HOMESTEAD MAIN OVERVIEW
Homestead and Florida City are located at the very end of US1, at the south end of Dade County. Florida City is basically the entrance point to the Florida Keys and also the Everglades; its factory outlet shops and big megastores are a favorite shopping destination of Keys residents.
Homestead’s young residential population (median age 27) is employed both locally and in Greater Miami, which Homestead serves as a burgeoning bedroom community. With its rapid development and good infrastructure, it is also becoming one of southern Florida’s fastest growing relocation destinations, both from within Florida and from around the country.
The population is currently about 37,000; like most of the Miami metropolis, Homestead/Florida City is an ethnically diverse area with an effectively bilingual population.
Statistics
- Homestead/Florida City has one of the most rapidly developing infrastructures (new roads, schools, etc.) in Florida
- The area used to be (and much of it still is) farmland
- Nearest city with pop. 50,000+: Kendall, FL (15.5 miles)
- Nearest city with pop. 200,000+: Miami, FL (27.6 miles)
- Elevation 12 feet, on a “ridge” between Biscayne Bay and the Everglades
- Avg. Annual Relative Humidity, Morning: 84%, and by afternoon a pleasant 61%.
- Avg. Annual Sunshine Probability 68%
- Avg. Annual Rainfall 79.2 inches
- Avg. Summer Temperature 82 F
- Avg. Winter Temperature 68 F
About the community
The community has focused on preserving and renovating historic buildings, establishing new businesses and creating a historic district replete with charming specialty shops and restaurants.
Many Mediterranean revival structures in downtown Homestead have been refurbished and adapted for new uses.
The antique shops along Krome Avenue form a handsome district, one that is part of a designated Main Street Community of the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation.
The environment and attractions
The area sits right next to the western entrance to Everglades National Park, one of the country’s most interesting and unique. The microcommunity of Flamingo, inside the park on the tip of Florida’s mainland is about an hour’s drive away.
To the east lie the pristine waters and barrier islands of Biscayne Bay and Biscayne National Park. Despite its proximity to Florida’s biggest metro area, the Park preserves an older, wilder, and primitive Florida that has always been there. Alas, the park is accessible (for all practical purposes) by boat only.
And of course there’s much more — the large NASCAR Raceway and the Florida Keys to the south, the glitz and glamour of Miami and Miami Beach to the north. You can choose laid-back Key Largo or South Beach, and be in either spot in under an hour.
Housing options
The area offers an abundance of housing options that range from expensive to economical. Because of lower land and labor costs plus the availability of construction materials, new home prices are well below the national average.
This area suffered a rare hurricane in 1992, and since then all new constructions as well as renovations adhere to one of the strictest building codes in the country – regardless of the price.
New housing developments are going up all over and they are generally very affordable (as of mid 2005 new homes could be found under $100,000)
Business potential and incentives
There are lucrative incentives for businesses that locate in the Florida Enterprise and Empowerment zones, in which a portion of the greater Homestead and Florida City area lie.
There is talk of a water-theme park coming to the area and the future development of the property adjacent to the Homestead Air Reserve Base. A large Hospital is currently under construction, and is due to open in 2006.
The area’s new industries offer big-city employment opportunities within a small-town environment.
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In conclusion, Homestead offers something rare in the Miami metropolitan area: it was built from farmland, still has a lot of it, is far enough away from Miami to be separated from the hustle and hassle of urban life, yet close enough to savor its flavor. And it’s close to the diving and fishing opportunities provided by the Keys, which complement the area’s own outdoor treasures.
If you’d like the Keys without the price, if you like to have room around you in a residential area that it’s just plain nice to call home, but yet want the amenities of the big city life of Miami and Miami Beach, this could be your area.
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