From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County , Florida
County, terms of land area, with 1,946 square miles.[3] The coun-
ty’s population makes up approximately half of the South
Florida metropolitan area population and holds several
of the principal cities of South Florida. The county seat is
Miami.
Logo
The county is home to 35 incorporated cities and
Flag
many unincorporated areas. The northern, central and
eastern portions of the county are heavily urbanized
with many high rises up the coastline, as well as the lo-
cation of South Florida’s central business district, Down-
town Miami. Southern Miami-Dade County includes the
Redland and Homestead areas, which make up the agri-
cultural economy of Miami. 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 northern Miami-Dade
County. The western portion of the county extends into
the Everglades National Park and is populated only by
Location in the state of Florida
a Miccosukee Tribal village. East of the mainland in Bis-
cayne Bay is also Biscayne National Park.
History
Further information: History of Miami, Florida
Pre-European contact
The earliest evidence of Native American settlement in
Florida’s location in the U.S. the Miami region came from about 12,000 years ago.[4]
Founded January 18, 1836
The first inhabitants settled on the banks of the Miami
River, with the main villages on the northern banks.
Named for Major Francis L. Dade
The inhabitants at the time of first European contact
Seat Miami were the Tequesta people, who controlled much of
Largest city Miami southeastern Florida, including what is now Miami-Dade
Area County, Broward County, and the southern part of Palm
- Total 2,431.26 sq mi (6,297 km²) Beach County. The Tequesta Indians fished, hunted, and
- Land 1,946.06 sq mi (5,040 km²) gathered the fruit and roots of plants for food, but did not
- Water 485.19 sq mi (1,257 km²), 19.96% practice any form of agriculture. They buried the small
Population bones of the deceased with the rest of the body, and put
- (2010)
2010) 2,496,435 the larger bones in a box for the village people to see. The
- Density 1,283/sq mi (495.3/km²) Tequesta are credited with making the Miami Circle.
Website www.miamidade.gov
European contact
Miami-Dade County (commonly called Miami Miami-Miami, Juan Ponce de León was the first European to visit the
Dade, County, Dade,
Dade Dade County Dade Metro-Dade or Greater Miami Miami) area in 1513 by sailing into Biscayne Bay. His journal
is a county located in the southeastern part of the state records that he reached Chequescha, a variant of Tequesta,
of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a popu- which was Miami’s first recorded name.[5] It is unknown
lation of 2,496,435,[1] making it the most populous coun- whether he came ashore or made contact with the na-
ty in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the tives. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his men made the
United States.[2] It is also Florida’s third largest county in first recorded landing when they visited the Tequesta
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
settlement in 1566 while looking for Avilés’ missing son,
shipwrecked a year earlier.[6] 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 dis-
eases like smallpox. By 1711, the Tequesta sent a couple
of local chiefs to Havana, Cuba, to ask if they could mi-
grate there. The Cubans sent two ships to help them, but
Spanish illnesses struck and most of the Indians died.[7]
The first permanent European settlers arrived in the
early 19th century. People came from the Bahamas to
South Florida and the Keys to hunt for treasure from the
ships that ran aground on the treacherous Great Florida
Reef. Some accepted Spanish land offers along the Mia-
mi River. At about the same time, the Seminole Indians
arrived, along with a group of runaway slaves. The area
was affected by the Second Seminole War, during which
Major William S. Harney led several raids against the In-
dians. Most non-Indian residents were soldiers stationed
at Fort Dallas. It was the most devastating Indian war in
American history, causing almost a total loss of popula-
tion in the Miami area.
After the Second Seminole War ended in 1842, Wil-
liam English, re-established a plantation started by his Julia Tuttle, the founder of Miami.
uncle on the Miami River. He charted the “Village of Mi-
ami” on the south bank of the Miami River and sold sev- named the Dade Battlefield. At the time of its creation,
eral plots of land. In 1844, Miami became the county seat, Dade County included the land that now contains Palm
and six years later a census reported that there were Beach and Broward counties, together with the Florida
ninety-six residents living in the area.[8] The Third Semi- Keys from Bahia Honda Key north and the land of present
nole War was not as destructive as the second one. Even day Miami-Dade County. The county seat was originally
so, it slowed down the settlement of southeast Florida. At at Indian Key in the Florida Keys; then in 1844, the Coun-
the end of the war, a few of the soldiers stayed. ty seat was moved to Miami. The Florida Keys from Key
Largo to Bahia Honda were returned to Monroe County
Birth of Dade County in 1866. In 1888 the county seat was moved to Juno, near
present-day Juno Beach, Florida, returning to Miami in
1899. In 1909, Palm Beach County was formed from the
northern portion of what was then Dade County, and
then in 1915, Palm Beach County and Dade County con-
tributed nearly equal portions of land to create what is
now Broward County. There have been no significant
boundary changes to the county since 1915.[9][10][11]
The second-costliest natural disaster to occur in the
United States was Hurricane Andrew, which hit Miami
early Monday morning on August 24, 1992. It struck the
central part of the county from due east, south of Miami
and very near Homestead, Kendall, and Cutler Ridge (now
the Town of Cutler Bay). Damages numbered over US$25
billion in the county alone, and recovery has taken years
Flagler Street in Downtown Miami 20 minutes after surrender in these areas where the destruction was greatest. This
during World War II. was the costliest natural disaster in US history until Hur-
ricane Katrina struck the Gulf region in 2005.
