Miami-Dade County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
located in the southeastern part of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the
2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the
seventh-most populous county in the United States. It is also Florida's third largest county in terms of land area, with . The
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
is
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, the core of the
nation's ninth largest and
world's 34th largest metropolitan area with a 2020 population of 6.138 million people.
Miami-Dade County is heavily
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
, and was the most populous
majority-Hispanic county in the nation as of 2020. It is home to 34
incorporated cities and many
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
s. The northern, central and eastern portions of the county are heavily
urbanized
''Urbanized'' is a documentary film directed by Gary Hustwit and released on 26 October 2011. It is considered the third of a three-part series on design known as the Design Trilogy; the first being ''Helvetica'', about the typeface, and the seco ...
with many
high-rise buildings
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdictio ...
along the coastline, including Miami's
Central Business District
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
in
Downtown Miami
Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and Park West. It ...
. Southern Miami-Dade County includes the
Redland and
Homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
*Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...
areas, which make up the agricultural economy of the county. Agricultural Redland makes up roughly one third of Miami-Dade County's inhabited land area, and is sparsely populated, a stark contrast to the densely populated, urban portions of the county northern sections.
The county also includes portions of two national parks. To the west, the county extends into the
Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is an American national park that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida. The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States and the largest wilderness of any kind east ...
and is populated only by a
Miccosukee
The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is a federally recognized Native American tribe in the U.S. state of Florida. They were part of the Seminole nation until the mid-20th century, when they organized as an independent tribe, receiving fed ...
tribal village.
Biscayne National Park
Biscayne National Park is an American national park located south of Miami, Florida in Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County. The park preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier reefs. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and t ...
and the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves are located east of the mainland in
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay () is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is la ...
.
History
Native people
The earliest evidence of
Native American settlement in the Miami region came from about 12,000 years ago. The first inhabitants settled on the banks of the
Miami River, with the main villages on the northern banks.
The inhabitants at the time of first European contact were the
Tequesta
The Tequesta (also Tekesta, Tegesta, Chequesta, Vizcaynos) were a Native American tribe. At the time of first European contact they occupied an area along the southeastern Atlantic coast of Florida. They had infrequent contact with Europeans a ...
people, who controlled much of southeastern Florida, including what is now Miami-Dade County,
Broward County
Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 ...
, and the southern part of
Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...
. The Tequesta Indians fished, hunted, and gathered the fruit and roots of plants for food, but did not practice agriculture. They buried the small bones of the deceased with the rest of the body, and put the larger bones in a box for the village people to see. The Tequesta are credited with making the
Miami Circle
The Miami Circle, also known as The Miami River Circle, Brickell Point, or The Miami Circle at Brickell Point Site, is an archaeological site in Downtown Miami, Florida. It consists of a perfect circle measuring 38 feet (11.5m) of 600 postmolds th ...
.
European explorers and settlers
Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León (, , , ; 1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and '' conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and for serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santervá ...
was the first European to visit the area in 1513 by sailing into
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay () is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is la ...
. His journal records he reached ''Chequescha'', a variant of ''Tequesta'', which was Miami's first recorded name. It is unknown whether he came ashore or made contact with the natives.
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his men made the first recorded landing when they visited the
Tequesta
The Tequesta (also Tekesta, Tegesta, Chequesta, Vizcaynos) were a Native American tribe. At the time of first European contact they occupied an area along the southeastern Atlantic coast of Florida. They had infrequent contact with Europeans a ...
settlement in 1566 while looking for Avilés' missing son, shipwrecked a year earlier. Spanish soldiers led by Father Francisco Villarreal built a Jesuit mission at the mouth of the Miami River a year later but it was short-lived. After the Spaniards left, the Tequesta Indians were left to fend themselves from European-introduced diseases like
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
. By 1711, the Tequesta sent a couple of local chiefs to
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. ,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, to ask if they could migrate there. The Cubans sent two ships to help them, but Spanish illnesses struck and most of the Tequesta died.
The first permanent European settlers arrived in the early 19th century. People came from the
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
to South Florida and the
Keys
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
to hunt for treasure from the ships that ran aground on the treacherous Great
Florida Reef
The Florida Reef (also known as the Great Florida Reef, Florida reefs, Florida Reef Tract and Florida Keys Reef Tract) is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. It is the third largest coral barrier reef system in ...
. Some accepted Spanish land offers along the Miami River. At about the same time, the
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...
Indians arrived, along with a group of runaway slaves. The area was affected by the
Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...
, during which Major
William S. Harney led several raids against the Indians. Most non-Indian residents were soldiers stationed at
Fort Dallas
Fort Dallas was a military base during the Seminole Wars on the banks of the Miami River in what is now Downtown Miami, Florida, United States.
History
Old Fort Dallas was established on the plantation of Richard Fitzpatrick and William English ...
. It was the most devastating Indian war in American history, causing almost a total loss of population in Miami.
After the Second Seminole War ended in 1842, William English re-established a plantation started by his uncle on the Miami River. He charted the "Village of Miami" on the south bank of the Miami River and sold several plots of land. In 1844, Miami became the county seat, and six years later a census reported there were ninety-six residents in the area. The
Third Seminole War
The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...
was not as destructive as the second, but it slowed the settlement of southeast Florida. At the end of the war, a few of the soldiers stayed.
