A diverse, dynamic city in the heart of South Florida
Cuban exiles smoking cigars and playing dominoes. The iconic street art of Wynwood. Tanned sunbathers cooled by Atlantic Ocean breezes. Life in Miami, Florida's second-largest and most metropolitan city, is many things at once: an entertainment mecca, a business hub, a vacation destination and a culturally rich, one-of-a-kind American city that provides the heartbeat of South Florida. With a population that is more than 70% Hispanic/Latino, the city is anchored by neighborhoods such as Little Havana and offers residents access to dedicated arts districts, a well-known financial center, award-winning restaurants, high-end nightlife and world-renowned beaches. “Miami has always been a colorful community with beautiful landscapes. It has all kinds of things to do and people to meet,” says Ginger Jochem, a real estate broker with Slesnick and Jochem and a resident of neighboring Coral Gables.
South Pointe residents can enjoy some surf in their backyard when the waves are good.
Many Coral Way residents enjoy playing a game of dominos at Domino Park.
Many residents of Downtown Miami enjoy walking their dogs under the city lights.
Kids play soccer while their parents shop in Midtown.
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An eclectic mix of neighborhoods and housing options
Home sales in Miami-Dade County spiked in the early months of 2024, but had leveled off by late summer. Prices have dropped a bit from 2023, but Miami’s median home price of $650,000 remains the highest in the county. With recent interest rate cuts and additional inventory coming online, experts predict more favorable conditions for homebuyers moving forward.
Miami is home to several popular neighborhoods offering a variety of residential styles. Buena Vista features historic single-family homes primarily from the 1920s. Along the shores of Biscayne Bay, Coconut Grove is populated by a variety of options ranging from traditional Florida ranch homes to sleek modern offerings. Edgewater , South Fifth and the Brickell financial district, dubbed “Wall Street South,” are known for luxury high-rise condos. And then there’s Fisher Island, an exclusive enclave just off the mainland that can only be reached by boat, helicopter or ferry.
Historically black neighborhoods such as Overtown and Liberty City have been the site of new developments in recent years, including the razing of the latter's Liberty Square housing project. However, revitalization efforts have come under scrutiny as developers sold many of the new units at market value to homebuyers from outside the neighborhood, displacing hundreds of families. Liberty City, in particular, is a desirable location for developers because it occupies higher ground about 5 miles inland and is relatively unaffected by flooding.
Based on historical data compiled by AccuWeather, a hurricane will pass within 50 miles of the Miami metropolitan area every six to eight years. But officials say the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 led to improvements that have made Miami a relatively safe place. “South Florida has the strongest building codes in the United States,” Jochem says. “Andrew was a big wake-up call.” As a result, Miami homebuyers face high insurance costs. The average annual cost for a policy with $300,000 in dwelling coverage is $3,572, which is 56% higher than the state average and 104% higher than the national average. Insurance companies are required by law to give discounts, called wind mitigation credits, to owners who have taken steps to protect their homes.
Many large estates can be found in Southwest Coconut Grove many featuring terracotta roofs.
Southwest Coconut Grove offers a community next to the sea just minutes from Downtown Miami.
You will find there is plenty to do in and around the Brickell City Centre.
The sun setting over Calle Ocho and nearby Brickell.
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Perez Art Museum, Art Basel are highlights of the many cultural attractions
Miami is one of the top art cities in the United States, rivaling New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Anchored by the Perez Art Museum in the heart of downtown, Miami is infused with the energy of its cultural offerings. The city’s ethnic diversity is on full display at Perez, an interactive museum that emphasizes works from Latin America, the Caribbean and the African diaspora. Visitors are treated to nearly 3,000 permanent pieces, rotating exhibits, workshops and educational classes. Just to the north are Wynwood and the Miami Design District . The former is one of the city’s most trendy destinations, its youthful vibe illustrated by colorful murals and Wynwood Walls, an outdoor museum of large-scale works by world-renowned street artists. The latter is often described as a feast for the senses, with iconic works such as Buckminster Fuller’s Fly Eye Dome standing out. Locals can learn more about pivotal moments in the careers of major artists and stroll through a public sculpture garden at the Institute of Contemporary Art. And in places like Little Havana and Little Haiti , art and culture blend seamlessly.