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, a soldier killed in
1835 in the Second Seminole War, at what has since been
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
Name change Bay, and the western third of Miami-Dade County lies
within Everglades National Park. The northwest portion
On November 13, 1997, voters changed the name of the
of the county contains a small part of the Big Cypress Na-
county from Dade to Miami-Dade to acknowledge the in-
tional Preserve.
ternational name recognition of Miami.[12]
Communities
Geography
Physical geography
Miami-Dade County is close to sea level in elevation av-
eraging about 6 feet (1.8 m) above sea level. It is rather
new geologically and located at the eastern edge of the
Florida Platform, a carbonate plateau created millions of
years ago. Eastern Dade is composed of Oolite limestone
while western Dade is composed mostly of Bryozoa.[13]
Miami-Dade is among the last areas of Florida to be cre-
ated and populated with fauna and flora, mostly in the
Pleistocene.
Miami River in Downtown Miami
Map of the municipalities (colored areas) and unincorporated
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total (grey areas) communities of Miami-Dade County.
area of 2,431.26 square miles (6,296.9 km2), of which
1,946.06 square miles (5,040.3 km2) (or 80.04%) is land Main article: List of communities in Miami-Dade County,
and 485.19 square miles (1,256.6 km2) (or 19.96%) is wa- Florida
ter,[14] most of which is Biscayne Bay, with another sig- Miami-Dade County includes 35 incorporated areas, 38
nificant portion in the adjacent waters of the Atlantic Census-designated places, and 16 unincorporated re-
Ocean. gions.
The bay is divided from the Atlantic Ocean by the
many barrier isles along the coast, one of which is where Adjacent counties
well-known Miami Beach is located, home to South Beach • Broward County, Florida - north
and the Art Deco district. The Florida Keys, which are • Monroe County, Florida - south and west
also barrier islands are only accessible through Miami- • Collier County, Florida - northwest
Dade County, but which are otherwise part of neighbor-
ing Monroe County.
Neighborhoods
Population Main article: Neighborhoods of Miami-Dade County
Miami is the largest city within Miami-Dade County as
well as the county seat, with an estimated population of Demographics
424,662.[15] Miami is the only metropolitan area in the
Historical populations
United States that borders two national parks. Biscayne
National Park is located east of the mainland, in Biscayne Census Pop. %±
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
Population Miami-Dade
2030 Projection 3,196,805
2025 Projection 3,019,785
2010 Projection 2,551,284
2006 Estimate 2,402,208
2000 Census 2,253,485
1990 Census 1,967,000
1840 446 — ized U.S. citizens.[18][19] Among the foreign-born popu-
1850 159 −64.3% lation, the most common countries of origin were Cuba
(42%), Nicaragua (16%), Colombia (6%), Haiti (6%), the Do-
1860 83 −47.8%
minican Republic (3%), and Jamaica (3%).[18]
1870 85 2.4%
There were 776,774 households out of which 33.8%
1880 257 202.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7%
1890 861 235.0% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female
1900 4,955 475.5% householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were
1910 11,933 140.8% non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of in-
1920 42,753 258.3% dividuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65
years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84
1930 142,955 234.4%
and the average family size was 3.35.
1940 267,739 87.3% The age distribution is 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.1%
1950 495,084 84.9% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64,
1960 935,047 88.9% and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
1970 1,267,792 35.6% age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5
1980 1,625,781 28.2% males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were
90.2 males.
1990 1,937,094 19.1%
The median income for a household in the county
2000 2,253,362 16.3%
was $35,966, and the median income for a family was
2010 2,496,435 10.8% $40,260. Males had a median income of $30,120 versus
$24,686 for females. The per capita income for the county
2000 U.S. Census was $18,497. About 14.5% of families and 18.0% of the
As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 2,253,362 people, population were below the poverty line, including 22.9%
776,774 households, and 548,402 families residing in the of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.
