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Miami Beach

 
Dictionary: Miami Beach
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A city of southeast Florida across from Miami on an island between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It was long famous for its gold coast strip of fashionable hotels, palatial estates, and recreational facilities. Population: 86,900.

 

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Miami Beach
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City (pop., 2000: 87,933), southeastern Florida, U.S. It is situated on an island across Biscayne Bay from Miami. Until 1912 the site was a mangrove swamp. John S. Collins and Carl F. Fisher pioneered real estate development and built a bridge across the bay; the area was dredged to form an island measuring 7.4 sq mi (19 sq km), with an 8-mi (13-km) beach. The city, incorporated in 1915, is now a luxury resort and convention centre. It is connected with Miami by several causeways and is noted for its Art Deco architecture.

For more information on Miami Beach, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Miami Beach
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Miami Beach, city (1990 pop. 92,639), Dade co., SE Fla., on an island between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean; inc. 1915. It is connected to Miami by four causeways. Miami Beach is a popular year-round resort, famous for its "gold coast" hotel strip, palatial estates, and recreational facilities. The city's chief source of income derives from tourism. The 34,000-seat Convention Hall complex in Miami Beach has hosted several national political conventions. Cultural institutions include the Bass Art Museum and other facilties of the Cultural Park and the Wolfsonian, a museum of design.

The area was originally a mangrove swamp. A wooden bridge was built from the mainland in 1913, but development was slow until the Florida land boom in the 1920s. The glamorous hotel and vacation industry began to decline in the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, large numbers of Cuban refugees from the Mariel boatlift flooded into the area, seeking its cheap accommodations. A spurt in less-expensive development along the ocean road followed and led to the influx of a younger population and to the exodus of many wealthier retirees to other resort cities in Florida. The 1979 designation of an Art Deco section of South Beach as a historic district, however, slowly set in motion an architectural revival of the city. By the 1990s Miami Beach had reemerged as a popular tourist destination. More recently there has been renewed interest in "Miami Modernism," the architectural style that characterizes the city's 1950s hotels.

Bibliography

See H. Mehling, The Most of Everything: The Story of Miami Beach (1960); P. Redford, Billion Dollar Sandbar (1970); B. Blumin, Miami Savvy (1989); G. Monroe and A. Sweet, Miami Beach (1989).

Weather: Miami Beach, FL
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AccuWeather® Current Conditions for



OVERCAST		 Temperature: 79°F / 26°C
RealFeel Temperature™: 78°F / 25°C
Humidity: 68%
Winds: E 16 mph / 26 kmh
Pressure: 30.06"
Visibility: 9 mi. / 14 km

5-Day Forecast

Monday HI:  84°F / 28°C
LO: 76°F / 24°C
Tuesday HI:  85°F / 29°C
LO: 77°F / 25°C
Wednesday HI:  86°F / 30°C
LO: 75°F / 23°C
Thursday HI:  86°F / 30°C
LO: 69°F / 20°C
Friday HI:  80°F / 26°C
LO: 69°F / 20°C
Last updated November 09, 2009 05:49 (EST)

Maps: Miami Beach
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Wikipedia: Miami Beach, Florida
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"Miami Beach" redirects here. For the beach in Barbados, see Miami Beach, Barbados.
See also: South Beach and North Beach (Miami Beach)
City of Miami Beach
—  City  —
Southern portion of Miami Beach with downtown Miami in background

Seal
Nickname(s): The Beach
Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
Coordinates: 25°48′46.89″N 80°8′2.63″W / 25.813025°N 80.1340639°W / 25.813025; -80.1340639Coordinates: 25°48′46.89″N 80°8′2.63″W / 25.813025°N 80.1340639°W / 25.813025; -80.1340639
Country  United States
State  Florida
County  Miami-Dade
Incorporated March 26, 1915
Government
 - Mayor Matti Herrera Bower
Area
 - City 18.7 sq mi (48.5 km2)
 - Land 7.0 sq mi (18.2 km2)
 - Water 11.7 sq mi (30.2 km2)  62.37%
Elevation 3 ft (1 m)
Population (2005)
 - City 87,925
 - Density 12,502.1/sq mi (4,829.5/km2)
 - Metro 5,422,200
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Zip 33109, 33139, 33140, 33141.
Area code(s) 305, 786
FIPS code 12-45025[1]
GNIS feature ID 0286750[2]
Website www.miamibeachfl.gov

Miami Beach is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city was incorporated on 26 March 1915.[3] It is located on a barrier island between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean; the Bay separates Miami Beach from the city of Miami, Florida. The city is often referred to under the umbrella term of "Miami," despite being a distinct municipality. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,933. 55.5% of the population was foreign born.[4] A 2005 population estimate for the city was 87,925.[5] Miami Beach has been one of America's pre-eminent beach resorts for almost a century.