Establishment
![Julia DeForest Tuttle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Julia_DeForest_Tuttle.jpg)
Dade County was created on January 18, 1836, under the Territorial Act of the United States. The county was named after Major
Francis L. Dade
Francis Langhorne Dade (1793? – December 28, 1835) was a Brevet Major (United States), Major in the U.S. 4th Infantry Regiment, United States Army, during the Second Seminole War. Dade was killed in a battle with Seminole Indians that came t ...
, a soldier killed in 1835 in the
Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...
, at what has since been named the
Dade Battlefield. At the time of its creation, Dade County included the land that now contains
Palm Beach and
Broward counties, together with the
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
from
Bahia Honda Key
Bahia Honda (meaning ''deep bay'', in Spanish, locally pronounced: BAY-ah HON-da , also pronounced : Bah-EE-ah OWN-dah ) is an island in the lower Florida Keys.
U.S. 1 (the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 36-38 ...
north and the land of present-day Miami-Dade County. The county seat was originally at
Indian Key in the Florida Keys; then in 1844, the County seat was moved to
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
. The Florida Keys from
Key Largo
Key Largo ( es, Cayo Largo) is an island in the upper Florida Keys archipelago and is the largest section of the keys, at long. It is one of the northernmost of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, and the northernmost of the keys connected b ...
to Bahia Honda were returned to
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
in 1866. In 1888 the county seat was moved to Juno, near present-day
Juno Beach, Florida
Juno Beach is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Its population was 3,176 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was estimated at 3,648. Juno Beach is home to the headquarters of Florid ...
, returning to Miami in 1899. In 1909, Palm Beach County was formed from the northern portion of what was Dade County, and then in 1915, Palm Beach County and Dade County contributed nearly equal portions of land to create what is now Broward County. There have been no significant boundary changes to the county since 1915.
Hurricanes
The third-costliest
natural disaster
A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...
to occur in the United States was
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was a very powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged ...
, which hit Miami in the early morning of Monday, August 24, 1992. It struck the southern part of the county from due east, south of Miami and very near
Homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
*Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...
,
Kendall, and
Cutler Ridge
Cutler Bay is an incorporated town in Miami-Dade County, Florida established in 2005, with a population of approximately 45,425 as of 2020. With 45,425 people, Cutler Bay is in 9th place of the top 10 most populous municipalities of the 34 m ...
(now the Town of
Cutler Bay). Damages numbered over US$25
billion
Billion is a word for a large number, and it has two distinct definitions:
*1,000,000,000, i.e. one thousand million, or (ten to the ninth power), as defined on the short scale. This is its only current meaning in English.
* 1,000,000,000,000, i.e ...
in the county alone, and recovery has taken years in these areas where the destruction was greatest. This was the costliest natural disaster in US history until
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
struck the Gulf region in 2005.
Name change
On November 13, 1997, voters changed the name of the county from Dade to Miami-Dade to acknowledge the international name recognition of
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
. Voters were acting pursuant to
home rule
Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
powers granted to Dade County, including the ability to change the name of the county without the consent of the
Florida Legislature
The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Cons ...
. The change in name also addressed a source of public dissatisfaction with the name "Dade" which was chosen to honor
Francis L. Dade
Francis Langhorne Dade (1793? – December 28, 1835) was a Brevet Major (United States), Major in the U.S. 4th Infantry Regiment, United States Army, during the Second Seminole War. Dade was killed in a battle with Seminole Indians that came t ...
, who had been killed in the
Dade battle
The Dade battle (often called the Dade massacre) was an 1835 military defeat for the United States Army. The U.S. was attempting to force the Seminoles to move away from their land in Florida and relocate to Indian Territory (in what would becom ...
in the 1830s. The massacre did not occur in
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
, but in the west central part of the state, in present-day
Sumter County, near
Bushnell. There is also a
Dade City
Dade City is a city in and the county seat of Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is located in the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 6,437 at the 2010 census.
Dade City is popular with tourists for its antique stores, restaurants, and h ...
, which is closer to the site of the massacre.
Miami-Dade is the only hyphenated county name in the United States (although Alaska's
Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Matanuska-Susitna Borough (often referred to as the Mat-Su Borough) is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its county seat is Palmer, and the largest community is the census-designated place of Knik-Fairview.
The borough is part of ...
is similarly adorned).
Geography
![Miami Riverwalk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Miami_Riverwalk.jpg)
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the county has an area of , of which is land and (21.9%) is water.
It is the third-largest county in Florida by land area and second-largest by total area. Most of the water is in the
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay () is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is la ...
, with another significant portion in the adjacent Atlantic Ocean.
Miami-Dade County is only about
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
. It is rather new geologically and is at the eastern edge of the
Florida Platform, a
carbonate
A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid (H2CO3), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word ''carbonate'' may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonate g ...
plateau created millions of years ago. Eastern Dade is composed of
Oolite
Oolite or oölite (''egg stone'') is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Ancient Greek word for egg (ᾠόν). Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 ...
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
while western Dade is composed mostly of
Bryozoa
Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a l ...
. Miami-Dade is among the last areas of Florida to be created and populated with fauna and flora, mostly in the
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
.
The bay is divided from the Atlantic Ocean by many barrier islands along the coast. The city of
Miami Beach
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...
, home to the
South Beach
South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard.