county. The population density was 1,158 people per
square mile (447/km2). There were 852,278 housing units 2008 U.S. Census estimates
at an average density of 438 per square mile (169/km2). U.S. Census Bureau 2008 Ethnic/Race Demographics:[20]
The racial makeup of the county was 69.7% White (20.7% • White (non-Hispanic): 17.8%
Non-Hispanic White),[17] 20.3% African American and • Black (non-Hispanic): 19.5%
Black (with a large part being of Caribbean descent), • Hispanics or Latinos of any race: 62.4%
0.20% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islan- • Asian: 1.6%
der, 4.60% from other races, and 3.80% from two or more • Two or more races: 1.0%
races. 57.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of • Some other race: 5.6%[21]
any race. In relation to ancestry (excluding the various • American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3%
Hispanic and Latino ancestries), 5% were Haitian, 5% • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%
American, 2% Italian, 2% Jamaican, 2% German, 2% Irish, According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates,
and 2% English ancestry.[18] when compared to the 2000 U.S. Census, the Hispanic
1,147,765 of Miami-Dade residents, or 50.9 percent population grew 5.1%, the Black population dropped
of the total population, were foreign-born, a percentage 0.8%, the White (non-Hispanic) population dropped 2.9%,
greater than that of any other county in the United and the Asian population grew 0.2%.
States. 47% of the foreign-born population were natural-
4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
Economy
Since late 2001, Downtown Miami has seen a large construction
boom in skyscrapers, retail and has experienced gentrifica-
tion[citation needed].
Headquarters of Burger King
Headquarters of Norwegian Cruise Line
Corporate headquarters
Brightstar Corporation,[25] Burger King,[26] Intradeco
Holdings,[27] Latin Flavors,[28] Norwegian Cruise Line,[29]
and Ryder have their headquarters in unincorporated ar-
eas in the county.[30] Centurion Air Cargo, Florida West
International Airways, and IBC Airways have their head-
quarters on the grounds of Miami International Airport
Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, is amongst the fastest-growing in an unincorporated area in the county.[31][32][33]
areas of Miami-Dade County[citation needed]
Domestic operations
[22] [23]
Hewlett Packard’s main Latin America offices are located
on the ninth floor of the Waterford Building in unincor-
Languages porated Miami-Dade County.[34]
As of 2000, 32.09% of the population spoke only English at
home; 59.25% spoke Spanish, 4.12% French Creole, 0.89% Foreign operations
French, and 0.67% spoke Portuguese as their mother lan- AstraZeneca has its Latin American headquarters in an
guage.[24] 50.9% of the county residents were born out- unincorporated area.[35] Gate Group has its Latin Ameri-
side the United States, while 67.90% of the population can headquarters in an unincorporated area.[36] Unicom-
spoke a language other than English at home.[24] er Group has its United States offices in an unincorporat-
5
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
# Employer # of employees
1 Publix Super Markets 11,000
2 Baptist Health South Florida 10,826
3 University of Miami 9,874
4 American Airlines 9,000
5 Precision Response Corporation 6,000
6 Bellsouth 5,500
7 Winn-Dixie Stores 4,833
8 Florida Power & Light Company 3,900
9 Carnival Cruise Lines 3,500
10 Macy’s Florida 3,368
# Employer # of employees
1 Miami-Dade County Public Schools 50,000
2 Miami-Dade County 32,000
3 U.S. Federal Government 20,400
4 Florida State Government 17,000
5 Jackson Health Systems 5,500
6 Miami Dade College 6,500
7 City of Miami 4,034
8 Florida International University 3,132
9 VA Medical Center 2,300
10 City of Miami Beach 1,979
ed area.[37] TAME has its United States offices in an unin- Top public employers
corporated area.[38]
According to Miami’s Beacon Council, the top public em-
ployers in 2008 in Miami-Dade were:[48]
Former economic operations
Several defunct airlines, including Airlift International,
Arrow Air, National Airlines (NA), and Rich International Diplomatic missions
Airways, were headquartered on or near the airport Several consulates are located in Miami-Dade County.
property.[39][40][41][42] Those in unincorporated areas within the county are the
After Frank Borman became president of Eastern Air- Consulate-General of Honduras,[49] the Consulate-Gener-
lines in 1975, he moved Eastern’s headquarters from al of Nicaragua,[50] and the Consulate-General of Pana-
Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci- ma.[51]
ty to an unincorporated area in Miami-Dade Coun-
ty[43][44] Around 1991 the Miami-Dade County lost a few
corporations, including Eastern Airlines, which folded in Law and government
1991.[45] Main article: Miami-Dade county law and government
At one time the cruise line ResidenSea had its head- Miami-Dade County has operated under a unique met-
quarters in an unincorporated area in the county. [46] ropolitan system of government, a "two-tier federation,"
since 1957. This was made possible when Florida voters
Top private employers approved a constitutional amendment in 1956 that al-
According to Miami’s Beacon Council, the top private em- lowed the people of Dade County (as it was known then)
ployers in 2008 in Miami-Dade were:[47] to enact a 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. Mattie Belle Davis, the first woman from Flori-
6
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democrat
2008 41.6% 358,256 58.1% 497,386
2004 46.6% 361,095 52.9% 409,732
2000 46.3% 289,574 52.6% 328,867
1996 37.9% 209,740 57.3% 317,555
1992 43.2% 235,313 46.7% 254,609
1988 55.3% 270,937 44.3% 216,970
1984 59.2% 144,281 40.8% 223,863
1980 50.7% 265,888 40.2% 210,868
1976 40.5% 211,148 58.1% 303,047
1972 58.9% 256,529 40.8% 177,693
1968 37.0% 135,222 48.4% 176,689
1964 36.0% 117,480 64.0% 208,941
1960 42.3% 134,506 57.7% 183,114
da elected to the American Bar Foundation and the sec- and other typical city services within their jurisdiction.
