We need a survey for this article? Or is it common sense. Between the savages of the third world country that live there along with it's less than desirable habitants how is it surprising.

As a native Miamian, I have been to many other places all around the world and after only a couple of days away from here, i get really homesick. Born and raised here, I can honestly tell you that there is no place like Miami. As long as you stay away from certain areas and are aware of your surroundings, raising your kids here is actually pretty nice.

south florida does suck... almost anyione that's lived elsewhere will agree.

Dear Anne Vasquez: Diversity, Big City, Big Lights, and Beaches are no where on the list of priorities when raising children. (you admit this yourself so why do you bring it up?) If you drive around Miami, interact with a lot of people in this town (compared to other places) and are not at all shocked by the rudeness, lack of respect, and oblivious, rampant selfish attitudes then you are blind. Yes, you observe this in all cities but it's not as concentrated as it is in MIami. Miami made the worst list for a reason. You need to seriously take a closer look at your life, morals and role as a parent. Because you are most likely one of those oblivious. (I used to be one myself until I woke up)

I live here only because my husband is close to retiring at the Post Office, and we can't afford to retire early....South Florida is not only a bad place to raise a family, it is a bad place to live period!

many parents when it comes to raising kids, having easy access to a variety of cultural activities to broaden the minds of young ones is a must. In Miami and South Florida, you’ve got plenty of museums, concert venues, arts festivals – and they’re bigger and better than in many cities across the country.

THIS IS A JOKE, WHITE PEOPLE ARE SO RACISTS IN MIAMI .......

WHAT IS THIS LADY TALKING ABOUT CULTURE ??

Want to know why Miami was 99 out of 100? Here are two reasons from today's miami herald:

http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/1234625.html

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1234655.html

Thanks for the comments, good and bad. Glad I got you talking.

Posted by: Alex, South Florida would be great if the obnoxious New York a-holes would leave!

Dude, u have issues....
first u need to move out your moms guest room and then take a reality check
and see how much money new yorkers pump into your sad economy.Also, please stay in flori-duh, we don't need any dummies in our fine city

99! we should be 100.. at least people in detroit can escape to the burbs or Canada. what do we got? Ft. Lauderdale?!

I hate to sound like a racist but all the people who starded Miami being a great city moved north to Broward or Palm Beach. After the boatlift all the Cubans act as if it should be a latin city. Would the Cubans had liked it if the Hatians just took over havana? When you are calling people racists just remember if the tables were turned you would not treat refugees the way us white people do. it always bothers me when these jokers that get elected in Miami act as if it a different country. Miami was wonderfull before we gave it to Cubans.

Maybe part of why Miami has such a warranted position on this list is the colony of trolls living under the JTC?

Maybe if Miami would be higher on the list if they didn't legislate their unwanted people to living under a bridge.

paradise lost. once such a beautiful place is now just crack, corrupt cops, crime, s florida is the armpit of the earth

To our "Pimp" friend on the board. First of all, anyone above 16 who uses "Dude" in a sentence is a complete and utter douchebag. Secondly, I've apparantly touched a nerve with you, as you identify with a majority of the twits and transplants from the Northeast. Lastly, I've lived in "your city", New York and there's as many a-holes up there as there are down here. Now, do everyone a favor and grab your bag of weed and pass out for the remainder of the day.

whether it is cuban, hatian, new yorker, southerner, jewish, white or black... good people are good people.

all these 'types' of people also live in LA, Atlanta, Chicago, and Houston.

it's the superficail, selffish, materialistic culture of south florida that has me dreading how my kids will grow up to be. but i'm in it for the long haul... so instead of complaining i try and considerate and polite. change has to start somewhere.

...and tip according to service. i've left 2 cent tips before just so they didn't think i forgot.

What are you smoking? I could not think of a worse place to raise a family or even a pet. Anyways, Miami is not considered a big city like NYC, Philly, LA etc. It is a medium size septic tank.

PS: Not everyone wants to live in a "Melting Pot."

Miami could be the absolute worst place to raise a family. I left Dade County in the early eighties and still hate going down there from Broward. The traffic, the ghettos, the RUDE, ARROGANT people!!! I grew up in NY & people here think that is a bad place??? Not nearly as bad as Miami now!!! I would leave ALL of South Florida in a heartbeat if it weren't for our business here. I will not retire here!!!!

OMG!!! this is why Miami is even on the list.. reading all these comments just proves our position on the chart.. we only mention the bad, and hence why people keep doing bad....

Miami is absolutely the soiled, filthy armpit of the entire state of Florida. With all the complaining, sharkbitten riffraff bitching about being a doctor in their country and moving here to only be able to find a job parking cars and the smelly, teethsucking, saqbasehs living 18 people per 2 bedroom house, no wonder Miami sucks. I grew up in New York and I know racial diversity but when English is the second language in your neighborhood, something just is not right. I would not live in Miami much less raise my kids there even if I were given a tax-free, 8 bedroom mansion on the beach.

Some factors are very subjective. For instance, I would never to choose to live in a land-locked city, such as Orlando, Denver, Cleveland etc. But that's me. I have lived all over the world and trust me, every place has its drawbacks.

