Miami vs. Ft. Lauderdale - what's more liveable?

[aujax]

Hi,

I've been considering moving down to florida lately to pursue my instructor's card. Right now I live in New York, and I'm a little worried that I'll miss all of the great stuff that goes with a big city - i.e. museums, nightlife, interesting people. I guess my question is, how does Miami compare to Ft. Lauderdale in terms of culture and entertainment? (Ocean diving's not great around Orlando, right?) I've heard that Miami can be a bit dangerous (not that I'm that worried about that - I live in Brooklyn) and is not as abundant architecturally and culturally. I know this post is a little vague, but any general opinions out there as to what's the most liveable city in Florida?

Thanks!
aujax

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Folks that live in Ft Lauderdale shutter at the the thought of moving to Miami and vice versa.
Ft Lauderdale has the better beaches and better diving.

Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale) has experienced tremendous growth partially due to Hurricane Andrew 10+ years ago and will be built out by 2008 or so.

The culture of both cities are so different (those in Miami think differently...here come the flames!) that its almost like comparing grapefruits to oranges (keeping it tropical).

My opinion? I'll take Ft Lauderdale any day!

 

[BIGSAGE136]

Thank God I'm in Ft lauderdale!

Just joshing but I'm a native so its okay.

The areas have both seen a trmendous amount of growth and diversity in the last decade. I really believe that you will appreciate Broward County. In actuality it gives you the presence of both. Miami is only 20-30 miles away depending on which part of the city you are seeking, and, the better diving is in Ft Lauderdale. The extra bonus point is that it puts you smack dab in the middle of miami AND Palm Beach. So, you have a tri-county advantage that cant be beat for both urban culture, diversity, and great diving.

You are now leaving Dade county. You may holster your weapons.

Just kidding...really...REALLY!

 

[aujax]

Sounds like Ft. Lauderdale is the somewhat nicer destination, and the fact that Miami and Palm Beach are so close is all the more enticing. Sometimes people up here get it into their heads that life doesn't really exist outside of New York City. What fools we mortals be!

What are some of the things folks might have against Miami? From what I've heard it sounds like it tends to be a little dirtier, a little seedier...

 

[showboat]

I have been living in broward most of my life, its much better here then in Dade county. If you go to Dade, Don't forget to bring your passport. It's a whole different country there.

 

[deepstops]

Another native here...... born in Broward General (vintage 1962) and lived here all my life. SW Broward has really become an extension of Miami Dade. Outside of that, Broward County's quality of life is much better in general than Miami Dade's (IMO). Anywhere east of US 1 (Federal Highway) is a good place to start. Obviously there are bad areas in both counties but overall violent crime is considerably lower in Broward. And for the most part, English is still spoken in Broward (but not in Miami). As a general rule, the area betyween Dixie Highway and the FEC railroad tracks is a bad section of town (from Miami all the way to Jacksonville!!).
FWIW, I dislike the west coast of Florida. Home of the newlyweds and nearly deads over there.

 

[BIGSAGE136]

aujax once bubbled...
Sounds like Ft. Lauderdale is the somewhat nicer destination, and the fact that Miami and Palm Beach are so close is all the more enticing. Sometimes people up here get it into their heads that life doesn't really exist outside of New York City. What fools we mortals be!

What are some of the things folks might have against Miami? From what I've heard it sounds like it tends to be a little dirtier, a little seedier...

Being from Nueva York I hardly think you'll notice. Miami is more dense, and the inner urban areas do have IMHO a lower overall
quality of life. Ft lauderdale is a newer urban bigboy and learned a lot from its sister city down south so many earlier mistakes were not repeated.

Miami has been plagued by asylum seekers of all backgrounds and ports of call. The population reflects this and according to the Tourism Board "adds to its flavor".

I must admit I still love my home town. I also love to come back to my new home in Ft lauderdale.

Again, being from New York, you are gonna love it here where ever you place your mat.

Just to let you know though...we have cock roaches the size of VW"S

 

[Virus]FSLR2[]

-=Quote=-
Just to let you know though...we have cockroaches the size of VW"S -
-=Quote=-

AND THEY FLY!!!!!


Local flavor.. hee hee hee...

There are still some decent areas in Miami, but whether you could afford it in those areas is another story.

Kendall was pretty nice when I lived there, but then again, so was Boca Raton!

Check this site out and put in the county, or city you're interested in and you'll see what's around. It's mostly taken from census data, with local business and government information mixed in there as well.


There is always something going on down there, in either place. Nightlife, museums, plays, concerts, you name it, it's there.

That's why I live in the boonies up in North Florida now... Too many people down there, and I don't speak spanglish so I'm not welcome in Miami...



-=V=-

 

[DennisS]

I lived in Miami for about 20 years and moved out of state for 5 years. When I came back I decided on Broward County, I realized how much Miami had changed since I first moved there. I've lived here a littlle over a year and prefer it over Miami. The shore diving is a lot better, it is practically non existent in Miami.

 

[Former FLL Now MSP Diver]

aujax once bubbled...
Sometimes people up here get it into their heads that life doesn't really exist outside of New York City. What fools we mortals be!

If that was true then why are there so many ex-NY'ers living here? Sometimes it feels (sounds) like I'm in Long Island with palm trees.

If you're moving down, you will find most of Broward County more liveable. Very suburban feeling, especially west of 95. Someone else said you have the best of all worlds being between Miami and Palm Beach counties, which I find is true.

Marc