Homestead is a city within

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. 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 coun ...

in the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, between Biscayne National Park to the east and

Everglades National Park Everglades National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida. The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the Un ...

to the west. Homestead is primarily a

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

suburb and a major agricultural area. It is a principal city of the

Miami metropolitan area The Miami metropolitan area is a coastal metropolitan area in southeastern Florida. It is the sixth-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the lar ...

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

, which was home to 6,138,333 people at the 2020 census. It is located approximately southwest of Miami, and northwest of Key Largo. The population was 80,737 as of the 2020 census. The city of Homestead is located near the southern terminus of the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike where it ends at its junction with U.S. 1. Homestead is immediately north and east of Florida City, and these two cities comprise the greater Homestead–Florida City area. Some of the notable unincorporated communities in the area are Redland, Leisure City, Naranja, and Princeton.

History

In 1898, the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) planned an extension from Miami to Key West, proposing a station 30 miles south of Miami.

Henry Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...

, founder of the FEC, agreed and suggested naming the station "Ingraham" after James E. Ingraham who was the vice president and land commissioner for the FEC at the time. Ingraham declined and suggested naming it "Homestead" instead, even though no one had homesteaded in the area at the time. At this time homesteading was ongoing north and northwest of the proposed station in the area that is now known as Redland. Before the Homestead station was built a railway surveyor named John S. Fredricks laid out a town site around the planned station site on land owned by the FEC. At the time, it was common to plan towns around rail stations in undeveloped areas. In July 1904, the Florida East Coast Railway opened the first station in what would later become Homestead. In October 1904, a settler and entrepreneur named William D. Horne arrived to homestead and was the first person to buy a lot at the new town site surrounding the railway. Shortly after his arrival, Mr. Horne constructed the first privately owned building in homestead & used it as a store, rooming house & post office. Today that building still stands as the historic Redland Hotel. Homestead was incorporated in 1913 and is the second oldest city in

next to the city of Miami. The name originates from when the

Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a p ...

extension to

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

was being built. The rail line was passing through an area opened up for

homesteading Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food, and may also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craft work for household use or sale. H ...

, and as the construction camp at the end of the line did not have a particular name, construction materials and supplies for the workers were consigned to "Homestead Country", shortened to "Homestead" by the engineers who mapped the area. The 1926 hurricane and real estate downturn caused many small businesses and banks in Florida to fail. A lot of people left because their homes were destroyed or flooded, and most did not have insurance, facing hefty mortgage payments. Homestead and neighboring South

communities bore the brunt of Category 5

Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a compact, but very powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures dama ...

on August 24, 1992. In 2013, Homestead officially designated itself the gateway community for Biscayne and Everglades National Parks.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.63%) is water. Homestead is a small-sized city. At its greatest north–south points – along SW 137th Avenue (Speedway Boulevard) – its city limits extend only – from SW 288th Street (Biscayne Drive) at the north end to (theoretical) SW 352nd Street at the south end. At its greatest east–west points – along SW 328th Street (North Canal Drive / Lucy Street) – its city limits extend – from (theoretical) SW 132nd Avenue at the east end to SW 192nd Avenue at the west end. U.S. 1 – known as Homestead Boulevard within the city limits – extends through a rather narrow northeast / southwest corridor of the city from SW 304th Street (Kings Highway) at the north end to SW 328th Street (Lucy Street) at the south end. It is at this point at the south end that Homestead and Florida City share a common border. (North of the north end at SW 304th Street is known as Unincorporated Miami-Dade County, but it is locally known as the community of Leisure City). Major east–west streets within Homestead include SW 304th Street / NE & NW 15th Street (Kings Highway), SW 312th Street / NE & NW 8th Street (Campbell Drive), SW 320th Street (Mowry Drive), SW 328th Street / SE & SW 8th Street (North Canal Drive / Lucy Street), and SW 344th Street / SE 24th Street (Palm Drive). The original Homestead Air Force Base was once located several miles to the northeast of Homestead, but due to annexation of formerly unincorporated land immediately to the east and northeast of the original city limits during the late-1990s the city and the far southwestern perimeter of the (now) Homestead Air Reserve Base share a common border for a small portion along SW 137th Avenue (Speedway Boulevard). A noteworthy tourist attraction within Leisure City is Coral Castle, built by a jilted lover, Edward Leedskalnin, over the course of 28 years from 1923 to 1951. The Fruit and Spice Park is also of interest.

Climate

Homestead experiences a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Am'') that borders on a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(''Aw''). Summers are hot and humid and high temperatures average between 90° and 92 °F (32° to 33 °C). Winters are warm and dry. The all-time record high temperature is , on July 10, 2023, and August 11, 2023. Lows in summer average between and , with low temperatures in all times of year averaging 5 degrees cooler than coastal Miami, mainly because of its inland and rural location. In winter, the area sees cold fronts bring cold weather for short periods from November to March. The lowest temperature ever recorded is 26 °F (–3 °C), on 13 December 1934, which was recorded at Homestead Air Force Base, some 10 miles east of the town. High temperatures in winter average between 68° and 80 °F (18° to 26 °C), and lows average between 57° and 64 °F (8° to 14 °C). Summer is the season when most of the rain occurs. Homestead has a wet season lasting from mid-May to early October. The dry season sees some rain, with most of it coming with the passing of cold fronts. Snow flurries were reported to have been observed in the air at Homestead Air Force Base, on January 20, 1977, and marked the farthest south that snow flurries have ever been reported in the lower 48 United States.

