Important Facts about Miami / Quality of life / Information (Hialeah, Fort Lauderdale: for sale, foreclosures)
MiamiMiami-Dade County
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The Miami Urbanized Area (as defined by the Census Bureau) was the fifth most populous urbanized area in the U.S. in the 2000 census with a population of 4,919,036.[6]The United Nations estimated that in 2007, Miami had become the fourth largest urbanized area in the United States, behind New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Miami is ranked as a global city for its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts and international trade.The city is home to many company headquarters, banks, and television studios. It is an international center for popular entertainment in television, music, fashion, film, and the performing arts. The city's Port of Miami is known for accommodating the largest volume of cruise ships in the world and is home to many cruise line headquarters. Miami is also home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States.
As of 2008, Miami is undergoing a large building boom with 24 skyscrapers that are expected to rise over 400 feet (122 m) currently under construction in the city. Miami's skyline ranks third in the U.S., behind New York City and Chicago, and 18th in the world according to the Almanac of Architecture and Design. The city currently has nine of the ten tallest skyscrapers in the state of Florida, with the tallest being the 789-foot (240 m) Four Seasons Hotel & Tower.
In 2008, Miami was ranked as "America's Cleanest City" according to Forbes Magazine for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs.
In 2008, Miami was also ranked the 3rd-richest city in the United States and the world's 22nd-richest city. (My personal comment >>>>>>The gap between the rich and the poor is hugemongous).
As of 2000, speakers of Spanish as their first language accounted for 66.75% of residents, while English was spoken by 25.45%, Haitian Creole by 5.20%, and French speakers comprised 0.76% of the population.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2004, Miami had the third highest incidence of family incomes below the federal poverty line in the United States, making it the third poorest city in the USA, behind only Detroit, Michigan (ranked #1) and El Paso, Texas (ranked #2.) Miami is also one of the very few cities where its local government went bankrupt, in 2001.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,483, and the median income for a family was $27,225. Males had a median income of $24,090 versus $20,115 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,128. About 23.5% of families and 28.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.2% of those under age 18 and 29.3% of those age 65 or over.
(Comparison: The per capita income of Chile/South America/Third World Country is $14,000 and Miami/USA is $15,218 and the cost of living in Miami is much higher)
As of 2007, however, the housing market has crashed and more than 23,000 condos are for sale and/or foreclosed.The Miami area ranks 8th in the nation in foreclosures.
Miami is also one of the least affordable places to live, with the median percentage of housing costs as a percentage of income was 42.8%; the national average was 27%. Miami ranks twelfth among least affordable cities for home ownership.
Beneath the plain lies the Biscayne Aquifer,a natural underground source of fresh water. Most of the South Florida metropolitan area obtains its drinking water from this aquifer. As a result of the aquifer, it is not possible to dig more than 15 to 20ft (4.57 to 6.1 m) beneath the city without hitting water, which impedes underground construction. For this reason there is no subway system in Miami.
In terms of land area, Miami is one of the smallest major cities in the United States. According to the US Census Bureau, the city encompasses a total area of 55.27 mi² (143.15 km²). Of that area, 35.67 mi² (92.68 km²) is land and 19.59 mi² (50.73 km²) is water. That means Miami comprises over 400,000 people in a mere 35 square miles (91 km2), making it one of the most densely populated cities in the United States, along with New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago among others.
Miami has a true tropical climate, specifically tropical monsoon, with hot & humid summers and warm & mostly dry winters. The city does experience cold fronts from late October through March. The wet season lasts from May to October, when it gives way to the dry season, which features mild temperatures with some invasions of cool air, which is when the little winter rainfall occurs — with the passing of a front. The hurricane season largely coincides with the wet season. the highest temperature recorded was 98 °F (37 °C). The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city of Miami was 30 °F (-1 °C) on several occasions.
Miami receives abundant rainfall, one of the highest among major U.S. cities. Most of this rainfall occurs from mid-May through early October. It receives annual rainfall of 58.6 inches (1488 mm),whereas nearby Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach receive 63.8 in (1621 mm) and 48.3 in (1227 mm), respectively, which demonstrates the high local variability in rainfall rates.
Due to its location between two major bodies of water known for tropical activity, Miami is also statistically the most likely major city in the world to be struck by a hurricane.
Miami has been identified as one of three cities in the United States most vulnerable to hurricanes, mainly due to its location and it being surrounded by ocean and low-lying coastal plains, the other two cities being New Orleans and New York City.
