South Beach
| South Beach | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood of Miami Beach | |
An aerial view of South Beach
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| Nickname(s): SoBe | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Miami-Dade County |
| City | Miami Beach |
| Subdistricts of South Beach | |
| Government | |
| • Miami Beach Mayor | Philip Levine |
| • Miami-Dade County Commissioner | Bruno Barreiro |
| • House of Representatives | Luis R. Garcia, Jr. (D) |
| • State Senate | Gwen Margolis (D) |
| • U.S. House | Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 39,186 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-05) |
| ZIP code | 33139 |
| Area code(s) | 305, 786 |
South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States, located due east of Miami city proper between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses all of the barrier islands of Miami Beach south of Indian Creek.
This area was the first section of Miami Beach to be developed, starting in the 1910s, due to the development efforts of Carl G. Fisher, the Lummus Brothers, and John S. Collins, the latter of whose construction of the Collins Bridge provided the first vital land link between mainland Miami and the beaches.
The area has gone through numerous artificial and natural changes over the years, including a booming regional economy, increased tourism, and the 1926 hurricane, which destroyed much of the area. As of 2010, 39,186 people lived in South Beach.
South Beach started as farmland. In 1870, Henry and Charles Lum purchased 165 acres (67 ha) for coconut farming. Charles Lum built the first house on the beach in 1886. In 1894, the Lum brothers left the island, leaving control of the plantation to John Collins, who came to South Beach two years later to survey the land. He used the land for farming purposes, discovering fresh water and extending his parcel from 14th Street to 67th in 1907.
In 1912, Miami businessmen the Lummus Brothers acquired 400 acres (160 ha) of Collins' land in an effort to build an oceanfront city of modest single family residences. In 1913 Collins started construction of a bridge from Miami to Miami Beach. Although some local residents invested in the bridge, Collins ran short of money before he could complete it.
Carl G. Fisher, a successful entrepreneur who made millions in 1909 after selling a business to Union Carbide, came to the beach in 1913. His vision was to establish South Beach as a successful city independent of Miami. This was the same year that the restaurant Joe's Stone Crab opened. Fisher loaned $50,000 to Collins for his bridge, which was completed in June, 1913. The Collins Bridge was later replaced by the Venetian Causeway.
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Wikipedia