The Calle Ocho Music Festival, one of the country’s largest outdoor celebrations of Hispanic heritage, is a massive block party that attracts more than a million attendees every March. Little Havana also is home to the Cubaocho Museum & Performing Arts Center. Little Haiti’s burgeoning arts scene is centered around a collection of small independent galleries. Flamingo 's Art Deco Historic District on Miami Beach, the first 20th-century neighborhood to be recognized by the National Register of Historic Places, is known for its stunning, colorful architecture. The Wolfsonian-FIU museum, housed in an iconic Mediterranean Revival building in the heart of the district, offers a cultural smorgasbord of exhibits and events in partnership with Florida Atlantic University.
Every year 70,000 people attend Art Basel Miami, the city’s premier cultural event. The international contemporary art fair is one of only four in the world – the others are held in Paris, Hong Kong and Basel, Switzerland. “A group of citizens was interested in having Miami become the focus of the art world, so they went to Switzerland and convinced artists to come to South Florida,” Jochem says. Visitors come for the paintings, sculptures, photography and digital art created by more than 2,000 artists. Local officials credit the event with helping shift the city’s demographics. “That’s when you started seeing all the paintings on buildings, and they started tearing down the old houses in Midtown and building big condos that attracted a younger crowd,” Jochem says.
Enjoy the authentic music inside the Cubaocho Performing Arts Center after dark.
Many Downtown Miami residents enjoy a day out at the Perez Art Museum.
All kinds of shops and art installations can be found throughout the Design District.
Many Miami Beach Boardwalk residents enjoy taking in the sites at Collins Park.
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From South Beach bars to Michelin stars, the city hums with nightlife
Few cities buzz with as much excitement after dark as Miami, and the iconic coastal playground of South Beach is the center of nightlife. Comprising the southern half of Miami Beach, South Beach is home to an eclectic mix of dance clubs, cocktail lounges and bars – from dives to hotel rooftops. Highlights include Nikki Beach, an upscale waterfront venue dubbed the “sexiest place on Earth,” Basement Miami, a disco-tinged hot spot with a bowling alley and an ice-skating rink and Do Not Sit On The Furniture, a casual club just off the buzzy Lincoln Road corridor that specializes in DJs and house music. Alternative nightlife options include the craft breweries, late-night bars and contemporary bistros in Wynwood.
Not all nightlife is a party, and residents are lucky enough to live in a city with a world-class dining scene. L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, a contemporary French restaurant with a focus on culinary gastronomy, leads 14 restaurants awarded Michelin stars in 2024. And as with everything else in Miami, the ethnic flavor of the city’s offerings comes through.
Calle Ocho, the heart of Little Havana, is known for its authentic Cuban restaurants, takeout windows and bakeries. Well-known destinations include Versailles, which has trademarked its slogan, “The World’s Most Famous Cuban Restaurant.” Versailles is more than a restaurant for Miami’s Cubans. “If anything is going on in Cuba, the community gathers there,” Jochem says. “It’s the center of their universe.” The city’s featured shopping destinations include the high-end luxury shops of the Design District and the collection of boutique stores, both quaint and upscale at Bayside Marketplace and Bal Harbour, the city’s first indoor-outdoor luxury shopping center whose expansive renovation is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.
There are many outdoor dining options along Espanola Way in Flamingo.
Outdoor dining is a preference in the Design District.
Ocean Drive offers restaurants and nightlife in iconic Art Deco buildings in South Beach.
The beautiful restaurant of Versailles in Little Havana brings a little bit of Cuba to Miami.
