Florida's Regions, Counties, Cities and Towns:

MIAMI DADE COUNTY


Real Estate

2007 2008 4/2009
Median Price* Single Family Home $380,000 $276,600 $177,000
Median Price* Condominium $272,000 $239,400 $133,500

* Median Price of 101 homes sold would be that price which is lower than 50 of the prices and also higher than 50 of the prices. In other words, there are homes and condominiums available in every price range in Miami-Dade County. Median prices shown above are for the Miami MSA. The statistics are meant to give you a feel for the area as compared to others you may be considering and to show the direction of the market.

Taxes

Visit Buy a Home in Florida for comprehensive property tax information.

Weather 

Average High/Low in January 70/50, in July 90/70


Miami-Dade County is home to many diverse, eclectic and interesting cities, towns and neighborhoods.  Miami is the most international city in the country and many believe it’s the city of the future.  We would not do the county or Miami justice if we didn’t send you to its individual towns and neighborhoods. Please visit them below:

• Airport Area
• Aventura
• Bal Harbour
• Bay Harbor Islands
• Coconut Grove
• Coral Gables
• Downtown Miami Area
• Hialeah/Hialeah Gardens
• Key Biscayne
• Liberty City
• Little Havana
• Miami Beach
• Miami Beach - Art Deco District/South Beach
• Miami Lakes
• Miami Shores
• North Bay Village
• Opa-Locka
• South Miami Area
• Southwest Miami-Dade
• Sunny Isles Beach
• Surfside

Events

Culturally speaking… the arts are a big part of Miami's international allure. Dazzling ballet and modern dance productions, glitzy opera nights, symphony concerts, riveting museum and art gallery productions, glitzy opera nights, symphony concerts, riveting museum and art gallery exhibits, fabulous festivals, and visits by top international performers make for a non-stop cultural scene, year-round. Miami, the "Magic City" offers something for everyone.

Arts & Culture

You're bound to find Miami arts and cultural opportunities that are as unique and diverse as you are. Miami arts and cultural wealth serves as a magnet for prestigious art shows and museums, internationally acclaimed dance companies and cutting-edge theater.

Every year, Miami music fans enjoy a far-reaching musical experience, ranging from grand opera to classical and contemporary performances by the biggest stars in the entertainment and music world.

Already known as a center for the arts, Greater Miami takes its place among the world's great patron cities of the arts with our $255 million Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Miami.

Miami art galleries and alternative spaces are fueled by an increasingly notable resident talent pool.
From contemporary to historical treasures, its cultural and art museums offer an overview of international art drawn from private collections and traveling exhibitions.

Miami-Dade Parks has a Division of Arts and Culture whose goals are to create an environment for the presentation and development of the arts and to use the arts to bring together people of diverse cultures, generations, and walks of life.  For over twenty years, the Division has presented some of the top visual and performing artists in the world including dancer Savion Glover, visual artist Onofre Frias, actress Cicely Tyson, musical group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, musician Hugh Masekela, opera stars Dame Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti, and many more.

The Division manages five cultural parks and facilities that offer over 133 events annually and includes after school arts programs, summer arts camps, arts education for children and adults as well as five performing arts series, visual arts exhibitions, and special events. The cultural parks include:

Parks & Recreation

25 million people per year, use Miami-Dade parks, attend their events and participate in their programs.
 
A three-time winner of the National Gold Medal for excellence in park and recreation administration and the only municipal park system its size to be awarded National Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Park & Recreation Agencies, the Miami-Dade Park and Recreation Department is one of the busiest and largest leisure service agencies in the United States.
 
The Department manages more than 12,000 acres, roughly half of which are environmentally sensitive or threatened natural areas requiring protection and conservation. The Department maintains and programs more than 250 parks, recreation facilities and greenway areas; and it provides park and recreation services to a resident population of nearly two million.
 
South Florida's subtropical climate allows year-round outdoor recreation possibilities, and the Department's parks provide a multitude of opportunities. From swimming at one of the 15 County pools, to tennis at one of the more than 7 multi-court tennis centers, to playing sand volleyball on our beaches, Miami-Dade Parks offers a diversified selection of programs and facilities to match almost any taste.
 
Scenic and historical parks are the cornerstone of the Department's foundation, from the woodsy Greynolds Park with its bird rookery to Matheson Hammock, comprised mainly of hardwood forest, mangroves and winding trails.
 
Six full-service marinas offer more than 979 wet slips to the boating public, and the beachfront parks, such as Crandon and Haulover, have long sweeps of white sand and boardwalks.
  
International sporting events such as The Sony Ericsson at the state-of-the-art Crandon Park Tennis Center draws thousands of sport celebrities and fans to Miami and introduces Miami-Dade County Park facilities to international audiences.
 