Miami is partitioned into many different sections, roughly into North, South, West and Downtown. The heart of the city is Downtown Miami and is technically on the eastern side of the city. This area includes Brickell, Virginia Key, Watson Island, and the Port of Miami. Downtown is South Florida's central business district, and home of many major banks, financialheadquarters, cultural and tourist attractions, and high-rise residential towers.
The western side of Miami includes Little Havana, West Flagler, and Flagami, and is home to many of the city's traditionally immigrant neighborhoods. Although at one time a mostly Jewish neighborhood, today western Miami is home to immigrants from mostly Central America and Cuba, while the west central neighborhood of Allapattah is a multicultural community of many ethnicities.
Miami is home to many entertainment venues, theaters, museums, parks and performing arts centers. The newest addition to the Miami arts scene is the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the second-largest performing arts center in the United States after the Lincoln Center in New York City, and is the home of the Florida Grand Opera.
The city is home to numerous museums as well, many of which are in Downtown. These include the Bass Museum, Frost Art Museum, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Jewish Museum of Florida, Lowe Art Museum, Miami Art Museum, Miami Children's Museum, Miami Science Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Wolfsonian-FIU Museum and the Miami Cultural Center, home of the Main Miami Library. Other popular cultural destinations in the area include Jungle Island, Miami MetroZoo, Miami Seaquarium, and parks and gardens in and around the city; there are over 80 parks in Miami.
Miami is also home to a vibrant techno and dance scene and hosts the Winter Music Conference, the largest dance event in the world, Ultra Music Festival and many electronica music-themed celebrations and festivals. Along with neighboring Miami Beach, Miami is home to some famous nightclubs, such as Space, Mansion, Parkwest, Ink, Cameo, and Opium Garden. The city is known to be part of clubland, along with places such as Mykonos, Ibiza and Ayia Napa.
Miami is home to many major professional sports teams. The Miami Dolphins, the NFL team, Miami Heat, the NBA team, Florida Marlins, the MLB team, and the Florida Panthers, Miami's NHL team.
Miami is one of the country's most important financial centers. It is a major center of commerce, finances, corporate headquarters, and boasts a strong international business community. According to the ranking of world cities undertaken by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC) and based on the level of presence of global corporate service organizations, Miami is considered a "Beta World City".
Miami International Airport and the Port of Miami are among the nation's busiest ports of entry, especially for cargo from South America and the Caribbean. Additionally, Downtown has the largest concentration of international banks in the country located mostly in Brickell, Miami's financial district.
Tourism is also an important industry in Miami. The beaches, conventions, festivals and events draw over 12 million visitors annually from across the country and around the world.
The Miami metropolitan area, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, had a combined population of more than 5.4 million people, ranked fourth-largest in the United States, (behind Chicago, Illinois), and is the largest metropolitan area in the Southeastern United States.
As of 2008, the United Nations estimates that the Miami Urban Agglomeration is the fourth-largest in the United States, and the 44th-largest in the world.
Public transportation in Miami is operated by Miami-Dade Transit and SFRTA, and includes commuter rail (Tri-Rail), heavy-rail rapid transit (Metrorail), an elevated people mover (Metromover), and buses. Miami has Florida's highest transit ridership as about 12% of Miami's population uses transit on a daily basis.
(12% of the total population! why? because the public transportation is terrible).
Miami residents MUST OWN A VEHICLE to commute to and from work/University/Home because the city doesn`t have a subway system and the public transportation is terrible (compared to Chicago and New York or any major city in USA). That will hurt your pocket if you have 2 or more teenagers because people depend on a car in order to have a decent life in Miami.
Miami's explosive population growth in recent years has been driven by internal migration from other parts of the country as well as by immigration. Miami is regarded as more of a multicultural mosaic, than it is a melting pot, with residents still maintaining much of, or some of their cultural traits. The overall culture of Miami is heavily influenced by its large population of ethnicLatin Americans and cultures from Caribbeans from islands such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, and Cuba; many of whom spoke Spanish or Haitian Creole.
Today, the Miami area has a sizable community of citizens, undocumented populations, and permanent residents, of Argentines, Bahamians, Brazilians, Canadians, Chileans, Chinese, Colombians, Cubans, Dominicans, Ecuadorans, French, Germans, Greeks, Guatemalans, Guayanese, Haitians, Hondurans, Jamaicans, Indians, Italians, Mexicans, Nicaraguans, Peruvians, Russians, Salvadoran, Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Turks, South Africans, and Venezuelans, as well as a sizable Puerto Rican population throughout the metropolitan area. While commonly thought of as mainly a city of Hispanic and Caribbean immigrants, the Miami area is home to large French, French Canadian, German, Italian, and Russian communities. The communities have grown to a prominent place in Miami and its suburbs, creating ethnic enclave neighborhoods such as Little Haiti, Little Havana, Little Managua, Little Brazil, Little Moscow, and Little San Juan.
