South Florida metropolitan area

Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Area

Common name: South Florida
Largest city Other cities	Miami  - Hialeah  - Fort Lauderdale  - West Palm Beach  - Miami Beach  - Hollywood
Population	Ranked 7th in the U.S.
- Total	5,413,212 (2007 est)
- Density	890/sq. mi.  315/km²
Area	6,137 sq. mi. 15,896 km²
State(s)	Florida
Elevation
- Highest point	20 feet (7 m)
- Lowest point	0 feet (0 m)

The Miami Urbanized Area stretches along the Atlantic Coast for most of the length of the Miami metro area, but is confined to a relatively narrow area between the coast and the Everglades.

South Florida encompasses a three-county area of the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The metropolitan area covers the counties of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. The three counties are the three most populous in Florida. The term "South Florida" is roughly synonymous with the Gold Coast. The Principal Cities include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. The Florida Keys are also included in the Metropolitan Area at times.

Because the population of South Florida is largely confined to a strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Everglades, the Miami urbanized area (that is, the area of contiguous urban development) is about 110 miles (180 km) long (north to south), but never more than twenty miles (32 km) wide, and in some areas only five miles wide (east to west). South Florida is longer than any other urbanized area in the United States except for the New York metropolitan area.^[1] It was the eighth most densely populated urbanized area in the United States in the 2000 census.^[2] As of the 2000 census, the urbanized area had a land area of 1,116 square miles ( 2,890.7 square kilometers), with a population of 4,919,036, for a population density of 4,407.4 per square mile (1,701.7 per square kilometer). Miami and Hialeah (the second largest city in the metropolitan area) had population densities of more than 10,000 per square mile (more than 3,800 per square kilometer).^[3][4] The Miami Urbanized Area was the fifth largest Urbanized Area (but 7th largest metropolitan area) in the United States in the 2000 census.

The Miami metro area also includes several urban clusters (UCs) as of the 2000 Census which are not part of the Miami Urbanized Area. These are the Belle Glade UC, population 24,218, area 20,717,433 square metres and population density of 3027.6 per square mile; Key Biscayne UC, population 10,513, area 4,924,214 square metres and population density of 5529.5 per square mile; Redland UC, population 3,936, area 10,586,212 square metres and population density of 963.0 per square mile; and West Jupiter UC, population 8,998, area 24,737,176 square metres and population density of 942.1 per square mile.^[5]

In 2006, the area had an estimated 5,463,857 persons, of which 1,671,398 live in unincorporated areas^[6][7][8]. Considering that the area has an urban population of 4,919,036, only 544,821 residents live outside of the urban area, meaning that at least 1,126,577 persons live in urban unincorporated areas, but the number is actually higher.

There has recently been a move by two cities in Broward County, Margate^[9] and North Lauderdale,^[10] to split the area roughly consisting of the South Florida metropolitan area off from the state of Florida and form a new state, South Florida; this hypothetical state would consist of Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.^[9] The complaint made by the proposers of the division is that South Florida has different needs than the rest of the state, suffers from an unfair tax burden, and has several programs that have been consistently under-funded by Tallahassee legislators.^[9][10]

Micropolitan divisions

Downtown Miami, South Florida's largest and most influential central business district. With the construction of many new office and residential towers, Miami ranks as the third largest skyline in the United States.^[11]

The Miami metropolitan area contains of three distinct micropolitan divisions, subdividing the region into three divisions according to the region's three counties: Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County.

Cities

Principal cities

• Miami
• Fort Lauderdale
• Miami Beach
• West Palm Beach
• Pompano Beach
• Kendall
• Boca Raton
• Deerfield Beach
• Boynton Beach
• Coral Springs
• Delray Beach^[12]

Areas with between 10,000 and 95,000 inhabitants

Areas with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

Demographics

An aerial view of Downtown Miami

Miami Beach

Fort Lauderdale

West Palm Beach

Boca Raton

Population

South Florida is a very diverse community with much of the population coming from all over Latin America (especially South Americans from Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Guyana, and most Central American countries like Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala) and the Caribbean (especially Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Barbados and other West Indians.)

