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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
Southern portion of Miami Beach with downtown Miami in background
Official seal of City of Miami Beach
Seal
Nickname: 
The Beach
Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida
Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountyMiami-Dade
IncorporatedMarch 26, 1915
Government
 • MayorMatti Herrera Bower
Area
 • City18.7 sq mi (48.5 km2)
 • Land7.0 sq mi (18.2 km2)
 • Water11.7 sq mi (30.2 km2)  62.37%
Elevation
[1]
4 ft (1.2 m)
Population
 (2009)[1] [2]
 • City88,065
 • Density12,580.7/sq mi (4,838.7/km2)
 • Metro
5,547,051
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip
33109, 33139, 33140, 33141.
Area code(s)305, 786
FIPS code12-45025Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0286750Template:GR
Websitewww.miamibeachfl.gov

Miami Beach is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city was incorporated on March 26, 1915.[3] It is located on a barrier island between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean; the Bay separates Miami Beach from Downtown Miami. The city is often referred to under the umbrella term of "Miami", despite being a distinct municipality. The area colloquially referred to as "South Beach" is a neighborhood comprising the southernmost 23 blocks of the City of Miami Beach. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,933. 55.5% of the population was foreign born.[4] A 2009 population estimate for the city was 88,065.[1] Miami Beach has been one of America's pre-eminent beach resorts for almost a century.

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[5] 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 November 2009 the Mayor is Matti Herrera Bower. The Commissioners are: Michael Gongora, Jerry Libbin, Jorge Exposito, 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 legal 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 1996 comedy The Birdcage.

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

Lincoln Road, running east-west between 16th and 17th Streets, is a nationally known spot for great outdoor dining, bicycling, rollerblading and shopping and features and galleries of well known designers, artists and photographers such as Romero Britto, Peter Lik, and Jonathan Adler.[citation needed]

Jewish population

Miami Beach is home to a number of Orthodox Jewish communities with a network of well-established synagogues and yeshivas, the first of which being the Landow Yeshiva, a Chabad instatution in operation for over 30 years. In addition, there is also a liberal Jewish community containing such famous synagogues as Temple Emanu-El (Miami Beach, Florida) and Cuban Hebrew Congregation. 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 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.

LGBT Community

After decades of economic and social decline, an influx of gay men and lesbians moving to South Beach in the late-1980s to mid-1990s helped contribute to Miami Beach's revitalization. The newcomers purchased and restored dilapidated Art Deco hotels and clubs, started numerous businesses, and built political power in city and county government.[citation needed] As South Beach became more popular as a national and international tourist destination, there have been occasional clashes between cultures and disputes about whether South Beach is as "gay friendly" as it once was. [citation needed]

In mid 2000's the Miami Beach gay community and culture has began a steady descend, in part due to anti gay attitudes in public spaces and in the city's police department[7][8].

In 2005, a local gay friendly radio station, Party 93.1 FM changed its format from dance to rock. As a result, Issues Over the Rainbow, South Florida's only gay-oriented FM talk show was cancelled[9]. Gone along with the show - the station's sponsorships of the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival; Care Resource's annual White Party gala to fight AIDS; and Winter Party, a five-day fundraiser in early March that benefits South Florida gay charities[10].

Miami Beach remains a home to a number of gay bars and gay-specific events, and six [1] service and resource organizations. The five largest LGBT events in Miami Beach are:

Miami Beach had its first gay pride festival in April 2009, which is now an annual event[11]. It recieved a big support from the newly elected gay friendly mayor Matti Bower.[12]

In 2008, the new Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower created a Gay Business Development Ad Hoc Committee, with a mission to bring recommendations to the Mayor and City Commission on initiatives to be implemented and supported by the City regarding a variety of issues to ensure the welfare and future of the Miami Beach LGBT community.

In contrast, when the new gay friendly mayor took office, an ordinance 82.2 to close parks and beaches where gay men congregate was executed[13], which led to an ongoing harassment of single men in general[14]. As a result, Miami Beach male tourists regardless of sexual orientation had increasingly become targets for the Miami Beach Police Department, resulting in wrongful arrests and deaths[15]. With the new ordinance in hand, the city's police department started implementing sophisticated anti-gay attacks. The brutality was finally noticed in 2009 by ACLU[16].

