NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL

North Miami Beach (commonly referred to as NMB) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named Fulford-by-the-Sea in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, the city was renamed North Miami Beach in 1931. The population was 41,523 at the 2010 census.

The hurricane of 1926 essentially ended the South Florida real estate boom, and in an effort to alleviate their losses and the damage to the city, local residents came together as the Town of Fulford. In 1927, the city was incorporated as the City of Fulford.

Geography

North Miami Beach is located at .

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (6.43%) is water.

Although the North Miami Beach boundaries once stretched to the Atlantic Ocean, this city on the Intracoastal Waterway no longer has any beaches within its city limits, although they are a short distance away across the inlet.

Climate

Surrounding areas

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 43,676 people, 13,676 households, and 9,308 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of 2010, there were 16,402 households, out of which 12.1% were vacant. As of 2000, 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 44.3% were married couples living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.44.

2000 census

In 2000, the city population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $31,377, and the median income for a family was $35,047. Males had a median income of $26,278 versus $22,110 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,699. About 18.4% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, English was the first language for 38.50% of all residents, while Spanish accounted for 31.97%. French Creole was 19.32%, French made up 2.33%, Chinese (which included Cantonese) was totaled at 1.66%, Portuguese totaled 1.20%, Hebrew was at 0.87%, Russian at 0.65%, Yiddish spoken by 0.56%, and Italian was the mother tongue for 0.52% of the population.

As of 2000, North Miami Beach had the fifth highest percentage of Haitian residents in the U.S., with 19.90% of the city's populace. It had the 48th highest percentage of Colombian residents in the U.S., at 2.83% of the city's population, and the 68th highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, at 4.92% of the city's population. It also had the 62nd highest percentage of Dominicans in the U.S., at 2.39%, while it had the ninth highest percentage of Bahamians at 1.10% of all residents. North Miami Beach's Jamaican community had the 28th highest percentage of residents, which was at 5.50% of all residents. It is also home to the thirtieth highest percentage of Peruvian residents in the U.S., at 1.80% of the population.

North Miami Beach has a large middle class Haitian-American, Arab-American, and Jewish-American community who were born in the U.S. or abroad.

Despite Asians making up only 3.4% of North Miami Beach's population, the city's main commercial artery along NE 167th street converging into North Miami Beach Boulevard and then becoming 163rd street, has taken the unofficial name of "Chinatown" due to the large concentration of Asian owned and operated businesses in the area. The area has been referred to unofficially as "Chinatown" since the early 1990s by both locals and North Miami Beach city officials. As of late, even Miami-Dade County officials have begun to reference the area as Chinatown. Local guides and Miami websites have called 163rd street Miami's unofficial Chinatown.

2019 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates

Attractions

Attractions in the vicinity of North Miami Beach include a line of popular Atlantic Ocean beaches, Ancient Spanish Monastery, Oleta River State Park, Greynolds Park, East Greynolds Park, Fulford-by-the-Sea Monument, and Aventura Mall.

North Miami Beach's has a historic 12th century medieval Spanish monastery, the St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church. This stone building around a patio, the cloisters of the Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux, was built in Sacramenia, Segovia, Spain in the 12th century. It was purchased by William Randolph Hearst in the 1920s, dismantled and shipped to the United States, and reassembled after Hearst's death in North Miami Beach in the 1950s. It is a tourism attraction and a popular spot for weddings.

Parks and recreation

In 1966, a major accomplishment was the completion of the tennis complex and two community centers, Victory Park and Uleta Community Center.

In 1968, the Washington Park Community Center was built, and the Allen Park Youth Center was completed in 1973.

North Miami Beach expanded its parks in the 1980s as a result of the city commission making strides to benefit the community.

The city now has the Judge Arthur I. Snyder Tennis Center. It includes twelve lighted clay Hydrogrid tennis courts, six lighted lay-kold hard tennis courts, four racquetball courts, and two paddleball courts. The center also has a clubhouse and pro-shop, a picnic area, and lounge and shower facilities.

Government and infrastructure

North Miami Beach is governed by a commission-manager system in the form of a Mayor, Commission, and a professional City Manager. In this type of a government, commission members are the leaders and policy makers in the community. This form of government was implemented in 1958, after a new charter was voted on.

The mayor is elected citywide and serves up to two consecutive two-year terms.

There is an elected mayor and six-member city commission, with the city manager, city clerk, and city attorney being appointed positions that are responsible for implementing the policies of the city commission.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Miami field office was previously in North Miami Beach. It moved to Miramar on December 8, 2014.

In 1993, in an effort to promote neighborhood stability throughout the city, North Miami Beach built a state-of-the-art police station and redeveloped infrastructure in the Government Center neighborhood.

The bond program Proud Neighborhoods took place in September 2000 and had 67 different projects. This allowed for the improvement of streets, sidewalks, lighting and landscaping in every neighborhood of the city. It took five years but it brought substantial improvements.

In the wake of the nearby Surfside condominium building collapse on June 24, the city stepped up building inspections and enforcement, and on July 2, condemned a 10-story condominium, Crestview Towers.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Dade County Public Schools serves North Miami Beach.

Public elementary schools

Public middle schools

Public high schools

Prior to the opening of North Miami Beach High and Krop, students from North Miami Beach were assigned to Miami Beach High School and Miami Norland High School.

Private schools

Colleges and universities

Public libraries

North Miami Beach Public Library (NMB Library), also referred to as the Lafe Allen Public Library, is a 23,000 square foot facility located at 1601 NE 164th Street in North Miami Beach, Florida. The library's collection currently contains over 60,000 items, including both fiction and non-fiction materials, DVDs, audio books, compact discs, newspapers, magazines, and foreign language materials. Digital services include access to e-materials and reference resources, such as Florida Electronic Library, Newsbank, Reference USA, World Book, NoveList Plus, and more.

In 1959, The North Miami Beach Library was initially opened inside of a storefront on NE 163rd Street as a branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library System (then known as the City of Miami Library system). This location was relocated and expanded to two storefronts at the corner of NE 19th Avenue and NE 169th Street the following year. In 1961, however, the city ended its attachment with the City of Miami Library system and became an independent library. After residents of the City of North Miami Beach voted to build a permanent location for the library in 1964, a new building was constructed on 164th Street and opened in 1965. Renovations to this facility in 1981 and 1994 grew the branch from its original 10,000 square feet to make room for the library's expanding collection.

The NMB Library offers a variety of services to the residents of North Miami Beach, such as access to study and meeting rooms, employment resources, early literacy programs, voter registration forms, citizenship materials, and passport assistance. Computers, printers, copiers, scanners, and fax machine services are also available. The library's dedicated teen area, known as the Discovery District, is a space specifically designed to provide library patrons aged 13–19 with a place to read, study, or work on school projects. Access to computers, 3D printers, virtual reality, and zSpace for educational and recreational purposes is also provided.

Notable people