Another large factor are residents who were former snowbirds from the Northeast, like New York and New Jersey. Many of them come from a variety of age-ranges, mostly retirees, and tend to be Jewish-American, Italian-American, Irish-American, Puerto Rican-American (Nuyorican), Dominican-American, African-American, and other second and third-generation Americans.

To a lesser extent, snowbirds are also from the Midwest (mostly Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan) and West Coast (mainly California,) as well as the South (chiefly Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas), and smaller numbers from the Pacific Northwest.

Many Canadians (mostly French Canadians), Brazilians, Israelis, Russians and Europeans (mainly from Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and France) also add to the diversity, though people from all over the world live in South Florida.

There is also a notable difference in the culture of South Florida and the rest of Florida, as it tends to be more of a multicultural mosaic and a salad bowl rather than a melting pot, whereas some parts of Central Florida, the Tampa Bay Area, and Southwest Florida, and the majority of the Florida Heartland, the Florida Panhandle, North Florida and elsewhere in Florida have more of a Southern culture.

Politically speaking, South Florida is heavily Democratic, especially Broward (which is the second most reliably Democrat and liberal county in Florida, ^[13][14] with the exception of the much less populous Gadsden County, where African Americans are a majority). Also, Palm Beach is largly Democrat as well, especially amongst the Jewish community,^[15] while the rest of Florida tends to vote more Republican. This is due in large part to Southern politics. With a majority Hispanic population in Miami-Dade, Republican votes are mainly by older generations of Cuban Americans most of whom had fled to the United States to escape the Communist reign of Fidel Castro, but Miami-Dade County still remains very Democratic when compared with most of Florida's other counties.^[16][17][18]

As of the 2005 American Community Survey^[19][20] there is a total of 5,334,685 people living in the metropolis.

Population: As of the 2005 U.S. Census, there were 5,334,685 people, mainly upper class people. 2.8 million (52%) were females and 2.6 million (48%) were males. The median age was 38.6 years. 24% of the population were under 18 years and 15% were 65 years and older. There were 2,338,450 households, and 1,326,391 families residing in the South Florida metropolitan area.

Ethnicity:
The racial makeup of population of South Florida [5,334,685] as of 2005:^[21]

• White: 72% [3,840,973]
  • White Non-Hispanic: 39% [2,080,527]
  • White Hispanic: 33% [1,760,446]
• Black (many from the Caribbean [West Indian]) or African American: 21% [1,075,174]
• Native American: less than 0.5% [10,582]
• Asian (many of Indo-Caribbean, Asian Latino and Chinese Caribbean origin): 2% [111,196]
• Pacific Islander: less than 0.5% [3,346]
• Other races: 5% [286,399]
• Two or more races: 2% [91,520]
• Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38% [2,013,725] of the population

Language and national origin

National origin and language: Of the people living in the South Florida metro area in 2005, 63 percent were born in the United States (including 30 percent who were born in Florida) and 37 percent were foreign born. Among people at least five years old living in South Florida in 2005, 52 percent spoke English at home while 48 percent spoke some other language at home. Of those speaking a language other than English at home, 78 percent spoke Spanish and 22 percent spoke some other language (mainly Haitian Creole, but also French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, Russian or Yiddish). About 47 percent reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Geographic mobility: In 2005, 83 percent of the people at least one year old living in the South Florida metro area were living in the same residence one year earlier; 12 percent had moved during the past year from another residence in the same county, 2 percent from another county in the same state, 2 percent from another state, and 1 percent from abroad.

Households and families: There were 2,338,450 households, The average household size was 2.6 people. Families made up 65 percent of the households in South Florida. This figure includes both married-couple families (45 percent) and other families (20 percent). Nonfamily households made up 35 percent of all households in South Florida. Most of the nonfamily households were people living alone, but some consisted of people living in households in which no one was related to the householder.

Education

Education: In 2005, 82% of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 28% had a bachelor's degree or higher. Among people 16 to 19 years old, 7% were dropouts; they were not enrolled in school and had not graduated from high school. The total school enrollment in South Florida Metro Area was 1.4 million in 2005. Nursery school and kindergarten enrollment was 170,000 and elementary or high school enrollment was 879,000 children. College or graduate school enrollment was 354,000.