ond woman to be elected in the US, was the first woman These services are paid for by city taxes. The County is
judge of Metropolitan Court of Dade County, Florida. the "upper tier", and it provides services of a metro-
politan nature, such as emergency management, airport
Division between county and municipal- and seaport operations, public housing and health care
ity politics services, transportation, environmental services, solid
waste disposal etc. These are funded by county taxes,
Unlike a consolidated city-county, where the city and
which are assessed on all incorporated and unincorporat-
county governments merge into a single entity, these
ed areas.
two entities remain separate. Instead there are two
Of the county’s 2.2 million total residents (as of 2000),
"tiers", or levels, of government: city and county. There
approximately 52% live in unincorporated areas, the ma-
are 35 municipalities in the county, the City of Miami be-
jority of which are heavily urbanized. These residents
ing the largest.
are part of the Unincorporated Municipal Services Area
(UMSA). For these residents, the County fills the role of
District Commissioner
both lower- and upper-tier government, the County
1st Barbara J. Jordan Commission acting as their lower-tier municipal repre-
2nd Jean Monestime sentative body. Residents within UMSA pay a UMSA tax,
equivalent to a city tax, which is used to provide County
3rd Audrey Edmonson
residents with equivalent city services (police, fire, zon-
4th Sally A. Heyman ing, water and sewer, etc.). Residents of incorporated ar-
5th Bruno A. Barreiro eas do not pay UMSA tax.
6th Rebeca Sosa Structure of county government
7th Carlos A. Gimenez See also: List of Mayors of Miami-Dade County, Florida
8th Lynda Bell The Executive Mayor of Miami-Dade County is elected
countywide to serve a four-year term. The Mayor is not a
9th Dennis C. Moss, Chairman
member of the County Commission. The Mayor appoints
10th Javier D. Souto a County Manager, with approval and consent of the
11th Joe A. Martinez Board of County Commissioners, to oversee the opera-
tions of the County Departments. The Mayor has veto
12th José Pepe Diaz
power over the Commission. The post is filled by Carlos
13th Natacha Seijas A. Gimenez.
The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative
Cities are the "lower tier" of local government, providing body, consisting of 13 members elected from single-
police and fire protection, zoning and code enforcement,
7
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
The most visible distinction between Miami-Dade and
other Florida counties is the title of its law enforcement
agency. It is the only county in Florida that does not have
an elected sheriff, or an agency titled "Sheriff’s Office."
Instead the equivalent agency is known as the Miami-
Dade Police Department, and its leader is known as the
Metropolitan Sheriff and Director of the Miami-Dade Po-
lice Department. The judicial offices of Clerk of the Cir-
cuit Court, State Attorney, and Public Defender are still
branches of State government and are therefore inde-
pendently elected and not part of County government.
Public services
Fire Rescue
Further information: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Depart-
ment
The Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Department is the
agency that provides fire protection and emergency
medical services for Miami-Dade County, Florida. The de-
partment serves 28 municipalities and all unincorporat-
ed areas of Miami-Dade County from 60 fire stations.[52]
The Department also provides fire protection services for
Miami International Airport, Kendall-Tamiami Executive
Dade County Courthouse, completed in 1926
Airport and Opa-Locka Airport.[53]
The communities served are Aventura, Bal Harbour,
member districts. Members are elected to serve four-year Bay Harbor Islands, Biscayne Park, Doral, El Portal, Flori-
terms, and elections of members are staggered. The da City, Golden Beach, Hialeah Gardens, Homestead, In-
Board chooses a Chairperson, who presides over the dian Creek, Islandia, Medley, Miami Lakes, Miami Shores,
Commission, as well as appoints the members of its leg- Miami Springs, North Bay Village, North Miami, North
islative committees. The Board has a wide array of pow- Miami Beach, Opa-locka, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South
ers to enact legislation, create departments, and regulate Miami, Surfside, Sweetwater, Sunny Isles Beach, Virginia
businesses operating within the County. It also has the Gardens, and West Miami.[54]
power to override the Mayor’s veto with a two-thirds Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is also the home to Urban
vote. Search and Rescue Florida Task Force 1 as well as EMS
The election of Commissioners from single member operations consisting of 57 Advanced Life Support units
districts came to be in 1992 after a group led by attorney staffed by 760 state-certified paramedics and 640 state-
and then Dade County Commissioner Arthur E. Teele, Jr. certified emergency medical technicians.
