South Beach facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South Beach
Neighborhood
Ocean Drive on South Beach
Nickname(s):  SoBe
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Miami-Dade County
City	Miami Beach
Subdistricts of South Beach	Neighborhoods list
Population  (2010)
• Total	39,186
Time zone	UTC-05 (EST)
ZIP code	33139
Area code(s)	305, 786

South Beach, also called SoBe, is a fun neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located on an island between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This area covers the southern part of Miami Beach, south of Dade Boulevard.

South Beach was the first part of Miami Beach to be built up. This started in the 1910s thanks to people like Carl G. Fisher, the Lummus Brothers, and John S. Collins. John Collins built the Collins Bridge, which was the first important land connection between mainland Miami and the beaches.

Over the years, South Beach has changed a lot. It has seen a growing economy and more tourists. A big hurricane in 1926 destroyed much of the area. In 2010, about 39,186 people lived in South Beach.

Discovering South Beach's Past

South Beach began as farmland. In 1870, Henry and Charles Lum bought 165 acres to grow coconuts. Charles Lum built the first house on the beach in 1886. In 1894, the Lum brothers left the island. John S. Collins took over the land two years later to survey it. He used the land for farming and found fresh water. In 1907, he made his land bigger, from 14th Street to 67th Street.

In 1912, Miami businessmen, the Lummus Brothers, bought 400 acres from Collins. They wanted to build a city by the ocean with small family homes. In 1913, Collins started building a bridge from Miami to Miami Beach. He ran out of money before finishing it.

Carl G. Fisher, a successful businessman, came to the beach in 1913. He wanted to make South Beach a successful city, separate from Miami. Fisher loaned $50,000 to Collins for his bridge. The bridge was finished in June 1913. The Collins Bridge was later replaced by the Venetian Causeway.

On March 26, 1915, Collins, Lummus, and Fisher joined forces. They officially created the Town of Miami Beach. In 1920, the County Causeway was finished. It was later renamed MacArthur Causeway in 1942. The Lummus brothers sold their oceanfront land to the city. This area, between 6th and 14th Streets, is still known as Lummus Park.

The Roaring Twenties in South Beach

In 1920, a land boom started in Miami Beach. South Beach's main streets were ready for cars. The population grew a lot in the 1920s. Several rich people, like Harvey Firestone and J.C. Penney, built homes there. President Warren G. Harding stayed at the Flamingo Hotel. This made more people interested in the area.

In the past, there were unfair rules that prevented some people from living or staying in certain neighborhoods.

Art Deco Style and World War II

In the 1930s, a new style of building came to South Beach. This included Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and Nautical Moderne architecture. South Beach has the world's largest collection of Streamline Moderne Art Deco buildings. Napier, New Zealand, is another city known for its Art Deco style.

By 1940, South Beach had 28,000 people. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Army Air Corps took over Miami Beach. That year, almost two million tourists visited South Beach.

Saving Historic Buildings

From the mid-1960s to the 1980s, South Beach became a retirement community. Many oceanfront hotels were filled with older people. Some unique Art Deco buildings were torn down before 1980. But Barbara Baer Capitman and other activists worked to save the area. They helped get almost one square mile of South Beach placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Miami Beach Architectural District was recognized in 1979.

Today, South Beach is a very popular and wealthy area. Many new buildings have been constructed. It is now a popular place for wealthy people to live. Condos in tall buildings sell for millions of dollars. Some people think there are too many tall buildings. However, even critics agree that the area is now safer and easier to walk around.

South Beach Today

South Beach is a major entertainment spot, day and night. It has many nightclubs, restaurants, boutiques, and hotels. Tourists from all over the world love to visit. Some even have permanent or second homes there.

People in South Beach come from many different places. This means many languages are spoken. In 2000, 55% of Miami Beach residents spoke Spanish as their first language. English was the first language for 33% of the people. Other languages like Portuguese, French, and German are also spoken.

South Beach also has colorful and unique lifeguard stands. After Hurricane Andrew, an architect named William Lane designed new lifeguard towers. These towers quickly became symbols of Miami Beach.

Exploring South Beach's Geography

South Beach has streets that run east and west, like Biscayne Street (now South Pointe Drive). Lincoln Road is a popular walking street between 16th and 17th streets. There are also 13 main roads that run north and south. These include Bay Road, West Avenue, Alton Road, and Ocean Drive. Most people agree that South Beach's northern border is Dade Boulevard.

Neighborhoods and Islands

• City Center
• Flamingo/Lummus
• SoFi- South of Fifth

South Beach Climate

South Beach has a tropical monsoon climate. This means it is warm all year with a wet season.

Parks and Green Spaces

• Collins Park - Collins Ave and 21st St
• Flamingo Park- In between Michigan Ave and Meridian Av from 11th St to Española Way
• Lummus Park - Ocean Drive from 5th St to 14th St
• Maurice Gibb Park - Purdy Ave and Dade Blvd
• Miami Beach Golf Club - Alton Road and W 23rd St
• South Pointe Park - Washington Ave and South Pointe Dr
• Washington Park - Washington Ave and 2nd St

Getting Around South Beach

South Beach is a great place to live without a car. Many residents walk, bike, or use public transport. Lincoln Road, Ocean Drive, Washington Avenue, and Collins Avenue are popular streets for walking, shopping, and eating. Lincoln Road is a street just for people walking.

Driving in South Beach can be hard because of traffic. So, walking or biking is often easier. Miami Beach has added more bike parking and bike lanes. This makes biking very popular for both locals and tourists. The Venetian Causeway is a popular bike route that connects South Beach to Downtown Miami.

Public transportation is also widely used. Many bus lines connect South Beach to Downtown Miami and the Metrorail. You can get to Miami International Airport quickly from South Beach using the Airport-Beach Express bus. This ride costs $2.35 and runs every 30 minutes.