Contents

Description

In 1979 Miami Beach's Art Deco Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Art Deco District is the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world and comprises hundreds of hotels, apartments and other structures erected between 1923 and 1943. Mediterranean, Streamline Moderne and Art Deco are all represented in the District. The Historic District is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the East, Lenox Court on the West, 6th Street on the South and Dade Boulevard along the Collins Canal to the North. The movement to preserve the Art Deco District's architectural heritage was led by former interior designer Barbara Capitman, who now has a street in the District named in her honor.

Government

Miami Beach is governed by a Mayor and 6 Commissioners. The mayor runs commission meetings and the mayor and all commissioners have equal voting power. The Mayor serves for terms of 2 years with a term limit of 3 terms and commissioners serve for terms of 4 years and are limited to 2 terms. Commissioners are voted for by region and every two years 3 commission seats are voted upon. A city manager is responsible for administering governmental operations.

As of January 2009 the Mayor is Matti Herrera Bower. The Commissioners are: Saul Gross, Jerry Libbin, Victor Diaz, Ed Tobin, Deede Weithorn and Jonah Wolfson.

Culture

Image and cultural depictions

South Beach (also known as SoBe, or simply The Beach the area from 1st street to about 25th street) is one of the more popular areas of Miami Beach. Topless sunbathing is tolerated on certain designated areas of the beach. Before the TV show Miami Vice helped make the area popular, SoBe was under urban blight, with vacant buildings and a high crime rate. Today, it is considered one of the richest commercial areas on the beach, yet poverty and crime still remain in some places near the area.[6]

Miami Beach, particularly Ocean Drive of what is now the Art Deco District, was also featured prominently in the 1983 feature film Scarface and the Birdcage.

The New World Symphony Orchestra is based in Miami Beach, Florida, under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas.

Lincoln Road is a nationally known spot for great outdoor dining, bicycling, rollerblading and shopping.[citation needed]

Jewish population

The Miami Beach environs are home to a number of Orthodox Jewish communities with a network of well-established synagogues and yeshivas. It is also a magnet for Jewish families, retirees, and particularly snowbirds when the cold winter sets in to the north. They range from the Followers to the Modern Orthodox to the Haredi and Hasidic - including many rebbes who vacation there during the North American winter. There are a number of kosher restaurants and even kollels for post-graduate Talmudic scholars, such as the Miami Beach Community Kollel. Miami Beach had roughly 60,000 people in Jewish households, 62 percent of the total population, in 1982, but only 16,500, or 19 percent of the population, in 2004, said Ira Sheskin, a demographer at the University of Miami who conducts surveys once a decade.[citation needed]

Miami Beach is home to the Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach.

Other

According to the Morgan Quitno Awards, Miami Beach is one of the most dangerous small cities (population between 75,000 and 99,999) in the country.[7]

Each December, The city plays host to the major contemporary art exhibition Art Basel Miami Beach. In November of 2007, a multi-media art festival was held based on Nuit Blanche.[1]

Geography and climate

Panoramic view of South Beach
Typical winter day in South Beach

Miami Beach is located at 25°48′47″N 80°08′03″W / 25.813025°N 80.134065°W / 25.813025; -80.134065 (25.813025, -80.134065).[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.5 km2 (18.7 mi2). 18.2 km2 (7.0 mi2) of it is land and 30.2 km2 (11.7 mi2) of it (62.37%) is water.

It has a Tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am)[9], with hot humid summers and warm winters. There is a marked wet season during the summer months, with dry winters that feature much lower humidity. Miami Beach is one of only a handful of U.S. locales that has never recorded snow or snow flurries in recorded weather history.

Miami Beach's location on the Atlantic Ocean, near its confluence with the Gulf of Mexico make it extraordinarily vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms. Despite only experiencing one direct hit from a major hurricane in recorded weather history, (Hurricane Cleo in 1964), the area has seen indirect contact from hurricanes Betsy (1965), Andrew (1992), Irene (1999), Michelle (2001), Katrina (2005), and Wilma (2005).


