Audio By Carbonatix
A recent study found that more than half of all young adults in Miami say they want to leave the city, citing rising costs of living and swelling traffic congestion.
But on Facebook, Instagram, and elsewhere on social media, scores of New Times readers offered their own hypotheses about why young people want out of the 305, a notion few disputed.
Global design firm Gensler looked at the top 27 metros in the U.S. and surveyed about 2,200 childless residents between the ages of 18 and 34 from July and November last year. The survey is part of the company’s broader research on what makes cities magnetic, finding that proximity to climate perils, stalled traffic, crime, and sparse job opportunities are causing young adults to move from some major U.S. metros.
While many New Times readers agreed with Gensler’s findings, dozens had their own takes as to why young people are chirping about flying the coop.
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“It’s because Miami is basically sponsored by Instagram now. Influencer town,” offered one Facebook user.
“I mean yeah … even when they graduate with a degree, they still won’t make enough to afford the cost of living in Miami on their own,” wrote another.
“No reproductive rights for women, highest HIV and STDs in the nation (I worked at HIV clinics here), surrounded by oligarch’s obnoxious kids spending war money, no rent control, and water is too dirty to swim in,” wrote another user.
Most rankings of STD-infected cities place Miami in the teens, but the point is well taken. Others had more comical takes on the survey.
“Is moving to Hialeah or Opa-locka considered leaving Miami?” quipped one.
Another pointed out that plan was a key qualifier in the study, writing, “‘Plan’ to leave … they aren’t going anywhere. No place like Miami.”
“Cause it’s expensive as fuck and not everyone has a sugar daddy,” wrote another.
Some laid it on the line.
“It’s not surprising,” wrote one. “South Florida is beautiful, but the cost of living, climate risks, and limited career growth make it hard for young people to build long-term stability.
And others shared revelations they had after leaving Miami, with many saying they haven’t looked back since. One waxed eloquent, describing her exodus as one of the best decisions in her life.
“I left in 2022 and honestly it was one of the best decisions of my life. I make three times the salary I was making at the last job I had in Miami and my quality of life is exponentially better,” she wrote. “People don’t wake up and immediately choose to be an obnoxious asshole in public over here. Cost of living is much lower, wages are much higher, better access to fresh food directly from farms, commute to work is only 15 minutes as opposed to an hour. Yeah, Miami is kind of fucking over unless you have crypto-scam or [OnlyFans] money.”