Miami-Dade Parks is renowned for its outstanding attractions. Fruit and Spice Park is the only tropical botanical garden of its kind in the United States. The 35-acre park boasts more than 500 varieties of exotic and tropical fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices and herbs. Metrozoo is a 740-acre cageless zoo that showcases more than 900 animals belonging to more than 250 species. It has excelled in the successful breeding of rare and endangered animals. Deering Estate at Cutler is a historic 444-acre bay front park with nature preserves, archaeological sites, off shore island, and an education center and museum on South Florida Ecology. House tours of restored 1922 Stone Mansion.
 
Miami has two national parks. Everglades National Park is an untamed ecosystem unlike any other on earth, while Biscayne National Park is the only living tropical reef within the continental U.S.

Visit Your Florida Lifestyle for more information on fishing and our Guide to Establishing Florida Residency for Florida fishing license information.

Beaches

Miami-Dade Parks has some of the best swimming-and-sunning areas in Miami-Dade County: Crandon Park, rated among the top ten beaches in the U.S. for the past 10 years; Matheson Hammock Park, with its unusual atoll pool flushed with the tidal action of Biscayne Bay; and Haulover Park, with an Atlantic beachfront popular with surfers and families alike.

Or choose an island made for fun: Pelican Island, a short, breezy boat ride away from Pelican Marina, ideal for beach picnics up to 400 people, or the Tom Sawyer Island, a magnet for children, reachable only by a swinging rope bridge.

For comprehensive information on all Florida beaches and gift certificates to the best Florida restaurants on or near them, check out The Florida Beach Book!

Golf

Visitors can hit the links on more than 30 public and private golf courses. There are six courses in Miami-Dade County operated by the Parks and Recreation Department:

Visit Your Florida Lifestyle for additional golf information.

Sports

In addition to being a world-class destination, Miami is every bit a championship city in the world of sports. The Dolphins, Heat, Marlins and Hurricanes have all brought championships back to Miami. Tiger Woods and Roger Federer, along with the world’s greatest golf and tennis players come to Miami annually to compete in the CA Championships at Doral and the Sony Ericcson Tennis Tournament on the beautiful Key Biscayne.

NASCAR has selected the Homestead Miami Speedway to host its season-ending championship event on an annual basis, as the Nextel Cup roars to a conclusion each year. Miami is also the site of one of the nation’s fastest growing marathons. The ING Tropical Marathon attracts the top runners from around the world to enjoy one of the most scenic courses anywhere.

No city has crowned more Super Bowl champions than Miami, including Super Bowl XLI in 2007, and a return visit to Dolphin Stadium slated for 2010. The FedEx Orange Bowl continues its annual tradition, celebrating the best of college football. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is also set to return to Miami in 2009.
Visit Your Florida Lifestyle for additional sports information.

Hospitals

Visit Florida Medical Resources for comprehensive information including Florida hospital ratings.

Colleges

Miami-Dade County is home to many private and public universities and colleges. Total approximate college/university student enrollment in the county in 2006 was about 245,000, one of the largest numbers for university students in the USA.

For comprehensive information on Lifelong Learning, visit Your Florida Lifestyle.

Airports

Miami International Airport
General aviation airports in the county include Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport in an unincorporated area, Opa-Locka Airport in Opa-Locka, and Homestead General Aviation Airport in an unincorporated area west of Homestead. Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base, east of Homestead in an unincorporated area, serves military traffic.

Shopping

For the intrepid shopper, Greater Miami and the Beaches is a global marketplace that offers a bounty of choices on par with those found in world-class cities. No matter what your taste, numerous specialty shops are here for the picking.

Discover two major Greater Miami outlet malls, where the assortments are vast and the low prices are too-hard-to-resist. The Dolphin Mall is home to more than a dozen major anchor stores and more than 200 smaller shops and entertainment options. The other value center, Prime Outlets, has more than 30 unique shops

Shopping promenades are a common sight in Greater Miami, as the area's near-perfect weather affords. Imagine shopping as you stroll along open-aired walkways surrounded by lushly landscape gardens and the soothing sounds of gentle waterfalls.

Sexy South Beach is a shopper's paradise. Soak up the sun and atmosphere of Ocean Drive, and then stroll over to Collins Avenue Shopping District, Washington Avenue, Española Way or Lincoln Road for one-of-a-kind fashions and accessories.

You'll find exclusive Greater Miami boutiques, from elegant outdoor boutiques lined with lush foliage to hip shopping streets and neighborhood shopping districts, this is a city made for shopping.

