Community Background Report

Town of Golden Beach

County

Miami-Dade

Boundaries

North: Countyline Road
South: N.E. 195th Street and Collins
West: Intracoastal Waterway
East: Atlantic Ocean

Community Type

Municipality

History

Golden Beach is nestled in northern Miami-Dade County, just south of Broward County. The municipality occupies 1.8 square miles of land in the northernmost portion of Miami-Dade County, along State Road A1A. Golden Beach is located within close proximity to other exclusive municipalities, such as Bal Harbor and Sunny Isles. Two brothers, R.W. and Henry G. Ralston, founded Golden Beach. The Ralston brothers and their associates in the “Golden Beach Corporation” spent millions of dollars in cleaning out the mangrove swamps, pumping and hauling in fill to build up the swamps, in forming the three islands and the peninsulas in between, in building bridges, laying pipelines, water mains and underground electrical conduits, and in the building of streets. The Town of Golden Beach was incorporated in 1929 as part of the 1920s real estate boom that took place in northern Miami-Dade. The Town faced a problem with its aging septic tank system; during high water periods, the water from the tanks would contaminate the Town’s surface water. In 1986, the Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Authority installed a new system to replace the previous sewage system. The municipality has a private beach and nine parks.

Community Dynamics

The Golden Beach crime rate is very low in comparison with other municipalities. In 2002, there were no reports of murders, robberies, or assaults. The Town provides its own security through its police department. To protect the community further, Golden Beach has proposed a 50-camera security system that would be installed throughout the Town, and there is a proposal to require non-residents who work in Golden Beach to wear identification badges. The municipality contains 370 single family homes located on the Intracoastal Waterway and on the Atlantic Ocean. The Town still follows the same strict building and zoning codes enacted at the time of incorporation. The current town charter prevents commercial activity of any kind and prohibits the construction of high-rise condominiums. In 2004, the Town dedicated its manatee viewing platform over the Intracoastal Waterway to Harold Kronstadt, an author and long-time Golden Beach resident. Golden Beach is known for its upscale image. The same qualities that once drew families such as the Firestones, DuPonts, and Roosevelts have attracted current celebrities, including Bill Gates, who maintain homes there. Eric Clapton's album “461 Ocean Boulevard” was named after the Golden Beach house at that address, a photo of which is featured on the album cover.

Golden Beach has a population of 709, with a median age of 45.4 and a median household income of $148,750. Between 2014 and 2015, the population of Golden Beach grew from 653 to 709, an 8.58% increase, and its median household income grew from $136,875 to $148,750, an 8.68% increase. The per capita income for the Town was $73,053.

The population of Golden Beach is 69.1% White, 28.8% Hispanic, and 1.55% Asian. In Golden Beach, 52.1% of the people speak a non-English language, and 89.3% are U.S. citizens.

As of 2010, there were 355 households, of which 19.2% were vacant. In 2000, 49.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.0% were non-families. Further, 13.8% of all households were made up of single individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.26 and the average family size was 3.55.

Business Landscape

The largest educational institution in Golden Beach is the Prestige Health & Beauty Sciences Academy, with 50 students. The median property value in Golden Beach is $1.66M, and the homeownership rate is 94.9%.

Transportation Characteristics

Most people in Golden Beach commute by driving alone, and the average commute time is 25.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Golden Beach is two cars per household.

According to National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics, there are three Intracoastal bridges, with a total average daily traffic of 690. The section of A1A that passes through the Town is known as one of the most notorious speed traps in the Miami area. The Town has an abnormally large police force for its size, most of which is dedicated to speed control along the main road.