This area was the fi ...
neighborhood and its
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
district, is built on these barrier islands. The archipelago of the
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
, which extends in an arc to the south-southwest, is only accessible through Miami-Dade County, although most of the Keys are part of neighboring
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
. Miami is sixty-five miles from
West Palm Beach
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...
, and thirty miles from
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
.
Communities
Miami-Dade County includes 34 incorporated areas, 38
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
s, and 16
unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to:
* Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality
* Unincorporated entity, a type of organization
* Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...
regions.
Adjacent counties
*
Broward County
Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 ...
– north
*
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
– southwest
*
Collier County
Collier County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 375,752; an increase of 16.9% since the 2010 United States Census. Its county seat is East Naples, where the county offices were moved from E ...
– northwest
National protected areas
*
Big Cypress National Preserve
Big Cypress National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in South Florida, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Miami on the Atlantic coastal plain. The Big Cypress, along with Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, becam ...
*
Biscayne National Park
Biscayne National Park is an American national park located south of Miami, Florida in Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County. The park preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier reefs. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and t ...
*
Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is an American national park that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida. The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States and the largest wilderness of any kind east ...
Demographics
2020 U.S. Census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 2,701,767 people, 912,805 households, and 633,834 families residing in the county.
2010 U.S. Census
![Brickell north entrance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Brickell_north_entrance.jpg)
U.S. Census Bureau 2010 ethnic/race demographics:
*
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race: 65.0%
[
* White (non-Hispanic): 15.4% (White total 73.8% when including ]White Hispanic
White Latin Americans, or European Latin Americans, are Latin Americans who are considered white, typically due to European descent. Latin American countries have often tolerated intermarriage between different ethnic groups since the beginning ...
s)[
* Black (non-Hispanic): 17.1% (Black total 18.9% when including ]Black Hispanic
Black Hispanic and Latino Americans, also called Afro-Hispanics ( es, Afrohispano, links=no), Afro-Latinos or Black Hispanics, or Black Latinos are classified by the United States Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget, and other U.S. ...
s)
* Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
: 1.5%[
* ]Two or more races
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
: 2.4%
* American Indian and Alaska Native
Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and #Terminology differences, other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States (Indigenous peopl ...
: 0.2%
* Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: <0.1%[
* ]Other Races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
: 3.2% (0.6% Arab)[
In 2010, the largest ancestry groups were:][
* 34.3% ]Cuban
Cuban may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean
* Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent
** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof
* Cuban citizen, a perso ...
* 4.6% Colombian
* 4.5% Haitian
* 4.2% Nicaraguan
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...
* 3.7% Puerto Rican
* 3.4% American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
* 2.3% Dominican
* 2.3% German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
* 2.2% Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
* 2.2% Honduran
* 2.1% Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
* 1.9% Venezuelan
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
* 1.8% Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
* 1.6% Peruvian
Peruvians ( es, peruanos) are the citizens of Peru. There were Andean and coastal ancient civilizations like Caral, which inhabited what is now Peruvian territory for several millennia before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century; Peruvian p ...
* 1.5% English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
* 1.4% Jamaican
* 1.1% Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
* 1.0% Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
In 2010, Cubans
Cubans ( es, Cubanos) are people born in Cuba and people with Cuban citizenship. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic, religious and national backgrounds.
Racial and ethnic groups
Census
The population of Cuba wa ...
made up the largest population of immigrants (with more than half of the population) with Colombians
Colombians ( es, Colombianos) are people identified with the country of Colombia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Colombians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the sourc ...
coming in second, Haitians
Haitians ( French: , ht, Ayisyen) are the citizens of Haiti and the descendants in the diaspora through direct parentage. An ethnonational group, Haitians generally comprise the modern descendants of self-liberated Africans in the Caribbean te ...
in third, followed by Nicaraguans
Nicaraguans ( es, Nicaragüenses; also ''Nicas'') are people inhabiting in, originating or having significant heritage from Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, borde ...
in fourth place, then Dominicans, Venezuelans
Venezuelans (Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connections exist and are the source of ...
, Peruvians, Jamaicans, Mexicans, and Argentinians among the highest group of immigrants.
Miami-Dade has small communities of Brazilians, Portuguese people, Portuguese, Spanish people, Spaniards, Ukrainians and Polish people, Poles along with Canadians (including Francophone from the province of Quebec), French people, French, German people, Germans, other Europeans, British people, British expatriates and Israelis.
There were 867,352 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% (2.5% male and 5.9% female) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.33.
The age distribution is 21.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.[
The median income for a household in the county was $43,605, and the median income for a family was $50,065. Males had a median income of $35,096 versus $29,980 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,957. About 13.8% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those aged 65 or over.
In 2010, 51.1% of the county's population was foreign born, with 48.7% being Naturalized citizen of the United States, naturalized American citizens. Of foreign-born residents, 93.0% were born in Latin America, 3.2% were born in Europe, 2.7% born in Asia, 0.5% born in Africa, 0.5% in North America, and 0.1% were born in Oceania.][
]
2000 U.S. Census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,253,362 people, 776,774 households, and 548,402 families in the county, with an average population density of . There were 852,278 housing units, with an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 69.7% Race (United States Census), White (49% White Hispanic, 20.7% Non-Hispanic White), 20.3% Race (United States Census), African American and Race (United States Census), Black (with a large part of Caribbean descent), 0.2% Race (United States Census), Native American, 1.4% Race (United States Census), Asian, <0.1% Race (United States Census), Pacific Islander, 4.60% from Race (United States Census), other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. 57.3% of the population were Race (United States Census), Hispanic or Race (United States Census), Latino of any race. In relation to ancestry (excluding the various Race (United States Census), Hispanic and Race (United States Census), Latino ancestries), 5% were Haitians, Haitian, 5% American, 2% Italians, Italian, 2% Jamaicans, Jamaican, 2% Germans, German, 2% Irish people, Irish, and 2% English ancestry.
