Miami Beach

Sister cities

• Brampton
• Fortaleza
• Basel
• Rio de Janeiro
• Asmara
• Pescara
• Cozumel Island
• Ica
• Almonte
• Marbella
• Fujisawa
• Cascais

History

In 1870, father and son Henry and Charles Lum purchased land on Miami Beach for 75 cents an acre. The first structure built on this uninhabited oceanfront was the Biscayne House of Refuge, constructed in 1876 by the United States Life-Saving Service through an executive order issued by President Ulysses S. Grant, at approximately 72nd Street. Its purpose was to provide food, water, and a return to civilization for people who were shipwrecked. The structure, which had fallen into disuse by the time the Life-Saving Service became the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, was destroyed in the 1926 Miami Hurricane and never rebuilt. Miami Beach began constructing a coconut plantation along its shore in the 1880s, led by New Jersey entrepreneurs Ezra Osborn and Elnathan T. Field, but the venture failed. One of the project's investors was agriculturist John S. Collins, who achieved success by buying out other partners and planting different crops, notably avocados, on the land that later became Miami Beach. The pine trees on Pinetree Drive served as an erosion buffer for Collins's plantations. Meanwhile, across Biscayne Bay, the City of Miami was established in 1896 with the arrival of the railroad and developed further as a port when the shipping channel of Government Cut was created in 1905, cutting off Fisher Island from the south end of the Miami Beach peninsula. Collins' family members saw the potential in developing the beach as a resort. This effort got underway in the early years of the 20th century by the Collins/Pancoast family, the Lummus brothers, both bankers from Miami, and Indianapolis entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher. Until then, the beach here was only the destination for day-trips by ferry from Miami, across the bay. By 1912, Collins and Pancoast were working together to…

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (62.37%) is water. Miami Beach encounters tidal flooding of certain roads during the annual king tides, though some tidal flooding has been the case for decades, are at virtually above normal high tide, with the entire city averaging only above mean sea level (AMSL). However, a recent study by the University of Miami showed that tidal flooding became much more common from the mid-2000s. The fall 2015 king tides exceeded expectations in longevity and height. Traditional sea level rise and storm mitigation measures including sea walls and dykes, such as those in the Netherlands and New Orleans, may not work in South Florida due to the porous nature of the ground and limestone beneath the surface. as well as possible zoning and building code changes, which could eventually lead to retrofitting of existing and historic properties. Some streets and sidewalks were raised about over previous levels; the four initial pumps installed in 2014 are capable of pumping 4,000 US gallons per minute. However, this plan is not without criticism. Some residents worry that the efforts will not be sufficient to successfully adapt to rising sea levels and wish the city had pursued a more aggressive plan. On the other hand, some worry that the city is moving too quickly with untested solutions. Others yet have voiced concerns that the plan protects big-money interests in Miami Beach. Pump failures such as during construction or power outages, including a Tropical Storm Emily-related rain flood on August 1, 2017, can cause great unexpected flooding. Combined with the higher roads and sidewalks, this leaves unchanged properties relatively lower and prone to inundation. *Belle Isle *City Center *Di…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,143
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,614
• Fish Crow

  Corvus ossifragus A.Wilson, 1812 · Aves
  15,710
• White Ibis

  Eudocimus albus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,505
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  14,428
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,311
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,973
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,986

Largest nearby schools

• MIAMI SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · MIAMI · 2,905 students · 24.2:1 ratio
• CORAL GABLES SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CORAL GABLES · 2,824 students · 23.5:1 ratio
• NORMAN S. EDELCUP/SUNNY ISLES BEACH K-8
  Elementary · SUNNY ISLES BEACH · 2,231 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• MIAMI BEACH SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · MIAMI BEACH · 2,175 students · 23.9:1 ratio
• NORTH MIAMI SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · NORTH MIAMI · 1,747 students · 19:1 ratio
• HIALEAH SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · HIALEAH · 1,732 students · 19.9:1 ratio
• ALONZO & TRACY MOURNING SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · MIAMI · 1,597 students · 28.5:1 ratio
• MAST ACADEMY
  High · KEY BISCAYNE · 1,535 students · 19.7:1 ratio