Miami-Dade County, Florida

The earliest evidence of Native American settlement in the Miami region came from about 12,000 years ago.[13] The first inhabitants settled on the banks of the Miami River, with the main villages on the northern banks.

The inhabitants at the time of first European contact were the Tequesta people, who controlled much of southeastern Florida, including what is now Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and the southern part of Palm Beach County. The Tequesta Indians fished, hunted, and gathered the fruit and roots of plants for food, but did not practice agriculture. They buried the small bones of the deceased with the rest of the body, and put the larger bones in a box for the village people to see. The Tequesta are credited with making the Miami Circle.[14]

Juan Ponce de León was the first European to visit the area in 1513 by sailing into Biscayne Bay. His journal records he reached Chequescha, a variant of Tequesta, which was Miami's first recorded name.[15] It is unknown whether he came ashore or made contact with the natives. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his men made the first recorded landing when they visited the Tequesta settlement in 1566 while looking for Avilés' missing son, shipwrecked a year earlier.[16] 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 diseases like smallpox. By 1711, the Tequesta sent a couple of local chiefs to Havana, Cuba, to ask if they could migrate there. The Cubans sent two ships to help them, but Spanish illnesses struck and most of the Tequesta died.[17]

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 Miami 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 Indians. 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 population in Miami.

After the Second Seminole War ended in 1842, William English re-established a plantation started by his uncle on the Miami River. He charted the "Village of Miami" on the south bank of the Miami River and sold several plots of land. In 1844, Miami became the county seat, and six years later a census reported there were ninety-six residents in the area.[18] The Third Seminole War was not as destructive as the second, but it slowed the settlement of southeast Florida. At the end of the war, a few of the soldiers stayed.

Julia Tuttle (1849–1898) is credited as Miami's founder

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 named the Dade Battlefield.[19] At the time of its creation, Dade County included the land that now contains Palm Beach and Broward counties, together with the Florida Keys from Bahia Honda Key north and the land of present-day Miami-Dade County. The county seat was originally at Indian Key in the Florida Keys; then in 1844, the County seat was moved to Miami. The Florida Keys from Key Largo to Bahia Honda were returned to Monroe 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 Dade County, and then in 1915, Palm Beach County and Dade County contributed nearly equal portions of land to create what is now Broward County. There have been no significant boundary changes to the county since 1915.[20][21][22]

The third-costliest natural disaster to occur in the United States was Hurricane Andrew, which hit Miami in the early morning of Monday, August 24, 1992. It struck the southern 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 in these areas where the destruction was greatest. This was the costliest natural disaster in US history until Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf region in 2005.

On November 13, 1997, voters changed the name of the county from Dade to Miami-Dade to acknowledge the international name recognition of Miami.[23] Voters were acting pursuant to home rule powers granted to Dade County, including the ability to change the name of the county without the consent of the Florida Legislature.[24] The change in name also addressed a source of public dissatisfaction with the name "Dade" which was chosen to honor Francis L. Dade, who had been killed in the Dade battle in the 1830s. The massacre did not occur in South Florida, but in the west central part of the state, in present-day Sumter County, near Bushnell. There is also a Dade City, which is closer to the site of the massacre.

Miami-Dade is the only hyphenated county name in the United States (although Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Borough is similarly adorned).

Miami-Dade County includes 34 incorporated areas, 38 census-designated places, and 16 unincorporated regions.

• Broward County – north
• Monroe County – southwest
• Collier County – northwest

• Big Cypress National Preserve
• Biscayne National Park
• Everglades National Park

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,701,767 people, 912,805 households, and 633,834 families residing in the county.

Downtown Miami, April 2008

Miami's Brickell neighborhood, November 2008

U.S. Census Bureau 2010 ethnic/race demographics:[35][36]

• Hispanic or Latino of any race: 65.0%[36][37]
• White (non-Hispanic): 15.4% (White total 73.8% when including White Hispanics)[35]
• Black (non-Hispanic): 17.1% (Black total 18.9% when including Black Hispanics)[38]
• Asian: 1.5%[35][36]
• Two or more races: 2.4%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: <0.1%[35][36]
• Other Races: 3.2% (0.6% Arab)[35]

In 2010, the largest ancestry groups were:[35]

In 2010, Cubans made up the largest population of immigrants (with more than half of the population) with Colombians coming in second, Haitians in third, followed by Nicaraguans in fourth place, then Dominicans, Venezuelans, Peruvians, Jamaicans, Mexicans, and Argentinians among the highest group of immigrants.[39]

Miami-Dade has small communities of Brazilians, Portuguese, Spaniards, Ukrainians and Poles along with Canadians (including Francophone from the province of Quebec), French, Germans, other Europeans, British expatriates and Israelis.