Occupation, Income, and Industries

South Beach

The Brickell Financial District in Miami contains the second-largest concentration of international banks in the U.S. and is a major area of employment

The Port of Miami is the world's largest cruise ship port, and is the headquarters of many of the world's largest cruise companies

Occupations and Type of Employer: Among the most common occupations were: 32% were management, professional, and related occupations, 30% were sales and office occupations, 18% were service occupations, 11% were construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations, and 9% were production, transportation, and material moving occupations. 81% of the people employed were Private wage and salary workers; 12% were Federal, state, or local government workers; and 7% were Self-employed in own not incorporated business workers.

Income: The median income of households in South Florida was $43,091. 78% of the households received earnings and 13% received retirement income other than Social Security. 30% of the households received Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $13. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Industries: In 2005, for the employed population 16 years and older, the leading industries in South Florida Area were Educational services, health care and social assistance, which accounted for 18%, and Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services, which accounted for 13% of the population.

Traveling to Work: 79% of South Florida workers drove to work alone in 2005, 10 percent carpooled, 4% took public transportation, and 4% used other means. The remaining 3% worked at home. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 28.5 minutes to get to work.

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs: In 2005, 14% of people were in poverty. 19% of related children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 14% of people 65 years old and over. 11% of all families, and 26% of families with a female householder and no husband present had incomes below the poverty level.

Housing Characteristics and Costs

Housing Characteristics: As of 2005, South Florida had a total of 2.3 million housing units, 13% of which were vacant. Of the total housing units, 52% were in single-unit structures, 45% were in multi-unit structures, and 3% were mobile homes. 25% of the housing units were built since 1990.

Occupied Housing Unit Characteristics: In 2005, South Florida had 2.0 million occupied housing units - 1.3 million (66%) owner occupied and 688,000 (34%) renter occupied. 5% of the households did not have telephone service and 9% of the households did not have access to a car, truck, or van for private use. Multi Vehicle households were not rare. 37% had two vehicles and another 13% had three or more.

Housing Costs: The median monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners was $71,517, nonmortgaged owners $65,494, and renters $59,877. 50% of owners with mortgages, 26% of owners without mortgages, and 57% of renters in South Florida spent 30% or more of household income on housing.

Education

Florida International University

University of Miami

In Florida, each county is also a school district. Each district is headed by an elected school board. A professional superintendent manages the day-to-day operations of each district, who is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the School Board.

The Miami-Dade County Public School District is currently the 4th-largest public school district in the nation. The School District of Palm Beach County is the 4th-largest in Florida and the 11th-largest in the United States. Broward County Public School District is the 6th-largest in the United States.

Some colleges and universities in South Florida include:

• Barry University (private/Catholic)
• Broward College (public)
• Carlos Albizu University (private)
• Florida Atlantic University (public)
• Florida International University (public)
• Florida Memorial University (private)
• Johnson & Wales University (private)
• Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Miami (private)
• Lynn University (private)
• Miami Dade College (public)
• Northwood University (private)
• Nova Southeastern University (private)
• Palm Beach Atlantic University (private/Christian)
• Palm Beach Community College (public)
• St. Thomas University (private/Catholic)
• University of Miami (private)

In 2005, 82 percent of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 28 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher. Among people 16 to 19 years old, 7 percent were dropouts; they were not enrolled in school and had not graduated from high school. The total school enrollment in South Florida metro area was 1.4 million in 2005. Nursery school and kindergarten enrollment was 170,000 and elementary or high school enrollment was 879,000. College or graduate school enrollment was 354,000.