Hurricanes

In August 1992, the Category 5

hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a compact, but very powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures dama ...

devastated the town, as well as nearby Homestead Air Force Base.

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

caused flooding in Homestead in August 2005. The following October, Hurricane Wilma damaged light poles,

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...

s, garages, and sections of catch fence at the

Homestead–Miami Speedway Homestead–Miami Speedway (formerly known as the Homestead Motorsports Complex from 1995 to 1998) is a oval-shaped Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Homestead, Florida. It has hosted various major auto racing series thr ...

, a motor racetrack built in the years following Hurricane Andrew. After Hurricane Wilma, a Homestead man was killed in a tractor accident while clearing debris. When

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Maria, Maria two weeks later. At the time, it was considered ...

struck Florida in September 2017, parts of Homestead lost electric power. South Dade Center, a low-income housing project for farmworkers, was flooded with rainwater. Residents were without electricity and

waste collection Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclabl ...

for about a week without relief.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 80,737 people, 19,392 households, and 15,601 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 60,512 people, 17,397 households, and 12,278 families residing in the city.

Media

The city of Homestead is served by the Miami market for local radio and television. Homestead has its own newspaper, the
South Dade News Leader
'' which has been serving the South Dade community since 1913. The ''News Leader'' is published on Fridays. "Inside Homestead TV" is a television program where viewers can find out about all the happenings in Homestead. Each month, a news show is released offering Homestead residents updates on local events as well as other developments throughout the region. Also, the program has in-depth interviews with the local Mayor & Council and City Staff, special events coverage, and how-to videos. These monthly news reports vary in topic every month. For instance, the March 2015 video describes the new City Hall, education and National Parks news.

Government and infrastructure

The Florida Department of Corrections operates the Dade Correctional Institution and the Homestead Correctional Institution in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

near Homestead. The Dade CI was originally the Dade Correctional Institution Annex, and the Homestead CI was originally the Dade Correctional Institution; the two received their current names on July 1, 2003. In June 2018, Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children, a federal facility operated by Comprehensive Health Services, Inc., was estimated to hold 1,000 minor detainees. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Homestead Post Office. The Homestead Police Department located at 45 Northwest First Avenue in Homestead. On October 11, 1957, an Air Force B-47 Stratojet carrying a

nuclear bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...

crashed on takeoff at Homestead Air Force Base, present-day Homestead Air Reserve Base.

Transportation

The principal roadways linking Homestead with the rest of Miami-Dade County are

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort ...

, the Florida Turnpike and State Road 997. The Florida Turnpike has three exits (6, 5 and 2) as it runs south through eastern Homestead before eventually terminating at US 1 in Florida City. US 1 (Homestead Blvd.) runs northeast-to-southwest roughly through the middle of the city, and is the only way to continue to the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago 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 a ...

. State Road 997 (Krome Ave.) runs north–south through the western end of Homestead and through the historic downtown district. Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) runs several Metrobus routes connecting the Homestead/Florida City area to the rest of Miami-Dade County. Express routes run along the South Miami-Dade Busway, connecting the area with

Metrorail METRORail is the light rail system in Houston, Texas (United States). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . METRORail ranks as the second most-traveled light rail system in the Southern United States and the List ...

and the rest of the Metrobus network and on to

Tri-Rail Tri-Rail is a commuter rail service linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in Florida, United States. The ''Tri'' prefix in the name refers to the three counties served by the railroad: Palm Beach County, Palm Beach, Broward Count ...

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

and

Miami International Airport Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary international airport serving Miami and its Miami metropolitan area, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Florida. It hosts over 1, ...

. In addition, MDT operate
Dade-Monroe Express
service from Florida City to the Upper Keys. The City of Homestead operates two local circulator lines. This free service operates daily and transits principal residential, business and commercial areas, as well as the historic downtown district and Miami-Dade College's Homestead Campus. The Trolley connects with Metrobus at the Busway and other Metrobus stops throughout the city. Starting in 2014 the Homestead Trolley began seasonal service to

and Biscayne National Park. The free Homestead National Parks Trolley] is offered by the City of Homestead in partnership with the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

. Operating on weekends between January and April, the service is the only public transportation option available to these two parks. The Homestead General Aviation Airport is located just northwest of the city's central business district. There are public marinas a
Homestead Bayfront Park and Marina
on Biscayne Bay east of the city and adjacent to Biscayne National Park's Convoy Point Visitor Center, and a
Black Point Park and Marina
to the northeast. Convoy Point also has a limited number of marina slips for day visitors to dock. Most major national car and truck rental companies have rental locations in Homestead or its immediate surroundings.