• Aventura Mall
• Bal Harbour Shops
• Bayside Marketplace
• Cauley Square Historic Village
• Dolphin Mall
• Espanola Way
• Miami Design District
• Shops at Sunset Place
• Westland Mall

Miami-Dade County, Florida, Cities & Towns

Incorporated Community  

Designation  

Date incorporated  

Population  

Aventura

City

November 7, 1995

29,475

Bal Harbour

Village

June 16, 1947

3,305

Bay Harbor Islands

Town

April 1947

5,146

Biscayne Park

Village

1933

3,128

Coral Gables

City

1925

42,871

Cutler Bay

Town

November 9, 2005

24,781

Doral

City

June 24, 2003

37,735

El Portal

Village

December 7, 1937

2,427

Florida City

City

1914

7,843

Golden Beach

Town

1929

909

Hialeah

City

1925

209,971

Hialeah Gardens

City

December 1948

19,930

Homestead

City

1913

53,767

Indian Creek

Village

 

33

Islandia

City

1960

6

Key Biscayne

Village

1991

10,507

Medley

Town

1949

1,059

Miami

City

July 28, 1896

362,470

Miami Beach

City

March 26, 1915

87,925

Miami Gardens

City

May 13, 2003

106,566

Miami Lakes

Town

December 5, 2000

22,676

Miami Shores

Village

January 2, 1932

10,040

Miami Springs

City

1926

12,631

North Bay Village

Village

1945

6,733

North Miami

City

May 27, 1953

56,185

North Miami Beach

City

1927

38,201

Opa-locka

City

1926

15,376

Palmetto Bay

Village

September 10, 2002

24,469

Pinecrest

Village

March 12, 1996

19,055

South Miami

City

June 24, 1927

10,769

Surfside

Town

May 18, 1935

5,775

Sunny Isles Beach

City

1997

15,399

Sweetwater

City

1941

14,226

Virginia Gardens

Village

July 10, 1947

2,348

West Miami

City

1947

5,863

Additional Resources

Miami-Dade Government http://miamidade.gov/
Miami Tourism www.miamiandbeaches.com/

Featured Towns/Cities

Coral Gables

Tree-lined boulevards, winding roadways and green spaces give Coral Gables, Florida its identity as "The City Beautiful." Shoppers flock to fine boutiques and specialty stores along Coral Gables' Miracle Mile to find the hottest new styles. Coral Gables restaurants appear on the culinary map for a variety of cuisines. Their elegant ambience and exacting service are taken for granted in Coral Gables, Florida - a city dedicated to fine living.

Coral Gables' unique past is evident today, not only in the preservation of its architecture and landmarks, but in the spirit of its residents and the philosophy that guides its government.

George Merrick drew from the Garden City and City Beautiful movements of the 19th and early 20th century to create in 1925 one of the nation's first fully-planned communities. Incorporating secluded residential enclaves and commercial areas inspired by the architectural style of the Mediterranean, Merrick envisioned a City that would offer every amenity to its residents and at the same time would become a center for international business. In every respect, Merrick's dream has come true.

The same principles that made Coral Gables a success at its inception guide the City's current policies. The community's and the City's emphasis on protecting the residential sectors, preserving the natural environment and maintaining an international flavor are all long-standing traditions.

Today, Coral Gables boasts one of only three National Landmarks in Miami-Dade County: The Biltmore Hotel, designated in 1996. There are also nine properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including Coral Gables Merrick House, Venetian Pool and Coral Gables City Hall, as well as 600 locally designated properties.

In the past three decades, the City has experienced healthy growth, which has bolstered the economic base. Today, Coral Gables is home to 175 multinationals, 26 consulates and trade offices and more than 30 fine art galleries. It is also known as the Fine Dining Capital of South Florida and has the highest concentration of live theater in Miami-Dade County. Growth in the commercial sector has brought a wealth of new activities for residents, including nighttime entertainment, live music, casual and fine dining, and new retail options. It has also helped maintain low property taxes. At the same time, the residential areas have remained protected from commercial intrusion.

The City supports both the residential and business sectors with excellent City services, having attained the highest possible standards in every field. In fact, Coral Gables is the only City in the State of Florida and one of only two cities nationwide to have a Class 1 Fire Department, a fully-accredited Police Department, and the highest awarded Building and Zoning Department rating. In addition, Coral Gables has been named a "Tree City USA" for 23 consecutive years; it has an award-winning Communications Division and offers one of the most comprehensive Parks and Recreation programs in the state.

The City is home to many historic landmarks as well as 22 parks, 33 public tennis courts, two public golf courses, and other first-class recreation amenities. Among them: the largest tropical botanical garden in the continental United States, a spring-fed grotto swimming pool made of native coral rock with underwater caves, tree-lined bike paths and walking trails, and more.

Coral Gables is an art lover’s paradise. Known as one of South Florida’s premier centers for the arts, the City is home to dozens of art galleries. On Gables Gallery Nights, a favorite event among locals, more than 4,000 people walk or ride the trolleys to downtown Coral Gables to admire works by local, national, and international artists.
Coral Gables has been in demand for many years.  Single Family homes run upwards of $500,000 and into the millions.  You may find something small that needs renovation in the $300’s.  Small 1 bedroom condos start in the low $100’s.   

If you would like to get a feel for home prices in Coral Gables or Miami-Dade County, visit www.zillow.com and search for recent homes sold.

If you would prefer to save precious time and would like personalized assistance, call or email us today to take advantage of our free Florida Relocation Services.  We’ll answer all of your questions and if the timing is right for you, we’ll introduce you to one of the best real estate agents in Coral Gables/Miami-Dade County who can provide detailed information and professional assistance.  


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