Miami, Florida

DonTom93
Living in Miami
6mo ago
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Beautiful nature, being able to see manatees and dolphins etc. in Biscayne Bay, visit miles of miles of beaches, and swim during winter is pretty cool. Lots of Latino and Caribbean culture and generally people from all over the world. Different neighborhoods to explore, Design District, Coconut Grove, Wynwood, Brickell, Miami Beach, Little Havana etc. Pretty much never run out of things to do, especially with events like the Boat Show, Wine and Food Festival, Art Basel etc. A sunny place full of shady people! 😂 but no it’s a great city, just takes a bit of time to figure out, moreso than other cities I think.

Edit: Just saw a manatee casually on my walk after work. That’s pretty magical.

For more reviews of Miami from locals check out The Reviews.

bedobi
Living in Miami
6mo ago
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I'm an armchair urbanist who follows all the channels and forums. In 2022 I took a year off to travel the world to figure out where to move. My top list ended up being Paris, Lisbon, Miami and Praia, Cabo Verde. Weird list for someone who's into urbanism right? Only Paris and Lisbon fit the bill. And why isn't Amsterdam and others on it?

Thing is as much as I love good urban design, there's more to life than that. Eg, Amsterdam has terrible weather and tbh I find Dutch people, culture and lifestyle boring. Lisbon is diverse and great but salaries too low. Paris is diverse and amazing but too cold and salaries too low. Cabo Verde you need a good remote job to live. Miami has mostly terrible urban planning but is diverse, fun, gives access to good USD high paying jobs and has nuggets of gold which if you chose your neighborhoods, activities and lifestyle wisely can be much, much more livable than it looks. So I ended up in Miami.

I live car-free in Little Havana, walking distance to both Brickell and Ocho. Plenty of restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies and every imaginable service within walking distance. I ride my electric bike to South Beach, Little Haiti etc in ~20 minutes. (Wynwood and Overtown in like five ten lol) (that's faster than driving!) I can take the TriRail and Brightline to Ft Lauderdale and beyond. I can even ride the Amtrak all the way up the East Coast. Not living in Kendall or Hialeah, and not having to drive everywhere, I'm simply not as affected by the bad aspects of Miami's terrible urban planning as most people fuming in traffic on I-95 on the daily are.

Don't get me wrong, Miami gets a solid F in so many ways when it comes to urbanism, so I don't want to plug it too hard. But yeah def not just doable but outright enjoyable if you make the right choices.

coffee_401
Living in Miami
6mo ago
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I love living in Miami! I moved down here for work a few years ago. The thing about it is that living in the suburbs of Miami is terrible - if you want a sprawly car dependent lifestyle with warm weather and easy beach access there are a thousand places that are cheaper and have less traffic. Unfortunately for the locals, the suburbs are also where the less expensive housing is, so they end up with long commutes in traffic and come online to complain.

It's different when you can afford the urban neighborhoods - Brickell, South Beach (really almost anywhere in Miami Beach), downtown, coconut grove, downtown Coral Gables, and a few others. Living downtown I regularly go weeks without getting in a car, so traffic isn't a concern. There are great restaurants an easy walk or metromover ride away. It's two blocks walk to the grocery store.

As others have pointed out, the heat is really no worse than it is in the northeast - I've lived in both DC and Baltimore and don't find Miami much different in that regard. Summer lasts a bit longer but the trade-off is beautiful weather all winter.

writerboy1550
Living in Miami
5mo ago
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I love Miami and a don't have a desire to leave, but generally here are what you should be aware of:

Love or appreciate Latin American culture. Miami is not like being in the rest of the US. It's basically a Latin American city located in the United States. Learn Spanish if you want to connect more with locals and integrate yourself more. You will thank yourself later, because not knowing Spanish will limit you in different ways, be it jobs, friends, cultural events, etc. It's like moving to Montreal and not knowing French. Sure, you can get away with it, but it will be much harder to connect on a local level.

Try to come as a remote worker with a much higher salary than the Miami average. Miami has gotten very expensive and salaries just don't match here. If you can, come here with an already good salary.

It's not as diverse as you think. Miami is a very international and cosmopolitan city, but it is not diverse (there's a difference). Firstly, it's majority Latinos (which is why I moved here). While you have Latinos from all nationalities, and most people here were born in other country, there is a lack of representation from other continents. Aside from the significant French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Israeli populations here, outside of those you don't find many Europeans from elsewhere, Africans, Asians, nor Middle Easterners in Miami. But also Miami is not diverse in its type of people. While in a place like NYC, LA, Chicago, SF you might find a goth scene, or guys who are preppy, punk rockers, or hipsters, etc., Miami doesn't have that wide array of subcultures. Miami has more of a monoculture and doesn't cater to those other types.

Pretend you are not in the US and instead living in another country. You need to do that with Miami. Customer service here, how people drive, the language people predominantly speak, is reflective of Latin America and the Carribbean, not the US. Customer service and the driving here is practically identical to what you would find in say Puerto Rico or in Brazil. If you come and live in Miami expecting US culture, you are going to struggle. Moving to Miami is like moving out of the country and you have to expect that.

Living In Miami For Over a Month… 5 Things You Need To Consider Before Moving Here