Ms. Vasquez has misused the apostrophe ("author's" when referring to the plural of author) - just showing how poor our education is here in South Florida. That Greer wingnut did the same thing when releasing a statement saying we didn't need the President talking to our students about education.

The media down here tries so hard to sell us on how great Miami is and truth is that it stinks. But that has not stopped the new football team owner from talking about how his team is the Miami Dolphins and not the Fort Lauderdale Dolphins. He claims that he is adding celebrity owners to highlight the idea that Miami has more bars and clubs (and crime) than other places.He claims that is what people think of when you say Miami Dolphins. Ross is just another developer with more money than sense, out to ride the community further into ruin.

As soon as I saw "diversity" as your best reason for raising a family in Miami, I knew your argument was a losing one.

I live in Miami and I love it, but that's because I'm a single male (with no kids) and a refugee from the cold Northeast. But unless you're very wealthy and can live in an exclusive area and send your kids to an exclusive private school (of which there aren't very many in So. Fla.), you would have to be crazy to try to raise a family in Miami. It's one of the most crime-ridden and corrupt places in the U.S., the job market is terrible, the cost of living is off the charts, the local governments are about to implode from debt and deficit spending, and the public schools are terrible.

Miami is just a geographical city....
It's the Miami parents...
that are the problem. It's not where you live...but how you live!Wake up America!

I am shocked by people's comments on this post. Seriously, if you hate Miami so much THEN MOVE! I have lived in smaller towns throughout Florida where people don't know anything about the world and children are brought up in a social bubble. I am proud to have been raised in Miami. It's played a big part in helping me become the strong, independant, culturally-diverse and street smart women I am today.

1)The Beach is so great...NOT...once the hurricanes hit and we replaced the real sand with "crushed seashells" we moved to the bottom of the pit for beaches..2)Diversity is great..if you are a hispanic in Miami..try getting a GOOD PAYING job when you don't speak the "official" language..SPANISH...Diversity exist in many other major cities in this country where getting a job is not based on a language...3)Big City..Big Lights..well again found everywhere and for many cities Section 8 housing doesn't occupy the same zone as McMansions..in Miami..there is is no such thing as a great school district when mixed housing is in the picture...nighlife for raising kids how nice is that..so when they are 13 they can act like 18...I left Florida for a better life for my family..where the COPS don't patrol the movie theaters, where moms and daughters don't compete to see who can wear the tightest and smallest of clothing, and where my children have a better chance of making a good living without the BARRIER of a foreign language..you can keep living in Miami..the toilet bowl of America..anyplace else in this great country offers more for a family than Miami.

Isn't this obvious? Miami is truly a harsh place, what else would you expect of a city built on drug money? It is most definitely negatively impacted by people with poor values regardless of their background, but minorities truly exercise bad behavior "best". If you are a soft get out or stay away. Me, I still like it for what it's worth.

Thanks for the grammar check, Literacy. Spelling error is fixed.

I can't believe that this is news to anyone. South Florida has been a "paradise lost" for a long time.

i would love to move annette but all you 'let's make a quick buck in flippin houses, cause i hate to work hard or obtain an education to make a respectable living' people have crushed my home vlaue.

i know its nature for you people to short sale or foreclose cause the easy way out was how you were raised, but many us from up north belive in setting examples for our kids and being financially and morally responsible.

The problem with Miami is that you have too many people who are from so many different parts of the country/world. They come down here with the attitude that everything is better from where "they're from". i.e., people drive better where I'm from, act better where I'm from, are more cultured where I'm from, etc, etc, etc. That's the attitude that produces the "me against them" selfishness that you see. In addition, you get alot of losers who transplant down here from the northeast that are either escaping something or are just flat out lost in their lives.

MIAMI ES PARA LA GENTE QUE NO LE GUSTA TRABAJAR, BAÑARSE, NI RESPETARSE - POR ESO QUE LA GENTE SE MUDA Y DEJA LA MIERDA ATRAS...

Annette: That's the difference with the education received and instilled in Miami - (shameful) 'helping me become the strong, independant, culturally-diverse and street smart women I am today."

For starters it's independent, street smart woman (singular). Get off the streets and hit the books.

You can only speak highly of Miami because you're a Cuban immigrant. You fit right in with all those other immigrants. The whites will now be the minority in this state - getting out, finally, of this damn state!

A correction for OnMyWayOut: I am not a Cuban immigrant. I am the daughter of Cuban immigrants and am very much proud of my American and Cuban heritage.

No surprise when you live in a state that spends less per capita on education than any other. Couple that with county and municipal governments that are bought and paid for by developers, and so pay no attention to education, and you see why we're at the bottom. Miami is quicly becoming unlivable.

When I reluctantly drive to Miami/Dade county I feel like I'm in a 3rd world country. As though I need a passport to get around. The cubans in particular have ruined this city. You would think that they would make an effort to assimilate to american customs/traditions and speak english. This would be a slap in the face to Fidel to show that they are very Pro-american. The sad part is that they choose not to.

