{"id":12408,"date":"2015-09-14T14:50:15","date_gmt":"2015-09-14T18:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/?p=12408"},"modified":"2023-11-16T12:12:48","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T17:12:48","slug":"8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Things to Know When Moving to Miami That Only a Local Could Tell You"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miami is the most international city in the United States, and residents often joke about Miami being so close to the United States. Truly, it is unlike any other U.S. city. About 57 percent of its residents are foreign-born, and 70 percent are Hispanic. The city is host to people from all over the world, enticing Europeans, Israelis, Russians and others to move to Miami and join the city\u2019s eclectic culture and diverse flavors.<\/p>\n

Despite its languid heat, Miami is a high-energy city. A boom in high-rise construction in the last decade has added height and heft to the skyline, and condo living, mass transit and urban living are becoming more common. Miami is actually one of about 30 cities in Miami-Dade County, each of which has its own government. The city of Miami has a population of about 430,000, while the county has about 2.7 million residents. Metro Miami blends into metropolitan Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, which blends into neighboring Palm Beach County.<\/p>\n

While Miami is known for its beaches, food and nightlife, there are qualities only locals are privy to that will help any newcomer feel like a native. So while you search for a storage unit<\/a>, here are 8 things to know when moving to Miami.<\/p>\n

\"Moving
Image via Flickr: Vladamir Kud<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. People speak Spanish in Miami, but don\u2019t worry, they\u2019re not talking about you.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some people are put off when they are surrounded by people speaking another language. In Miami, it\u2019s everyday life. Deal with it. Your grocery clerk may be flirting in Haitian Creole with the bagger, or the woman in the dressing room next to you at Macy\u2019s may be discussing jeans in Hebrew.<\/p>\n

The language you\u2019re most likely to hear is Spanish, which 59 percent of Miami-Dade residents speak at home (though they may speak English, too). Spanish is also a common second language for the many people in South Florida who do business with Latin America. You won\u2019t pick it up simply by relocating to Miami, but if you can learn enough to know that people in the elevator are not talking about you, you\u2019ll be happier. Spanish is not the language of the underclass, but the language of international business.<\/p>\n

2. Miami is a classy place. We don\u2019t wear shorts and sneakers to dinner.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

People dress up in Miami, and some of their outfits may be a bit outlandish. Enjoy the spectacle. A little black dress is always safe, but save your shorts and sneakers for the gym. If you\u2019re a woman, you will need a selection of strappy sandals\u2014the blingier, the better. Sandals and socks for men? Uh, no. But you don\u2019t have to wear a tie.<\/p>\n

3. Miami has bugs. Yes, that includes giant flying cockroaches.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When I first moved to Florida, I rented a cottage a few blocks from the beach. I was horrified one night to find a large cockroach (we call them palmetto bugs) on my freshly baked cheesecake. I ended up moving, not realizing that if you have a problem with bugs in your house, you call an exterminator, because bugs are everywhere. In addition to the palmetto bugs, expect to see tiny sugar ants, larger carpenter ants, fire ants (whose bites are painful), termites and mosquitoes. On the bright side, we have fewer flies.<\/p>\n

4. In Miami, everything starts late. Unless you\u2019re late, and then it start on time.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Time is a difficult concept in Miami. The stereotype is that when Latins say they\u2019re coming at 4 p.m., they mean 5 p.m. But because some Latins hate that stereotype, they make it a point to always be on time. And because some Anglos and African Americans get tired of waiting for tardy friends, they are always late. Most events start at least 10 or 15 minutes late, because even the people who meant to arrive on time got stuck in traffic.<\/p>\n

5. Miami traffic is bad; expect to be stuck in it. We don\u2019t use turn signals, but we use our horns.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What they say about Miami drivers is that everyone drives according to the rules of where he or she came from. If that were true, we\u2019d probably drive better. You have to drive defensively here, because someone will cut in front of you to turn left from the right lane without using a signal. Warning to Miami pedestrians: You may have the right of way, but don\u2019t count on drivers to stop. If you relocate to Miami from another state, you have 30 days to get a Florida driver\u2019s license, and your best strategy is to make an appointment rather than just show up.<\/p>\n

6. You can grow your own food. We traffic in mangoes.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Florida\u2019s weather is fabulous for growing all kinds of edible crops and, in Miami, mango and avocado trees abound. You can grow your own orange, grapefruit, lemon and Key lime trees, as well as more exotic species such as lychee and loquat. Florida\u2019s sandy soil is great for growing lettuce and herbs, and with fertilizer you can grow tomatoes, green beans, peppers and more. For most crops, the growing season is in the winter. But mangoes ripen in the summer, and the bounty of a mango tree is often enough to supply several households.<\/p>\n