There were 776,774 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.35.
The age distribution is 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The county's median household income was $35,966, and the median family income was $40,260. Males had a median income of $30,120 versus $24,686 for females. The county's per capita income was $18,497. About 14.5% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.
Languages
As of 2010, 28.1% of the population spoke only English language, English at home, while 63.8% of the population spoke Spanish language, Spanish, 4.2% spoke French-based creole languages, French Creole (mainly Haitian Creole), 0.6% French language, French, and 0.6% Portuguese language, Portuguese. About 52% of the county Residency (domicile), residents were born outside the United States, while 71.9% of the population spoke a language other than English at home.
Religious statistics
In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in Miami-Dade County was the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, Archdiocese of Miami with 544,449 Catholics in 65 parishes, followed by 96,749 Nondenominational Christianity, non-denominational adherents with 197 congregations, 80,123 Southern Baptist Convention, SBC Baptists with 313 congregations, 47,921 National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., NBC Baptists with 44 congregations, 27,901 Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh-day Adventists in 62 congregations, 25,244 Assemblies of God, AoG Pentecostals with 45 congregations, 14,628 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS Mormons with 18 congregations, 12,569 Episcopal Church (United States), TEC Episcopalians with 30 congregations, and 11,880 United Methodist Church, UMC Methodists with 32 congregations. There is an estimated 23,064 Islam in the United States, Muslims with 15 congregations, 3,069 Hinduism in the United States, Hindus with 20 congregations, and 1,342 Buddhism in the United States, Buddhist with 22 congregations.
In 2005 the Jewish population of the county has decreased but stabilized at about 121,000 with a high percentage of retired and elderly persons (but less than in Broward and Palm Beach counties). There are more than 60 congregations, 3
Jewish
educational institutions, and three Jewish community centers. The highest percentage and increase in Jewish population is in North Dade, especially in Aventura. Miami-Dade County hosts Florida's third largest Jewish population and the nation's tenth largest.
Altogether, 39.8% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information. In 2014, Miami-Dade County had 731 religious organizations, the 14th most out of all US counties.
Law, government, and politics
Miami-Dade County has operated under a metropolitan system of government, a "two-tier federation", since 1957. This was made possible when Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1956 that allowed the people of Dade County (as it was known) to enact a Home rule in the United States, home rule charter. Prior to this year, home rule did not exist in Florida, and all counties were limited to the same set of powers by the Florida Constitution and state law.
Unlike a consolidated city-county, where the city and county governments merge into a single entity, these two entities are separate. Instead there are two "tiers", or levels, of government: city and county. There are 34 municipality, municipalities in the county, the City of Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
being the largest.
Cities are the "lower tier" of local government, providing police and fire protection, zoning and code enforcement, and other typical city services within their jurisdiction. These services are paid for by city taxes. The County is the "upper tier", and it provides services of a metropolitan nature, such as emergency management, airport and seaport operations, public housing and health care services, transportation, environmental services, solid waste disposal etc. These are funded by county taxes, which are assessed on all incorporated and unincorporated areas.
Of the county's 2.6 million total residents (as of 2013), approximately 52% live in unincorporated areas, the majority of which are heavily suburbanized. These residents are part of the Unincorporated Municipal Services Area (UMSA). For these residents, the County fills the role of both lower- and upper-tier government, the County Commission acting as their lower-tier municipal representative body. Residents within UMSA pay a UMSA tax, equivalent to a city tax, which is used to provide County residents with equivalent city services (police, fire, zoning, water and sewer, etc.). Residents of incorporated areas do not pay UMSA tax.
Structure of county government
The Mayor of Miami-Dade County is elected countywide to serve a four-year term and is considered a "strong mayor". The mayor is not a member of the County Commission, appoints all 25 directors who oversee the operations of the County Departments and has veto power over the Commission. A mayoral appointment and veto can only be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the County Commission. The post is occupied by Daniella Levine Cava, the county’s first female mayor.
The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative body, consisting of 13 members elected from single-member districts. Members are elected to serve four-year terms, and elections of members are staggered. The Board chooses a Chairperson, who presides over the Commission, as well as appoints the members of its legislative committees. The Board has a wide array of powers to enact legislation, create departments, and regulate businesses operating within the County. It also has the power to override the Mayor's veto with a two-thirds vote.
Florida's State constitution (United States), Constitution provides for five elected officials to oversee executive and administrative functions for each county (called "Constitutional Officers"): Sheriff, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collector, and Clerk of the Circuit Court (also functions as Comptroller). However, the Constitution allows voters in home-rule counties (including Miami-Dade) to abolish the offices and reorganize them as subordinate County departments; Miami-Dade voters chose this option for Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector. The offices of Clerk of the Circuit Court, State Attorney, and Public Defender are still branches of State government and are, therefore, independently elected and not part of County government.