I've lived in Dallas, Shreveport, New Orleans, Waco, El Paso, Houston, Jersey City and NYC (for 20 years). Miami is about average in terms of quality of life. Weather / beaches / recreation = A. Culture / activities = B. Traffic = B. Diversity = B. Crime = C. Healthcare = C. Taxes = C+. Cost of living = C-. Friendliness = D. Schools = D.

All you who complain if you take the turnpike north the last sign of Florida you will see before you enter Georgia is Lake Mary...Good Ridance!

It was amazing to hear our Governor blow off the fact that we are losing population by saying that the weather is nice.

Our leaders still do not understand that people are not going to retire or relocate here if the economics do not make sense. Beaches and bars are great for vacation but they do not justify a permanent relocation for people with families. South Florida thinks it can advertise these little luxuries (i.e bars and weather) at a time when people are focused on cost of living and wages. Its a new dynamic now and South Florida better get with the program or risk losing more people.

BTW, most families and many business who are thinking about relocating check the schools first. If you want to lure families and business to South Florida then you are going to have a tough time competing against places like Raleigh (the research triangle) where there is nice housing, good schools and three top tier universities).

"You can only speak highly of Miami because you're a Cuban immigrant. You fit right in with all those other immigrants. The whites will now be the minority in this state - getting out, finally, of this damn state!"

Whites are the minority, if you add up all non-white people in this country. You just don't realize it yet.
BTW, So. Florida is full of self-centered, shallow, materialistic people that can't drive. Apparently they don't know what that lever sticking out of the steering wheel is for, so they don't use it.

"You can only speak highly of Miami because you're a Cuban immigrant. You fit right in with all those other immigrants. The whites will now be the minority in this state - getting out, finally, of this damn state!"

Whites are the minority, if you add up all non-white people in this country. You just don't realize it yet.
BTW, So. Florida is full of self-centered, shallow, materialistic people that can't drive. Apparently they don't know what that lever sticking out of the steering wheel is for, so they don't use it.

I don't think Miami is as awful as many of the bloggers say it is. I live well in So Flo: it's warm all year around and FL residents don't pay state income tax. How many other Southern states can say this? Not GA, AL, or TN.

All major cities have annoying attributes---people (no matter ethnicity) are annoying, along with traffic and pollution. I lived in rural North Alabama back in 2004 and all I did was complain about the region and much better Ft Lauderdale, my home town, was in comparison. A local overheard my diatribe and brusquely told me "To go back home to Florida since you hate Alabama so much and shut the f up." That was the best advice I had gotten all that year. When I got back to Lauderdale one month later, I actually kissed the ground.

For those who are unhappy in So Flo, come up with a move out strategy. You won't be so annoyed with the 3rd world ethnics (as one blogger stated) in Palm Beach County and parts north.

Lastly, MONEY makes any city great for living and raising children. If your net household income is >$1,000,000 I doubt you could complain about Miami. Private schools, nannies, and gated communities---Miami would be a tropical paradise for you.

yes....it is true
MIAMI SUCKS

can't wait to leave

Miami can be a great place to raise your kids provided that you have the means to live in the more desirable zones. It is under these circumstances that the multi-cultural benefits of the city can be appreciated. Otherwise, it can be hell for the poor. Miami has been and continues to be a tale of two cities.

I'm originally from Northern Europe. I have lived in numerous countries and cities. I love Miami. Whenever I visit the old country I cuss and complain and can't wait to get back home, yes home, to Miami. Burlington, VT????? I'd go crazy.

I grew up in the countryside(Lake Helen, FL, 1 mile down a dirt road) and still live in the countryside(Pahokee), but I can say that my children will have so many more opportunities for enrichment just by virtue of being near so many cultural attractions and venues. IB and AP courses are not available everywhere like they are down here and the kids are quite competitive and pushed hard to succeed. Are there all kinds of pitfalls down here, yes but they exists anywhere. Just because you are a bad parent raising bad children you shouldn't be bashing an area. Someone mentioned a school stabbing.. well let me remind you of the school shootings in Jonesville, Columbine and Paducah. Middle of nowhere places with good manners.

How does diversity help in rasing a family when you have the gangs, drugs, school stabbings, shootings, and crime? Anyway Miami is not diverse at all, it's 80% hispanic. Thats diverse?

The article is incorrect. Miami should be 100. I WAS a native Floridian for 40 years. Moved my kids the heck out of Florida. SoFla is disgusting.

I recently moved out of Miami and Florida and could not be happier. Miami is an absolute dump along with Fort Lauderdale. Only thing nice is the beaches, the rest is a giant ghetto. Sarasota area in Florida on the other hand is real nice and a good place to raise a family.

I think people take too much stock in the 'enrichment' of the culture that makes Miami so great. Sure you get to hang around a culturaly rich diverse crowd, but when that same crowd they gang-bangers and criminals and 15 year old pregnant moms, what is so good about that?

I lived in downtown Coral Gables and it still felt like a 3rd world country. My nieghbors hated me for not being one of them. I had to move out of miami to regain my sanity.