There were 867,352 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% (2.5% male and 5.9% female) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.33.[36][40]

The age distribution is 21.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.[40]

The median income for a household in the county was $43,605, and the median income for a family was $50,065. Males had a median income of $35,096 versus $29,980 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,957. About 13.8% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those aged 65 or over.[41]

In 2010, 51.1% of the county's population was foreign born, with 48.7% being naturalized American citizens. Of foreign-born residents, 93.0% were born in Latin America, 3.2% were born in Europe, 2.7% born in Asia, 0.5% born in Africa, 0.5% in North America, and 0.1% were born in Oceania.[35]

[42][43]

The beach at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, February 2008

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,253,362 people, 776,774 households, and 548,402 families in the county, with an average population density of 1,158 inhabitants per square mile (447/km²). There were 852,278 housing units, with an average density of 438 per square mile (169/km²). The county's racial makeup was 69.7% White (49% White Hispanic, 20.7% Non-Hispanic White),[44] 20.3% African American and Black (with a large part of Caribbean descent), 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.60% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. 57.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In relation to ancestry (excluding the various Hispanic and Latino ancestries), 5% were Haitian, 5% American, 2% Italian, 2% Jamaican, 2% German, 2% Irish, and 2% English ancestry.[45]

There were 776,774 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 23.3% 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 2.84 and the average family size was 3.35.

The age distribution is 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The county's median household income was $35,966, and the median family income was $40,260. Males had a median income of $30,120 versus $24,686 for females. The county's per capita income was $18,497. About 14.5% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2010, 28.1% of the population spoke only English at home, while 63.8% of the population spoke Spanish, 4.2% spoke French Creole (mainly Haitian Creole), 0.6% French, and 0.6% Portuguese.[46] About 52% of the county residents were born outside the United States, while 71.9% of the population spoke a language other than English at home.[46]

In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in Miami-Dade County was the Archdiocese of Miami with 544,449 Catholics in 65 parishes, followed by 96,749 non-denominational adherents with 197 congregations, 80,123 SBC Baptists with 313 congregations, 47,921 NBC Baptists with 44 congregations, 27,901 Seventh-day Adventists in 62 congregations, 25,244 AoG Pentecostals with 45 congregations, 14,628 LDS Mormons with 18 congregations, 12,569 TEC Episcopalians with 30 congregations, and 11,880 UMC Methodists with 32 congregations. There is an estimated 23,064 Muslims with 15 congregations, 3,069 Hindus with 20 congregations, and 1,342 Buddhist with 22 congregations.[47]

In 2005 the Jewish population of the county has decreased but stabilized at about 121,000 with a high percentage of retired and elderly persons (but less than in Broward and Palm Beach counties). There are more than 60 congregations, 34 Jewish educational institutions, and three Jewish community centers. The highest percentage and increase in Jewish population is in North Dade, especially in Aventura. Miami-Dade County hosts Florida's third largest Jewish population and the nation's tenth largest.[47]

Altogether, 39.8% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information.[48] In 2014, Miami-Dade County had 731 religious organizations, the 14th most out of all US counties.[49]

The Mayor of Miami-Dade County is elected countywide to serve a four-year term and is considered a "strong mayor". The mayor is not a member of the County Commission, appoints all 25 directors who oversee the operations of the County Departments and has veto power over the Commission. A mayoral appointment and veto can only be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the County Commission. The post is occupied by Daniella Levine Cava, the county’s first female mayor.

The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative body, consisting of 13 members elected from single-member districts. Members are elected to serve four-year terms, and elections of members are staggered. The Board chooses a Chairperson, who presides over the Commission, as well as appoints the members of its legislative committees. The Board has a wide array of powers to enact legislation, create departments, and regulate businesses operating within the County. It also has the power to override the Mayor's veto with a two-thirds vote.

