Miami-Dade County, Florida

Miami-Dade County (formerly known as Dade County and many times referred to as simply Miami or Dade) is a located in the southeastern part of the  of. The estimates that the county population was 2,402,208 in 2006, making it the most populous county in Florida and the. The county's population makes up approximately half of the population and holds most of the principal cities encompassing South Florida, making it the most important of the three counties that make up the area. The is the city of.

The county is home to 35 incorporated and many s. The eastern portion of the county is heavily  with many s up the coastline, as well as the location of the county's,. The western portion of the county consists of the and is unpopulated. East of the mainland in is also, making Miami the only  in the United States that borders two s.

The current county mayor is.

Pre-European contact
The earliest evidence of Native American settlement in the Miami region came from about 12,000 years ago. The first inhabitants settled on the banks of the, with the main villages on the northern banks.

The inhabitants at the time of first an contact were the people, who controlled much of southeastern Florida, including what is now, , and the southern part of. The Tequesta Indians fished, hunted, and gathered the fruit and roots of plants for food, but did not practice any form of 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.

European contact
was the first European to visit the area in 1513 by sailing into. His journal records that he reached Chequescha, which was Miami's first recorded name. It is unknown whether he came ashore or made contact with the Indians. and his men made the first recorded landing when they visited the settlement in 1566 while looking for Avilés' missing son, shipwrecked a year earlier. 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. By 1711, the Tequesta sent a couple of local chiefs to, , to ask if they could migrate there. The Cubans sent two ships to help them, but Spanish illnesses struck and most of the Indians died.

The first permanent European settlers arrived in the early 1800s. People came from the to South Florida and the  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 Indians arrived, along with a group of runaway slaves. The area was affected by the, during which Major led several raids against the Indians. Most non-Indian residents were soldiers stationed at. It was the most devastating Indian war in American history, causing almost a total loss of population in the Miami area.

After the Second Seminole War ended in 1842,, 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 that there were ninety-six residents living in the area. The ) was not as destructive as the second one. Even so, it slowed down the settlement of southeast Florida. At the end of the war, a few of the soldiers stayed.

Birth of Dade County
Dade County was created on, under the Territorial Act of the United States. The county was named after Major, a soldier killed in 1835 in the Second Seminole War, at what has since been named the. At the time of its creation, Dade County included the land that now contains and Broward counties, together with the  from  north and the land of present day Miami-Dade County. The county seat was originally at in the Florida Keys, then in 1844, the County seat was moved to. The Florida Keys from to Bahia Honda were returned to Monroe County in 1866. In 1888 the county seat was moved to Juno, near present-day, returning to Miami in 1899. In 1909, was formed from the northern portion of what was then Dade County, and then in 1915,  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.

The second-costliest natural disaster to occur in the was the , which hit this county early Monday morning on ,. It struck the central part of the county from due east, south of Miami and very near, , and (now the Town of ). Damages numbered over US$25 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 struck the Gulf region in 2005.

After the, exiles from Cuba migrated in large numbers to Dade County.

On, voters changed the name of the county from Dade to Miami-Dade to acknowledge the international name recognition of.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 6,297 (2,431 ). 5,040 km² (1,946 sq mi) of it is land and 1,257 km² (485 sq mi) of it (19.96%) is water, most of which is, with another significant portion in the adjacent waters of the.

The is divided from the Atlantic Ocean by the many barrier isles along the coast, one of which is where well-known  is located, home to  and the  district. The, which are also barrier islands are only accessible through Miami-Dade County, but which are otherwise part of neighboring.

Miami is the largest city within Miami-Dade County as well as the county seat, with an estimated population of 404,048. Miami is the only in the United States that borders two s.  is located east of the mainland, in, and the western third of Miami-Dade County lies within.

Incorporated
There are 35 incorporated areas:
 * 1) City of
 * 2) City of
 * 3) Town of
 * 4) City of
 * 5) City of
 * 6) City of
 * 7) Village of
 * 8) Town of
 * 9) Village of
 * 10) Town of
 * 11) Village of
 * 12) Village of
 * 13) Village of
 * 14) Village of
 * 15) City of
 * 16) Town of
 * 17) City of
 * 18) City of
 * 19) Town of
 * 20) City of
 * 21) City of
 * 22) Village of
 * 23) City of
 * 24) City of
 * 25) City of
 * 26) Village of
 * 27) City of
 * 28) City of
 * 29) City of

Unincorporated communities
The following areas are regions of the county which fall directly under the county government's jurisdiction. Most, but not all of them, are.