Anne Vasquez, ADMIT THE TRUTH about your comment on DIVERSITY. You are a typical Cuban American, if the "Diversity" wasn't in your favor (mostly Cuban) you wouldn't embrace it. You like Miami because there are too many Cubans, not because it's diverse. I'm 100% positive you spend over 90% of your spare time geting FATTER on Cuban "FOOD", talking SPANISH with your Spanish friends, worshipping in a church that is predominately Cuban, and shopping in Spanish markets for Cuban items. That isn't diversity AT ALL. How diverse are your friends.....let me guess, 99.9% Spanish/Cuban (not including the white ladies you chat with at work). How many non-spanish people do you have a cellphone number for...ZERO. Any Black friends..NO. Why do you drive 40 minutes every weekend from Broward to Miami.....because there aren't enough Cubans in Broward for you? Miami is Diverse, but you don't allow diversity in your life, just like most other "new arrivals" in Miami that don't want to assimilate with AMERICANS. I'll bet your Cuban parents can BARELEY SPEAK ENGLISH, and have ZERO AMERICAN friends...just like you!!!

I was born & raised in northeast Ohio. I moved to south Florida 4yrs ago & even though the schools suck, the politicians are morons etc I love it here! I don't let the bad things about living here over shadow the good things. To me there is more good then bad. If there wasn't I wouldn't live here. It's as simple as that. And to all of the ones who don't like living here but can't move due to the housing market bust I highly doubt you decided you didn't like living here after the bust so don't use this as an excuse.

If only you could be AMERICAN in this county without having to be asked "why don't you speak Spanish?)

This reporter must live in a different Miami than the rest of us. I would love to say that Miami is as wonderful as she makes it out to be, but then she says she lives in Broward? Miami might one day obtain a favorable vote as safe and family friendly, but for the present, it lacks everything Mrs. Vasques says it is. Not a good or accurate report at all.

Miami's diversity (Cuban Americans, Haitians, Central Americans) does not mean culture. Miami's Spanish broadcasting radios suck, especially the Radio Mambi's blaring Cuban. And Telemundo's novelas are not the best. And what about the schools?. So the lost Paradise becomes the 3rd world city, not the best place to raise a family.

I am one of the "savages of the third world" that moved to South Florida. I don't think that Lady Justice has enough culture because she generalize without know everubody. I am an educated savage, who came with a masters degree and earn another here and I being working and paying taxes in the same way that any other person does.
I agree that Miami is not the best place to raise kids, infortunately Miami is not anymore the city it used to be.
I believe that immigration had a big part of this transformation but not because the savages comes but because the law is not severe enough to choose who can stay and who has to leave, even who should be locked up for life, even if that person is american. There is not an immigration law with sense, where people who comes has to pass a "probation" time to adjust and live in the way that we want to live. And yes, I say we, because savage or not, I am american and I am very proud.
Besides the immigration, crime and all other disasters that we have to deal in Miami, the fact that the authorities in Miami stealing the money of tax payers and abuse of the power is even worsening the situation; it is not me who said that they steal and abuse, it is a fact because we can read it in the news everyday.
Miami is the paradise, but defenetely not to raise our kids easily, we have to work very hard and be in top of our kids in order to succeed.

I was born in Mexico, raised in California and now call S. Florida home. I love Miami! I don't have any children, but I take my nine year old nephew, and seven year old niece to Miami often. We go out to eat, sightsee, and just enjoy what the city has to offer. I have never felt that I was endangering their lives. We enjoy what the city has to offer; sure there are bad parts, but every city has them. I have travelled all over the world and there are good and bad people everywhere. The same goes for education and the quality of life. I ask myself why anyone choses to live here if they hate it? I for one feel that I made the right choice, that's why I live in South Florida.

Complain! Critisize! Wouldn't it be so much better if we all practiced the good manners we were ALL taught at home, be that Miami, NYC, Havanna, Rome, or whereever, and learned to be a community. Maybe then Miami and South Florida would be better and friendlier places to live.

Complain! Critisize! Wouldn't it be so much better if we all practiced the good manners we were ALL taught at home, be that Miami, NYC, Havanna, Rome, or whereever, and learned to be a community. Maybe then Miami and South Florida would be better and friendlier places to live.

Oh I forgot to add to my above post that I had two of my cars struck and totaled within 3 months by drunk illegals. Thank god they hit my car because if I wasn't there they would have plowed into the children crossing the street.

I have worked as a law enforcement officer in a very large northern city and also worked as one in Miami. I will tell you the things I saw in Miami were way worse then things I saw in any other city.

As far as cities go, Miami offers very little. Most cities offer diversity and culture along with transporation, education and excitment. Miami offers bad drivers, no one who will speak English, dirt and sprawl like no other. It's pitiful and deserves the poor rating. It might only be good for Spanish speaking people.

Another major aspect that directly effects quality of life is infrastructure...which Miami has none.

Roads are horrible designed and there is no such thing as zoning laws because the contractors just pay the officials off. That is why you have to wait in traffic for 3 hours just to go 5 miles.