Florida's Constitution provides for five elected officials to oversee executive and administrative functions for each county (called "Constitutional Officers"): Sheriff, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collector, and Clerk of the Circuit Court (also functions as Comptroller).[51] However, the Constitution allows voters in home-rule counties (including Miami-Dade) to abolish the offices and reorganize them as subordinate County departments;[52] Miami-Dade voters chose this option for Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector.[53] The offices of Clerk of the Circuit Court, State Attorney, and Public Defender are still branches of State government and are, therefore, independently elected and not part of County government.[54]

Miami-Dade is the only county in Florida that does not have an elected sheriff or a "Sheriff's Office".[55] Instead, the county's law enforcement agency is known as the Miami-Dade Police Department, and its leader is known as the Metropolitan Sheriff and Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department; Nonetheless, Miami-Dade Police badges bear the inscription, "Deputy Sheriff, Sheriff's Office, Dade County, Fla."

Miami-Dade County has voted for the Democratic Party candidate in most of the presidential elections in the past four decades, and has gone Democratic in every election since 1992. However, it did vote twice for Ronald Reagan (1980, 1984) and once for George H. W. Bush (1988). From 1904 to 1972 it supported the Democratic candidate in all but four elections. The Democrats had expanded their winning margin in each of the three elections from 2008 to 2016; in 2008 and 2012, Democrat Barack Obama averaged 59.69% of the vote. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton won 63.22% of the vote. However, in 2020, Democrat Joe Biden only won 53.31% of the vote, winning the county by just over seven percent over Republican Donald Trump. This was attributed to a large swing of Cuban Americans, Venezuelan Americans, and other Hispanic Americans to the Republican Party,[56] resulting in the best Republican performance since 2004.

Miami-Dade County is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Republicans Maria Elvira Salazar, Carlos Gimenez and Mario Diaz-Balart of the 27th, 26th and 25th districts, and Democrats Frederica Wilson and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of the 24th and 23rd districts.

According to Miami's Beacon Council, the top private employers in 2014 in Miami-Dade were:[86]

According to Miami's Beacon Council, the top government employers in 2014 in the county were:[86]

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue

The Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for Miami-Dade County, Florida. The department serves 29 municipalities and all unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County from 60 fire stations.[95] The Department also provides fire protection services for Miami International Airport, Miami Executive Airport and Opa-locka Airport.[96]

The communities served are Aventura, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Biscayne Park, Cutler Bay, Doral, El Portal, Florida City, Golden Beach, Hialeah Gardens, Homestead, Indian Creek, Medley, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, Miami Shores, Miami Springs, North Bay Village, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Opa-locka, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, Surfside, Sweetwater, Sunny Isles Beach, Virginia Gardens, and West Miami.[97]

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is also the home to Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force 1 as well as EMS operations consisting of 57 Advanced Life Support units staffed by 760 state-certified paramedics and 640 state-certified emergency medical technicians.

A Miami-Dade Police Department vehicle

The Miami-Dade Police Department is a full-service metropolitan police department serving Miami-Dade County's unincorporated areas, although it has lenient mutual aid agreements with other municipalities, most often the City of Miami Police Department. With 4,700 employees, it is Florida's largest police department. The Department is often referred to by its former name, the Metro-Dade Police or simply Metro.

The Miami-Dade Police Department operates out of nine districts throughout the county and has two special bureaus. The director of the department is Juan Perez, who succeeded J.D. Patterson, Jr.[98] The Department's headquarters are in Doral, Florida.

Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (MDWASD) is one of the largest public utilities in the United States, employing approximately 2,700 employees as of 2007. It provides service to over 2.4 million customers, operating with an annual budget of almost $400 million. Approximately 330 million gallons of water are drawn every day from the Biscayne Aquifer for consumer use. MDWASD has over 7,100 miles (11,400 km) of water lines, a service area of 396 square miles (1,026 km²) and 14 pump stations. MDWASD has over 3,600 miles (5,800 km) of sewage pipes, a service area of 341 square miles (883 km²) and 954 pump stations.[99] Miami-Dade County is also in the jurisdiction of the South Dade Soil and Water Conservation District.

Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department is the correction agency.

The Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) operates Miami International Airport, Miami Executive Airport, Opa-locka Executive Airport, Homestead General Aviation Airport, and Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.[100]

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice operates the Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center in an unincorporated area in the county.[101]

Lemon City Branch Library, circa 1955

Shenandoah Branch Library, November 2015

The Miami-Dade Public Library System traces its origin to the late nineteenth century. The first library was a reading room established in Lemon City on April 7, 1894 by the Lemon City Library and Improvement Association. In 1942 neighborhood libraries were brought together in a single public library system, governed by a Board of Trustees and administered by a Head Librarian. A new central library building had been proposed for Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami as early as 1938, but the proposal was not realized till over a decade later. In December 1965 the City of Miami and Metropolitan Dade County agreed that the City of Miami would provide public library service to unincorporated Dade County and to those municipalities that did not provide their library service with four bookmobiles provided library service to the unincorporated area. On November 1, 1971, the City of Miami transferred its library system to Metropolitan Dade County which created a new Department of Libraries with a Director reporting directly to the County Manager.

On November 7, 1972, Dade County voters approved a referendum, also known as the "Decade of Progress" bonds, authorized approximately $553 million for public improvement projects in Dade County. Of that amount, approximately $34.7 million was authorized for public libraries, including construction, renovation, land acquisition, furnishings, and equipment. Between 1976 and 1990, this bond issue provided the funds to open 14 new libraries.[102] On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew inflicted significant damage on the library system, destroying all branches south of Kendall Drive.[103] Over the next years, no further expansion of the system was funded and no new libraries opened. It wasn’t until the fall of 2001, when Mayor Alex Penelas and Board of County Commissioners voted to increase the library system’s budget which provided funding for capital improvement initiatives—making way for the opening of 18 new libraries by 2011. As of 2017, 15 of these libraries have been opened, with the remaining 3 still under construction.

Today Miami-Dade Public Library System serves a population of 2,496,435, provides services for the Miami-Dade County except for the cities of Bal Harbour, Hialeah, Homestead, Miami Shores, North Miami, North Miami Beach and Surfside. It has forty-nine branches,[104] two bookmobiles and one technobus. The Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners governs the Miami-Dade Public Library System.[105]

The University of Miami, located in Coral Gables, is among the top-tier research universities in the United States, and is the highest ranked private university in Florida.

As of 2020, Florida International University, located in Westchester (in the University Park area), is the fifth largest university by enrollment in the United States. Miami Dade College, located in Miami, has the second largest undergraduate enrollment of any U.S. college or university with over 100,000 students.

A full list of colleges and universities:

In Florida, each county is also a school district, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools is such for the county.[106] The district is operated by an independently elected School Board. A professional Superintendent of Schools appointed by the School Board manages the district's day-to-day operations. As of 2014, the Miami-Dade County Public School District is the fourth-largest public school district in the nation with almost 360,000 students.[107]

The Miami-Dade Public Library is one of the country's largest public library systems. It has 50 branch locations and others under construction.[108]

Miami-Dade County is home to many private and public primary and secondary schools.

MDCPS public

Charter

• Don Soffer Aventura High School
• Sports Leadership and Management Charter School

Tribal

• Miccosukee Indian School (affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education)

Private

• Allison Academy School
• Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart
• The Cushman School
• Gulliver Schools
• Monsignor Edward Pace High School (Catholic)
• Ransom Everglades School
• Riviera Schools
• Palmer Trinity School

• Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach
• Coral Castle, Homestead Miami
• Coral Gables Police and Fire Station, Coral Gables
• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables
• Frost Art Museum, (Florida International University, Miami)
• Gold Coast Railroad Museum, Miami
• HistoryMiami, Downtown Miami
• Holocaust Memorial, Miami Beach
• Jewish Museum of Florida, Miami Beach
• Lowe Art Museum, (University of Miami, Coral Gables)
• Miami Children's Museum, Miami
• Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami
• Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami
• Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, Miami
• Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami
• Wings Over Miami Museum, Miami
• Wolfsonian, (Florida International University, Miami Beach)

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Coconut Grove, June 2007

Miami Seaquarium in Virginia Key, October 2006

• Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Downtown Miami
• Ancient Spanish Monastery, North Miami Beach
• Bayfront Park Amphitheatre, Downtown Miami
• Bayside Marketplace, Downtown Miami
• Colony Theatre, Miami Beach
• Florida Grand Opera, Miami
• Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, Downtown Miami
• Jungle Island, Miami
• Miami New Drama, Miami Beach
• Miami Seaquarium, Miami
• Monkey Jungle, Miami
• Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami
• Wertheim Performing Arts Center, (Florida International University, Miami)
• Zoo Miami, Miami

Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins of the NFL and Miami Hurricanes college football, January 2020

LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, April 2012

Miami-Dade County holds the majority of sports arenas, stadiums and complexes in South Florida. Some of these sports facilities are:

• Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Dolphins (football) and plays host to the Miami Hurricanes football team during their regular season.
• LoanDepot Park – Miami Marlins (baseball)
• FTX Arena (formerly American Airlines Arena) – Miami Heat (basketball)
• Tennis Center at Crandon Park – Sony Ericcson Open
• Riccardo Silva Stadium – FIU Panthers (football)
• Ocean Bank Convocation Center – FIU Panthers (basketball)
• Infinity Insurance Park – FIU Panthers (baseball)
• Watsco Center – Miami Hurricanes (basketball)
• Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field – Miami Hurricanes (baseball)
• Cobb Stadium - Miami Hurricanes (soccer, track and field)
• Tropical Park Stadium
• Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Calder Race Course
• Hialeah Park Race Track

Former venues include:

• Bobby Maduro Miami Stadium
• Miami Arena
• Miami Orange Bowl
• Miami Marine Stadium

Planned:

• Miami MLS stadium

Miami International Airport

Miami International Airport, in an unincorporated area in the county, is the Miami area's primary international airport. One of the busiest international airports in the world, it serves over 35 million passengers a year. Identifiable 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 International Airport), and is the seventh largest such gateway in the world. The airport's extensive international route network includes non-stop flights to over seventy international cities in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

• Homestead General Aviation Airport
• Miami Executive Airport
• Opa-Locka Executive
• Homestead Air Reserve Base, east of Homestead in an unincorporated area, serves military traffic.
• Miami Seaplane Base
• Dade-Collier

Public transit in Miami-Dade County is operated by Miami-Dade Transit,[109] and is the largest public transit in Florida. Miami-Dade Transit operates a heavy rail metro system Metrorail, an elevated people mover in Downtown Miami, Metromover and the bus system, Metrobus.[110]

Brightline and Tri-Rail which are Inter-city rail also services the county.

Julia Tuttle Causeway, which connects Miami with Miami Beach, May 2008

Flagler Street in Downtown Miami, May 2008

Florida State Road 970, also known as the Downtown Distributor, May 2008

Miami-Dade County has 10 major expressways and one minor expressway in Downtown Miami:

• I-75
• I-95
• I-195 / SR 112
• I-395 / SR 836
• US 1
• US 27
• US 41
• US 441
• SR A1A
• Florida's Turnpike
• Florida's Turnpike Extension
• SR 826
• SR 874
• SR 878
• SR 924

This is a list of Miami-Dade county roads. Miami-Dade County has fewer county roads than any other county in Florida, despite its large population. None are signed.

#	Road Name(s)	Direction and Termini					Notes
CR 854	Ives Dairy Road		SR 817		US 1		former SR 854 (east of US 441)[111]
CR 913	Crandon Boulevard / Rickenbacker Causeway						extension of SR 913
CR 948	Lindgren Road						extension of SR 825
CR 959	Southwest 57th Avenue						extension of SR 959
CR 973	Galloway Road						extension of SR 973
CR 992	Coral Reef Drive						extension of SR 992
CR 9823	Northwest 67th Avenue Northwest 68th Avenue	N/S	SR 826	Palm Springs North	Broward County line	Palm Springs North

Sources:

• FDOT Map of Miami-Dade County, Florida
• FDOT GIS data, accessed January 2014

A street grid stretches from downtown Miami throughout the county. This grid was adopted by the City of Miami following World War I after the United States Post Office threatened to cease mail deliveries in the city because 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.[112] 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 primarily numerical so that, for example, all street addresses north of Flagler and west of Miami Avenue have NW in their address (e.g. NW 27th Avenue). Because its point of origin is in downtown Miami which is close to the coast, the NW and SW quadrants are much larger than the SE and NE quadrants. Many roads, especially major ones, are also named, although, with a few notable exceptions, the number is in more common usage among locals.

Although this grid is easy to understand once one is oriented to it, it is not universal in the entire county. Hialeah uses its own grid system which is entirely different in its orientation. Coral Gables and Miami Lakes use named streets almost exclusively, and various smaller municipalities such as Florida City and Homestead use their own grid system along with the Miami-Dade grid system adding to the confusion. In the beach cities and parks of Miami Beach, Surfside, Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles, and Golden Beach, the streets are coordinated with the main grid; however, their avenues are named.