Miami-Dade is the only county in Florida that does not have an elected sheriff or a "Sheriff's Office". Instead, the county's law enforcement agency is known as the Miami-Dade Police Department, and its leader is known as the Metropolitan Sheriff and Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department; Nonetheless, Miami-Dade Police badges bear the inscription, "Deputy Sheriff, Sheriff's Office, Dade County, Fla."
Politics
Overview
Miami-Dade County has voted for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party candidate in most of the presidential elections in the past four decades, and has gone Democratic in every election since 1992. However, it did vote twice for Ronald Reagan (1980, 1984) and once for George H. W. Bush (1988). From 1904 to 1972 it supported the Democratic candidate in all but four elections. The Democrats had expanded their winning margin in each of the three elections from 2008 to 2016; in 2008 United States presidential election in Florida, 2008 and 2012 United States presidential election in Florida, 2012, Democrat Barack Obama averaged 59.69% of the vote. In 2016 United States presidential election in Florida, 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton won 63.22% of the vote. However, in 2020 United States presidential election in Florida, 2020, Democrat Joe Biden only won 53.31% of the vote, winning the county by just over seven percent over Republican Donald Trump. This was attributed to a large swing of Cuban Americans, Venezuelan Americans, and other Hispanic Americans to the Republican Party, resulting in the best Republican performance since 2004 United States presidential election, 2004. In the 2022 2022 Florida gubernatorial election, gubernatorial and 2022 U.S. Senate election in Florida, U.S. Senate elections, Republicans Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio respectively won the county. DeSantis became the first Republican Governor to win Miami-Dade since Jeb Bush in 2002 Florida gubernatorial election, 2002. Rubio won the county for the second time, following his victory in 2010 United States Senate election in Florida, 2010.
Miami-Dade County is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Republican Party (United States), Republicans Maria Elvira Salazar, Carlos A. Giménez, Carlos Gimenez and Mario Diaz-Balart of the 27th, 26th and 25th districts, and Democratic Party (United States), Democrats Frederica Wilson and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of the 24th and 23rd districts.
Voter registration
Economy
Brightstar Corporation, Burger King, Intradeco Holdings, Latin Flavors, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Ryder have their headquarters in unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
s in the county. Centurion Air Cargo, Florida West International Airways, IBC Airways, and World Atlantic Airlines have their headquarters on the grounds of Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area in the county.
Hewlett Packard's main Latin America offices are on the ninth floor of the Waterford Building in unincorporated Miami-Dade County.
Other companies with offices in an unincorporated area not in any CDP:
* AstraZeneca's Latin American headquarters
* Gate Group's Latin American headquarters
* Unicomer Group's United States offices
* Goya Foods's Miami office
Several defunct airlines, including Airlift International, Arrow Air, National Airlines (NA), National Airlines, and Rich International Airways, were headquartered on or near the airport property.
After Frank Borman became president of Eastern Airlines in 1975, he moved Eastern's headquarters from Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City to an unincorporated area in Miami-Dade County Around 1991 the Miami-Dade County lost a few corporations, including Eastern Airlines, which folded in 1991.
At one time the cruise line The World (ship), ResidenSea had its headquarters in an unincorporated area in the county.
Top private employers
According to Miami's Beacon Council, the top private employers in 2014 in Miami-Dade were:[Beacon Council](_blank)
. Beacon Council. Retrieved on May 4, 2013.
Top government employers
According to Miami's Beacon Council, the top government employers in 2014 in the county were:
Agriculture
Most of the state's summer okra (''Abelmoschus esculentus'') is grown here, totalling over the whole year. It is grown as a "scavenger crop", one grown to scavenge the benefits of residual fumigant and fertilizer. The most problematic insect pest, pest is the Melon Thrips (''Thrips palmi'') but aphids are also significant. Although the Silverleaf Whitefly (Sweet Potato Whitefly, ''Bemisia tabaci'') reproduces in large numbers on this crop, the plant is not seriously harmed and the feeding damage is quickly repaired. This does still leave okra as a problematic refuge (ecology), refuge from which SLW will migrate, to nearby tomato, bean, and ornamentals. The University of Florida provides a production handbook which recommends crop disease, disease management and weed management practices.
Methyl bromide (MB) has been phased out and Telone products fumigants are heavily regulated here. M-D much more heavily regulates Telone than the rest of the state does. Therefore the best MB alternatives here are either metam sodium or metam potassium, both combined with chloropicrin.
M-D has some of the lowest Cry 1F resistance in the country or Puerto Rico. Despite its high volume of cargo traffic with PR and earlier speculation, none of PR's extreme Cry1F-r genetics seems to have spread to this area. Southern Florida in general has the lowest in the country + PR.[
]
The state's first invasion of the Peach Fruit Fly (''Bactrocera Bactrocera zonata, zonata'') began here. An adult male PFF was found on November 10th, 2010 on a guava tree (''Psidium guajava''). The state responded by pest trap, trapping an are around the site.
The Little Fire Ant (''Wasmannia auropunctata'') is an invasive agricultural pest here. In fact the first recorded invasion of the state was in 1924 in Coconut Grove (which was then near Miami and has since been incorporated into the city).[
]
M-D has the largest greenhouse, greenhousing/plant nursery, nursery industry in the state, but on the other hand produces very little of its own livestock.[
]
Public services
Fire rescue
The Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for Miami-Dade County, Florida. The department serves 29 municipalities and all unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County from 60 fire stations. The Department also provides fire protection services for Miami International Airport, Miami Executive Airport and Opa-locka Airport.