Miami lacks suffeceint public transportation. You have two options, take the above ground rail where goes virtually nowhere or wait for a bus forever.

Not to mention these areas of "culture" you speak of have all been bought up and there are rediculously priced condos going up that millionaire residents will move into and bitch about noise and strip your "culture" away from under your nose.

I feel like the Miami I know is different from the one some of you live in. Instead of complaining get a job, make some money, and move to wherever you want. White men are just angry because we get all of their women.

I like the author of this article grew up in North Miami, attended Miami Norland elementary, junior and senior high schools, those educators were bad teachers buying their time until they reached retirement age.

To me there was nothing special about living in S.Florida. My wife and I live in Atlanta, GA and yes the drivers are some of the worst, but they are courteous compared to the ones with Florida tags (Dive Bombers).

I honestly can say that I spent half my life in S.Florida and found nothing that makes it really stand out, cultural diversity every city has that, fine arts and dining that too, entertainment and sporting events may be S.Florida's one thing that might make it stand out.

In 1985 Miami was categorized one of the top ten worst cities to raise a family and I can still understand why, high population of sexual offenders, high crime rate, selfish, rude in-competent drivers I've often believed that they get their drivers licenses out of the back of comic books.

The only difference between Miami being ranked 99th out of 100 is one number. The state would have to pay ME to live there.

This article as Anne Vasques indicated has gotten people to talk, both good and bad comments are being expressed here and it's so sad. There are good and bad whereever you travel but the arrogant and condescending attitude is something that is taught and tolerated by the parents of savages making the parents even bigger savages. Why can't we all just get along? And please people, learn to check your spelling prior to submitting anything. Reading some of your comments even embarrassed me.

We left South Florida (yes I am lumping the tri-County area in this) 5 years ago and moved to North Carolina. I can say it was the best move we ever made. People here are polite, have decent morals and values and take pride in their community.

I am so tired of the conceited, arrogant, "It's better where I came from" attitude that prevails in South Florida.

We do miss some of the diverse restaurants but, here when you drive on I-40 and signal to change lanes, people let you in. In SoFla you have to 'muscle' your way into the lane and hope that no one shoots at you.

I’m surprised Miami cracked the top 100…I would have thought you’d be a little lower on the list. Diversity? Sure, but everyone hates each other. Blacks, Cubans, Jews and white people all blame each other for their problems. Big city, big lights? Sure, if you’re into overpriced food, drinks and entertainment. Beaches? Everyone knows only tourists go to the beach. How about safe, effective public schools that are not overcrowded? How about affordable housing and a reasonable cost of living? How about safe parks? Oh well, I guess as long as I can take my kids to the beach and rent an overpriced umbrella and chair from a Jamaican life is good. Please. That’s why I left six years ago and never looked back. I only care enough to check in on my beloved Dolphins. And there’s no way I’m telling you where I live…I don’t want you So Floridians moving here and ruining things with your crappy driving and rude ways. Love you…but stay where you’re at.

Could not agree with you more cneighbor. South Florida is a place to vacation, not to live.

I've lived here 55 years and there's nothing more I would like but to move. Anywhere but here. People are rude, no one speaks English, we have to appreciate cultural diversity or we are considered prejudiced...the truth is South Florida has turned into a human toilet bowl. Traffic is horrible, crime/shootings everyday, & insurance, electric is very expensive.

I can hardly wait till the housing market improves to sell my home and move to a part of the country where things are different.

It didn't used to be like this.

I would NEVER raise a family in south florida. Besides the crime, drugs, traffic and just plain idiocy of the residents, the schools are among the WORST in the entire USA! For those that are natives of Miami....that is NOTHING to be proud of!

All of America would be a better place if the people that come here would just follow the statement below.
Is this to much to ask. why did you com here anyway? you came here because your country could not offer you what America can. So please be an American or go back to where you came from.
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

i think puerto rico and havana were 101 and 102. i wonder if there is some sort of correlation?

Have they BUTCHERED any more horses in Miami. Where else do people kill, and then CUT-UP a Horse to eat. One of the horses was alive while they butchered it. USE YOUR TURN SIGNALS you SOUTH FLORIDA INCONSIDERATE MORONS. Only in South Florida are people TOO STUPID and LAZY to use their TURN SIGNALS.

Jill, what makes you think the housing market is going to rebound? Do you really think there are that many buyers out there looking for an overpriced house, so they can take an underpayed job and send their kids to under performing public schools? Unless my employer put a gun to my head I wouldn't move to So FLA. Good luck with that anyway.

How did Hialeah do?

If all of you rude unhappy people would just move away it would be much nicer here. I love it. If you don't pack up and go!

The population of Florida is on a decline too, that should say something. People can't wait to get out. Florida has not had a decline in population since it was first settled.

I'm a Cuban American that grew up in Miami in the early 60s..you can't possibly compare that Miami to 2009 Miami..as soon as I could,I moved to a place out of Florida that reminds me of that long lost Miami.I feel sorry that my daughters didn't have the childhood I had..I'm also sorry I didn't make the move earlier,,though I miss pastelitos!!

