Miami people

[theNEOone]

Originally posted by: Carbo

Originally posted by: darkamulets
Ya the spanish thing... you can use english about I would say 95% of the time. However knowing spanish does help. Mind you I live in Hialeah a suburb of Miami which is pretty much the nexus of Cuban culture and you can get away with Engligh most of the time. If you're in downtown look at a small apt in brickell nice area I suppose. If you want something farther out you're looking at 40min to an hour for 10-15mile commute. If you need some assistance with specific areas IM me or PM I been doing my own house hunting. AIM: Darkamulet

I know Hialeah well, and I dare say that 75% of the population is Spanish speaking only. Your assessment is way off.
Same with living in the Brickell area. Unless this poster is making $150K to start, he won't be living anywhere near there.
You are correct about the traffic, though. An hour or so for a ten mile commute sounds about right.

err. wrong completely.

you can live on brickell if you make $40,000 or $400,000. there are both high end and low end rentals anywhere in miami. just across jade (arguabally one of the most expensive places to live, $2.5 million and up condos) there are the brickell bay apartments renting for $850-950 per person (~$1700 for a 2 bedroom).

as far as spanish goes - you do not, i repeat DO NOT need to know spanish. i've grown up in miami (i'm 23 and ony left a few years to college). my parents are spanish, so i do understand the language myself but i only use it when i need to practice (i've got a beloved patriot accent). like other posters have said, it definitely helps but is by no means a requirement.

there are defintiely many nice single family homes all over miami, and unlike what others have suggested, miami has been getting much better over the past few years. however, the problem right now is appreciation of home prices. if you expect to have a nice 3 bedroom home in a quiet middle class suburban area, you're going to spend at least $500,000. You'll be lucky to find something at that price anywhere near downtown (i.e. within 45 minutes during rush hour, or 10-15 miles.) of course, there are exceptions to this rule. you will forgo size, amenities, or proximity as you dip lower down the price scale. only you will be able to find the right balance. many single family homes that are moderately priced will be located in either south miami or kendall. higher income families typically reside in coconut grove or coral gables, which are both closer to downtown. however, home prices will typically be in the millions. remember, there are small neighborhoods in every location that strays somewhat from this norm.

as others have mentioned, traffic is horrible. public transportation sucks. who knows when (if ever) the problem will be fixed. just try to find a home that lies in the opposite direction of rush hour traffic. sometimes this is possible, but because traffic is so rampant, most of the time you won't be able to escape it.

let me know if you need more info.


=|

 

[jonnyGURU]

Miami Lakes is good because it's up in the North West corner of Dade, just off the Palmetto Expressway which takes you either South to the Dolphin and Airport, East to 95 or the Turnpike or west to 75. It's about 1 mile South of the Broward/Dade line.

Dade is totally different than Broward. Dade is mostly hispanic and people can't drive. Broward is a lot like Tampa (but not quite) IMHO, but if you live too far up in the county without living right off of the turnpike, you'll hate the commute to work.

Speaking of turnpike: If you get a house, look for something in the bend of the Homestead extension of the turnpike Sunrise, Sterling area.) The turnpike can get you to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami in half an hour, isn't really effected by rush hour traffic and there's still some rural areas out there. Just make sure you have a SunPass and if you can write off the tolls.. even better.

Tampa is totally different than anything in Dade or Broward. It's more like Broward, but Ft. Lauderdale is so many little suburbs spread out across the whole county and every one's commuting from one end to the other. Tampa is just Tampa for the most part. Even if you count Town and Country and Temple Terrace, you're still talking 15 miles across, only a one hour drive during rush hour traffic. You can spend an hour just driving 5 miles in Dade/Broward rush hour.

 

[kyparrish]

Thanks jonnyGURU :beer:

 

[Slammy1]

I lived in Tampa and Miami (just North of Homestead). Miami is like a different country, at least where I was at. Friends would come visit that didn't speak Spanish, I'd always worry they'd get lost and not be able to ask for directions. Most of the non-hispanic people at work lived in Fort Lauderdale, but anywhere around the airport pollution is really bad (surprising for Florida). My work was in South Miami (couple of miles from where I lived), so they seemed to believe the commute was worth it. I rather thought the people in Miami were much nicer than in Tampa. Tampa was more like New York/New Jersey as far as the culture I was exposed to, Miami was very different. Miami has far more beautiful areas, I could relate to Tampa better growing up in the North.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: Slammy1
I lived in Tampa and Miami (just North of Homestead). Miami is like a different country, at least where I was at. Friends would come visit that didn't speak Spanish, I'd always worry they'd get lost and not be able to ask for directions. Most of the non-hispanic people at work lived in Fort Lauderdale, but anywhere around the airport pollution is really bad (surprising for Florida). My work was in South Miami (couple of miles from where I lived), so they seemed to believe the commute was worth it. I rather thought the people in Miami were much nicer than in Tampa. Tampa was more like New York/New Jersey as far as the culture I was exposed to, Miami was very different. Miami has far more beautiful areas, I could relate to Tampa better growing up in the North.

I'm from up North too, so that may be why I connect with Tampa better. But I know what you mean... Tampa is snap snap zip zip... Everyone is in a hurry. Nod and go. But that works for me. When I'm in traffic, we're all going 80MPH in bumper to bumper.

In Miami, you've got all of the Cubans there talking and talking and taling and waving their arms in the air and talking and talking and driving fifteen miles an hour in the fast lane and pulling in and out of traffic oblivious of those around them... unless they're talking to them and waving their arms about. So... yeah... Miami is pretty laid back.

It's hard for someone with goals and a tight schedule to get things done by a deadline in Miami because you never know when your Cuban waitress wants to sit down at your table and tell you about how her grandmother used to make food just like each item on the menu and how the flavor would be effected by the weather outside and the color of the sunset... want to go dancing? I've had three hours sleep so I need another Cafe Con Leche.... Yeah... it's a WHOLE OTHER WORLD.