Any letters grouped "(xx)" after a name refer to the labeled gray areas of the map above.

Adjacent counties

 * - north
 * - south and west
 * - northwest

Demographics


As of the of 2006, there were 2,253,362 people, 776,774 households, and 548,402 families residing in the county. The was 447/km² (1,158/sq mi). There were 852,278 housing units at an average density of 169/km² (438/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 16.6% Non-Hispanic, 17.5% Non-Hispanic (with a large part being of  descent) and , 0.19% , 1.3% , 4.58% from , and 3.79% from two or more races. 65.6% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 776,774 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were 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 median income for a household in the county was $35,966, and the median income for a family was $40,260. Males had a median income of $30,120 versus $24,686 for females. The for the county was $18,497. About 14.5% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

51.4% of Miami-Dade County residents are foreign-born, a percentage greater than any other county in the United States.

Language
As of 2000, 59.25% spoke as their, 32.09% , 4.12% , and 0.89% spoke  as their. 51.4% of the  were born outside the, while 67.90% of the  speaks a language other than English at home.

Law and government
Miami-Dade County has operated under a unique metropolitan system of government, a "two-tier ," since 1957. This was made possible when voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1956 that allowed the people of Dade County (as it was known then) to enact a. Prior to this year, home rule did not exist in, and all were limited to the same set of powers by the  and.

Federation, not total consolidation
Unlike a, where the and  governments merge into a single entity, these two entities remain separate. Instead there are two "tiers", or levels, of government: city and county. There are 35 in the county, the City of  being the largest.

Cities are the "lower tier" of local government, providing and fire protection, zoning and code enforcement, and other typical city services within their jurisdiction. These services are paid for by city taxes. The County is the "upper tier", and it provides services of a metropolitan nature, such as emergency management, airport and seaport operations, public housing and health care services, transportation, environmental services, solid waste disposal etc. These are funded by county taxes, which are assessed on all incorporated and unincorporated areas.

Of the county's 2.2 million total residents, approximately 52% live in unincorporated areas, the majority of which are heavily urbanized. These residents are part of the Unincorporated Municipal Services Area (UMSA). For these residents, the County fills the role of both lower- and upper-tier government, the County Commission acting as their lower-tier municipal representative body. Residents within UMSA pay an UMSA tax, equivalent to a city tax, which is used to provide County residents with equivalent city services (police, fire, zoning, water and sewer, etc.). Residents of incorporated areas do not pay UMSA tax.

Structure of county government
The Executive is elected countywide to serve a four-year term. The Mayor is not a member of the County Commission. The Mayor appoints a, with approval and consent of the Board of County Commissioners, to oversee the operations of the County Departments. The Mayor has power over the Commission. The current mayor is n-born.

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 with a two-thirds vote.

The election of Commissioners from single member districts came to be in 1992 after a group led by attorney and City of Miami Commissioner Arthur Teele, Jr. with the support of some African American and Hispanic civic leaders, challenged the at large election system in the courts, arguing that the present system did not allow for the election of minority commissioners, despite the fact that African American Commissioner Barbara Carey-Shuler had been elected several times. The court, under the ruling of Judge Graham, created the single member district election system.

's provides for four elected officials to oversee executive and administrative functions for each county (called "Constitutional Officers"):, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector. Each of these offices were reorganized and became subordinate County Departments. Today these positions are appointed by and report to the.

The most visible distinction between Miami-Dade and other Florida counties is the title of its law enforcement agency. It is the only county in Florida that does not have an elected sheriff, or an agency titled "Sheriff's Office." Instead the equivalent 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. The judicial offices of Clerk of the Circuit, , and are still branches of State government and are therefore independently elected and not part of County government.

Mayors of Miami-Dade County

 * 1965–70 -
 * 1970–72 -
 * 1972–74 -
 * 1974–93 -
 * 1993–96 - Post of Mayor abolished
 * 1996–2004 -
 * 2004— -

Fire Rescue
The Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Department is the agency that provides and  for Miami-Dade County, Florida. The department serves 28 municipalities and all unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County from 60 fire stations. The Department also provides fire protection services for, and.

The communities served are, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is also the home to 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.

Police Department
The Miami-Dade Police Department is full service serving 's unincorporated areas, although they have lenient mutual aid agreements with other municipalities, most often the. The Miami-Dade Police Department is the largest police department in the state of with over 5,000 employees. The Department is still often referred by its former name, the Metro-Dade Police or simply Metro.