The racial makeup of the city proper is as follows:
White: 11.8% (Non-Hispanic)
Hispanic or Latino of any race: 65.8%
Black (many of whom are from the Caribbean) or African American: 22.3%
Some other races: 5.4%
Two or more races: 4.7%
Asian: 0.7%
Pacific Islander: 0.04%
Native American: 0.2%
As of 2000, in terms of national origin and/or ethnic origin, 34.1% of the populace was Cuban,while 5.6% of the city's population was Nicaraguan,5.5% of the population was Haitian,3.3% of the population was Honduran,1.7% of all residents were Dominican,and 1.6% of the population was Colombian.
In 2004, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) ranked Miami first in terms of percentage of residents born outside of the country it is located in (59%), followed by Toronto (50%).
Most Cubans are light skinned. The old Cubans are whiter than the Cubans that are currently arriving today. The majority of the old Cubans are white (Mediterranean Euro type) and some of them are obviously mixed with African. The new breed of Cubans 90`s / 2000`s (most of the Cubans in Miami - the largest latino group in Miami) are a mixed race (Mulattoes) of African and Euro-Spaniards ancestors.
The majority of Nicaraguans and Hondurans are 100% Amerindian and a very few of them are mixed white/amerindian. (These are the fastest growing latino groups in Miami).
Argentines are the only white latino group (They even look whiter than the standard American from up north) and the majority of them reside in Miami Beach.
Public schools in Miami are governed by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which is the largest school district in Florida and the fourth-largest in the United States. The district is also the largest minority public school system in the country, with 60% of its students being of Hispanic origin, 28% African American, 10% White (non-Hispanic) and 2% non-white of other minorities.
Miami is home to some of the nation's best high schools, such as Design and Architecture High School, ranked the nation's best magnet school, MAST Academy, Coral Reef High School, ranked 20th-best public high school in the U.S., Miami Palmetto High School, and the New World School of the Arts.M-DCPS is also one of a few public school districts in the United States to offer optional bilingual education.
Miami is home to one of the largest ports in the United States, the Port of Miami. It is the largest cruise ship port in the world. The port is often called the "Cruise Capital of the World" and the "Cargo Gateway of the Americas".It has retained its status as the number one cruise/passenger port in the world for well over a decade accommodating the largest cruise ships and the major cruise lines.
My personal recommendations
If you intend to reside in Miami you must make at least $3000 per month if you are single or $4500 per month if you live with your significant other in order to have a decent quality of life. (My personal point of view/ I have been living in Miami for more than 8 years).
If you are married you will spend about $600 per month on your child. If you have teenagers you will spend more money because you have to pay their college tuition and their transportation (vehicles/Gas/Tolls). Or, you could make them work parttime and study full time so that they cover their expenses.
I am Venezuelan/American (US Citizen) and I make 3900$ per month and I pay 22.5% in income taxes and social security. (Almost 900$). That`s my monthly salary as a Mathematics - Middle school teacher.
Plus, there are tolls everywhere. I spend $2.5 everytime I commute to and from work (Imagine what you would spend as a family). If you add your gas expenses + the tolls expenses + your car insurance expenses.... you will notice that you have a hugemongous expense in transportation. Other major cities in USA or Europe have good public transportation systems that let you avoid these expenses. If you are a foreigner who is pursuing a better quality of life I would not recommend Miami as your destination.
If you are European, this city would not be the best choice. If you are Anglo-American, you would need to know Spanish and then you will be a great candidate for any employer.The employer won`t tell you that you must be bilingual (that would not be legal)... it`s implied that a bilingual professional would have preference. The three official languages in Miami according to the city are English, Spanish, and Creole. Almost nobody uses English as their spoken language at work even in professional positions such as finance and engineering...etc etc.
Latin Americans or Americans of hispanic background have the most important positions in the city. (The mayor, senators, business owners, doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers).
The only discrimination in the city is among the same latin americans. Mulatto Cubans who have a weird thought that they are Europeans just because some of them have light skin (I guess none of them have travelled to Europe, Canada, Australia or Argentine and have seen true white homogenous people).
If USA is the World`s melting pot then Miami is the melting pot of Latin America and "The Capital of Latin America" as well.
