Earlier quoted context omitted.
you haven't shown me that you aren't just consuming in SF.
I didn't realize I owed you a defense of my life.
Neither did I. (I am OP)
Why I moved to Miami
231–240 of 342 posts
Re: Why I moved to Miami
#232I just moved from SF to Miami Beach a month ago. I loved SF but if you have the ability to work from home as I do, financially it does not make sense to stay. I honestly would have preferred to move to Honolulu over here but the only area I liked (Tantalus/roundtop/pacheights) really didn't (at the time) have any nice houses for sale that were under 5 million. Also, while the cost of living is way down here, so is th…
Dan! We should meet, I'm going to email you now.
Re: Why I moved to Miami
#233I love/hate Miami. Pros: No state income tax. (A HUGE advantage) Lots of business. Some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Stunning winter weather. Gorgeous beaches/parks/neighborhoods. International culture. Walkable neighborhoods near downtown. Some of the best restaurants I've ever been to. Emerging startup scene. Vibrant arts/design/culture scene. Year round biking/jogging/swimming/etc. Lots of money (includi…
Ed, I still owe you a meal! What are you up to this weekend?
Re: Why I moved to Miami
#234I was born and raised in Miami and my family still lives there so I visit quite often. I moved to the Bay Area not too long ago (3 years) for work and IMO it's no comparison. Miami is a great place to live if your priorities are partying. There are excellent night clubs and beautiful men and women everywhere. The Bay Area holds an advantage over almost every point the OP made. Rent is ~$2k for a 2 bedroom 2 bath if y…
When he said the weather is nice for the winter and also pretty OK most of the summer I just had to wonder. I mean, different strokes for different folks but man, that is a totally different yardstick than how I measure weather, and I grew up in Florida.
Haha it has been pretty OK lately (last 2 years). It used to be REALLY rainy during summer, but I feel like it rained 20-30 days this year!
Re: Why I moved to Miami
#235So the piece on Miami started by saying that there is no income tax. It's true. And there's also very little of the things that get paid for by income taxes in other states. Like decent public education. Which might be fine for twenty-something web developers just looking for a life of self-gratification and night clubbing. But as a place to raise a family and/or attract qualified (educated) employees from other regions, maybe not so much.
Re: Why I moved to Miami
#236Lower Florida Keys resident here. I still own a place in Orlando which I have only visited once in the 6 years I've been gone. I got tired of hearing gunshots in the middle of the night. Between that and the chaotic (and plentiful) highway drivers, you couldn't possibly pay me to live in most (any?) large cities in mainland Florida. Despite being only 120 miles from Miami, I've still never visited, unless you count t…
Orlando is horrible, one of my least favorite cities in Florida. Gainesville on the other hand is great.
I agree with Orlando. Half-agree with Gainesville. G'ville is fantastic if you have kids or are a kid. From 20-35 it's sort of a "Why am I here?" wasteland.
Unless you REALLY love the Gators.
Re: Why I moved to Miami
#237I love Miami. Lots of great reasons to be there. But man I hate the pompous "and why you should too."
Re: Why I moved to Miami
#238I'm not sure if others have experienced this, but my brain doesn't function very well in tropical heat and humidity. It just seems to slow down, and mental games don't seem as interesting. It may be that I've been conditioned by many episodes of tropical vacations growing up, but whatever the reason, I can't (and indeed, don't really want to) code below about 30 degrees latitude.
To show you my agreement with this, I usually go to the beach in end of Sep/early October in the mid-Atlantic. I don't get lots of swimming or sun bathing in, but there's very few people and the early Autumn storms makes the Ocean magnificent (plus all the stores and tourist places want to move inventory out for the off season so lots of cheap activities and things to buy).
Re: Why I moved to Miami
#239Earlier quoted context omitted.
The implication of this post is that people in Miami are dumber, less creative, and "worse at life" than those in San Francisco. The population of Miami is around 410,000. When someone tries to "comparing the people of X", where X is a population of 410,000, I think the bigger insight is to be gleaned from the writer's preconceptions than their conclusions.
San Francisco is a magnet for talented, ambitious, creative, brilliant, audacious people. It's hard to argue against this, and by accepting that as true, you must also accept the clear corollary - that there are proportionally more of those extraordinary people in San Francisco and fewer in Miami. And yes, that makes huge difference. While it may not be politically correct to say that one city is "dumber, less creati…
If that's how you judge a person's worth I'm guessing Miami's glad not to have you.
Re: Why I moved to Miami
#240The grass is not always greener on the other side. Having been all over the country, FL has its pros and cons like anyplace else.
FL is not that cheap anymore. Car insurance and home insurance are a fortune, some of the highest in the country. You also have to drive everywhere. Traffic in Miami is downright brutal both weekday and weekend. Plus, you have a lot of immigrants that do not know how to drive. If you like to ride motorcycles, dont.
The work ethic in Florida is probably one of the worst in the country. In NY and Cali it would take about 10-15 interviews to find a relatively qualified candidate. In FL it is roughly 1:25-30 candidates. Mostly because of DUI felonies or drug test failures.
Miami is the gateway to South America and other 3rd world countries so if you do not like Spanish culture don't bother. As a white person, you are a minority in South FL. Crime in Miami is some of the highest in the country and having a CCW permit is the norm, not the exception. FL is still very much the wild wild west.
South FL has a great scene for artists, graphic designers and retailers but still have a very hard time attracting exceptional programmers due to the hot weather and low salaries. If you have children do not bother with the public schools, you will have to go private.
FL is a great place for a startup due to the lack of taxes and cheap labor available. However, if you are not a principal of the company go elsewhere.
Also, if you are dealing with a person or company and do not put anything in writing...RUN. In NY and CA people are very upfront and comfortable with contracts. Not so in FL. If you say the word contract they look at you like you offended them. FL has the Homestead Act and because of that you get a lot of the felons and riff raff who move to FL to start again and pump the money into their homes. Very shady environment.
Talent sticks with other talent and success leaves footprints.
There are a lot of other great places to work, live and build a business.