lives overwhelmed by housing costs. There is a trend that always caught my attention among Miamians. They love to keep up appearances. They won't tell you that until you move and discover that the song "Plástico" [Plastic] by Rubén Blades comes to life in Miami.
People in Miami-Dade pay more attention to aesthetics and appearance than in other parts of the United States, even if the only food they can afford is Maruchan soups for a dollar. It's no coincidence that cosmetic surgery ads dominate television and social media more than other parts of the United States. I have heard insults and witnessed the rejection of overweight people in Miami more than in different parts of the US. In dating apps, it's also common to read phrases about obese people.
New York and Los Angeles also have their air of superficiality because filming, fashion, and entertainment are part of the economy. However, both have world-class cultural and academic institutions, unlike Miami-Dade. Miami has some locally notable universities, such as Florida International University, Miami-Dade College, and the University of Miami, but none have achieved national or international prestige.
The nightlife in Miami is fantastic, but it takes a big budget to party every weekend in a place where most jobs don't require advanced education, and the average pay is just $14 an hour—the alternative is indebtedness. The Miami Herald (2024) reports that credit card debt in the region is 19% above the national average, especially in Miami Beach.
Volunteering is a highly esteemed social value in the United States. I worked at a homeless soup kitchen in Boston, where most volunteers were college students looking to boost their resumes through community work. Employers in the United States view volunteering as a positive, especially when the person needs more work experience or has extended periods of unemployment. However, that's different in Miami culture.
An AmeriCorps report (2021) about volunteering and civic life in 12 major metropolitan areas in the United States revealed that only 35.5% of Miamians informally helped a neighbor. And the formal volunteer rate was a stingy 14%. In contrast, Bostonians and New Yorkers have a bad reputation for being some of the rudest in America, but New York's informal volunteer rate was a staggering 43.6%, and Boston's was 57.9%.
In recent days, Miami media reported on the eviction of a woman who pays her rent with a government subsidy due to retaliation by her landlord when she demanded repairs to her deteriorated home. If the eviction was cruel, the social media backlash against the woman for receiving public assistance was worse.
Florida state laws benefit landlords, not tenants. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law controversial legislation in July 2023 that preempts county and municipal ordinances to protect tenants. The law impacts tenant rights, rent stabilization measures, ordinances to prevent evictions, and protections against discrimination based on source of income. Other states offer more protections against evictions.
Massachusetts, for example, has specialized housing courts, and only a judge can evict someone. There is no doubt that it tops the list of the best ten states with the most robust protections for tenants, according to a report by LawDistrict (2024). Connecticut, Rhode Island, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Arizona, Iowa, and Nebraska are other states on the list of the best to rent. In contrast, the worst are Wyoming, Virginia, Mississippi, West Virginia, Montana, Louisiana, South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, and Arkansas.
What social justice can exist in Florida with its history of criminalization against people experiencing homelessness? What intelligence can be expected from political leaders who care more about students learning about the atrocities of communism than the atrocities of school shootings?
In conclusion, Miami-Dade County and the rest of Florida are great for vacations and entertainment, that's all; not to live. Retrograde politics and the fact that so many people are not interested in successfully integrating into American society makes Miami-Dade feel like a republic in the vicinity, which is worse when many have not wanted to learn English for decades.
There are other parts of the United States where the residents are more genuine, and there is a favorable environment in which to live and progress. The weather, beaches, and nightlife may not be the same as in Miami, but other positive aspects make up for the difference.
Crime is not generalized in most US cities. Even in Chicago, with its bad reputation, crime is concentrated only in certain areas. Using the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer for crime statistics is better than using media narratives, which depend on sensationalism to sell stories.
Other reliable sources are the US Census Bureau Quick Facts because they give you an idea of the racial distribution, median income, median rent, educational attainment, and poverty rate.
I wouldn’t want to move to a place where the poverty rate is more than 20%, or the percentage of people 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher is below the national rate. Those factors influence the crime rate and give you an idea of how prosperous a place could be, and a strong economy means less crime.
The far bigger problem is that most other major cities have de-criminalized crime.
Crime is not generalized in most US cities. Even in Chicago, with its bad reputation, crime is concentrated only in certain areas. Using the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer for crime statistics is better than using media narratives, which depend on sensationalism to sell stories.
Other reliable sources are the US Census Bureau Quick Facts because they give you an idea of the racial distribution, median income, median rent, educational attainment, and poverty rate.
I wouldn’t want to move to a place where the poverty rate is more than 20%, or the percentage of people 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher is below the national rate. Those factors influence the crime rate and give you an idea of how prosperous a place could be, and a strong economy means less crime.
