1 01 October 2009 Worst of the Worst From all the bad things that happen in this country, from

traffic decorum to property market corruption, the worst we hear about is in Florida. From all those bad things in Florida, the worst is in South Florida. And in South Florida, surprisingly or not, the worst happens in Miami. No wonder that is the case. As my father always says, people make the place and I think he is right. Statistics from the U.S. government found on Fedstats1 confirm that too. MIAMI has over 400,000 people. Of those, only 16% aged 25+ have a Bachelor's degree or higher, while in Florida that percentage is 23%. In Miami there are over 140,000 housing units, with a homeownership rate of 35%, while in the whole state of Florida that rate is 70%. The area in Miami is 35 square miles and the city has over 10,000 persons per square mile, whereas in Florida there are almost 300 persons per square mile. The income shows that Miami has over 130,000 households with a percapita income of only around $15,000 and a percentage of persons below poverty over 28%. In Florida, we have a per-capita income of over $21,000 and a percentage of persons below poverty of a little more than 12%. When we look at safety, according to Bestplaces2, the number of violent crimes committed in Miami is high out of 10 (10 being the worst), Miami has a seven score. Miami scores do not look good when considering healthy living either: out of 100 (100 being the best), the air quality in Miami is rated 5, and when we look at clean-up effort numbers, Miami scores 10. You would think who would choose to live in that city, then? Oh well, people are different, have different tastes, and after all, people who live where they live make the place the way it is. That is why we had to move; we did not fit in. We were not happy living in Miami. We did not like most of what the city had to offer and we did not have much in common with the people who live there they like Miami; their life-style and needs differ completely, or mostly, from ours. They like shopping, noise, parties and the limelight. We dont. We want culture, peace and quiet, non-crowded places and privacy. We knew we had to leave; we just had to find where to go. After doing a lot of research, we came across Melbourne good schools, smaller town, and nice people. We visited Melbourne many times to get a taste of the locals and confirm our findings. But It is all Florida, isnt it? Miami is in South Florida and Melbourne in Central Florida, but they are both on the
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MapStats - Miami (city), Florida (2009) Compare Cities: Miami, FL - Melbourne, FL (2009)

2 east coast of the USA, and temperature-wise they are very similar. So why Melbourne? one could ask. They do have similarities for their geographical positions, but as we found out and Fedstats3 confirms, Miami and Melbourne are quite different cities. MELBOURNE has around 75,000 people and from those 21% have a Bachelor's degree or higher, against Miamis 16%. In Melbourne there are over 33,000 housing units and from those 62% are owned, while in Miami only 35% are owned. The density tells us something too. In Melbourne the area is 30 square miles, pretty much the same as Miami, but the difference is enormous when looking at the number of persons per square mile: just a little over 2,000 against 10,000 in Miami. Income level shows that Melbourne is ahead of the game from that perspective too. In Melbourne, there are over 30,000 households, with a per-capita income over $19,000 and a percentage of persons below poverty of a little over 11%. When compared against Miami, the per-capita income is lower in Miami (around $15,000) and the percentage of persons below poverty higher (over 28%). From the safety perspective, Melbourne is a winner too. According to Bestplaces, the number of violent crimes committed in Melbourne scores a five out of 10 (10 being the worst), while Miami scores a seven. What about health? Out of 100 (100 being the best), the air quality in Melbourne is 18 against 5 in Miami. The water quality is pretty much the same (60 in Melbourne against 50 in Miami), but when we look at clean-up effort numbers, Miami loses again: Melbourne scores 59 while Miami scores 10. We can keep looking and comparing numbers, but all we see confirms what common knowledge tells us: Miami is the worst of Florida. Some people may think Miami is the best, the best way of living and they should stay there. We relocated to Melbourne and, from experience, so far, have no regrets.

MapStats - Melbourne (city), Florida (2009)

3 Works Cited

United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. MapStats - Melbourne (city), Florida. Fedstats.10 July 2009. Web. 03 Oct. 2009.

---. MapStats - Miami (city), Florida. Fedstats. 10 July 2009. Web. 03 Oct. 2009.

Compare Cities: Miami, FL - Melbourne, FL. Sperlings BestPlaces. Web. 03 Oct. 2009.

MapStats - Melbourne (city), Florida (2009)