with the support of some African American and Hispan-
ic civic leaders, challenged the at large election system in Police Department
the courts, arguing that the present system did not allow
for the election of minority commissioners, despite the Further information: Miami-Dade Police Department
fact that African American Commissioner Barbara Carey- The Miami-Dade Police Department is a full service met-
Shuler had been elected several times. The court, under ropolitan police department serving Miami-Dade Coun-
the ruling of U.S. District Court Judge Donald Graham, ty’s unincorporated areas, although they have lenient
created the single member district election system. mutual aid agreements with other municipalities, most
Florida’s Constitution provides for four elected offi- often the City of Miami Police Department. The Miami-
cials to oversee executive and administrative functions Dade Police Department is the largest police department
for each county (called "Constitutional Officers"): Sheriff, in the state of Florida with over 4,700 employees. The
Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Col- Department is still often referred by its former name, the
lector. However, the current Constitution allows voters Metro-Dade Police or simply Metro.
in home-rule counties (including Miami-Dade) to abolish The Miami-Dade Police Department operate out of
the offices and reorganize them as subordinate County nine districts throughout Miami-Dade County and have
departments; Miami-Dade voters chose this option. two special bureaus. The current director of the depart-
8
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
A Miami-Dade police car University of Miami
ment is James Loftus, who succeeded Robert Parker. The In Florida, each county is also a school district. Miami-
Department’s headquarters are located in Doral, Florida. Dade County Public Schools, is operated by an
independently-elected School Board. A professional Su-
Water and Sewer Department perintendent of Schools manages the day-to-day opera-
Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (MDWASD) is tions of the district, who is appointed by and serves at
one of the largest public utilities in the United States, the pleasure of the School Board. The Miami-Dade Coun-
employing approximately 2,700 employees as of 2007. It ty Public School District is currently the fourth-largest
provides service to over 2.4 million customers, operating public school district in the nation with almost 400,000
with an annual budget of almost $400 million. Approxi- students in 2007/2008.
mately 330 million gallons of water are drawn everyday The Miami-Dade Public Library is one of the largest
from the Biscayne Aquifer for consumer use. MDWASD public library systems in the country, comprising 42
has over 7,100 miles (11,400 km) of water lines, a service branch locations, and 8 branch locations currently being
area of 396 square miles (1,026 km2) and 14 pump sta- built/not officially opened.
tions. MDWASD has over 3,600 miles (5,800 km) of sewage
pipes, a service area of 341 square miles (883 km2) and Colleges and universities
954 pump stations [55] Miami-Dade County is home to many private and public
universities and colleges. Total approximate college/uni-
County representation versity student enrollment in the county in 2006 was
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice operates the about 245,000, one of the largest number for university
Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center in an un- students in the USA.[citation needed]
incorporated area in the county.[56] • University of Miami (private)
• Florida International University (public, largest
enrollment in South Florida)
Education • Miami Dade College (public)
• Barry University (private/Catholic)
• Nova Southeastern University (private)
• Florida Memorial University (private/historically
black)
• St. Thomas University (private/Catholic)
• Johnson and Wales University (private)
• Carlos Albizu University (private)
• Miami International University of Art & Design
(private)
• Talmudic University (private/Jewish)
Transportation
See also: Transportation in Miami
Florida International University
9
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
Airports
Government Center, one of the main metro stations in Miami
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport, located in an unincorporat-
ed area in the county, serves as the primary internation-
al airport of the Miami Area. One of the busiest inter-
national airports in the world, Miami International Air-
port caters to over 35 million passengers a year. Identi-
fiable 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 Inter-
national Airport), and is the seventh largest such gate-
way in the world. The airport’s extensive international Julia Tuttle Causeway connects Miami and Miami Beach
route network includes non-stop flights to over seventy
international cities in North and South America, Europe,
Asia, and the Middle East.
General aviation airports in the county include
Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport in an unincorporated
area, Opa-Locka Airport in Opa-Locka, and Homestead
General Aviation Airport in an unincorporated area west
of Homestead. Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base, east
of Homestead in an unincorporated area, serves military
traffic.
Public transit
Public transit in Miami-Dade County is served by Miami-
Dade Transit, and is the largest public transit in Florida.