The communities served are Aventura, Florida, Aventura, Bal Harbour, Florida, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Florida, Bay Harbor Islands, Biscayne Park, Florida, Biscayne Park, Cutler Bay, Doral, Florida, Doral, El Portal, Florida, El Portal, Florida City, Florida, Florida City, Golden Beach, Florida, Golden Beach, Hialeah Gardens, Florida, Hialeah Gardens, Homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
*Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...
, Indian Creek, Florida, Indian Creek, Medley, Florida, Medley, Miami Gardens, Florida, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, Florida, Miami Lakes, Miami Shores, Florida, Miami Shores, Miami Springs, Florida, Miami Springs, North Bay Village, Florida, North Bay Village, North Miami, Florida, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Florida, North Miami Beach, Opa-locka, Florida, Opa-locka, Palmetto Bay, Florida, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Florida, Pinecrest, South Miami, Florida, South Miami, Surfside, Florida, Surfside, Sweetwater, Miami-Dade County, Florida, Sweetwater, Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, Sunny Isles Beach, Virginia Gardens, Florida, Virginia Gardens, and West Miami, Florida, West Miami.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is also the home to Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force 1 as well as EMS operations consisting of 57 Advanced Life Support units staffed by 760 state-certified paramedics and 640 state-certified emergency medical technicians.
Police department
The Miami-Dade Police Department is a full-service metropolitan police, metropolitan police department serving Miami-Dade County's unincorporated areas, although it has lenient mutual aid agreements with other municipalities, most often the Miami Police Department, City of Miami Police Department. With 4,700 employees, it is Florida's largest police department. The Department is often referred to by its former name, the ''Metro-Dade Police'' or simply ''Metro''.
The Miami-Dade Police Department operates out of nine districts throughout the county and has two special bureaus. The director of the department is Juan Perez, who succeeded J.D. Patterson, Jr. The Department's headquarters are in Doral, Florida.
Water and sewer department
Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (MDWASD) is one of the largest public utilities in the United States, employing approximately 2,700 employees as of 2007. It provides service to over 2.4 million customers, operating with an annual budget of almost $400 million. Approximately 330 million gallons of water are drawn every day from the Biscayne Aquifer for consumer use. MDWASD has over of water lines, a service area of and 14 pump stations. MDWASD has over of sewage pipes, a service area of and 954 pump stations. Miami-Dade County is also in the jurisdiction of the South Dade Soil and Water Conservation District.
Corrections department
Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department is the correction agency.
Aviation department
The Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) operates Miami International Airport, Miami Executive Airport, Opa-locka Executive Airport, Homestead General Aviation Airport, and Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
County representation
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice operates the Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center in an unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in the county.
Public libraries
The Miami-Dade Public Library System traces its origin to the late nineteenth century. The first library was a reading room established in Lemon City on April 7, 1894 by the Lemon City Library and Improvement Association. In 1942 neighborhood libraries were brought together in a single public library system, governed by a Board of Trustees and administered by a Head Librarian. A new central library building had been proposed for Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami
Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and Park West. It ...
as early as 1938, but the proposal was not realized till over a decade later. In December 1965 the City of Miami and Metropolitan Dade County agreed that the City of Miami would provide public library service to unincorporated Dade County and to those municipalities that did not provide their library service with four bookmobiles provided library service to the unincorporated area. On November 1, 1971, the City of Miami transferred its library system to Metropolitan Dade County which created a new Department of Libraries with a Director reporting directly to the County Manager.
On November 7, 1972, Dade County voters approved a referendum, also known as the "Decade of Progress" bonds, authorized approximately $553 million for public improvement projects in Dade County. Of that amount, approximately $34.7 million was authorized for public libraries, including construction, renovation, land acquisition, furnishings, and equipment. Between 1976 and 1990, this bond issue provided the funds to open 14 new libraries. On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew inflicted significant damage on the library system, destroying all branches south of Kendall Drive. Over the next years, no further expansion of the system was funded and no new libraries opened. It wasn’t until the fall of 2001, when Mayor Alex Penelas and Board of County Commissioners voted to increase the library system’s budget which provided funding for capital improvement initiatives—making way for the opening of 18 new libraries by 2011. As of 2017, 15 of these libraries have been opened, with the remaining 3 still under construction.
Today Miami-Dade Public Library System serves a population of 2,496,435, provides services for the Miami-Dade County except for the cities of Bal Harbour, Florida, Bal Harbour, Hialeah, Florida, Hialeah
Homestead
Miami Shores, Florida, Miami Shores, North Miami, Florida, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Florida, North Miami Beach and Surfside, Florida, Surfside. It has forty-nine branches, two bookmobiles and one technobus. The Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners governs the Miami-Dade Public Library System.
Education
![Kendall Campus - Building R](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Kendall_Campus_-_Building_R.jpg)
Colleges and universities
The University of Miami, located in Coral Gables, Florida, Coral Gables, is among the top-tier research universities in the United States, and is the highest ranked private university in Florida.
As of 2020, Florida International University, located in Westchester, Florida, Westchester (in the University Park, Florida, University Park area), is the fifth List of United States public university campuses by enrollment, largest university by enrollment in the United States. Miami Dade College, located in Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, has the second largest undergraduate enrollment of any U.S. college or university with over 100,000 students.