Transportation

Tri-Rail is South Florida's commuter rail and connects it north to south

Government Center is one of the main stations for the Miami Metrorail

The South Florida metropolitan area is served by five interstate highways operated by the Florida Department of Transportation in conjunction with local agencies. I-95 runs north to south along the coast, ending just south of Downtown Miami. I-75 runs east to west, turning south in western Broward County; it connects suburban North Miami-Dade to Naples on the west coast via Alligator Alley, which transverses the Florida Everglades before turning north. I-595 connects the Broward coast and downtown Fort Lauderdale to I-75 and Alligator Alley. I-195 and I-395 both connect the main I-95 route to Biscayne Boulevard and Miami Beach, which is located across Biscayne Bay. I-195 and I-395 also connect (at their interchanges with I-95) to the Airport Expressway (State Road 112) and the Dolphin Expressway (State Road 836), respectively, both of which run west to Miami International Airport; the Dolphin Expressway also connects to Florida's Turnpike and the western suburbs of Miami-Dade County.

In Miami, Miami-Dade Transit operates Metrorail, Florida's only rapid transit metro with 22 stations on a 22.4-mile (36.0 km) track, the Downtown Miami people mover, (Metromover) with 21 stations and 3 lines on 4.4-mile (7.1 km) track, as well as Metrobus. In Broward County Broward County Transit runs public buses as does Palm Tran in Palm Beach County. Additionally, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority operates Tri-Rail, a commuter rail train that connects the three primary cities of South Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach), and most intermediate points.

South Florida is served by three major airports:

• Miami International Airport (MIA)
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
• Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)

The three airports combine to make the fourth largest domestic origin and destination market in the United States, after New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.^[22]

The metropolis also has four seaports, the largest and most important being the Port of Miami. Others in the area include Port Everglades, Port of Palm Beach and the Miami River Port.

Major freeways and tollways

Julia Tuttle Causeway connects Miami and Miami Beach

Downtown Miami Distributor

• Interstate 95
• Interstate 75
• Interstate 195
• Interstate 395
• Interstate 595
• Florida's Turnpike
• Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike
• Dolphin Expressway (State Road 836)
• Gratigny Parkway (State Road 924)
• Airport Expressway (State Road 112)
• Don Shula Expressway (State Road 874)
• Snapper Creek Expressway (State Road 878)
• Sawgrass Expressway (State Road 869)
• Palmetto Expressway (State Road 826)
• Hialeah Expressway (State Road 934)
• Downtown Distributor (State Road 970)

Climate

A view of Biscayne National Park in Miami-Dade County.

South Florida has a tropical climate, the only major metropolitan area in the 48 contiguous states that falls under this category (Koppen climate classification Aw)^[23]. The metropolis does experience cold fronts from November through March, however most of the year is warm and humid and the mean temperature for any month is never below 64.4 °F (18 °C). In addition, the metropolis sees most of its rain in the summer (wet season) and is mainly dry in winter (dry season). The wet season, which is hot and humid, lasts from May to October, when it gives way to the dry season, which features mild temperatures with some invasions of colder air, which is when the little winter rainfall occurs — with the passing of a front. The hurricane season largely coincides with the wet season.^[24]

In addition to its sea-level elevation, coastal location and position just above the Tropic of Cancer, the area owes its warm, humid climate to the Gulf Stream, which moderates climate year-round. A typical summer day does not see temperatures below 75 °F (24 °C). Temperatures in the high 80s to low 90s (30-35 °C) accompanied by high humidity are often relieved by afternoon thunderstorms or a sea breeze that develops off the Atlantic Ocean, which then allow lower temperatures, although conditions still remain very muggy. During winter, humidity is significantly lower, allowing for cooler weather to develop. Average minimum temperatures during that time are around 60 °F (15 °C), very rarely dipping below 40 °F (4 °C), and the maximum averages around 75 °F (24 °C).

Hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30, although hurricanes can develop outside that time period. The most likely time for South Florida to be hit is during the peak of the Cape Verde season, mid-August through the end of September.^[25] Due to its location between two major bodies of water known for tropical activity, South Florida is also statistically the most likely major city to be struck by a hurricane in the world, trailed closely by Nassau, Bahamas, and Havana, Cuba. Many hurricanes have affected the metropolis, including Betsy in 1965, Andrew in 1992, Irene in 1999, and Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005. In addition, a tropical depression in October 2000 passed over the city, causing record rainfall and flooding. Locally, the storm is credited as the No Name Storm of 2000, though the depression went on to become Tropical Storm Leslie upon entering the Atlantic Ocean.

