In Miami, love is all you need.
While we may not always speak fondly of our fair city, a new poll shows that Miamians are growing ever more attached to their town.
The Soul of the Community study, conducted by Gallup, showed that Miamians were more attached to their community, compared to other large cities.
The study surveyed 400 locals, who said that despite our lousy economy we're attached to the Magic City, for better and worse.
Posts in ‘Miami’
We Love You, Miami! - NBCMiami.com
Study: Miamians more passionate about community
From the South Florida Business Journal:
Despite the economic downturn, Miami saw a significant increase in residents’ passion and loyalty for their community, according to a three-year study conducted by Gallup and funded by the Knight Foundation.
The Soul of the Community project, which looked at 26 communities, found that the worst economic crisis in decades was not a key factor in Miamians’ love of their city.
“While the pain from the recession is deep, other factors far outweigh economics when it comes to determining how emotionally attached people are to their communities,” said Warren Wright, managing partner for Gallup, said in a news release.
Miamians' love affair with city trumps economic woes - MiamiHerald.com
Sure, Miami's got lousy drivers, questionable manners and one of country's most depressed real estate markets. Yet despite its drawbacks -- not to mention the recession -- residents of Miami-Dade say they love this city more than ever.
To be more precise, they're expressing a greater level of attachment to this community, according to the ``Soul of the Community'' three-year study conducted by Gallup and funded by the Knight Foundation.
This year, the second of the project, Miami had the most significant jump in community attachment when compared to other large cities in the survey, which is being released Tuesday. In all, 26 U.S. communities are being studied.
Thoughts on the findings in Miami
Stuart Kennedy is Knight's program associate in Miami.
The sun is shining in Miami. Palm trees are swaying in the breeze. The ocean is that pure, clear blue that mid-westerners dream of in their tropical vacation fantasies. It appears that Miami’s image as an urban tropical paradise continues to ring true with residents. It’s not surprising that aesthetics ranks at the top of the list for the most important components driving community attachment in Miami.
Amidst a devastating economic downturn, it is comforting to have evidence that an intrinsic characteristic, like the city’s physical beauty, is driving community attachment rather than something as fickle as the economy.
Along with aesthetics, social offerings remained one of the top three factors driving community attachment and nightlife was sited as the highest ranked aspect of social offerings. While the South Beach club scene remains a strong draw, the artistic community has seriously stepped it up in the last few years. Concerts, gallery openings, and a slew of other art-centric events are popping up on the calendar week in and week out. This is not just your annual, imported Art Basel. This is home-grown energy that is not confined to the few cooler months of the year. We are getting to a critical mass with the arts in Miami and residents are feeling it.
According to the study, the third most important driver, openness (how welcoming a place is) still needs some work. Miami does have the stereotype of being relatively unfriendly. However, we are chipping away at this problem as Miamians get out into their beautiful city to take advantage of the social offerings and start interacting with the multitude of diverse peoples that live here.
Miami is a unique and interesting place. Even though the majority of its residents were not born in the city, its innate charm will sneak up and grab you and before you know it, you’ll start feeling attached.