There is no place in the United States like Miami-Dade County. Its attractions include the Caribbean sun, beautiful beaches, the nightlife, and the Spanish-speaking entertainment industry. According to the Census Bureau (2022), 69.1% of Miami-Dade County residents were of Latin American origin, 54% were born outside the United States, 75.1% of households spoke a language other than English, and 21.4% of people didn't have US citizenship. Many residents in Miami-Dade can't vote.
Not even in New York City, the world's capital, with all its diversity, there are so many people born outside the United States. The number of American citizens in New York surpassed Miami by 6.2% in 2022. Although Miami-Dade is geographically located in the United States, it feels like the backyard of Latin America, a more prosperous republic than the original countries of its inhabitants.
Miami-Dade offers the advantage of reducing culture shock for newly arrived Latin Americans but limits the possibilities for upward social mobility if the newcomer doesn't know English. The language barrier makes it difficult to obtain better-paying jobs and successfully integrate into the United States. The dominant industries are tourism, customer service, cleaning, landscaping, roofing maintenance, and retail sales. Most jobs in Miami-Dade don't require high academic credentials but rather meet the needs of newcomers. Professional industries include real estate, business management, and banking.
The median household income is $76,607, while a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home costs between $320,000 and $400,000. Rents for a one-bedroom apartment start at $1,500 per month, depending on location. A significant sector of the population lives overwhelmed by housing costs. There is a trend that always caught my attention among Miamians. They love to keep up appearances. They won't tell you that until you move and discover that the song "Plástico" [Plastic] by Rubén Blades comes to life in Miami.
People in Miami-Dade pay more attention to aesthetics and appearance than in other parts of the United States, even if the only food they can afford is Maruchan soups for a dollar. It's no coincidence that cosmetic surgery ads dominate television and social media more than other parts of the United States. I have heard insults and witnessed the rejection of overweight people in Miami more than in different parts of the US. In dating apps, it's also common to read phrases about obese people.
New York and Los Angeles also have their air of superficiality because filming, fashion, and entertainment are part of the economy. However, both have world-class cultural and academic institutions, unlike Miami-Dade. Miami has some locally notable universities, such as Florida International University, Miami-Dade College, and the University of Miami, but none have achieved national or international prestige.
The nightlife in Miami is fantastic, but it takes a big budget to party every weekend in a place where most jobs don't require advanced education, and the average pay is just $14 an hour—the alternative is indebtedness. The Miami Herald (2024) reports that credit card debt in the region is 19% above the national average, especially in Miami Beach.
Volunteering is a highly esteemed social value in the United States. I worked at a homeless soup kitchen in Boston, where most volunteers were college students looking to boost their resumes through community work. Employers in the United States view volunteering as a positive, especially when the person needs more work experience or has extended periods of unemployment. However, that's different in Miami culture.
An AmeriCorps report (2021) about volunteering and civic life in 12 major metropolitan areas in the United States revealed that only 35.5% of Miamians informally helped a neighbor. And the formal volunteer rate was a stingy 14%. In contrast, Bostonians and New Yorkers have a bad reputation for being some of the rudest in America, but New York's informal volunteer rate was a staggering 43.6%, and Boston's was 57.9%.
In recent days, Miami media reported on the eviction of a woman who pays her rent with a government subsidy due to retaliation by her landlord when she demanded repairs to her deteriorated home. If the eviction was cruel, the social media backlash against the woman for receiving public assistance was worse.
Florida state laws benefit landlords, not tenants. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law controversial legislation in July 2023 that preempts county and municipal ordinances to protect tenants. The law impacts tenant rights, rent stabilization measures, ordinances to prevent evictions, and protections against discrimination based on source of income. Other states offer more protections against evictions.
Massachusetts, for example, has specialized housing courts, and only a judge can evict someone. There is no doubt that it tops the list of the best ten states with the most robust protections for tenants, according to a report by LawDistrict (2024). Connecticut, Rhode Island, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Arizona, Iowa, and Nebraska are other states on the list of the best to rent. In contrast, the worst are Wyoming, Virginia, Mississippi, West Virginia, Montana, Louisiana, South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, and Arkansas.
What social justice can exist in Florida with its history of criminalization against people experiencing homelessness? What intelligence can be expected from political leaders who care more about students learning about the atrocities of communism than the atrocities of school shootings?