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Boating, deep-sea fishing, beaches and tennis courts
If the art, culture, nightlife and dining were not enough, the city also offers an almost unlimited amount of recreational options. Biscayne Bay and the nearby open waters of the Atlantic Ocean are a haven for nautical adventures. Miami is home to some of the world’s best deep-sea fishing, and Miami Marine Stadium was the first such U.S. facility built for powerboat racing. Residents have access to more than 30 miles of shoreline, most of it dotted with oceanfront beaches that attract sunbathers, swimmers and joggers year-round.
While South Beach lights up at night, it also anchors a long stretch of popular destinations for beachgoers that includes North Beach, Surfside Beach and Sunny Isles Beach. Miami Beach is filled with additional recreational options. South Pointe Park, at the southern tip of the barrier island, offers walking trails, children’s playscapes, a 450-foot foot fishing pier and a promenade along with beach access. Like many of the city’s parks, it’s also a popular place to read a book under the shade of palm trees.
Nearby Lummus Park is a haven for fitness enthusiasts, attracted by amenities that include 18 sand volleyball courts and plenty of outdoor exercise equipment. The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is a family-oriented attraction across the street from Miami Beach Golf Club, which was established more than 100 years ago. Miami is home to more than 100 parks spanning more than 1,400 acres, including Domino Park, an iconic urban green space in Little Havana known worldwide as a spot for the Cuban community to bond while smoking cigars and playing dominoes. “Little Havana is becoming very trendy now because it’s adjacent to Brickell and close to the center of Downtown Miami ,” Jochem says. The city also is well-known for its tennis facilities and boasts more than 250 locations where the game can be played. “Oh my God, there’s so much to do,” Jochem says. “The only thing we can’t do is shovel snow.”
Southwest Coconut Grove is a boaters haven,
The South Pointe Pier can be found at the end of the boardwalk at South Pointe Park.
Crandon Tennis Center has hosted the Miami Open for years and is open to the public year round.
Lummus Park offers an outdoor gym called Muscle Beach to enjoy right by the ocean.
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Miami-Dade school district is rated A-minus
Miami-Dade County Public Schools serves more than 330,000 students. Niche recently increased its grade to an A-minus and lists it as the second-best place to teach in Florida. A-plus schools include New World School of the Arts, a magnet high school, and Jose Marti MAST Academy, a magnet school serving students in sixth through 12th grades.
Featured private schools include Ransom Everglades High, which also serves students in sixth through 12th grades, and Miami Country Day School, a K-12 institution. The Miami area has a reputation for producing top college and professional athletes. Foremost among those schools is St. Thomas Aquinas, a private Catholic school in nearby Fort Lauderdale that is a nationally renowned football powerhouse.
Higher education in the city is highlighted by the A-plus-rated University of Miami and A-rated Florida International University. U of M features the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which provides low-cost continuing education for residents 50 and over. “You can audit classes on art and finance,” Jochem says. “I even have a friend who took a class on how to operate the new iPhone. It engages older citizens and helps get them more involved in the community.” Notable private institutions include Barry University, a B-rated school that is one of the largest Catholic universities in the Southeast.
Metrorail, Metromover, Metrobus provide public transportation
Three public transit options offer quick and easy travel in and around the city: Metrorail, a 25-mile elevated rail system; Metromover, a free downtown-area connector service; and Metrobus. “The city started building condos without parking to encourage people not to drive cars,” Jochem says. The bus system offers more than 90 routes serving areas not covered by Metrorail and Metromover, including Miami Beach, Key Biscayne and Homestead. Residents enjoy proximity to Interstates 75 and 95 for convenient statewide travel. Miami International Airport, located about 8 miles west of downtown, offers service to 167 national and international destinations, including most countries in Latin America.
Crime
According to data from the FBI, Miami’s property and violent crime rates are on par with national and state figures. In January 2024, Police Chief Manny Morales reported that Miami is the safest it has ever been, with 2023's significant drop in violent crime continuing a downward trend from pre-pandemic highs. Homicides, in particular, notably decreased in 2023, and the department boasts a clearance rate of 97% for such crimes. Midway through 2024, gun-related offenses dropped almost 40% year-over-year.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
