Miami Shores, officially Miami Shores Village, is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The village is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,567, up from 10,493 in 2010.

History By the early 1900s, the area encompassing today's Miami Shores was occupied by a starch (coontie) mill, a tomato packing plant, a saw mill, a pineapple plantation and a grapefruit grove. These were the various enterprises in which the early pioneers were engaged, and with the coming of the railroad and its stop at the Biscayne station, they were able to live off the land. Two of the most successful growers were Major Hugh Gordon and T.V. Moore. T.V. Moore owned the land in what is today's commercial district, while the Gordon Tract bordered the bay. By 1922, Lee T. Cooper, who had amassed his wealth from a patent medicine by the name of Tanlac, purchased T.V. Moore's land holdings. Cooper planned to develop the area and named it "Bay View Estates". In 1924, the Shoreland Company purchased the Gordon Tract, Bay View Estates and other scattered acreage in order to create Miami Shores, "America's Mediterranean".

Hugh M. Anderson, president of the Shoreland Company, and its board of directors were experienced real estate developers. They had previously completed the successful development of the Venetian Islands in Miami Beach, and they decided that their new project would be similar – residences of Italian-inspired architecture within a landscape associated with water. The master development plan for Greater Miami Shores included 9,000 building sites, 5 miles of bay frontage, four miles of inland waterways and ten miles of main roadways. The plans also called for the construction of a causeway to Miami Beach, a golf course, a country club, a yacht club, a business district, apartment buildings, hotels, a school and churches, a railroad station and beautifying features such as parks, plazas and entryways.

A total of 118 upscale Mediterranean homes were built by the Shoreland Company. These homes have great historic value, and 25 have been designated on the National Register of Historic Places so far. The commercial building program was in progress, sidewalks and roadways were being laid out, and lighting and landscape work was well underway. Record-setting sales and resales of property were being recorded. Unfortunately, on September 18, 1926, all plans for the community came to a halt with the arrival of a devastating hurricane. This and other factors contributed to the Shoreland Company's bankruptcy in 1927.

In 1928, the New Miami Shores Corporation purchased the Shoreland Company's holdings. This corporation was controlled by Bessemer Properties, part of the interests of the Wolstenholme family of New York. Roy H. Hawkins, the general manager of Bessemer Properties, proceeded with the plans for the community. He is credited as being the "principal founder" of Miami Shores. In 1931, under his leadership, a request to grant a charter creating the Miami Shores Village was presented in the state legislature.

The present Miami Shores roughly corresponds with the original "Biscayne" neighborhood of the city of Miami. With the arrival of the Great Depression, Miami gave up its jurisdiction and the area incorporated under the name "Miami Shores Village" in 1932. Previously, part of the area that now comprises the city of North Miami had been known as Miami Shores. Under the leadership of Roy H. Hawkins, a request to grant a charter creating Miami Shores Village was presented in the state legislature. On January 2, 1932, the village became official at a council meeting. The charter named the following five members to the first council: Hugh H. Gordon, a banker whose father had owned the Gordon Tract; Frank O. Pruitt, who was in the insurance business; John M. Carlisle, president of the Eli Witt Cigar Company; W.F. Andes, a prominent dentist; and M.R. Harrison, a general contractor, who constructed much of Biscayne Boulevard. At this first meeting, Pruitt was elected mayor, and other appointments were made including Village Manager Miller Williams, Village Attorney George E. Holt, and a single policeman, Ed Badger.

In the decades that followed its incorporation, growth was steady. A variety of architectural styles were introduced, yet the community emerged as the type of development the Shoreland Company had envisioned. The community retains many of its original characteristics – well situated and served by major highways, having tree-lined streets and wide roads, a downtown area, well-maintained homes provided with efficient services. and a variety of community activities.

Miami Shores is primarily a bedroom community for those working in the Miami metropolitan area, and it also has a sizable retired population. The village is mostly single family residential homes, with very few multi-family units and only two small commercial areas along Northeast 2nd Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard.

While it is frequently referred to as Miami Shores or the Village of Miami Shores, the municipality's official name under its charter is Miami Shores Village.