A full list of colleges and universities:
* University of Miami (private)
* Florida International University (public)
* Miami Dade College (public)
* Barry University (private/Catholic)
* Nova Southeastern University (private)
* Florida National University (private)
* Florida Memorial University (private/historically black)
* St. Thomas University (Florida), St. Thomas University (private/Catholic)
* Johnson & Wales University (private)
* Carlos Albizu University (private)
* Miami International University of Art & Design (private)
* Yeshiva V'Kollel Beis Moshe Chaim (private/Jewish)
* Miami Ad School (private)
*Southeastern College (private)
Primary and secondary (K-12) schools
In Florida, each county is also a school district, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools is such for the county. The district is operated by an independently elected board of education, School Board. A professional Superintendent (education), Superintendent of Schools appointed by the School Board manages the district's day-to-day operations. , the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Public School District is the fourth-largest public school district in the nation with almost 360,000 students.
The Miami-Dade Public Library is one of the country's largest public library systems. It has 50 branch locations and others under construction.
Miami-Dade County is home to many private and public primary and secondary schools.
; MDCPS public
* American Senior High School (Miami-Dade County, Florida), American
* G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School, Braddock
* Miami Carol City Senior High School, Carol City
* Miami Central Senior High School, Central
* Coral Gables Senior High School, Coral Gables
* Miami Coral Park Senior High School, Coral Park
* Cutler Bay Senior High School, Cutler Bay
* Miami Edison Senior High School, Edison
* John A. Ferguson Senior High School, Ferguson
* Barbara Goleman Senior High School, Goleman
* Hialeah High School, Hialeah
* Hialeah Gardens High School, Hialeah Gardens
* Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, Hialeah-Miami Lakes
* Homestead Senior High School (Homestead, Florida), Homestead
* Miami Jackson Senior High School, Jackson
* Miami Killian Senior High School, Killian
* Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School, Krop
* Miami Senior High School, Miami
* Miami Beach Senior High School, Miami Beach
* Miami Springs Senior High School, Miami Springs
* Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High Biscayne Bay Campus, Mourning
* Miami Norland Senior High School, Norland
* North Miami Senior High School, North Miami
* North Miami Beach Senior High School, North Miami Beach
* Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Northwestern
* Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Palmetto
* Ronald W. Reagan/Doral Senior High School, Reagan/Doral
* South Dade Senior High School, South Dade
* South Miami Senior High School, South Miami
* Miami Southridge Senior High School, Southridge
* Southwest Miami Senior High School, Southwest Miami
* Miami Sunset Senior High School, Sunset
* Felix Varela Senior High School, Varela
* Westland Hialeah Senior High School, Westland
* Booker T. Washington Senior High School (Miami, Florida), Washington
* Coral Reef Senior High School, Coral Reef
* Design and Architecture High School, DASH
* José Martí MAST 6-12 Academy, Martí MAST
* MAST Academy
* MAST @ FIU Biscayne Bay Campus, MAST @ FIU
* Medical Academy for Science and Technology, MAST @ Homestead
* Miami Lakes Educational Center, Miami Lakes Ed Ctr
* New World School of the Arts, New World
* Robert Morgan Educational Center, Robert Morgan
* School for Advanced Studies
* William H. Turner Technical Arts High School, Turner Tech
* TERRA Environmental Research Institute, TERRA ERI
* Young Men's Preparatory Academy, Young Men's Prep
* Young Women's Preparatory Academy, Young Women's Prep
;Charter
* Don Soffer Aventura High School
* Sports Leadership and Management Charter School
;Tribal
* Miccosukee Indian School (affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education)
;Private
* Allison Academy School (North Miami Beach, Florida), Allison Academy School
* Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart
* The Cushman School
* Gulliver Schools
* Monsignor Edward Pace High School (Catholic)
* Ransom Everglades School
* Riviera Schools
* Palmer Trinity School
Sites of interest
![Frost Art Museum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Frost_Art_Museum.jpg)
Museums
* Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...
* Coral Castle, Homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
*Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...
Miami
* Coral Gables Police and Fire Station, Coral Gables, Florida, Coral Gables
* Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables
* Frost Art Museum, (Florida International University, Miami)
* Gold Coast Railroad Museum, Miami
* HistoryMiami, Downtown Miami
Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and Park West. It ...
* Holocaust Memorial, Miami Beach
* Jewish Museum of Florida, Miami Beach
* Lowe Art Museum, (University of Miami, Coral Gables)
* Miami Children's Museum, Miami
* Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami
* Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami
* Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, Miami
* Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami
* Wings Over Miami Museum, Miami
* Wolfsonian-FIU, Wolfsonian, (Florida International University, Miami Beach)
Culture and wildlife
* Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Downtown Miami
* St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church, Ancient Spanish Monastery, North Miami Beach
* Bayfront Park Amphitheatre, Downtown Miami
* Bayside Marketplace, Downtown Miami
* Colony Theatre, Miami Beach
* Florida Grand Opera, Miami
* Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, Downtown Miami
* Jungle Island, Miami
* Miami New Drama, Miami Beach
* Miami Seaquarium, Miami
* Monkey Jungle, Miami
* Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami
* Wertheim Performing Arts Center, (Florida International University, Miami)
* Zoo Miami, Miami
Other areas and attractions
Parks
Sports venues
Miami-Dade County holds the majority of sports arenas, stadiums and complexes in South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
. Some of these sports facilities are:
* Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Dolphins (football) and plays host to the Miami Hurricanes football team during their regular season.