Points of interest

* ArtSouth Artist's Community at Homestead, Florida * Biscayne National Park * Coral Castle * Everglades Alligator Farm *

* Fruit and Spice Park * Homestead Bayfront Park and Marina * Homestead General Aviation Airport * Homestead Historic Downtown District * Homestead Seaboard Air Line Railway Station * Homestead Pavilion * Homestead Championship Rodeo * Homestead-Miami Speedway * Homestead Sports Complex * Homestead Air Reserve Base * Knaus Berry Farm *

Monkey Jungle Monkey Jungle is a primatarium and zoological park located in South Miami, Florida. Established in 1933 by Joseph DuMond for the exhibition and study of endangered monkeys in semi-natural habitats after releasing 6 Java Macaques into a subtropica ...

* Seminole Theatre * South Dade Rail Trail * Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station

Notable people

* John Brown, NFL wide receiver for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

* Alan Campbell, actor * Tracy Grammer, singer-songwriter * Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Politician and lobbyist who represented Florida's 27th congressional district from 1989 to 2019. * Dexter Lehtinen, former

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Southern District of Florida * Scott Maddox, former mayor of

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

* Alek Manoah, baseball player for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, 2019 MLB Draft #11 overall selection * Chrissy Metz, actress and singer * Antrel Rolle, former NFL defensive line backer for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Lacey Sturm Lacey Nicole Sturm ( Mosley, previously Carder; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer and songwriter, known for being lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Flyleaf (band), Flyleaf. In February 2016, Sturm became the first solo femal ...

, lead vocalist of rock band Flyleaf * Tommy Tate, soul singer and songwriter * Tom Vasel, podcaster, board game reviewer, and board game designer * Brent Venables,

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

head football coach * Herb Waters, NFL cornerback for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

* James Wiggins, former NFL safety for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

* Jeff Zucker, former president of CNN Worldwide, former president of

NBC Universal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast and headquartered at 30 ...

Education

Public schools

Homestead is within the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district. Homestead and the region are zoned to the following elementary, middle and K–8 center schools: * Air Base K–8 Center * Avocado Elementary School * Campbell Drive K–8 Center * Campbell Drive Middle School * Coconut Palm K–8 Academy * Gateway Environmental K–8 Learning Center ** It opened with grades Kindergarten through 4 in 2009, making it the first district-operated public school established in Homestead in a period of more than 30 years. It would add an additional grade level per year until it had 8th grade. Its cafeteria is named Croc Café after its mascot, the crocodile. Each class does a different science project each year. * Homestead Middle School * Irving & Beatrice Peskoe K–8 Center * Laura C. Saunders Elementary School * Leisure City K–8 Center * Mandarin Lakes K–8 Academy * Miami MacArthur South * Neva King Cooper Education * Redland Elementary School * Redland Middle School * Redondo Elementary School * School for Advanced Studies-Homestead * South Dade Middle School (Grades 4–8) * West Homestead Elementary School * William A. Chapman Elementary School * MAST (Medical Academy for Science and Technology) @ Homestead * Somerset Academy South Homestead Middle - High * Somerset City Arts Conservatory Most of Homestead is zoned to Homestead High School, while a northwest portion is zoned to South Dade High School, located outside the city limits in unincorporated Miami-Dade County. Homestead is zoned to South Dade Educational Center.

Charter schools

Homestead also has the following

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

s: * Keys Gate Charter School * Waterstone Charter School * Advantage Academy of Math and Science at Waterstone * Everglades Preparatory Academy * ASPIRA South Youth Leadership Charter School * Mavericks High of South Miami Dade County * Somerset City Arts Conservatory * Somerset Academy Charter Elementary School (South Homestead) * Somerset Academy (Silver Palms) * Somerset Oaks Academy * Summerville Advantage Academy * School for Integrated Academics and Technologies (SIATech)

Private schools

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami previously operated Sacred Heart School in Homestead. It closed in 2009.

Colleges and universities

Homestead is also home to Miami-Dade College Homestead Campus.

Parks and recreation

* Angelo Mistretta Park * Audubon Park * Biscado Park * Blakey Park * Camp Owaissa Bauer * Ernestine Jackson Seymore Park * Harris Field Park * Homestead Air Reserve Park * James Archer Smith Park * JD Redd Park * Leisure Park * Leisure Lakes Park * Losner Park * Mayor Roscoe Warren Municipal Park * Modello Wayside Park * Musselwhite Park * Naranja Lakes Park * Palmland Park * Phicol Williams Community Center * Roby George Park * Royal Colonial Park * Seminole Wayside Park * South Dade Park * William F. Dickinson Community Center * Wittkop Park

References

External links

Official website

Homestead/Florida City Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control 1913 establishments in Florida Cities in Florida Cities in Miami metropolitan area Cities in Miami-Dade County, Florida Populated places established in 1913