Miami-Dade Transit operates a heavy rail metro system
Metrorail, an elevated people mover in Downtown Mia- Flagler Street in Downtown Miami
mi, Metromover and the bus system, Metrobus. Current-
ly, expansion of Metrorail is underway with the construc- When a driver passes through a toll plaza without
tion of the AirportLink to Miami International Airport. paying the proper toll a digital image of the cars license
tag is recorded. Under Florida Law, this image can be
Major expressways used by the Authority to issue a toll violation.[57]
In Florida a Tolled State Road is often (but not always) de- Miami-Dade County has 10 major expressways and 1
noted by having the word "TOLL" printed on the top of minor expressway in Downtown Miami.
the State Road shield. • Interstate 95
10
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
# Road Name(s) Direction and Termini Notes
CR 94 Loop Road E/W US 41 Fortymile Monroe-Miami- west of CR 94 is a
Bend Dade County line Fortymile multi-coun-
Bend ty county
road.
CR 905A Card Sound Road N/S US 1 near Monroe-Miami- near Card CR 905A is a
Homestead Dade County Sound multi-coun-
Line. Bridge ty road.
Street grid
A street grid stretches from downtown Miami through-
out the county. This grid was adopted by the City of Mi-
ami following World War I after the United States Post
Office threatened to cease mail deliveries in the city be-
cause 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.[58] 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 going North-South and
Flagler Street the baseline going east-west. The grid is
Downtown Distributor primarily numerical so that, for example, all street ad-
dresses north of Flagler and west of Miami Avenue have
NW in their address (e.g. NW 27th Avenue). Because its
• Interstate 75 point of origin is in downtown Miami which is close to
the coast, the NW and SW quadrants are much larger
• Florida’s Turnpike than the SE and NE quadrants. Many roads, especially
major ones, are also named, although, with a few notable
• Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike exceptions, the number is in more common usage among
locals. Although this grid is easy to understand once one
• Dolphin Expressway (State Road 836) / is oriented to it, it is not universal in the entire county.
Interstate 395 Hialeah uses its own grid system which is entirely dif-
ferent in its orientation. Coral Gables and Miami Lakes
• Gratigny Parkway (State Road 924) use named streets almost exclusively, and various small-
er municipalities such as Florida City and Homestead use
• Airport Expressway (State Road 112) / their own grid system along with the Miami-Dade grid
Interstate 195 system adding to the confusion. Miami Beach has its own
system of numbered streets without compass directions.
• Don Shula Expressway (State Road 874)
• Snapper Creek Expressway (State Road 878)
Sites of interest
• Palmetto Expressway (State Road 826) Museums
• Hialeah Expressway (State Road 934) • American Police Hall of Fame, Miami
• Downtown Distributor (State Road 970) • Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach
• Cuban Museum of Arts and Culture, Coral Gables
County roads • Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables
• Frost Art Museum, (Florida International University,
This is a list of Miami-Dade county roads. Miami-Dade
Miami)
County has fewer county roads than any other county in
• Haitian Heritage Museum, Miami
Florida, despite its large population.
• HistoryMiami, Downtown Miami
• Holocaust Memorial, Miami Beach
• Jewish Museum of Florida, Miami Beach
11
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami Art Museum in Downtown Miami
Villa Vizcaya, a popular tourist attraction
Frost Art Museum at Florida International University
Miami Seaquarium
• Lowe Art Museum, (University of Miami, Coral
Gables) • Ancient Spanish Monastery, North Miami
• Miami Art Museum, Downtown Miami • Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts,
• Miami Children’s Museum, Miami Downtown Miami
• Miami Cultural Center, Downtown Miami • Wertheim Performing Arts Center, (Florida
• Miami Science Museum, Miami International University, Miami)
• Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami • Florida Grand Opera, Miami
• Rubell Family Collection, Miami • Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, Downtown
• The Gold Coast Railroad Museum, Miami Miami
• Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami • Bayfront Park Amphitheatre, Downtown Miami
• Weeks Air Museum, Miami
• Wings Over Miami Museum, Miami Other areas and attractions
• Wolfsonian, (Florida International University, Miami
Beach)
• World Erotic Art Museum, Miami Beach
• The World Famous Mondesi Carranza Museum,
Miami Beach
Culture and wildlife
• Zoo Miami, Miami
• Jungle Island, Miami
• Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami
• Bayside Marketplace, Downtown Miami
• Miami Seaquarium, Miami South Beach
• Monkey Jungle, Miami
12
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
• South • Bal • Miami Art • BrickellMiami-Dade County holds the majority of sports arenas,
Beach Harbour Deco • City of stadiums and complexes in South Florida. Some of these
• Ocean Shops District Miami sports facilities are:
Drive • Dolphin • Miami •
Cemetery Sun Life Stadium- Miami Dolphins (football) and The
• Calle Ocho Mall Design • Española Miami Hurricanes (football),
• Lincoln • Aventura District Way • Marlins Park - Miami Marlins (baseball)
Road Mall • Bayside • Mary • American Airlines Arena- Miami Heat (basketball)
• Downtown • Biltmore Marketplace Brickell• Tennis Center at Crandon Park- Sony Ericcson Open
Miami Hotel • Little Village • FIU Stadium- FIU Golden Panthers (football)
• Freedom Havana •
• Wynwood Pharmed Arena- FIU Golden Panthers (basketball)
Tower • Star Island Art • University Park Stadium- FIU Golden Panthers
District (baseball)
• BankUnited Center- Miami Hurricanes (basketball)
Parks • Tropical Park Stadium
• Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Domino Park • Cape Florida State Park • Calder Race Course
• Tropical Park • Biscayne Bay Aquatic • Hialeah Park Race Track
• Bayfront Park Preserve • Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field- Miami
• Bicentennial • Oleta River State Park Hurricanes (baseball)
Park • Everglades National Park Former venues include:
• Crandon Park • Biscayne National Park • Miami Arena
• Miami Orange Bowl
Sports venues • Miami Marine Stadium
Notable people
Main article: List of people from Miami
Sister cities
See also: List of sister cities in Florida
Miami-Dade County has 23 sister cities, as designated by
Sister Cities International:
• Veracruz, Mexico • San José, Costa
• Iquique, Chile Rica
• Kingston, Jamaica • Saint Kitts and
• Petit Goâve, Haiti Nevis
American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat.