* LoanDepot Park – Miami Marlins (baseball)
* FTX Arena (formerly American Airlines Arena) – Miami Heat (basketball)
* Tennis Center at Crandon Park – Sony Ericcson Open
* Riccardo Silva Stadium – FIU Panthers football, FIU Panthers (football)
* Ocean Bank Convocation Center – FIU Panthers men's basketball, FIU Panthers (basketball)
* Infinity Insurance Park – FIU Panthers (baseball)
* Watsco Center – Miami Hurricanes (basketball)
* Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field – Miami Hurricanes (baseball)
* Cobb Stadium - Miami Hurricanes (soccer, track and field)
* Tropical Park Stadium
* Homestead-Miami Speedway
* Calder Race Course
* Hialeah Park Race Track
Former venues include:
* Bobby Maduro Miami Stadium
* Miami Arena
* Miami Orange Bowl
* Miami Marine Stadium
Planned:
* Miami MLS stadium
Transportation
Airports
Miami International Airport, in an unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in the county, is the Miami area's primary international airport. One of the busiest international airports in the world, it serves over 35 million passengers a year. Identifiable locally, as well as several worldwide authorities, as MIA or KMIA, the airport is a major hub and the single largest international gateway for American Airlines, the world's largest passenger air carrier. Miami International is the United States’ third largest international port of entry for foreign air passengers (behind New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport), and is the seventh largest such gateway in the world. The airport's extensive international route network includes non-stop flights to over seventy international cities in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
* Homestead General Aviation Airport
* Miami Executive Airport
* Opa-Locka Executive
* Homestead Air Reserve Base, east of Homestead in an unincorporated area, serves military traffic.
* Miami Seaplane Base
* Dade-Collier
Public transit
Public transit in Miami-Dade County is operated by Miami-Dade Transit, and is the largest public transit in Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. Miami-Dade Transit operates a heavy rail rapid transit, metro system Metrorail (Miami), Metrorail, an elevated people mover in Downtown Miami, Metromover and the bus system, Miami-Dade Transit#Metrobus, Metrobus.
Brightline and Tri-Rail which are Inter-city rail also services the county.
Major expressways
Miami-Dade County has 10 major expressways and one minor expressway in Downtown Miami:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
County roads
This is a list of Miami-Dade county roads. Miami-Dade County has fewer county roads than any other county in Florida, despite its large population. None are signed.
Sources:
FDOT Map of Miami-Dade County, Florida
FDOT GIS data
accessed January 2014
Street grid
A grid plan, street grid stretches from downtown Miami throughout the county. This grid was adopted by the City of Miami following World War I after the United States Post Office threatened to cease mail deliveries in the city because the original system of named streets, with names often changing every few blocks and multiple streets in the city sharing the same name, was too confusing for the mail carriers. The new grid was later extended throughout the county as the population grew west, south, and north of city limits.
The grid is laid out with Miami Avenue as the meridian (PLSS), meridian going north–south and Flagler Street the Baseline (surveying), baseline going east-west. The grid is primarily numerical so that, for example, all street addresses north of Flagler and west of Miami Avenue have NW in their address (e.g. NW 27th Avenue). Because its point of origin is in downtown Miami which is close to the coast, the NW and SW quadrants are much larger than the SE and NE quadrants. Many roads, especially major ones, are also named, although, with a few notable exceptions, the number is in more common usage among locals.
Although this grid is easy to understand once one is oriented to it, it is not universal in the entire county. Hialeah, Florida, Hialeah uses its own grid system which is entirely different in its orientation. Coral Gables, Florida, Coral Gables and Miami Lakes, Florida, Miami Lakes use named streets almost exclusively, and various smaller municipalities such as Florida City, Florida, Florida City and Homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
*Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...
use their own grid system along with the Miami-Dade grid system adding to the confusion. In the beach cities and parks of Miami Beach, Florida, Miami Beach, Surfside, Florida, Surfside, Bal Harbour, Florida, Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles, Florida, Sunny Isles, and Golden Beach, Florida, Golden Beach, the streets are coordinated with the main grid; however, their avenues are named.
Communities
Notable people
Sister cities
Miami-Dade County's sister cities are:
* Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, Aix-Marseille-Provence, France
* Province of Asti, Italy
* Asunción, Paraguay
* The Bahamas
* Cape Town, South Africa
* County Cork, Ireland
* Dakar, Senegal
* Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
* Maldonado, Uruguay, Maldonado, Uruguay
* Mendoza Province, Argentina
* Monagas, Monagas State, Venezuela
* New Taipei City, New Taipei, Taiwan
* Paramaribo, Suriname
* Pereira, Colombia, Pereira, Colombia
* Petit-Goâve, Haiti
* Prague, Czech Republic
* San José, Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
* Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
* São Paulo, Brazil
* Stockholm County, Sweden
* Tenerife, Spain
* Veracruz (city), Veracruz, Mexico
* Viareggio, Italy
* Curitiba, Brazil
See also
* Gentrification of Miami
* List of tallest buildings in Miami
* List of tallest buildings in Sunny Isles Beach
* List of tallest buildings in Miami Beach
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Miami-Dade County, Florida
* List of counties in Florida
* West End (Florida)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County, Florida,
Counties in the Miami metropolitan area
Charter counties in Florida
1836 establishments in Florida Territory
Populated places established in 1836
Florida counties
Hispanic and Latino American culture in Florida