The Miami-Dade Police Department operate out of nine districts throughout Miami-Dade County and have two special bureaus. The current director of the Miami-Dade Police Department is Robert Parker, who succeeded Carlos Alvarez, the current mayor of Miami-Dade County. The Department's headquarters are located in.

Water and Sewer Department
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 everyday from the Biscayne Aquifer for consumer use.MDWASD has over 7,100 miles of water lines, a service area of 396 sqmi and 14 pump stations. MDWASD has over 3,600 miles of sewage pipes, a service area of 341 sqmi and 954 pump stations

Education
In Florida, each county is also a. , is operated by an independently-elected. A professional manages the day-to-day operations of the district, who is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the School Board. The is currently the  public school district in the nation.

The is one of the largest public library systems in the country, comprising 42 branch locations, and 8 branch locations currently being built/not officially opened.

Colleges and Universities
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 number for university students in the USA.


 * (public, largest university in )
 * (private, largest private university in Florida)
 * (public)
 * (private/Catholic)
 * (private/historically black)
 * (private/Catholic)
 * (private)
 * (private)
 * Miami International University of Art and Design (private)
 * Talmudic University (private/Jewish)
 * Keiser University (private)
 * (private)

Public transit
Public transit in Miami-Dade County is served by, and is the largest public transit in Florida. Miami-Dade Transit operates a  system, an elevated  in ,  and the bus system,. Currently, expansion of Metrorail is underway with the construction of two new lines. The northern line to extend from (MIA) to  and the western line from MIA to.

Major expressways
In Florida a Tolled is denoted by having the word "TOLL" printed on the top of the State Road shield.

Miami-Dade County has 10 major expressways and 1 minor expressway in.
 * [[Image:I-95.svg|23px]]
 * [[Image:I-75.svg|23px]]
 * [[Image:Florida's Turnpike shield.png|25px]]
 * [[Image:Florida's Turnpike shield.png|25px]]
 * [[Image:Toll Florida 836.svg|23px]] / [[Image:I-395.svg|25px]]
 * [[Image:Toll Florida 924.svg|23px]]
 * [[Image:Toll Florida 112.svg|25px]] / [[Image:I-195.svg|23px]]
 * [[Image:Toll Florida 874.svg|25px]]
 * [[Image:Toll Florida 878.svg|23px]]
 * [[Image:Florida 826.svg|23px]]
 * [[Image:Florida 934.svg|25px]]
 * [[Image:Florida 970.svg|23px]]

Street grid
A stretches from downtown Miami throughout the county. This grid was adopted by the City of Miami following after the  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. 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 going North-South and Flagler Street the  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 (eg. 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.

Museums

 * Gold Coast Railroad Museum, Miami
 * , Miami Beach
 * Miami Cultural Center, Downtown Miami
 * , Downtown Miami
 * , Miami
 * Wings Over Miami Museum, Miami
 * Miami Cultural Center, Downtown Miami
 * , Downtown Miami
 * , Miami
 * Wings Over Miami Museum, Miami
 * Wings Over Miami Museum, Miami
 * Wings Over Miami Museum, Miami

Entertainment

 * , Miami
 * , Miami
 * , Miami Beach
 * , Coral Gables
 * , Miami
 * , Downtown Miami
 * , Miami
 * Ancient Spanish Monastery, North Miami
 * , Downtown Miami
 * Wertheim Performing Arts Center, (Florida International University, Miami)
 * , Miami
 * Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, Downtown Miami
 * Bayfront Park Amphitheatre, Downtown Miami

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


 * - and
 * - (football)
 * - Florida International Golden Panthers (basketball)
 * - Florida International Golden Panthers (baseball)
 * - (football)
 * - Miami Hurricanes (basketball)
 * - Florida International Golden Panthers (baseball)
 * - (football)
 * - Miami Hurricanes (basketball)

Sister Cities
Miami-Dade County has 24, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

Famous people from Miami-Dade County

 * - rapper
 * - rapper

Government links

 * Miami-Dade County Government

County departments and agencies

 * Miami-Dade Public Library System
 * Miami-Dade Police Department
 * Public Health Trust of Miami-Dade County Jackson Memorial Hospital
 * Miami-Dade Aviation Department Miami International Airport
 * Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department

Special districts

 * Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) is the 4th largest in the . The Miami-Dade School Board is a nine-member publicly elected body responsible for overseeing the administration of the (MDCPS).
 * South Florida Water Management District

Judicial branch

 * Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts
 * Miami-Dade Public Defender, 11th Judicial Circuit
 * Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, 11th Judicial Circuit
 * Circuit and County Court, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism

 * Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau