The continuous development of luxurious residential enclaves that promise exclusivity and privacy appeal to businessmen, celebrities, socialites and prominent personalities.
On the southern tip of the Miami Beach is the famous South Beach or SoBe, covering about 2.5 square miles. Together with Downtown and Port of Miami, South Beach forms the commercial hub of South Florida.
Miami Beach is a place rich in history. In 1979, its Art Deco Historic District was in the National Register of Historic Places list for its high volume of Art Deco architecture. It also has a large concentration of apartments, hotels and buildings built between 1923 and 1943.
Miami Beach is under the governance of a ceremonial mayor and six commissioners with equal voting power. The city has a manager that is responsible in overseeing governmental operations. The city also has appointed City Attorney and City Clerk.
The father-and-son duo of Henry and Charles Lum was responsible for building the first structure in the uninhabited oceanfront neighborhood in 1870. The Biscayne House of Refuge served as a place that provides food, shelter and a return to civilization means for shipwrecked individuals. By the 1880s, agriculturist John Collins saw the neighborhood’s potential in becoming a resort. Through the great minds of Carl Fisher, the Lummus Brothers and the Collins family, Miami Beach was born as a commercial hub.
The first hotel built in the neighborhood, in 1915, was Brown’s Hotel at 112 Ocean Drive. It was also during this time that the Lummus Brothers, the Collins and Fisher were living inside the mansions that they have built in the island. By this time, Miami Beach already has three hotels, two bath houses, aquarium and an 18-hole golf course. Miami Beach received its incorporation to become a city by 1917, as many tourists visit the neighborhood and its many offerings.
New World Symphony Orchestra and Lincoln Road in the South Beach neighborhood are popular among locals and tourists. Lincoln Road Mall has many spots for bicycling, outdoor dining and shopping.
Annually, Miami Beach hosts Art Basel, which features United States’ largest art show where top galleries showcase arts in special exhibitions, parties and crossover events highlighting film, music, design and architecture.
Miami Beach’s Bass Museum of Art houses the Miami City Ballet, a ballet company founded in 1985.
Despite not having a Metrorail station, going around Miami Beach is easy as Miami-Dade Transit oversees public commute. Commuters can take a Metrobus ride, which will connect them to the Downtown Miami where they can take the Metrorail. The South Beach Local connects South Beach to other bus lines in the nearby communities.
Miami-Dade Transit also operates the Airport-Beach Express to bring travelers from Miami International Airport to South Beach’s major points.
Miami Beach has a wealth of restaurants, night clubs, shopping and other entertainment centers. Some of the places of interest in the neighborhood are the Eden Roc, Versace Mansion, Holocaust Memorial, Flagler Monument Island, Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theatre, Miami Beach Architectural District and Miami Beach Botanical Garden.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools serve the students of Miami Beach. Schools in the neighborhood include Biscayne Elementary School, Mater Beach Academy, North Beach Elementary School, South Pointe Elementary School, Treasure Island Elementary School, Feinberg-Fisher K-8 Center, Nautilus Middle School and Miami Beach Senior High School.
The city of Miami Beach is also home to private schools including St. Patrick Catholic School, Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy, Landow Yeshiva-Lubavitch Educational Center and Mechina High School.
The Florida International University School of Architecture has a sister campus located at 420 Lincoln Road.