The City of Miami Beach also has free trolley routes. These trolleys help you travel throughout South Beach and connect to other parts of Miami Beach. The South Beach Loop stays in South Beach. The Middle Beach Loop connects to Mid-Beach. The Collins Express connects to Mid-Beach and North Beach. All trolley lines run from 8 a.m. to midnight on Sundays and from 6 a.m. to midnight the rest of the week.

Learning in South Beach

Elementary Schools

Public Schools

Miami-Dade County Public Schools runs these public schools:

• South Pointe Elementary School
• Feinberg-Fisher Elementary School

Private Schools

• First Presbyterian International Christian School
• Gordon Day School (Jewish)
• Prima Casa Montessori School

High Schools

Miami-Dade County Public Schools runs these public schools:

• Miami Beach Senior High School (public)
• Rabbi Alexander Gross High School (private, Jewish)

Colleges and Universities

• The Florida International University School of Architecture has a campus at 420 Lincoln Road. It has classrooms for architecture, art, music, and theater graduate students.
• Lubavitch Educational Center (private, Jewish)
• Miami Ad School (private)

Cultural Spots and Events

Festivals and Events

• Art Basel Miami, an art exhibition in December
• Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival, in February
• Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami, in July
• Miami Fashion Week, in March
• Miami International Film Festival, in March
• Miami Marathon, in January
• Urban Beach Week, a hip-hop festival in May

Libraries

• Miami-Dade Public Library
  • Miami Beach Regional Library
  • South Shore Library
• Wolfsonian-FIU Library

Museums and Historic Sites

• ArtCenter/South Florida
• Bass Museum
• Miami Holocaust Memorial
• Jewish Museum of Florida
• Wolfsonian-FIU

Places of Worship

• Miami Beach Community Church
• Pentecostal Church of God
• Saint Frances De Sales Church
• Temple Beth Shmuel

Theatres and Performance Arts

• Colony Theater
• Lincoln Theatre
• Jackie Gleason Theater
• Miami City Ballet
• New World Center and New World Symphony Orchestra
• SoBe Institute of the Arts (SoBe Arts)

Shopping and Fun Areas

Lincoln Road Mall

Lincoln Road is an open-air walking mall. It is South Beach's best shopping area. Lincoln Road used to be run-down, but it became an arts and culture center in the 1980s. It has a unique and trendy style. It runs east-west between 16th and 17th Streets. Lincoln Road was open to cars until the 1950s. Now, most of it is just for pedestrians. There are many parking garages nearby to help with shopping.

Ocean Drive

Ocean Drive is the easternmost street in South Beach. It runs north-south from South Pointe Drive to 15th Street. Ocean Drive gives South Beach its famous look. It is a very popular place for tourists. It has many restaurants and was once home to Gianni Versace's mansion.

Collins Avenue

Collins Avenue runs next to Ocean Drive, one block west. It is also State Road A1A. Collins Avenue has many historic Art Deco hotels. It also has several nightclubs further north.

Española Way

Española Way runs from Collins Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue. It was created in 1925 by N.B.T. Roney. He wanted it to look like old Mediterranean villages in France and Spain. Today, it has restaurants, bars, art galleries, and shops.

Alton Road

Alton Road is the main north-south street on the west side. It is located 1-3 blocks from Biscayne Bay. This road has many local businesses like dry cleaners, furniture stores, and restaurants. North of South Beach, it becomes mostly residential.

Washington Avenue

Washington Avenue is one of the most famous streets in South Beach. It runs parallel to Ocean and Collins Avenues. Washington Avenue is known for having some of the world's biggest and most popular nightclubs. During the busy "season," the street is full of traffic until early in the morning. Washington Avenue also has many shops, hotels, and famous buildings like Temple Emanu-El.

West Avenue Corridor

The West Avenue Corridor stretches from 5th Street north to 17th Street. It is bordered by Alton Road and Biscayne Bay. This area started developing in the 1920s. Three large hotels were built on the shores of Biscayne Bay: The Flamingo, The Fleetwood, and the Floridian. Famous people like Al Capone stayed in these hotels. By the 1950s, the hotels were not as popular.

Today, this area has become a mixed neighborhood with homes and businesses. New building styles have been added over the years, making the neighborhood diverse. Residents and visitors can find shops, places of worship, cafes, restaurants, parks, and gyms.

The West Avenue Corridor is now a very desirable place to live in Miami Beach. It has single-family homes, old Art Deco buildings, and modern high-rise apartments. Almost 10,000 people live here. The neighborhood is quieter and easy to walk around. It is close to many places like Flamingo Park, Lincoln Road, the ocean, and restaurants.

The Shoppes at West Avenue, built about 12 years ago, has many businesses. It has a parking garage hidden by its design and shops on the ground floor.

This area is also close to other neighborhoods like South of Fifth and Sunset Harbor. The South Pointe Elementary School, which is highly rated, is in the South of Fifth community.

The West Avenue Corridor has truly become a tropical paradise, just as its first builders intended.

Images for kids

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  View towards east from 15th Street near Washington Avenue with the Loews, St. Morritz, and the Royal Palm Hotel in the background

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  Winter day on South Beach

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  Barbara Capitman Monument in Lummus Park

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  Ocean Drive on Super Bowl XLI weekend 2007

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  The southern part of the South Beach skyline as seen from Biscayne Bay

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  Marlin Hotel on SoBe

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  Lifeguard stand at Lummus Park

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  Jewish Museum of Florida on Washington Avenue and 3rd Street

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  Temple Emanu-El on Washington Avenue

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  Miami City Ballet building

See Also

In Spanish: South Beach para niños