Miami-Dade County Florida   Located in South East Florida

Miami-Dade County Cities

Land area (rank) : 1,955 square miles (3)
Population 1993 (rank) : 1,951,116 (1)
Population density 1993 (rank) : 998 persons per square mile (4)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 19.2% (51)

Physical Characteristics

Dade County is in south Florida and is bordered by Monroe, Broward, and Collier counties and the Atlantic Ocean. The county has 64 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 67.9 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 82.1 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 57.77 inches.

History

Dade County was established in 1836 from a portion of St. Johns County and named for Major Francis Longhorne Dade, U.S. Army Commander during the Second Seminole War.

Population

In 1993 slightly over 50% of the population was in the Metro Dade area. Of the 28 incorporated places, those with the largest populations in 1993 were Miami (364, 679), Hialeah (199,923), Miami Beach (95,160), North Miami (50,243), and Coral Gables (41,055). The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Dade County as the Miami-Hialeah Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In 1993, 76% of Dade County's population was white and 24% was nonwhite. In 1990, 49.2% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 66.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 16.5 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 9.2 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 7.5 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 63.6% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 5.8%. In 1990, 65.0% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 18.8% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Barry University, Miami Shores; Florida National College, Hialeah; Johnson and Wales University, North Miami; University of Miami, Coral Gables; Briarcliffe College, Caribbean Center for Advanced Studies, Florida International University, Florida Memorial College, International College of the Cayman Islands, International Fine Arts College, Martin College, Miami Christian College, Miami-Dade Community College, St. John Vianney College Seminary, St. Thomas University, Trinity College-South Fl Campus, Ward Stone College, Miami; Southeastern Univ. of the Health Sciences, Union Institute, North Miami Beach.

Economy

The per capita income for 1993 was $20,258 (14th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $26,909. In 1989, 14.2% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 14.8% of personal income in Dade County was derived from transfer payments. Apparel and textile producers, printers and publishers, and fabricated metal producers accounted for the most employment in the manufacturing sector. In 1992 there were 1,891 farms in Dade County, totalling 83,681 acres (7% of land in the county). In 1991, 494,582 pounds of fish and 409,782 pounds of shellfish were landed.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $86,500
Median monthly rent 1990: $422
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 2.4
Housing starts 1992: 6,796
Housing starts 1993: 7,589

In 1992 the price level index for Dade County was 106.66 (2nd highest in the state).

Local Government

Dade County is a charter county. In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 8.0550, and the total taxable value of property was $65,195,045,544. Taxable sales totalled $19270.90 million in 1992 and $21081.70 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $362,759 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Dade County's revenues totalled $3,917,616 thousand ($1,997.1 per capita) and its expenditures $3,933,587 thousand ($2,005.2 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 45.2% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 53.1% were registered Democrat and 37.7% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 43.2% of the votes were cast for Bush, 46.7% for Clinton, and 9.9% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Art Deco Weekend, Orange Bowl, Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, January, Miami; Homestead Frontier Days and Rodeo, January; Carnaval Miami, Grand Prix Auto Race, Italian Renaissance Festival, March, Miami; Bahamas Goombay Festival, Coconut Grove, June; Art Deco District, Miami Beach; Ancient Spanish Monastery, North Miami Beach; Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach; Fairchild Tropical Garden, Gold Coast Railroad and Museum, Metrozoo, Miami Museum of Science, Miami Seaquarium, Monkey Jungle, Orchid Jungle, Parrot Jungle, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami; Florida Pioneer Museum, Florida City; Lowe Art Museum, Coral Gables.