If you are a citizen of Latin America and are thinking about living in Miami, then I would say it is a good choice because there is no discrimination against Latins (over 75% of the population is Latin and practically built the city).
Now, If you are Brazilian, Argentine, Uruguayan, Chilean, you better do the paperwork to obtain an European passport through jus sanguinis.
U.S. citizens, Argentinians, Chileans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, Brazilians, Venezuelans or others who are descended from an ancestor (parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc.) born in Italy may have a claim to Italian citizenship by descent. Get your European Union passport and work and live in any city in Europe
As of today, Thursday April 9th 2009, Usa`s unemployment rate is 7.2%. The total population is 307,212,123. That means that 22,119,272 residents are currently looking for a job and can`t find one. (The unemployed residents of USA is larger than the total population of Australia).
Also, the GDP per capita of USA is $47,000 but that statistic does not portray the existing reality of USA`s society because the gap between the rich and the poor is huge. In Europe, Canada or Australia, the wealth is better and fairly distributed among their citizens, they also have an universal healthcare system (It is a citizen`s right).
Well,,,,what can I say.... it`s just my words.... my life experiences and facts about Miami taken from Wikipedia and The CIA Worldfactbook - United States.
Miami is a fantastic destination while you are visiting/vacations. When you live in Miami is totally diferent.
I hope that my words help decide those who are currently taking that tough life`s decision (migration) and are thinking about Miami as their destination.
Last edited by Eduardo983; 04-09-2009 at 02:54 PM..
I am Venezuelan/American (US Citizen) and I make 3900$ per month and I pay 22.5% in income taxes and social security. (Almost 900$ in income taxes). That`s my monthly salary as a Mathematics - Middle school teacher.
Wiat a minute. I always hear teachers complaing about how little they are paid and you tell me you make 3900 a month? (and get summers off?) That's better than many engineers I know (although not too much better).
Quote:
You would need to know spanish to live in Miami. Many residents don`t speak English. The three official languages in Miami according to the city are English, Spanish, and Creole. Almost nobody uses English as their spoken langueage at work even in professional positions such as finance and engineering
True about Spanish, although some places the engineers speak mainly Chinese.
Quote:
If you intend to reside in Miami you must make at least $3000 per month if you are single or $4500 per month if you live with your significant other in order to have a decent quality of life.
I think you can get by on much less. My family is towards the lower end of your numbers and we enjoy a decent quality of life (as much as living in Miami can include the phrase 'quality of life')
South Florida is now being overrun by Quebecois and New Yorkers. In ten years, the major languages spoken in Miami will be Canadian French, English, Spanish and Creole in that order.
South Florida is now being overrun by Quebecois and New Yorkers. In ten years, the major languages spoken in Miami will be Canadian French, English, Spanish and Creole in that order.
i have yet to see any canadian french in miami, excpet my aunt, but shes lived here since the 80's
i have yet to see any canadian french in miami, excpet my aunt, but shes lived here since the 80's
I said South Florida. They will spill into Miami eventually and push the Cubans south into Key West. Hialeah will become Canadian French and will cecede from Miami by winning 51% of the votes in a referendum. Gays will move out of Key West and migrate to Cuba, which will be open for US travel as well as become the 51st US state.
South Florida is now being overrun by Quebecois and New Yorkers. In ten years, the major languages spoken in Miami will be Canadian French, English, Spanish and Creole in that order.
HAHAHA more like a ten thousand years lol are you kidding me, over 5 million canadians would have to move here in the next ten years and probably by then there will be another 3 million hispanics here added to the few million already living in just Hialeah alone. Also u know hispanics breed like cacaroaches, next to brazillians we are the horniest people on earth.
HAHAHA more like a ten thousand years lol are you kidding me, over 5 million canadians would have to move here in the next ten years and probably by then there will be another 3 million hispanics here added to the few million already living in just Hialeah alone. Also u know hispanics breed like cacaroaches, next to brazillians we are the horniest people on earth.
Also u know hispanics breed like cacaroaches, next to brazillians we are the horniest people on earth. ??????????????
You must be highly uneducated....
All Latin Americans are very different among themselves (Genes, culture, education). That`s the main reason of discrimination among Latin Americans.
In fact, the whitest country on Earth outside Europe is Argentina with 97% of its population being white mostly Spanish and Italian.
The 2 whitest countries in the American continent are those 2 countries.
The 3rd whitest country in America would be Canada and 4th would be United States of America. 79.96% of total population being white. And that white percentage is less because a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15.1% of the total US population is Hispanic.