Geography Miami Shores is located in northeastern Miami-Dade County and is bordered to the north by Biscayne Park, to the west by unincorporated Pinewood, to the southwest by El Portal, to the south by the city of Miami, to the east by Biscayne Bay and, across the bay, by the city of Miami Beach.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of . of it are land, and of it (34.19%) are water.

Demographics

2020 census +Miami Shores racial composition (Hispanics excluded from racial categories) (NH = Non-Hispanic)RaceNumberPercentageWhite (NH)4,24336.68%Black or African American (NH)2,07217.91%Native American or Alaska Native (NH)120.10%Asian (NH)2882.49%Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)50.04%Some other race (NH)660.57%Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)4213.64%Hispanic or Latino4,46038.56%Total11,567 As of the 2020 census, Miami Shores had a population of 11,567. The median age was 38.0 years. 18.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.1 males.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 3,656 households in Miami Shores, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.2% were married-couple households, 15.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 3,905 housing units, of which 6.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%.

The 2020 ACS 5-year estimates reported 2,328 families residing in the village.

2010 census Miami Shores Demographics2010 CensusMiami ShoresMiami-Dade CountyFloridaTotal population10,4932,496,43518,801,310Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010+1.1%+10.8%+17.6%Population density4,191.9/sq mi1,315.5/sq mi350.6/sq miWhite or Caucasian (including White Hispanic)49.1%73.8%75.0%(Non-Hispanic White or Caucasian)42.1%15.4%57.9%Black or African-American23.8%18.9%16.0%Hispanic or Latino (of any race)30.6%65.0%22.5%Asian2.6%1.5%2.4%Native American or Native Alaskan0.3%0.2%0.4%Some Other Race2.3%3.2%3.6% As of the 2010 United States census, there were 10,493 people, 3,477 households, and 2,164 families residing in the village.

Based on 2010 data, the ancestries of only the Hispanic and Latino population from highest to lowest were as follows: Cubans made up 33.41%, South Americans were at 25.97%, Puerto Ricans accounted for 11.48%, Central Americans totaled 10.70%, and Mexicans were 2.95% of the Hispanic/Latino population.

Between 2012 and 2016, 40.2% of village residents spoke a language other than English at home, 49.2% possessed a bachelor's degree or higher, and the median household income was $101,047. About 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line.

2000 census In 2000, 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.24. The village also has one of the highest percentages of homosexual couples in the United States.

In 2000, the village population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the village was $56,306, and the median income for a family was $64,963. Males had a median income of $42,373 versus $35,530 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,134. About 6.9% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over. Government

Form of government The village operates under a council-manager system. It has a city council of five members, who are elected at-large. The Village Charter provides that the two individuals receiving the highest number of votes are elected to four-year terms. The individual(s) receiving the next highest number of votes is elected to a two-year term. The position of mayor is selected by the council at its inaugural meeting. Historically, the individual receiving the highest number of votes is selected to serve as the mayor and holds this position for two years of the four-year term. At the conclusion of his or her term as mayor, the individual retains a seat on the council as a "regular" council member for the next two years. Elections are held every two years, with either two or three seats being open at each election in the ordinary course of events.

Each council member is a voting member of the council, with the mayor serving as the chair. The council is responsible for enacting most village laws, approving capital expenditures, and hiring the village manager. There are also a number of administrative boards, such as planning & zoning, code enforcement, and personnel appeals, that manage various aspects of the village government.

The village manager is the chief executive officer in charge of managing the day-to-day functions of the village. The village maintains its own police department, but fire services are supplied by the county, with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department Station No. 38 located in the village.

Regulation of vegetable gardens In 2013, two residents, a married couple named Hermine Ricketts and Tom Carroll, were cited by the village under a code provision that prohibited vegetable gardens in front yards. The majority of the couple's front yard was planted with various vegetables, and had been in place for 17 years. The garden, which regularly received compliments from neighbors, supplied about 80% of the couple's meals. And although the garden had existed for 17 years, the city could produce no record of a single complaint. Nonetheless, just weeks after amending its ordinances "for clarity," the Miami Shores Code Enforcement Board ordered the couple to destroy the garden or face recurring fines of $50 per day.