I grew up in south Florida. Unless you knew the area in the 1960s-1980s, you have no clue how it was.
How Miami was before the Mariel Boatlift, Hurricane Andrew, and the onslaught of rafts arriving from Haiti.
I remember staying in Miami over the weekends with a friends' grandparents. We went to see Mary Poppins in this old theater near Miami Lakes.
I loved the look of Miami.
Coconut Grove was a mecca for artists. It was so beautiful as was Viscaya, the breathtaking mansion on the Bay.
It was when Miami promised a wonderful day at The Seaquarium, Monkey Jungle or Parrot Jungle.
Northern retirees resided in Miami.
And yes, there was little Havana and immigrants who sought to retain their own culture but embraced our country as their new homeland.
What happened to that atmosphere?
I can't look at Miami as a cesspool. It is the place to go if you need the best of medical care.
But, it is a foreign country now. Too crowded, too "diverse" and most who have relocated from other countries have no intention of assimilating.
They even changed the name of Dade County to Miami-Dade County.
How sad is that.
We finally moved out of south Florida when our neighborhood changed and we were the outsiders.
I miss the former south Florida.

After posting, I started reading the other comments. Had to chuckle at the ones who said they relocated and are not telling anyone where they were.
We did the same. It is SO different here.
It's a nice, quiet community. The newspaper only comes out twice a week.
People wave at each other on the road.
If you need help, people show up to help you- no questions asked.
Yes, it takes time to assimilate. You're not used to other motorists slowing down so you can pull ahead. You're not used to stores that know you loaning you things- yes, really.
You're not used to the concept of equality for ALL, not just one group or any special interest.
I can still see in my minds' eye, the Rickenbacher Causeway Bridge in Miami. The Atlantic Ocean where the Gulfstream flows right through it. The ships far off shore.
South Florida has some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, I think.
But, I don't miss the general environment at all.
My sister had to visit another town in Florida. Not going to say where it is because it would be a crime if it changed.
Sister is from south Florida. She was standing in line in a store and didn't have change to use the xerox machine. The person ahead and behind her went through their pockets/purses trying to find some change for her.
She commented that where she was from, no one would ever help another person in line. They asked her where she was from. South Florida. There was quiet.
South Florida's reputation these days, is evidently is well-known.

If you like swirling swarms of flies hovering over a towering pile of dung then Miami is for you!!!

I'm sorry but Crystal you said you have a masters degree, but your comment isn't even in proper English, what did you major in? There are grammatical and spelling errors all over it. I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and loved it. I've never lived in Miami, but plan on going to graduate school at UM. I wouldn't trade growing up in South Florida for anything. I was able to have an amazing childhood. I learned so much and am able to have a much more worldly view of life thanks to my childhood, an opportunity I don't feel I would have gotten if I would have grown up elsewhere. I'm going to school now in the Tampa/St. Pete area and my friends that I talk to from other Florida cities and outside of Florida are amazed to hear that everyone in Miami speaks Spanish. I do understand the rudeness issue, but I have felt the same in every other major city I've visited. South Florida has amazing opportunities if you work hard, stay in school, and get a good education. I've watched my family's business grow in a way it couldn't have if we lived somewhere else. South Florida is like a major world city and comes with all the dangers of a city like that, but I believe it teaches you real life lessons that you can't learn in school. It makes me push myself to say I want to get a good job and be able to live in a place like Coral Gables. It's just unfortunate that many of the immigrants and other youth of today lack that drive.

I think they meant to say that SoBe is nice...it is if you're 18-25 crowd, otherwise it is people with early midlife crisis syndrome. The other 95% of Miami Dade county is atrocious...Hurricane Andrew was the best thing that happened to Miami Dade, maybe another will come along. By the way, I have extended family there...

I too am a native of Miami who move to San Francisco as a child. I don't see much diversity in Miami. Only about 25% of the residents speak English at home. Spanish is the dominant language where the Cuban culture reigns supreme. The ballots in California are printed in 7 languages. Thats diveristy. I moved back to Florida 7 years ago but not to Miami. There is no way I would ever live there again. Over the last 50 years I've watched Miami go from a nice place to raise a family to a toxic sewer filled with hostile people. I need a bullet proof vest and an armed escort to travel through my childhood neighborhood. Many California latinos view Miami's Cuban community as arrogant and unfriendly and I agree with them. There is a lack of civility in Miami that makes it one of the worst cities to raise kids not to mention the crime.

We left Miami about 20 years ago to move to North Carolina to raise our kids. What we didn't know was how far behind in school our kids were in Miami. My husband wanted to come back in 2003 because of family and it wasn't till we got back that we realized what a mistake it was and how much worse it had gotten. Unfortunately when we decided to go back to NC the housing market crashed here and now we are stuck..... My neighbor here actually told me if I wanted people to act "neighborly" to go back to NC, that people here don't do that. I can't wait to leave.