In conclusion, Miami-Dade County and the rest of Florida are great for vacations and entertainment, that's all; not to live. Retrograde politics and the fact that so many people are not interested in successfully integrating into American society makes Miami-Dade feel like a republic in the vicinity, which is worse when many have not wanted to learn English for decades.
There are other parts of the United States where the residents are more genuine, and there is a favorable environment in which to live and progress. The weather, beaches, and nightlife may not be the same as in Miami, but other positive aspects make up for the difference.
I love Miami. Live here year round. I am one of the outliers that likes summer here. It's quieter, the water is perfect temp during summer and the sunsets are amazing. I have been here over 2 years and built a team in Wynwood. Admittedly, Miami is not for everyone, but I absolutely love it, especially that there is nowhere in the US that is even close to the vibe that Miami offers. Utterly unique.
OP a few quick questions, are you a snowbird? If so, where in the northeast do you currently live? Why did you decide on Miami? Finally, are you just venting or trying to pass along information, information that anyone who's done research or visited already has a solid grasp of (high immigrant population, passable Spanish almost required, high emphasis placed on outward appearance etc)
It seems to me that Broward and especially Palm Beach County would be a better fit for you.
You appear to be way outside of your comfort zone and element down there...the South Florida lifestyle can be enjoyed outside of Miami-Dade...just saying.
Crime is not generalized in most US cities. Even in Chicago, with its bad reputation, crime is concentrated only in certain areas. Using the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer for crime statistics is better than using media narratives, which depend on sensationalism to sell stories.
Other reliable sources are the US Census Bureau Quick Facts because they give you an idea of the racial distribution, median income, median rent, educational attainment, and poverty rate.
I wouldn’t want to move to a place where the poverty rate is more than 20%, or the percentage of people 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher is below the national rate. Those factors influence the crime rate and give you an idea of how prosperous a place could be, and a strong economy means less crime.
I'm having trouble with why you bothered to start this thread?
You can literally look at any city in the US and "stat" it to death!
New Haven CT, (42% white, 35% black, 27% latino) is not a great area for crime stats.
Yet its the home to Yale University! So imagine the brain power in that university, yet the surrounding stats are not very impressive. Think of all those advanced degrees being pumped out every year with little impact on the residents.
Miami is fine, you can buy a 30mm mansion or you can live in Overtown. The bigger question is why are celebrities in love with it? Bezos just spent 200 million on real estate, one of the richest guys in the world, can live anywhere yet he chose Miami! Tom Brady moved there, along with his ex-wife Giselle, hedge fund icons like Carl Icahn have moved there also!
I bet those folks are disappointed they didn't read this thread first!
I wouldn’t want to move to a place where the poverty rate is more than 20%, or the percentage of people 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher is below the national rate.
Miami/Dade poverty rate 14%
Bachelor's degree 32%....which is excellent considering over 50% of the population is foreign born
search "miami dade poverty rate"...you get anything from 12% to 19%....it's all bull crap
Miami-Dade offers the advantage of reducing culture shock for newly arrived Latin Americans but limits the possibilities for upward social mobility if the newcomer doesn't know English. The language barrier makes it difficult to obtain better-paying jobs and successfully integrate into the United States. The dominant industries are tourism, customer service, cleaning, landscaping, roofing maintenance, and retail sales. Most jobs in Miami-Dade don't require high academic credentials but rather meet the needs of newcomers. Professional industries include real estate, business management, and banking.
Historically (and not just for Latinos), this was NY City's role in America. Nothing wrong with Miami becoming what it has.
But the problem is NYC (more so back then) dominated it's state and it's politics, Miami, while a large part of Florida's population, is still a small enough piece that it's a 50-50 state politically that should be "purple" but where now "red" wins consistently enough, however small (yes, I know DeSantis had a blowout his 2nd election but he won his first one by just 0.4%) that instead of being a tropical/even more Latin oriented version of NY, it's reverting more and more into the Deep South state it was over a century ago. It's almost as if NY City were part of Mississippi.
Historically (and not just for Latinos), this was NY City's role in America. Nothing wrong with Miami becoming what it has.
But the problem is NYC (more so back then) dominated it's state and it's politics, Miami, while a large part of Florida's population, is still a small enough piece that it's a 50-50 state politically that should be "purple" but where now "red" wins consistently enough, however small (yes, I know DeSantis had a blowout his 2nd election but he won his first one by just 0.4%) that instead of being a tropical/even more Latin oriented version of NY, it's reverting more and more into the Deep South state it was over a century ago. It's almost as if NY City were part of Mississippi.
Huh? The Latin population of Miami is largely responsible for it being "purple/red."
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