Weather data for Miami Beach, FL
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 87
(31)		 88
(31)		 92
(33)		 94
(34)		 98
(37)		 97
(36)		 98
(37)		 98
(37)		 96
(36)		 95
(35)		 92
(33)		 86
(30)		 98
(37)
Average high °F (°C) 73
(23)		 73
(23)		 75
(24)		 79
(26)		 82
(28)		 86
(30)		 87
(31)		 87
(31)		 86
(30)		 83
(28)		 78
(26)		 75
(24)		 80
(27)
Average low °F (°C) 63
(17)		 63
(17)		 66
(19)		 70
(21)		 74
(23)		 77
(25)		 78
(26)		 78
(26)		 78
(26)		 75
(24)		 70
(21)		 65
(18)		 71
(22)
Record low °F (°C) 32
(0)		 37
(3)		 32
(0)		 46
(8)		 58
(14)		 65
(18)		 66
(19)		 67
(19)		 67
(19)		 54
(12)		 39
(4)		 32
(0)		 32
(0)
Precipitation inches (mm) 2.4
(61)		 2.1
(53.3)		 2.2
(55.9)		 2.8
(71.1)		 4.9
(124.5)		 6.9
(175.3)		 3.6
(91.4)		 5.4
(137.2)		 6.3
(160)		 4.5
(114.3)		 3.3
(83.8)		 2
(50.8)		 46.4
(1,178.6)
Source: The Weather Channel[10] November 2009

Surrounding areas

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 87,933 people, 46,194 households, and 18,339 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,829.5/km2 (12,502.1/mi2). There were 59,723 housing units at an average density of 3,280.1/km2 (8,491.2/mi2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.74% White (40.9% were Non-Hispanic Whites,)[11] 4.03% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.05% from other races, and 3.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 53.45% of the population.

There were 46,194 households out of which 14.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 60.3% were non-families. 48.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was sixty-five years of age or older. The average household size was 1.87 and the average family size was 2.76.

Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1920 644
—
1930 6,494 908.4%
1940 28,012 331.4%
1950 46,282 65.2%
1960 63,145 36.4%
1970 87,072 37.9%
1980 96,298 10.6%
1990 92,639 −3.8%
2000 87,933 −5.1%
Est. 2007 93,535 6.4%

In the city the population was spread out with 13.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 38.2% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were sixty-five years of age or older. The median age was thirty-nine years. For every 100 females there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age eighteen and over, there were 105.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,322, and the median income for a family was $33,440. Males had a median income of $33,964 versus $27,094 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,853. About 17.0% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 24.5% of those age sixty-five or over.

As of 2000, speakers of Spanish as a first language accounted for 54.89% of residents, while English made up 32.75%, Portuguese was at 3.38%, French was at 1.66%, German at 1.12%, Italian 0.99%, and Russian was 0.85% of the population. Due to the large Jewish community, Yiddish made up 0.81% of speakers, and Hebrew was the mother tongue of 0.74% of the population.[12]

As of 2000, Miami Beach had the twenty-second highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, with 20.51% of the populace.[13] It had the twenty-eighth highest percentage of Colombian residents in the US, at 4.4% of the city's population,[14] and the fourteenth highest percentage of Brazilian residents in the US, at 2.2% of the its population (tied with Hillside, New Jersey and Hudson, Massachusetts.)[15] It also had the twenty-seventh most Peruvians in the US, at 1.85%,[16] while it had the twenty-seventh highest percentage of Venezuelans, at 1.79% of all residents.[17] Miami Beach's Honduran community had the thirty-third highest percentage of residents, which comprised 1.03% of the population.[18] Its also home to the forty-first highest percentage of Nicaraguan residents, which made up 1.03% of the population.[19]

Education

Miami-Dade County Public Schools serves Miami Beach.

  • North Beach Elementary
  • South Pointe Elementary
  • Biscayne Elementary
  • Feinberg/Fisher K - 8 Center
  • Treasure Island Elementary
  • Ruth K. Broad/ Bay Harbor Elementary
  • Nautilus Middle School (which is the only Public middle school for the Miami Beach area)
  • Miami Beach Senior High School (which is the only Public high school for the Miami Beach area)

Private schools include Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy, Landow Yeshiva - Lubavitch Educational Center (Klurman Mesivta for Boys), and Mechina High School.