I live and like Miami. I can accept its diversity and it's vibrant. Those that are threaten by it leave and demean the city. We Europeans have learn to live among each other and not feel threaten by different languages, customs, or culture

Cultural diversity in Miami? It's hardly the U.N. of America. Of all the languages spoken in Miami, Spanish is the primary language with English a distant 2nd followed by Creole at just 4%. The other languages and cultures are insignificant at less than a fraction of a percent. Contrast this with Los Angeles where 137 languages are spoken and San Francisco with 112 and you can see why Californians have a "skewed" take on demographics. Look at Seatle where 123 are spoken, New York with 129 an Chicago with 109 and you get a sense of where Miami fits on the diversity scale. It isn't Omaha but it's hardly diverse or a reason to raise a family here.

I love Miami, it will always be home to me, however after frequently visiting states like California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Arizona. I am currently looking to relocate to Denver with my family. I have 3 children and SoFla has a lot to offer, but our cost of living and low wages makes it difficult to provide the kind of fun we would like for them. Besides, spending X-mas in shorts and a tank top is not the same as a "white christmas" by the fire place, I'm sure I'll be back, because I don't think Miami is one of the worst places to live.

Strange list. It would have been more credible to rank comparably sized metro areas, not just cities and a few of their suburbs, and then clumping in major cities with towns such as Fargo, N.D. Most Americans reside in major metro areas, ranking them would have been much more relevant.

I lived for three years in Cheyenne, Wyoming, which ranked very high on the list. Yeehaw, that place is the forgotten corner of the globe. Once your kids grow up there, they'll move to Miami and never speak to you again.

Seems like most of the negative posters have some sort of axe to grind. For those that call Miami a "third world cesspool", I just have to laugh. I've seen he slums of South America and Africa and find the comparison to Miami nothing but the mud slinging of the uneducated.

Some of these comments are wild. So South Florida might have its flaws, but I'd go crazy if I lived in some redneck town where it was 99% white (oh, I'm white). So bring on the diversity, even if its mostly Latin, because I'm a salsa dancing Cuban sandwich eating gringo.

Miami was fun 10 years ago when I first moved here as a single party chick. But now that I'm married and have a child, it's time to go. This city is not good for families. Didn't a high school kid get stabbed in one of the better high schools today? The survey is right.

40 minutes north in Broward is not Miami. When I lived there I would head 40 minutes north to get away from Miami. My husband and I moved from there for the purpose to start a married life in a less aggressive place and to start a family elsewhere. Hey, at least Miami didn't win the top spot this year as the most aggressive road rage city via the Auto Advantage survey... yay (sarcasm).

> Thanks for the grammar
> check, Literacy. Spelling
> error is fixed.

On this note, a good spell check and grammar check program is Spell Check Anywhere (SpellCheckAnywhere.Com).

i was born and raised in coral gables in 1973 until i left in 1992 to move to the mountains of nc. i would not trade growing up in miami for anything! miami taught me how to accept and adapt to any type of environment. BUT, all the money in the world could not be given to me to raise my children there! it just seems to get worse with every passing day. life is to precious to risk living in that type of environment, that ups your chances of a short lived life. the stabbing at my alma mater this week is a crying shame and yes, this stuff DOES happen in smalltown usa, but everything else you have to deal with living in miami, just not for me! but more power to ya if you can survive it all down there. and to all my friends down there, be safe and make wise decisions! same for anyone reading this

David hit the nail on the head.

Anna, you talk about cultural diversity and then point out the beaches and hot night life in Miami. Those things are great, but they have very little bearing on raising a child. In fact, night life has nothing to do with it.

When I think of the criteria for good places to raise a child, I think of the quality of the public schools, the crime rate within the community, whether you can get an affordable house with a nice yard for the kids to play, etc.

Unfortunately, I have to rate most of South Florida pretty low on these criteria. Florida schools are often rated near the last in the nation (right before Mississippi) and its impossible to get a decent house with a yard for kids to play in at an affordable price!

In addition, other people's comments about the rudeness of South Floridians is very well taken. Just go out of Florida and visit other southern states like North Carolina and you'll immediately notice the difference. Not only will people say hello to you and be friendly, if you have car problems people will actually stop and help you! In South Florida, people won't even bother to move over a lane and, instead, will drive right on past you at excessive speeds.

I was born and raised in South Florida and I will stay here because my whole family is here, but I do not particular love living in Florida.

P.S.

Others have made some very good points regarding the "diversity" of South Florida and about those who like it.

Most people who think of the "diversity" in South Florida as a good thing are Hispanics. I do not think its the actual "diversity" they enjoy. Rather, I think its the fact that South Florida is so dominated by the Latin culture that it makes them feel at home to be here. A Hispanic can easily live and work in South Florida without speaking a word of English and feel right at home as if they lived in pre-revolution Havana. I, on the other hand, would find it hard to get a job in my field in Miami because I do not speak Spanish. (Taking French in school was a bad choice).

To illustrate my point, my friend's parents moved here from Cuba in the 60's and while my friend is bilingual, his parents never learned the English. In contrast, the immigrants who came from Europe around the turn of the the last century embraced America. They learned English.

Sometimes I feel that people who fled Cuba (not those born here) do not really consider themselves Americans but, rather, exiles of Cuba.

