Now More Beautiful: What's Doing in North Miami Beach
North Miami Beach, called the Crossroads of South Florida, is a snowbird gem that lies midway between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. It sits adjacent to the Golden Glades Interchange, where three Florida highways meet: I-95, Florida Turnpike and the Palmetto Expressway, making this a central location from which all of South Florida can be reached within 30 minutes.
No wonder North Miami Beach has become a favorite living, working and shopping destination.
Homeowners can find everything from modest starter homes to luxury waterfront properties. Parks, beaches, arts, and one of the country's most flourishing independent film communities abound.
Quick Facts About North Miami Beach
- Size: 5.2 square miles
- Population 42,000 (2006)
- Climate: Winter average high 76 degrees; low, 60 degrees
- Numbers of housing units: 15,350
- Number of businesses: 1,800.
North Miami Beach also hosts a large observant Jewish community, many kosher restaurants, and the noted Yeshiva Toras Chaim/Toras Emes Academy, with more than 700 students.
History
North Miami Beach started in 1881 as Fulford, named for Coast Guard Captain William H. Fulford, who was beguiled by the area during his patrols along the Atlantic during the Spanish-American War.
In 1931, the area was renamed North Miami Beach to take advantage of the national buzz centering around Miami Beach as a tourist and residential destination. When North Miami Beach Boulevard was completed in 1951, businesses and professionals began moving into the area. Today, the area has excellent municipal facilities, cultural programs and services. The city's motto is: Where People Care.
Easy Access
North Miami Beach is easy to get in to and out of. It is less than 10 miles away from two international airports -- Miami International and Ft. Lauderdale International. And it hosts several private airports, heliports and seaplane bases.
The area also boasts proximity to two deep-water ports from which luxury cruise lines depart daily and weekly: Port of Miami and Port Everglades.
Carnival Cruise Lines is planning to launch its newest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze, from the Port of Miami in November 2012. The port hosted more than 1.1 million cruise passengers during the 2010 season.
More than 5,300 ships leave from Port Everglades each year, making it a hub of the luxury cruise industry. Among the cruise lines that use the port are the Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Disney and Princess lines.
Parks and Waterways
Much of North Miami Beach's recreation activity centers around its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway, the Oleta River and Maule Lake.
The Oleta River State Recreation Park offers kayak and canoe rentals for paddles through the mangroves. Beachside, many deep-sea charters, going after big catches in the Atlantic, leave from North Miami Beach. And Maule Lake is home to large and small-mouth bass, crappie and walleye.
Extracurricular
North Miami Beach boasts a number of varied activities for every member of your family.
Bird Watching at Greynolds Park
The Oleta River runs through this 249-acre park, creating a natural habitat for birds and butterflies, and outstanding walks and birdwatching opportunities for residents.
Birds roost in the park all year. You can spot great and cattle egrets, white ibis, double-crested cormorants, and at least three species of heron.
Ancient Spanish Monastery
This 12th century monastery was disassembled stone by stone by newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst and transported from Spain to the United States in 1925. It was reassembled in North Miami Beach in the 1950s and has been a favorite of history buffs, wedding parties and children ever since.
Aromas of Havana Cigar Bar and Lounge: This bar and lounge features more than 500 varieties of cigars, which you can puff while relaxing in comfy leather chairs and sipping brandy. There are even weekly poker nights.
RIB Adventures Now: Narrated boat tours of the Miami coastline from North Miami Beach to South Beach. Take a two-hour sunrise or sunset tour: Charters also are available.
Avenue 29: In nearby Aventura, Avenue 29 is a 6,000-square-foot bar and restaurant space offering complete bottle service and even hookahs. It features "Therapy Thursdays," "Exotic Wednesdays," and "Forever Fridays."
Judge Arthur I. Synder Tennis Center: This tennis haven features 12 clay hydro grid tennis courts, six lighted lay-kold tennis courts, four racquetball courts and two paddleball courts.
Nude Beach: If nude bathing is your thing, you won't want to miss Haulover Park, a 99-acre urban park situated on a shoal between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. About a half mile of the 1.5 mile shoreline is an official nude beach. Haulover Park also features a marina, six tennis courts, and a nine-hole golf course -- but you've got to wear your clothes in those areas.
Want more information about North Miami Beach? Check out the city's website for news and tips about what to do and see once you're here.
