Miami-Dade County is a county located in the U.S. State of Florida. As of 2000, the population is 2,253,362. Its county seat is Miami, located in the northeastern part.
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2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Cities, towns, villages, and unincorporated communities 5 External links |
History
Dade County was created in 1836. It was named for Major Francis L. Dade, a soldier killed in 1835 in the Second Seminole War, at what has since been named the Dade Battlefield. The name was changed to Miami-Dade County in 1997, after being approved by the voters of the consolidated city-county in a referendum.
The most disastrous event to have occured in the county was Hurricane Andrew in 1992. It struck the central part of the county from due east, south of Miami and very near Homestead, Kendall, and Cutler Ridge. Damages were in the billions of dollars in the county alone, and recovery has taken years in these areas where the destruction was greatest.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,297 km2 (2,431 mi2). 5,040 km2 (1,946 mi2) of it is land and 1,257 km2 (485 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 19.96% water, most of which is Biscayne Bay.
The bay is divided from the Atlantic Ocean by Key Biscayne (actually a peninsula), where well-known Miami Beach is located, along with the South Beach district. Geologically, it is part of the Florida Keys, which are accessible only through Miami-Dade County, but which are otherwise part of neighboring Monroe County.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 2,253,362 people, 776,774 households, and 548,402 families residing in the county. The population density is 447/km2 (1,158/mi2). There are 852,278 housing units at an average density of 169/km2 (438/mi2). The racial makeup of the county is 69.70% White, 20.29% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.58% from other races, and 3.79% from two or more races. 57.32% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 776,774 households out of which 33.80% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.70% are married couples living together, 17.20% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% are non-families. 23.30% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.84 and the average family size is 3.35.
In the county the population is spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $35,966, and the median income for a family is $40,260. Males have a median income of $30,120 versus $24,686 for females. The per capita income for the county is $18,497. 18.00% of the population and 14.50% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 22.90% are under the age of 18 and 18.90% are 65 or older.
Cities, towns, villages, and unincorporated communities
External links