On a final note, I do not think the diversity is a positive thing from the aspect of raising a family. When I worked in Miami I worked with several Cubans who unabashedly told me various stories about how they engaged in corrupt acts and got away with it. They were proud about this. One co-worker bragged about how her parents made a false and fraudulent insurance claim with the help of their (Cuban) friend who is an insurance agent. Apparently after the accident the friend wrote them a policy and back-dated it so that it looked like they wrote it prior to the accident.

Another person (who was a client of the company I worked for and is himself Cuban) told me stories about how after Hurricane Wilma his Cuban neighbors took turns dragging large, expensive objects from one neighbor's yard to another and that each of them claimed that the damaged item was theirs so that they could collect insurance money for it. This is how residents of Miami-Dade were paid more money from FEMA after Wilma than Broward County residents were paid -- even though Wilma predominantly hit Broward and hardly affected Miami-Dade at all.

And Culture? Seriously? Do you really believe that Miami has culture? Have you ever lived anywhere else? Miami just built a multi-million dollar opera house and performing arts center ... and the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra went bankrupt! They have to bring in the Cleveland Orchestra for Gods Sake! I'm sorry, but a town that does not a symphony or philharmonic orchestra can hardly be called cultured (while keeping a straight face anyway).

Moreover, I submit that when you consider the culture of corruption that has been brought to Miami from Latin America and compare it with the paltry amount of culture that the city has, the culture of corruption dominates.

I have been in Miami since 1983 - a personal and professional catastrophe as it turned out. Having turned lemons to lemonaide to a great extent, I have to agree with poster 'Joe.'

Miami is not a 'melting-pot,' it is a 'salad-bowl.' Latin and Caribbean people people predominate Miami, and that might seem diverse to the constrictive ethocentricity of someone who identifies exclusively with those cultural groups, but excuse me if I am a Euro-American who grew up in the Northeast, during a certain time-span where diversity meant global diversity. I might live in close proximity to my Latin and Caribbean neighbors, but because Miamians are incapable of transcending their ethnic identities, if I don't look like them or sound like them, I might as well forget about ever developing real relationships with them. Bigoted you think? My wife is Black, ask her if I'm bigoted.

There is no Asian or African culture in Miami, and as for European culture - Miami doesn't even have a classical music radio station! If not for NPR, the soundwaves would be intolerable. Oh, does this sound elitest? Excuse me for embracing the value of higher education. I have advanced academic degrees, and Miami is not just neutral towards this, it is as anti-intellectual a place as I have even seen the the USA.

Night life is 'almost' irrelevant to raising children, but by the time they reach middle school, it is the pornographic subculture which begins to influence them, just as that subculture has tinged the manner of dress and sexual mores of Miamians. Ever wonder just why Miami has been the HIV-AIDS capital of the USA year after year after year? Does the average parent have clue one as to what behaviors middle school and even some elementary school kids are demonstrating in Miami? Keep those blinders on folks.

Time to end the rant. I happened upon this column looking for articles that graded Miami as 2nd to last in the nation for raising kids. Just remember, it's not the kids' fault - they only learn what they're shown, and what they're shown ain't pretty.

For all of you that have came from other areas and are now whining about how bad Florida is... LEAVE!!! It will only make my home state better. Take you crying ass back to where you came from and enjoy. We did fine without you before and will do so (preferably) again… But remember, you left your home state for some reason!

Thanks so much for posting this information! We appreciate the time you must have taken to present this information so clearly.

Arrogant people, worst service in ANY PLACE (restaurants, malls, shops, even if you are just changing a tire for your car, you will get an unfortunate moment!!), traffic in expressways can last 2 hours to get to your work place (Doral streets at 5 pm you can be lucky and get flagler in an hour and 1/2).

I AGREE, worst place to raise kids. I have lived in LA, NY, West Palm, and now 7 years living in Miami. I just can't stand it anymore. I'm not complaining about beaches, entertainment centers, etc.
THIS IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE!. Not Everyone, but sadly the majority. I'm just waiting to collect some money to relocate north again. May God help me.

Miami is the syphillitic shankar sore on the Floridian penile peninsula of the USA. There are some benevolent human 'microbes,' but there is a vast nasty infection. The Florida Keys look like the drops of a nasty penile discharge set against a picturesque ocean. Key West seems to harbor some of the most virulent types.
The nuts may roll to California, but all the slime runs to South Florida. I WISH I could leave.

I love Miami for its imperfection, "humanness," and natural bountiful beauty.

We are becoming too obsessed with perfect environments, perfect lives, perfect kids. What does this all mean? Why do we just want this from life? Do we want the perfect ending movie, so predictable from beginning to end that you know what to expect from before you pay for the tickets?

There's more to life's journey than competition, money, and perfection. Miami reminds me that every day.

By the way, I have two wonderful young children, getting an amazing education in Miami. I am Latin American, and have two masters degrees very rich in math and technology. Miami looked for me as an immigrant -not the other way around. So to all those posters that are so resentful about their being white and feeling discriminated in Miami (I am also white!), I would suggest getting higher education degrees instead of complaining and justifying their mediocrity...