The Venetian Islands are a chain of

artificial islands An artificial island or man-made island is an island that has been Construction, constructed by humans rather than formed through natural processes. Other definitions may suggest that artificial islands are lands with the characteristics of hum ...

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 large ...

in the cities of

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 ...

and

Miami Beach 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 an ...

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 ...

. The islands are, from west to east: Biscayne Island (Miami), San Marco Island (Miami), San Marino Island (Miami Beach), Di Lido Island (Miami Beach), Rivo Alto Island (Miami Beach), and Belle Isle (Miami Beach). Flagler Monument Island remains an uninhabited picnic island, originally built in 1920 as a memorial to railroad pioneer

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 ...

. The islands are connected by bridges from the Miami mainland to Miami Beach.

History

The Venetian Islands project was proposed to be much larger than what exists today. Another causeway was to be built, called "The Drive of the Campanili." The causeway would connect Hibiscus Island (south of the Venetian Islands) with Di Lido Island. The road would then continue north right up the center of Biscayne Bay, with five new islands created along its path. The roadway would then veer slightly to the northeast, where it would end at Indian Creek Village. An additional four islands would be built along two east-west roads that would connect with the causeway. One of these roads was along the current route of the

Julia Tuttle Causeway Julia may refer to: People *Julia (given name), including a list of people with the name *Julia (surname), including a list of people with the name *Julia gens, a patrician family of Ancient Rome *Julia (clairvoyant) (fl. 1689), lady's maid of Qu ...

and the other along the current route of the 79th Street Causeway. The original bridge (called the

Collins Bridge The Collins Bridge was a bridge that crossed Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. At the time it was completed, it was the longest wooden bridge in the world. It was built by farmer and developer John S. Collins (1837–1928) wi ...

) was built by farmer and developer John S. Collins with financial assistance from automotive parts and racing pioneer Carl G. Fisher. At the time it was completed, it was the longest wooden bridge in the world. The 2½ mile wooden toll bridge opened on June 12, 1913, providing a critical link to the newly established city of

, formerly accessible only by a ferry service. While none of these islands were built, the foundation pillings for one of them can still be seen in Central Biscayne Bay between Di Lido Island and the

. The island was to be called Isola di Lolando.''Florida InsideOut'' magazine
Competition No. 2
/ref> The demise of the island construction was due to a combination of the aftermath of the 1926 Miami Hurricane and the end of the

Florida land boom of the 1920s The first real estate bubble in Florida was primarily caused by the economic prosperity of the 1920s coupled with a lack of knowledge about List of Florida hurricanes, storm frequency and poor Building code, building standards. This pioneering e ...

. The Shoreland Company went bankrupt in 1927 due to objections of "further mutilation of the waterway". The original wooden causeway was replaced in 1925 by a series of arch drawbridges and renamed the Venetian Causeway. Today, the causeway is a popular stretch for people to jog, ride bikes, walk dogs and stroll. The islands offer residents a suburb feel that is located between (and within minutes of) Miami Beach's

South Beach South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a Neighborhoods of Miami Beach, Florida, neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south ...

and Miami's new

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is a performing arts center located in Miami, Florida. It is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. According to Arts Management Magazine, the Arsht C ...

Biscayne Island

Biscayne Island is a neighborhood in the City of Miami,

United States 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 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is also the westernmost of the Venetian Islands, a chain of artificial islands in

. During the 1930s, the island was used as an airport known as Viking Airport, with a hangar, 2,600-foot sod runway and seaplane ramps; the airport was closed by 1937 and residential development began in the 1940s. The island is now home to apartment buildings, residential neighborhoods, and a toll plaza portion of the

Venetian Causeway The Venetian Causeway crosses Biscayne Bay between Miami on the mainland and Miami Beach on a barrier island in the Miami metropolitan area. The man-made Venetian Islands and non-bridge portions of the causeway were created by materials wh ...

Demographics

As of 2000, the population of Biscayne Island had 412 people. The zip code for Biscayne Island is 33139. The area covers . As of 2000, there were 215 males and 197 females. The median age for males were 42.1 years old, while the median age for females were 48.0 years old. The average household size had 1.6 people, while the average family size had 2.4 members. The percentage of married-couple families (among all households) was 28.8%, while the percentage of married-couple families with children (among all households) was 4.0%, and the percentage of single-mother households (among all households) was 0.8%. The percentage of never-married males 15 years old and over was 19.6%, while the percentage of never-married females 15 years old and over was 14.6%. As of 2000, the percentage of people that speak English not well or not at all made up 6.9% of the population. The percentage of residents born in Florida was 24.8%, the percentage of people born in another U.S. state was 24.8%, and the percentage of native residents but born outside the U.S. was 4.7%, while the percentage of foreign born residents was 45.7%.

San Marco Island

San Marco Island is a neighborhood in the City of

. It is the 2nd westernmost of the Venetian Islands, a chain of artificial islands in

. It is between Biscayne Island and San Marino Island. It contains upscale houses and the

Education

The local school district for the entire county is

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is the public school district serving Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida. Founded in 1885, it is the largest school district in Florida, the largest in the South ...

. Zoned schools for the Venetian Islands include: * North Beach Elementary School * Nautilus Middle School *

Miami Beach High School Miami Beach Senior High School (Beach High, MBSH) is a secondary school located at 2231 Prairie Avenue Miami Beach, Florida, across from the Miami Beach Convention Center and Botanical Garden. It is located at the corner of Prairie Avenue and Da ...

Miami Beach SHS School Legal Boundaries Description
"

. Retrieved on November 21, 2024.

References

External links

Venetian Islands Homeowners Association

Belle Isle Residents Association

{{authority control Artificial islands of Florida Islands of Miami Islands of Miami Beach, Florida Islands of Florida