w.r.t. other areas/cities not being a panacea, i'm def aware of that - but Miami is def a different animal - Miami is the most Latin city in the US (by far) - the Cubans dominate EVERYTHING here from politics to business and w/ that comes the "Cuban style" of doing things which is def not all bad but plenty there not to like (just see how many on TUSCL feel about dealing w/ Cuban-dancers - that is a microcosm of living in Miami).
In the last couple of years I would drive 200-miles north to Cocoa Beach to hit Inner Room when I just needed to get away from Miami even if just for a day; but unfortunately Inner Room is not to my liking post ownership change a year+ ago thus I don't go anymore (plus flagooner goes there and IDK what may go down if I'm f2f w/ that patronizer) - anyway in my trips to Cocoa Beach I instantly felt relaxed as soon as I was past South FL on my aay north to Cocoa Beach - and I felt super-relaxed; almost like a different country; when I was in CB compared to Miami - I literally/physically felt a difference.
I also travel from time to time to other cities and yeah no city is perfect by any means and some are worst than others, but pretty-much every city Iv'e gone to I find things to be better (customer service, less rude people, etc) than Miami.
Growing up in Miami from age 9 (when I immigrated from Cuba w/ my family) to age 30 when I moved to Dallas, I didn't know anything other than Miami and Havana - I would have family come down to visit from out-of-state and they'd mention how bad Miami was and how they liked to visit but wouldn't wanna live here - I had NO CLUE what they were talking about b/c I had zero point-of-reference - also growing-up in Miami I'd hear people moving down-here or visiting complaining about how bad it was; and I again had no clue what they were talking-about and always thought it was something wrong w/ them.
It wasn't till I moved to Dallas that I saw the stark difference almost everyone outside Miami would mention to me - my family was down here in Miami so I'd come down from Dallas ever year 2x/yr (summer/christmas vacation) - the first-year I came down I was still in "Miami mode"; but by the 2nd-year I started to be taken aback w.r.t Miami way of living and after the 2nd-day of vacation I'd be in a bad-mood w/ the horrible drivers and rude people and horrendous customer service - by the time I moved back to Miami full time after 10-years, it literally took me a year to sorta get used to living in a banana-republic again.
Again - no place is perfect - but in the places I've visited and lived, I don't feel as in Miami (even other parts of central and northern FL are way different than Miami (but I didn't like Tampa; reminded me too much of Miami)) - almost everyone I've known that has moved from Miami (mostly Cubans) say they don't wanna return and they've actually prospered outside Miami (a while ago I saw a study reported in the news where they ranked Miami as the worst US city w.r.t. COL vs avg-salary; mainly housing expense: and I believe it).
Miami-Dade county is the 7th-largest county by population out of ~3000 counties in the US (CA holds 3 of the first 6 places) - Miami-Dade is thus very populated and its demographics are 65% Latino; 20% black; and only 15% Anglo - that kinda white-flight out of such a large metro area tells you something - and although the county continues to grow in population the white/Anglo population actually continues to shrink (and in absolute #s just not just as a percentage).
Not trying to say Miami is N Korea in terms of livability nor that other cities are gonna be stress-free living; but IME and the experiences of others I know, there is def a difference in quality of life and thus the joke I heard a comedian once say - "I went on vacation out of the country - I went to Miami" - LOL.
Not trying to harp on point via the this long-ass diatribe; just describing my experiences - and yeah part of my issues w/ Miami-living is my personal-wiring; but it's just part.