In 2009, Miami Beach passed a revised Human Rights Ordinance that strengthens enforcement of already existing human rights laws and adds protections for transgendered people, making Miami Beach’s human rights laws the most progressive in the state. Miami Beach residents have been able to register as domestic partners since 2004; in 2008 this benefit was extended to all of Miami-Dade County. [citation needed]

Yet, outside the city hall, the gay community was deteriorating even further. By 2010 many LGBT populations already moved up north into Broward County[17]. Random anti-gay attacks and Miami Beach Police brutality against gay men[18] are the most recent evident factors attributing to the exodus of LGBT culture and people.

Ironically a new gay friendly mayor, Matti Herrera Bower, came together with increased corruption and homophobia in the city's police department[19][20] [21].

In 2010, the Chamber, with support from the City of Miami Beach, opened an LGBT Visitor Center at Miami Beach's Old City Hall.

In February of 2010, ACLU announced that it will sue the City of Miami Beach for an ongoing targeting and arrests of gay men in public[22]. According to the ACLU, Miami Beach has a history of arresting gay men for simply looking “too gay”[23].

The Arts

Each December, the City of Miami Beach hosts Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the largest art shows in the United States. Art Basel Miami Beach, the sister event to the Art Basel event held each June in Basel, Switzerland, combines an international selection of top galleries with a program of special exhibitions, parties and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design. Exhibition sites are located in the city's Art Deco District, and ancillary events are scattered throughout the greater Miami metropolitan area.

Miami Beach is home to the New World Symphony, established in 1987 under the artistic direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. In January 2011, the New World Symphony made a highly publicized move into a new building designed by Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry. Gehry is famous for his design of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California. The new Gehry building offers Live Wallcasts™, which allow visitors to experience select events throughout the season at the half-acre, outdoor Miami Beach SoundScape through the use of visual and audio technology on a 7,000-square-foot projection wall.

The Miami City Ballet, a ballet company founded in 1985, which is housed in a 63,000 square foot building near Miami Beach's Bass Museum of Art.

The Miami Beach Festival of the Arts is an annual outdoor art festival that was begun in 1974.

In November 2007 and 2009, a multi-media art festival ("Sleepless Night") was held based on Nuit Blanche.[2][3][4]

Geography and climate

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).Template:GR

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),[24] 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).

Climate 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)
Mean daily maximum °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)
Mean daily minimum °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)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.4
(61) 		2.1
(53) 		2.2
(56) 		2.8
(71) 		4.9
(120) 		6.9
(180) 		3.6
(91) 		5.4
(140) 		6.3
(160) 		4.5
(110) 		3.3
(84) 		2.0
(51) 		46.4
(1,180)
Source: The Weather Channel[25]

Surrounding areas

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR 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,)[26] 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 population
CensusPop.Note%±
1920644—
19306,494908.4%
194028,012331.4%
195046,28265.2%
196063,14536.4%
197087,07237.9%
198096,29810.6%
199092,639−3.8%
200087,933−5.1%
2009 (est.)88,065

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 55% of residents, while English made up 33%, Portuguese was at 3.4%, French was at 1.7%, German at 1.1%, Italian 1%, and Russian was 0.85% of the population. Due to the large Jewish community, Yiddish was spoken at the home of 0.81% of the population, and Hebrew was the mother tongue of 0.74%.[27]

As of 2000, Miami Beach had the 22nd highest concentration of Cuban residents in the United States, at 20.5% of the population.[28] It had the 28th highest percentage of Colombian residents, at 4.4% of the city's population,[29] and the 14th highest percentage of Brazilian residents, at 2.2% of the its population (tied with Hillside, New Jersey and Hudson, Massachusetts.)[30] It also had the 27th largest concentration of Peruvian ancestry, at 1.85%,[31] and the 27th highest percentage of people of Venezuelan heritage, at 1.79%.[32] Miami Beach also has the 33rd highest concentration of Honduran ancestry (1.03%)[33] and the 41st-highest percentage of Nicaraguan residents, which made up 1% of the population.[34]

Education

Miami-Dade County Public Schools serves Miami Beach.

