I'm thinking/planning/wishing/dreaming of moving to Miami

We lived in a small apartment in Coral Springs, Florida for a little over two years. It is what we could afford in a nice area ($700 per month). Coral Springs is inland (away from the beach) just north of Miami near Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano Beach. It was not too far inland as we could still feel the wonderful breeze from the ocean. Here are some observations: Weather: Loved it, nice little rain usually mid day, and then sun. In the winter it would rain all day at times but still nice weather. I never had to deal with hurricanes. We left before the bad one hit Miami. Bugs: Lots of them. No matter how clean your place is there are cockroaches (especially if plumbing is old). We were there during a drought which meant an ant problem. Need to be aware of alligators, poison frogs, lizards, etc. Mosquitoes were a problem in that all parks were closed from time to time at sunset because of disease carrying mosquitoes. Watch walking on any grass to avoid fire ants. Population: Multi-cultural: I loved it. In order to communicate with customers in our business, Spanish was definitely necessary. There are many dialects of Spanish spoken there, so if you learn Spanish, you probably should have a good grasp of the language. Our secretary came from Puerto Rico and she would speak with our engineer from Nicaragua. They would have to speak in English to figure out which word to use in Spanish for some engineering terms. They were so nice to us as a family and really welcomed us with open arms. They were some of the dearest friends we have had. In the winter there is a large influx of people from the New York area and northern Atlantic sea coast. The population really goes up in number during that time and it is noticeably more crowded. I did not notice college students as much but I did not go near the beaches usually because we were too busy with our business. This is also the area where most of the cruise ships dock for the Caribbean cruises. There are many people that come from all over the world to vacation here. Living: The cost of living is high. Especially if you want to live in a good part of town. Even a not so good part of town can be expensive. You really must take time to walk the land and look at places first hand. Our car insurance soared when we moved to Florida even though we had a clean driving record. The cost of license plates was a shock. I do not know what state taxes are like because this was back in the late 1980's/early 1990's. Jobs usually do not pay enough to live nicely if you are middle class or below, so we ended up working around the clock without being able to have time to relax or enjoy the beach or even the outdoors. During daylight hours we were always at the office working. I was surprised at how many other locals lived the same way unless you had money to begin with. Shopping, Restaurants, etc.: There is great diversity and endless possibilities for shopping, eating, socializing. I especially loved the orange parade and orange bowl at New Years. The fashion district is a must see. There are shops everywhere for anything you can think of. Restaurants are of every type. You can never sample them all. This is getting long, so I will stop. I hope this helped to some degree.

oh how i would love to be close to the beach again but my hubby would hate it.. i gre up in NC 2 blocks from the beach and now i miss it so bad but my hubby hates water and he hates hurricanes and such so i very much doubt i will ever live next to the beach again.

It's a great idea for you to try to find out more info, great planning ahead! Unfortunately, I've never even been there. We are visiting Orlando in April, but that's quite far away from there even. Anyway, I wanted to wish you well and hope you get all the info you requested.

Thats great Miami is a beautiful place..i have been in this place and its a real heaven.