Neighborhoods

A portion of the southern part of the South Beach skyline as seen from Biscayne Bay. Photo: Marc Averette
The northernmost section of the city referred to as North Beach
Ocean Drive on Super Bowl XLI weekend 2/3/2007. Photo: Marc Averette
  • Bayshore
    • Sunset Islands I & II
    • Sunset Islands III & IV
    • Sunset Harbour
    • The Townhomes at Sunset Harbour
  • Biscayne Point
    • Stillwater Drive Neighborhood
  • City Center
    • Collins Park
  • Fisher Island (A small portion of the island)
  • Flamingo/Lummus
    • Flamingo Park
    • Flamingo Park West
    • North Ocean Drive Area
    • South Beach
  • La Gorce
    • Allison Island
    • Aqua Allison Island
    • La Gorce Island
    • La Gorce Pine Tree
    • Lower North Bay Road Neighborhood
    • Middle North Bay Road Neighborhood
  • Nautilus
    • Alton Road Neighborhood
    • Lakeview/Surprise Lake
    • Orchard Park
  • North Shore
  • Normandy Isles
    • Normandie Sud
  • Normandy Shores
  • Oceanfront
  • South Pointe
    • SoFi (South of Fifth)
  • Star Island, Palm Island, & Hibiscus Island
  • Venetian Islands, including Belle Isle
  • West Avenue/Bay Road
    • Lincoln West

Points of interest

Sister cities

See also: List of sister cities in Florida

Miami Beach has 10 sister cities[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ Ruby Leach Carson. 40 Years of Miami Beach. p. 13. 
  4. ^ "| FAIR: City Factsheet: Miami Beach, Florida". Fairus.org. 2006-07-01. http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_research33a8_sup. Retrieved 2009-04-21. 
  5. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2005-04-12.xls
  6. ^ MSNBC: South Beach: Life imitates art, quite vicely www.msnbc.com
  7. ^ "City Crime Rankings by Population Group". Morganquitno.com. http://www.morganquitno.com/cit06pop.htm#25. Retrieved 2009-04-21. 
  8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  9. ^ "Köppen Climate Map Aw=tropical". .johnabbott.qc.ca. http://www2.johnabbott.qc.ca/webpages/departments/geoscience/intro/Koppen/KoppenMap.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-21. 
  10. ^ http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/33140?from=36hr_bottomnav_undeclared |title=Monthly Averages for Miami Beach, FL |accessdate=2009-11-07 |year=2009 |publisher=The Weather Channel }}
  11. ^ "Demographics of Miami Beach, FL". MuniNetGuide.com. http://www.muninetguide.com/states/florida/municipality/Miami_Beach.php. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  12. ^ "MLA Data Center Results of Miami Beach, FL". Modern Language Association. http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=12&county_id=&mode=&zip=&place_id=45025&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  13. ^ "Ancestry Map of Cuban Communities". Epodunk.com. http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Cuban.html. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  14. ^ "Ancestry Map of Colombian Communities". Epodunk.com. http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Colombian.html. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  15. ^ "Ancestry Map of Brazilian Communities". Epodunk.com. http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Brazilian.html. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  16. ^ "Ancestry Map of Peruvian Communities". Epodunk.com. http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Peruvian.html. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  17. ^ "Ancestry Map of Venezuelan Communities". Epodunk.com. http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Venezuelan.html. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  18. ^ "Ancestry Map of Honduran Communities". Epodunk.com. http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Honduran.html. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  19. ^ "Ancestry Map of Nicaraguan Communities". Epodunk.com. http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Nicaraguan.html. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  20. ^ "Miami Beach Sister Cities Program". Miamibeachsistercities.com. http://miamibeachsistercities.com/. Retrieved 2009-04-21. 
  21. ^ "Miami Beach Sister Cities program - Fortaleza, Brazil". http://miamibeachsistercities.com/fortaleza.htm. 
  22. ^ "Historic Sister City Agreemtn Between Brampton and Miami Beach, Florida" (PDF). City of Brampton, Canada. 2008-10-03. http://www.brampton.ca/media-releases/08-054.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 

Gallery

The historical Art Deco District at South Beach during the night.

The Art Deco District at South Beach during the day.

Colorful new building blends in with the historic Art Deco

External links

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
Weather. © 2008 AccuWeather, Inc.  Read more
 Maps. ©2008 Google. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Miami Beach, Florida".  Read more

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