Area codes

• 305 Miami-Dade County
• 786 Miami-Dade County
• 954 Broward County
• 754 Broward County
• 561 Palm Beach County

Sports

American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat.

Dolphin Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins and the Miami Hurricanes

• The Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball and the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League play at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
• The Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association play at AmericanAirlines Arena in Downtown Miami.
• The Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League play at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.
• The Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals conduct Spring Training in Jupiter at Roger Dean Stadium.
• The Baltimore Orioles conduct Spring training in Fort Lauderdale at Fort Lauderdale Stadium.
• The Miami metro area also hosts the college sports teams of Barry University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University (FIU Stadium, U.S. Century Bank Arena and University Park Stadium), Nova Southeastern University and University of Miami (Dolphin Stadium, BankUnited Center and Mark Light Field).

Government

The metropolis is governed by the 3 counties in the area. In total there are 107 municipalities or incorporated places in the metropolis. Each one of the municipalities has its own city, town or village government, although there is no distinction between the 3 names. Much of the land in the metropolis is unincorporated, which means it does not belong to any municipality, and therefore is governed directly by the county it is located in.

Congressional Districts

South Florida has eight congressional districts of which three are Republican leaning district (18th, 21st and 25th) and five are Democratic leaning districts (17th,19th, 20th, 22nd and 23rd). District 21 is the most Republican leaning district in the area, while District 17 is the most Democratic Leaning district in the region.

The Cook Political report lists District 21 as "leans Republican" while District 18 and District 25 are listed as "likely Republican." ^[26] Other independent political analysts including the Rotherberg Political Report ^[27], CQ Politics ^[28] and the Crystal Ball^[29] rate all three South Florida Republican districts as either "Lean Republican," "Likely Republican," "Republican Favored," "Limited Risk" or "Safe Republican." None of the districts are listed in the toss-up column. All of the Democrat seats in South Florida are listed as either "Safe Democrat," "Democrat Favored" or "Limited risk."

According to the August 14, 2008 Time magazine article, "Democrats are mounting serious challenges to at least two of Miami's three Republican lawmakers" and that "the Miami challenges have caught the GOP off guard. Democratic voter registration in Miami-Dade County, as in other places, is up, and Republican registration is down."^[30]

Media

The Miami Herald headquarters in Downtown Miami. The Miami Herald is the largest newspaper in South Florida.

South Florida is served by several English-language and two major Spanish-language daily newspapers. The Miami Herald, headquartered in Downtown Miami, is Miami's primary newspaper with over a million readers. It also has news bureaus in Broward County, Monroe County, and Nassau, Bahamas. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel circulates primarily in Broward and southern Palm Beach counties and also has a news bureau in Havana, Cuba. The Palm Beach Post serves mainly Palm Beach County, especially the central and northern regions, and the Treasure Coast. The Boca Raton News publishes five days a week and circulates in southern Palm Beach County.^[31] El Nuevo Herald, a subsidiary of the Miami Herald, and Diario Las Americas,^[32] are Spanish-language daily papers that circulate mainly in Miami-Dade County. La Palma and El Sentinel are weekly Spanish newspapers published by the Palm Beach Post and Sun-Sentinel, respectively, and circulate in the same areas as their English-language counterparts.

South Florida is split into two separate television/radio markets: The Miami-Fort Lauderdale market serves Miami-Dade, Broward and the Florida Keys. The West Palm Beach market serves Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast region.

Miami-Fort Lauderdale is the 12th largest radio market and the 16th-largest television market in the U.S. Television stations serving the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area include WAMI-TV (TeleFutura), WBFS-TV (MyNetworkTV), WSFL-TV (The CW), WFOR-TV (CBS), WHFT-TV (TBN), WLTV (Univision), WPLG (ABC), WPXM (ION), WSCV (Telemundo), WSVN (FOX), WTVJ (NBC), WPBT (PBS), and WLRN-TV (also PBS).

See also: List of radio stations in Florida

References

See also: List of urbanized areas in Florida (by population)

External links

• Populations of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Area (and rankings)
• Transit Miami