7. People in Miami are always looking for new friends. You might have to make the first move.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the best things about moving to Miami is there are lots of newcomers. That means you don\u2019t have to deal with being the only new guy in a town where everyone else has known each other since grade school. Lots of people want to make new friends, but you may have to make the first move. In the meantime, one of the first things to do when you move can be to check for Meetup groups and try some of the many networking events at museums, cultural venues and bookstores.<\/p>\n

8. It\u2019s easy to find lots of free things to do in Miami.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"\"
Image via Flickr: Wally Gobetz<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The culture in Miami is vast and has exploded in recent years. There are free art walks nearly every weekend, ranging from the sedate first Friday of the month event in Coral Gables to the giant street party that takes over Wynwood the second Saturday of every month.<\/p>\n

The new Perez Art Museum Miami is just one of the museums that offers free days. Plus, you can watch free movies weekly under the stars at the home of the New World Symphony in Miami, which also provides free outdoor Wallcast concerts. Miami\u2019s independent bookstore, Books & Books, voted Publisher\u2019s Weekly Bookstore of the Year for 2015, has free author events at its multiple locations nearly every night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tMiami is known for its beaches, food, and nightlife, but there are certain things only the locals know. Learn 8 things you should know when you move to Miami.\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[650,651],"tags":[833,398,434],"class_list":["post-12408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-miami","category-miami-moving-guide","tag-miami","tag-miami-storage","tag-moving-guides"],"yoast_head":"\r\nMoving to Miami: 8 Tips From a Local | CubeSmart<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Miami is known for its beaches, food, and nightlife, but there are certain things only the locals know. Learn 8 things you should know when you move to Miami.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12408\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Moving to Miami: 8 Tips From a Local | CubeSmart\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Miami is known for its beaches, food, and nightlife, but there are certain things only the locals know. Learn 8 things you should know when you move to Miami.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Storage Space\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-09-14T18:50:15+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-16T17:12:48+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vlad.jpg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Storage Queens\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cubesmart\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@cubesmart\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Storage Queens\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/\",\"name\":\"Moving to Miami: 8 Tips From a Local | CubeSmart\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vlad.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-09-14T18:50:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-16T17:12:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/67d25c3d5286e06e72d026d46688b9d5\"},\"description\":\"Miami is known for its beaches, food, and nightlife, but there are certain things only the locals know. Learn 8 things you should know when you move to Miami.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vlad.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vlad.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"The Storage Space\",\"description\":\"CubeSmart Self Storage Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/67d25c3d5286e06e72d026d46688b9d5\",\"name\":\"The Storage Queens\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/56009031a311978c84919342ca72f708?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/56009031a311978c84919342ca72f708?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"The Storage Queens\"},\"description\":\"We know a thing or two about moving. Together, we share the best tips in organizing, storage, navigating your city, and more!\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/about-us\/\"]}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Moving to Miami: 8 Tips From a Local | CubeSmart","description":"Miami is known for its beaches, food, and nightlife, but there are certain things only the locals know. Learn 8 things you should know when you move to Miami.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12408","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Moving to Miami: 8 Tips From a Local | CubeSmart","og_description":"Miami is known for its beaches, food, and nightlife, but there are certain things only the locals know. Learn 8 things you should know when you move to Miami.","og_url":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/","og_site_name":"The Storage Space","article_published_time":"2015-09-14T18:50:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-16T17:12:48+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vlad.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"The Storage Queens","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@cubesmart","twitter_site":"@cubesmart","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"The Storage Queens","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/","url":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/","name":"Moving to Miami: 8 Tips From a Local | CubeSmart","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vlad.jpg","datePublished":"2015-09-14T18:50:15+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-16T17:12:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/67d25c3d5286e06e72d026d46688b9d5"},"description":"Miami is known for its beaches, food, and nightlife, but there are certain things only the locals know. Learn 8 things you should know when you move to Miami.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/miami\/miami-moving-guide\/8-things-to-know-when-moving-to-miami-that-only-a-local-could-tell-you\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vlad.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vlad.jpg"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/","name":"The Storage Space","description":"CubeSmart Self Storage Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/67d25c3d5286e06e72d026d46688b9d5","name":"The Storage Queens","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/56009031a311978c84919342ca72f708?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/56009031a311978c84919342ca72f708?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"The Storage Queens"},"description":"We know a thing or two about moving. Together, we share the best tips in organizing, storage, navigating your city, and more!","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/about-us\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24568,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12408\/revisions\/24568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}