Surfside is a town in

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 ...

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 ...

, United States. Surfside is a primarily residential beachside community, with several multistory condominium buildings adjacent to Surfside Beach on the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. The town is bordered on the south by the North Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, on the north by Bal Harbour, on the west by Biscayne Bay, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. It also serves as part 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 ...

. The population was 5,689 as of the 2020 census.

History

Between 1923 and 1925, the Tatum Brothers subdivided the land on what is now Surfside. Starting in 1924, Henri Levy developed Biscaya Island and a portion of land from 87th to 92nd Streets. In 1929–1930, Russell Pancoast, built the Surf Club 90th Street and Collins Avenue. In 1935, fearing annexation by the city of

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, 35 members of the privately-owned club incorporated the Town of Surfside and financed the venture with a $28,500 loan. Spearman Lewis was the first mayor of Surfside. In 1956, Surfside purchased the Lehman Estate on the northeast corner of 93rd Street and Collins Avenue. It acquired additional land via

eminent domain Eminent domain, also known as land acquisition, compulsory purchase, resumption, resumption/compulsory acquisition, or expropriation, is the compulsory acquisition of private property for public use. It does not include the power to take and t ...

and then built a community center. In 1960, Hawthorne Park was dedicated. On March 1, 1973, Surfside signed a contract with

to outsource fire/rescue services. In 1983, The Shul of Bal Harbour was established at 9540 Collins Avenue.

Condominium building collapse

On June 24, 2021, at 1:22 a.m. EDT, Champlain Towers South, a 12-story condominium building at 8777 Collins Avenue, partially collapsed, causing 98 deaths, in one of the deadliest structural failures in United States history. The building's 40-year recertification was in progress and the roof was being repaired. The cause of the collapse of the structure has not been established.

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 town has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Surrounding areas

: Bal Harbour : Bay Harbor Islands

: Bay Harbor Islands, Indian Creek

: Miami Beach

Street names

Avenues in Surfside are named for British and American authors and run in alphabetical order from east to west. In 1979, 95th Street in Surfside was renamed "Isaac Singer Boulevard" to reflect the residency of the famous Yiddish author

Isaac Bashevis Singer Isaac Bashevis Singer (; 1903 – July 24, 1991) was a Poland, Polish-born Jews, Jewish novelist, short-story writer, memoirist, essayist, and translator in the United States. Some of his works were adapted for the theater. He wrote and publish ...

on that street from 1977 until his death in 1991.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 5,689 people, 2,302 households, and 1,551 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 3,675 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 59.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 6.0% from some other races and 31.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 44.2% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,744 people, 2,609 households, and 1,521 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 3,890 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 94.6%

, 1.3%

, 0.1% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.0%

, 1.0% from some other races and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 46.5% of the population.

Languages

As of 2000, Spanish was spoken as a

first language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...

by 49.41% of residents, while English was spoken by 42.11% of the population. Other languages spoken included Portuguese 2.36%, Russian 2.04%, German and

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

were both tied at 1.40%, and French was the mother tongue for 1.29% of the populace.

Jewish population

As of 2021, approximately one-third of the population of Surfside are

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. It is also the most Jewish community in the

. Around 2,500 Jews reside in Surfside. Including neighboring areas, 34% of Jews describe themselves as Orthodox, 24% as

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

, 18% as

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

and 24% as "just Jewish".

Education

Residents are assigned to Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Ruth K. Broad/Bay Harbor K–8 Center in Bay Harbor Islands serves as the local elementary and K–8 school. Residents who want to have a conventional middle school may instead choose the zoned middle school, Miami Beach Nautilus Middle School. Miami Beach Senior High School is the senior high school serving Surfside.

Notable people

* Philip B. Hofmann, former CEO of Johnson & Johnson * Jared Kushner, son-in-law of incumbent U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

and Senior Advisor to the President between 2017 and 2021. * Rudolph W. Riefkohl, officer in United States Army *

, Yiddish writer, lived in Surfside from 1977 until his death in 1991 * Sid Tepper, songwriter, lived in Surfside from 1970 to 2004 * Ivanka Trump, daughter of former U.S. President Donald Trump and Senior Advisor to the President between 2017 and 2021

In popular culture

In 2018, Josh's Deli offerings of "Jewban" and "Spicy Tuna Latke" were featured in '' Food Paradise (season 17)''.

References

External links

Town of Surfside – Official Website

Visit Surfside – Official Tourism
{{authority control 1935 establishments in Florida Beaches of Florida Beaches of Miami-Dade County, Florida Jews and Judaism in Miami-Dade County, Florida Orthodox Judaism in Florida Orthodox Jewish communities Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean Populated places established in 1935 Towns in Florida Towns in Miami-Dade County, Florida