Town of Bay Harbor Islands
County
Miami-Dade
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Boundaries
See interactive map
Community Type
Municipality
History
Bay Harbor Islands was the creation of Belarusian-American banker/lawyer Shepard Broad. In 1945, he acquired two undeveloped mangrove islands trading in his stake in downtown’s Biscayne Building. Broad filled the islands and watched Bay Harbor develop. The Town was incorporated in April 18, 1947 and Broad was elected mayor without any votes. The residents reelected him the following years until 1973.
Also in 1947, the Legislature authorized Broad to build a causeway. Sometimes dubbed “Shepard’s Folly” it finally opened in 1951 as Broad Causeway. The $2.5m bridge connects the islands to the mainland and the Beaches. The Town has maintained Mr. Broad’s zoning concept: The 103-acre west island is solely for single-family unit development, while the 150-acre east island is open for multifamily dwellings and a small business district. The east island also features one of the largest concentrated collections of mid-century Miami Modern architecture of the 1940s and 1950s, including historic buildings designed by Morris Lapidus, Henry Hohauser, and Charles McKirahan. These historic places are endangered due to pressure from development.
Community Dynamics
Today, the community’s population is 5,628. The population growth is very slow; the total number of persons was 4,619 in 1970. However, the population’s composition has become very diverse. Due to this diversity, the citizens of Bay Harbor Islands interact more frequently with other cultures than members of the other Gold Coast communities. Besides the usual high percentage of Hispanics (46%), non-Hispanic Whites comprise 49% of the population, with Blacks making up 2.5%. Spanish, Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, Hebrew, and Hungarian are among the most common non-English languages spoken at home. This mix of languages is a reflection of a large European community. The median household income of Bay Harbor Islands is $59,444 and the median housing value is $258,000, .
Residents can enjoy five municipal parks and three tennis courts. Bay Harbor Islands prides itself on providing services usually available in larger municipalities, while maintaining the small town touch and concern for each resident.
Transportation Characteristics
Bay Harbor Islands, situated between North Miami and Bal Harbour and Surfside, has only one arterial, the four-lane Broad Causeway, or N.W. 96st Street. The rest is a network of two-lane streets accessible through four intersections and two one-way roads. The town operates seven municipal parking lots.
