I have always liked the idea of living in Miami, Florida. The main reason I am attracted to Miami, Florida is because it is like summer year round, from January to December. I do not like the cold at all; I can’t even stand forty degree weather. Miami and South Florida has a tropical climate, meaning that it is hot and humid most of the year. There are other places in the U.S. that have tropical climates like Hawaii, but it is too far off from the mainland for my taste. Another reason for me wanting to move to Miami is because it is also a large metropolitan area; larger than Orlando or Tampa, which are other hotspots I would consider. But Miami has its problems that make me wary of moving down there.
The first problem is that crime is high. South Florida as a whole is ranked high in the incidents of crime per capita for metropolitan areas, and very high for incidents of violent crimes like murder, rape, and armed robbery. All metros have good areas and bad areas, but Miami has a larger proportion of bad areas than most metros. Miami I say has to be forty-five percent bad neighborhoods, and fifty-five percent good neighborhoods. Around 28% of the people who live in Miami-Dade County live below the poverty line, many of these children. There are many poor people trying to make a dollar. Drug dealing is pretty rampant, lower level and higher level. This feeds into the many murders and shootings on the streets, where people are competing for drug turf. Burglaries and armed robberies are sky high because people are trying to pay rent, and there are many other social problems that I could not explain in 500 words. Moving on…
Second is that it is an expensive place in terms of housing. For a place to have such high crime it is still expensive. Usually when there is a bad neighborhood, people usually move out of the neighborhood and not many people move in. But Miami has a steady flow of immigrants who come in to these neighborhoods, many from nations with way more severe crime problems than Miami, like Jamaica or Haiti. So due to the demand for housing and the shortage of housing, in a bad area of Miami you will spot a not so good looking house that can go for $200,000+, or a sucky rental apartment that can cost up to $800/month or more. That is in the bad areas! I would like to own a house in a good area someday, but Miami is putting the pressure on me.
Third is that South Florida has high corruption. There is always a report in South Florida newspapers about government foul play, and those are just the incidences where people in government get caught. There has to be way more corruption than what is being uncovered. Most of the incidences are of many forms of money laundering, racketeering, fraud, and bribery. There are corrupt governments everywhere, but constantly foul play is getting uncovered. I would have no trust in the local government in Miami.
The question to ask myself now is if getting robbed by someone on the street and in your local government worth the sunshine? Is it worth paying a lot of money for rent or mortgage just to live in a tropical climate? Miami and South Florida is not unique in its problems, and I think it is a vibrant place full of diversity, entertainment & nightlife, and everything else a large metro has to offer. I just will have to move down there and see.
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