4 ms·

What's the housing and rent situation like where you are? Do you need a car or is it generally a walkable place?

sparky_ 5y ago
Both Miami and Fort Lauderdale themselves are fairly walkable downtown. But the metro area is LA style car-first. I shipped my car from CA, but I only drive it when I want to leave Fort Lauderdale, basically. Paying $2300/mo for a 1600 sqft 2 bed 3 bath apartment about a quarter mile from downtown and a half mile from the main beach with all the expensive resort hotels.
mikegreenberg 5y ago
No OP, but I will offer this: Some may say downtown areas are walkable, but you are severely limiting your access to resources. Public transportation in South Florida is poor. One train line runs north/south between Miami to West Palm Beach and it is not the most reliable. Miami has an above ground metro train which gets you to most areas there and is actually pretty decent. There are many buses but I have not invested the time to understand them. For the most part anywhere else in South Florida, you better have Lyft or Uber at the ready. Sure, you could find a place where you can walk, but it's not really that common unless you're in a densely populated area. I biked exclusively during college and did relatively alright for a few years but I upgraded to a car as soon as I could afford to.
- bogomipz 5y ago
  Is the metro what's referred to as the "people mover" and runs on the elevated tracks?
  - mikegreenberg 5y ago
    Yes: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/transportation/metrorail.page https://www.miamidade.gov/global/transportation/metrorail.pa...
yardie 5y ago
I lived here 3 years without a car. South Beach is a great walkable beach town. For anything further I used: Zipcar (<day), Hertz/Avis/Ent (>day), Lyft/Uber (<1 hour). I only bought a car during the early stages of the pandemic, rideshare and rentals basically shutdown and leased cars were being firesaled.
- bogomipz 5y ago
  Interesting. That's pretty good chunk of time to be car free. Are the rents expensive in South Beach? My mental image of it is a wealthy place.
  - yardie 5y ago
    South of Fifth (SoFi) and north of 17th are where the pricier condos exist. The Flamingo Park neighborhood are older (1920s) bungalows and apartments. This is the neighborhood where most of the families, retires, and service workers live. So while I had a few friends that lived in $5000/mo Portofino, I making substantially less, lived in a cute walk up with a great parking a block away and my choice of ventanas nearby.

Both Miami and Fort Lauderdale themselves are fairly walkable downtown. But the metro area is LA style car-first. I shipped my car from CA, but I only drive it when I want to leave Fort Lauderdale, basically. Paying $2300/mo for a 1600 sqft 2 bed 3 bath apartment about a quarter mile from downtown and a half mile from the main beach with all the expensive resort hotels.

mikegreenberg 5y ago

No OP, but I will offer this: Some may say downtown areas are walkable, but you are severely limiting your access to resources. Public transportation in South Florida is poor. One train line runs north/south between Miami to West Palm Beach and it is not the most reliable. Miami has an above ground metro train which gets you to most areas there and is actually pretty decent. There are many buses but I have not invested the time to understand them. For the most part anywhere else in South Florida, you better have Lyft or Uber at the ready. Sure, you could find a place where you can walk, but it's not really that common unless you're in a densely populated area. I biked exclusively during college and did relatively alright for a few years but I upgraded to a car as soon as I could afford to.

bogomipz 5y ago
Is the metro what's referred to as the "people mover" and runs on the elevated tracks?
- mikegreenberg 5y ago
  Yes: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/transportation/metrorail.page https://www.miamidade.gov/global/transportation/metrorail.pa...

yardie 5y ago

I lived here 3 years without a car. South Beach is a great walkable beach town. For anything further I used: Zipcar (<day), Hertz/Avis/Ent (>day), Lyft/Uber (<1 hour). I only bought a car during the early stages of the pandemic, rideshare and rentals basically shutdown and leased cars were being firesaled.

bogomipz 5y ago
Interesting. That's pretty good chunk of time to be car free. Are the rents expensive in South Beach? My mental image of it is a wealthy place.
- yardie 5y ago
  South of Fifth (SoFi) and north of 17th are where the pricier condos exist. The Flamingo Park neighborhood are older (1920s) bungalows and apartments. This is the neighborhood where most of the families, retires, and service workers live. So while I had a few friends that lived in $5000/mo Portofino, I making substantially less, lived in a cute walk up with a great parking a block away and my choice of ventanas nearby.