The 5th whitest country on the American continent is Brazil. 53.7% of their population is white. Also, Brazil has the largest population of Italian origin outside Italy, with over 25 million Italian Brazilians. *That is almost the total population of Canada. Brazil has the second largest population of German origin outside of Germany, with 12 million German Brazilians.
USA has the largest population of African origin outside Africa among the first world countries.
Brazil has the largest population of African origin outside Africa in the American continent.
I am trying to educate those people who think Latin Americans are all the same. We are all genetically and culturally different. Even U.S. citizens are very different among themselves. USA is a melting pot of every nationality of the world and the country is not obviously white.
Now, you must know that Latin Americans that have European background prefer Europe as their destination in case they need to move overseas because Europe is more culturally linked to them. They can obtain the European Nationality through Jus Sanguinis (right of blood) which is the preferred means of passing on citizenship in many continental European countries, with benefits of maintaining culture and national identity as well as ethnic homogeneity. It can lead to generations of people living their whole lives in Europeans countries without being citizens of it. Also, means that generations of Latin Americans of European background have the Jus Sanguinis (right of blood) to acquire the European passport.
For Example U.S. citizens, Argentinians, Chileans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, Brazilians, Venezuelans or others who are descended from an ancestor (parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc.) born in Italy may have a claim to Italian citizenship by descent.
Latin Americans are a lot whiter than you think and that's because they have Europe as their preferred option in case they are forced to migrate. Most of the Latin Americans who immigrate to USA are those who could not obtain the European citizenship through Jus Sanguinis (right of blood). In other words, they are not white enough to get in Europe so they migrate to USA.
For Example Nicaraguans Hondurean and Cubans.
So, please... do not stereotype/label latin americans as being all the same. We are all very different.
Last edited by Eduardo983; 04-10-2009 at 01:04 AM..
HAHAHA more like a ten thousand years lol are you kidding me, over 5 million canadians would have to move here in the next ten years and probably by then there will be another 3 million hispanics here added to the few million already living in just Hialeah alone. Also u know hispanics breed like cacaroaches, next to brazillians we are the horniest people on earth.
LOL, Somebody will go into the stereotype debate about hispanic vs anglo, but man that is so true, LOL (And Im Cuban, sorry CubanAmerican LOL)
Almost nobody uses English as their spoken language at work even in professional positions such as finance and engineering...etc etc.
Can I clarify:
Are you saying that if I worked in "upper management" in a big financial institution - like a major bank - that nobody would speak English in the office?
I'm specifically interested in the level of English vs Spanish at more senior management levels (Vice President and up).
I understand and accept that Miami is dominated by Spanish but I am surprised to hear that "nobody" speaks in English at work. True?
English is my 1st language and I'm maybe 60% efficient in Spanish (as my 3rd language). I'd struggle there if it was 100% Spanish at work 24/7.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The Miami Urbanized Area (as defined by the Census Bureau) was the fifth most populous urbanized area in the U.S. in the 2000 census with a population of 4,919,036.[6]The United Nations estimated that in 2007, Miami had become the fourth largest urbanized area in the United States, behind New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Miami is ranked as a global city for its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts and international trade.The city is home to many company headquarters, banks, and television studios. It is an international center for popular entertainment in television, music, fashion, film, and the performing arts. The city's Port of Miami is known for accommodating the largest volume of cruise ships in the world and is home to many cruise line headquarters. Miami is also home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States.
As of 2000, speakers of Spanish as their first language accounted for 66.75% of residents, while English was spoken by 25.45%, Haitian Creole by 5.20%, and French speakers comprised 0.76% of the population.
In terms of land area, Miami is one of the smallest major cities in the United States. According to the US Census Bureau, the city encompasses a total area of 55.27 mi² (143.15 km²). Of that area, 35.67 mi² (92.68 km²) is land and 19.59 mi² (50.73 km²) is water. That means Miami comprises over 400,000 people in a mere 35 square miles (91 km2), making it one of the most densely populated cities in the United States, along with New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago among others.
Miami has a true tropical climate, specifically tropical monsoon, with hot & humid summers and warm & mostly dry winters. The city does experience cold fronts from late October through March. The wet season lasts from May to October, when it gives way to the dry season, which features mild temperatures with some invasions of cool air, which is when the little winter rainfall occurs — with the passing of a front. The hurricane season largely coincides with the wet season. the highest temperature recorded was 98 °F (37 °C). The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city of Miami was 30 °F (-1 °C) on several occasions.
(And Im Cuban, sorry CubanAmerican LOL)
