Miami Beach is a barrier-island city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, set between Biscayne Bay on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Roughly 82,000 residents live in the city, but its international profile far exceeds its population, drawing visitors from around the world to its beaches, architecture, dining, and nightlife.
The city grew in the early 20th century as a beachfront resort, and its boom years in the 1920s and 1930s produced the Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Miami Modern buildings that remain its signature. The Miami Beach Architectural District — better known as the Art Deco Historic District — in South Beach holds one of the largest concentrations of Art Deco architecture anywhere, with hundreds of pastel, neon-trimmed buildings clustered along Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue, and Washington Avenue. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and its preservation transformed South Beach from a faded resort into a global destination.
Miami Beach is a dense, walkable city with a mix of full-time residents, seasonal residents, and visitors. Its neighborhoods range from the historic hotels and condominiums of South Beach to the quieter residential areas of Mid-Beach and North Beach. Lincoln Road, a ten-block pedestrian mall, anchors shopping and dining, while the beachfront itself — a continuous public strand backed by Lummus Park and the Beach Walk — is the city's defining open space. Tourism and hospitality anchor the local economy, and the Miami Beach Convention Center hosts Art Basel Miami Beach, North America's largest international contemporary art fair, each December.
Public schools are part of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, one of the largest districts in the United States. The city connects to the mainland by a series of causeways — the MacArthur, Julia Tuttle, and Venetian among them — placing downtown Miami, its employment centers, and Miami International Airport within a short drive. Miami Beach suits people who want urban density, oceanfront living, and a cosmopolitan, round-the-clock atmosphere.