Private schools include Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy, St. Patrick Catholic School (Miami Beach, Florida), 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

Points of interest

Sister cities

See also: List of sister cities in Florida

Miami Beach has 11 sister cities[35]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c City-Data.com
  2. ^ U.S. Census Bureau - Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas (2009)
  3. ^ Ruby Leach Carson. 40 Years of Miami Beach. p. 13. {{cite book}}: External link in |title= (help)
  4. ^ "| FAIR: City Factsheet: Miami Beach, Florida". Fairus.org. 2006-07-01. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  5. ^ Miami Art Deco District – Official Art Deco District Visitors Guide
  6. ^ MSNBC: South Beach: Life imitates art, quite vicely www.msnbc.com
  7. ^ http://www.edgemiami.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=101090
  8. ^ http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=5217&MediaType=1&Category=26
  9. ^ http://www.edisonresearch.com/home/archives/MiamiHerald2-16-05.pdf
  10. ^ http://www.edisonresearch.com/home/archives/MiamiHerald2-16-05.pdf
  11. ^ http://www.miamibeachgaypride.com
  12. ^ http://www.miamibeachgaypride.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=76
  13. ^ http://search.municode.com/html/13097
  14. ^ http://forums.miamibeach411.com/general-discussion/4336-skinny-late-night-beach-romps-south-beach-photo.html
  15. ^ http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Miami-Beach-police-officer-involved-in-two-shooting-deaths-in-four-days.html
  16. ^ http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2010/02/breaking-news-aclu-to-sue-miami-beach-two-cops-for-unlawful-targeting-harassment-and-arrests-of-gay-men.html
  17. ^ http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2010-01-14/news/gays-are-leaving-south-beach-for-fort-lauderdale/
  18. ^ http://www.edgemiami.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc3=&id=102439
  19. ^ http://www.justnews.com/news/22519475/detail.html
  20. ^ http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2010-03-25/news/miami-beach-cops-are-paid-up-to-225k-and-face-lawsuits-galore/
  21. ^ http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2010/02/breaking-news-aclu-to-sue-miami-beach-two-cops-for-unlawful-targeting-harassment-and-arrests-of-gay-men.html
  22. ^ http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/aclu-gives-notice-intent-sue-miami-beach-unlawful-arrest-gay-men-and-individuals-who-rep
  23. ^ http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=5217&MediaType=1&Category=26
  24. ^ "Köppen Climate Map Aw=tropical". .johnabbott.qc.ca. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  25. ^ "Monthly Averages for Miami Beach, Fla". The Weather Channel. 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  26. ^ "Demographics of Miami Beach, Fla". MuniNetGuide.com. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  27. ^ "MLA Data Center Results of Miami Beach, Fla". Modern Language Association. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  28. ^ "Ancestry Map of Cuban Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  29. ^ "Ancestry Map of Colombian Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  30. ^ "Ancestry Map of Brazilian Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  31. ^ "Ancestry Map of Peruvian Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  32. ^ "Ancestry Map of Venezuelan Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  33. ^ "Ancestry Map of Honduran Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  34. ^ "Ancestry Map of Nicaraguan Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  35. ^ "Miami Beach Sister Cities Program". Miamibeachsistercities.com. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  36. ^ "Miami Beach Sister Cities program – Fortaleza, Brazil".
  37. ^ "Historic Sister City Agreemtn Between Brampton and Miami Beach, Florida" (PDF). City of Brampton, Canada. 2008-10-03. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  • The historical Art Deco District at South Beach during the night.
    The historical Art Deco District at South Beach during the night.
  • The Art Deco District at South Beach during the day.
    The Art Deco District at South Beach during the day.
  • Colorful new building blends in with the historic Art Deco
    Colorful new building blends in with the historic Art Deco
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