• The Bahamas • Province of
• Santo Domingo, Asti, Italy
Dominican Republic • Mendoza,
• Lamentin, Argentina
Guadeloupe • State of
[59] Monagas,
• Tenerife, Spain
• Stockholm County, Venezuela
Sweden • São Paulo,
• New Taipei, Taiwan Brazil[60][61]
• Pereira, Colombia • Pucallpa, Peru
• Turks and Caicos • Santa Cruz,
Islands Bolivia
• Asunción,
Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins and the Miami
Hurricanes. Paraguay
• Maldonado,
Uruguay
13
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Cayman [20] "2008 Miami-Dade County Demographics".
Islands http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/
12086.html.
[21] "2006 U.S. Census for Some Other Race".
See also http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/
• List of tallest buildings in Miami ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US12099&_geoContex
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Miami- Dade+County&_cityTown=Miami-
Dade County, Florida Dade+County&_state=04000US12&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&Activ
[22] Miamidade.gov
[23] Regional & Local Profiles
References [24] ^ "Modern Language Association Data Center
[1] http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/ Results of Miami-Dade County, Florida". Modern
[2] MiamiHerald.com Language Association. http://www.mla.org/
[3] US Census Bureau map_data_results&state_id=12&county_id=86&mode=geographic&
[4] Parks, Arva Moore (1991). Miami: The Magic City. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
Miami, FL: Centennial Press. pp. 12. [25] "Contact Us." Brightstar Corporation. Retrieved on
ISBN 0962940224. January 9, 2010.
[5] Parks, p 13 [26] "We’re Listening." Burger King. Retrieved on
[6] Parks, p 14 January 31, 2009.
[7] Parks, p 14-16 [27] "Contact Us." Intradeco Holdings. Retrieved on
[8] History of Miami-Dade county retrieved January January 9, 2010.
26, 2006 Archived January 10, 2006 at the Wayback [28] "Contact Us." Latin Flavors. Retrieved on January 9,
Machine 2010.
[9] "Miami-Dade County Annual Report for [29] "Contact Us." Norwegian Cruise Line. Retrieved on
Bondholders. For the Fiscal Year of 1998." (PDF). January 9, 2010.
Miami-Dade County, Florida. 1998. [30] "Contact Us." Ryder. Retrieved on January 9, 2010.
http://www.miamidade.gov/finance/library/ [31] "Contact Us." (Direct link to image) Centurion Air
Bookgo.PDF. Retrieved 2007-04-07. Cargo. Retrieved on July 1, 2010. "Head Office 1851
[10] History of Indian Key - retrieved September 13, NW 68 Ave., Bldg 706 Miami, FL 33126. This address
2007 may incorrectly be mapped to a residential
[11] Muir, Helen. (1953) Miami, U.S.A. Coconut Grove, subdivision. The proper location is at Miami
Florida. Hurricane House Publishers. Pp. 33, 100 International Airport.
[12] Miami-Dade County Government [32] Home page. Florida West International Airways.
[13] Notes on Florida Geography, Florida International Retrieved on January 7, 2010.
University [33] "Locations." International Bonded Couriers.
[14] "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". Retrieved on January 9, 2010.
United States Census. http://www.census.gov/ [34] "Office Locations." Hewlett Packard. Retrieved on
tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved August 29, 2011. "Hewlett-Packard Latin America
2011-02-13. Waterford Building, 9th Floor 5200 Blue Lagoon
[15] Census.gov Drive Miami, Florida 33126 USA"
[16] "American FactFinder". United States Census [35] "USA." AstraZeneca. Retrieved on March 11, 2010.
Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved [36] "Contact Us." Gate Group. Retrieved on September
2008-01-31. 17, 2011. "North America Regional Office11710
[17] "Demographics of Miami-Dade County, FL". Plaza America Drive, Suite 800 Reston, VA 20190
MuniNetGuide.com. USA"
http://www.muninetguide.com/states/florida/ [37] "Prelude." (Select "English," then select the mail
Miami-Dade.php. Retrieved 2008-06-23. icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen)
[18] ^ "Miami-Dade County, FL Detailed Profile". city- Unicomer Group. Retrieved on March 4, 2010.
data.com. http://www.city-data.com/county/ [38] "Miami." TAME. Retrieved on March 14, 2010.
Miami-Dade_County-FL.html. Retrieved [39] "Contact Us." Arrow Air. Retrieved on January 7,
2008-06-23. 2010.
[19] Census Bureau, American Community Survey [40] "Walkout by 3,500 Cancels All Flights Of National
Ranking Tables Airlines." The New York Times. Sunday February 1,
1970. Page 58. Retrieved on September 24, 2009.
[41] "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 14–20
March 1990 "Airlift International" 57.
14
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
[42] "World Airline Directory." Flight International.
March 23-29, 1994. 114. "Head office: PO Box
External links
522067, 5400 NW 36th St, Miami, Florida 33152,
USA." Government links
[43] Bernstein, Aaron. Grounded: Frank Lorenzo and the • Miami-Dade County Government
Destruction of Eastern Airlines. Beard Books, 1999. 22.
Retrieved on August 28, 2009. County departments and agencies
[44] "World Airline Directory." Flight International. • Miami-Dade Public Library System
March 30, 1985. 72." Retrieved on June 17, 2009. • Miami-Dade Police Department
[45] Stieghorst, Tom. "Sings of decline." Sun Sentinel. • Public Health Trust of Miami-Dade County Jackson
May 6, 1991. Weekly Business 8. Retrieved on Memorial Hospital
August 28, 2009. • Miami-Dade Aviation Department Miami
[46] "Welcome to ResidenSea." ResidenSea. January 18, International Airport
2006. Retrieved on January 20, 2010. • Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department
[47] http://www.beaconcouncil.com/web/ • Miami-Dade Department of Solid Waste Management
Content.aspx?Page=majorEmployers
[48] http://www.beaconcouncil.com/web/
Special districts
Content.aspx?Page=majorEmployers • Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) is the
[49] "Consulados de Honduras en Estados Unidos" 4th largest school district in the United States. The
Consulate-General of Honduras. Retrieved on Miami-Dade School Board is a nine-member publicly
January 31, 2009. elected body responsible for overseeing the
[50] "Bienvenidos al Consulado de Nicaragua en Miami, administration of the (MDCPS).
FL" Consulate-General of Nicaragua. Retrieved on • South Florida Water Management District
January 31, 2009.
[51] "Panamanian Consulates in the U.S." Embassy of
Judicial branch
Panama in Washington, D.C.. Retrieved on January 30, • Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts
2009. • Miami-Dade Public Defender, 11th Judicial Circuit
[52] "Locations". Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department. • Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, 11th Judicial
Miami-Dade County. http://www.miamidade.gov/ Circuit
MDFR/locations.asp. Retrieved August 30, 2006. • Circuit and County Court, 11th Judicial Circuit of
[53] "Airport Fire Rescue Division". Miami-Dade Fire Florida
Rescue Department. Miami-Dade County.
http://www.miamidade.gov/mdfr/airport.asp. Tourism
Retrieved August 30, 2006. • Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau
[54] "Cities Served". Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department.
Miami-Dade County. http://www.miamidade.gov/ Environment
MDFR/cities_served.asp. Retrieved August 30, • Miami’s Southeast Coast - Biscayne Bay Watershed -
2006. Florida DEP
[55] Miamidade.gov Coordinates: 25°46′27″N 80°11′37″W / 25.77417°N
[56] "Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center." 80.19361°W / 25.77417; -80.19361
Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Retrieved
on June 4, 2010.
[57] Toll Violation Attorney
[58] Muir, Helen. (1953) Miami, U.S.A. Coconut Grove,
Florida: Hurricane House Publishers. Pp. 136-7.
[59] La ocupación para el primer mes del vuelo
Tenerife-Miami de Air Europa alcanza ya el 70 por
ciento
[60] Prefeitura.Sp - Descentralized Cooperation
[61] International Relations - São Paulo City Hall -
Official Sister Cities
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miami-Dade_County,_Florida&oldid=474003988"
15
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Miami-Dade County, Florida
Categories:
• Florida counties
• South Florida metropolitan area
• Charter counties in Florida
• Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Counties of the United States with Hispanic majority populations
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