Homestead in Miami-Dade Country, Florida in the U.S., is situated at the very southern tip of Florida State close to the Atlantic Ocean. It is located about 35 miles south west from Miami, forming the Homestead-Florida City Metropolitan Area. Kendall is 17 miles to the northwest and Key Largo is approximately 25 miles to the north east. It is a small city which has Biscayne National Park as its eastern border and Everglades National Park as its western border.
Those moving to Homestead will discover a tropical climate with rainy, hot and humid summers and mild, dry winters. The city is prone to hurricanes, even though it is not on the coast. The 1992 Hurricane Andrew was the most significant, as it caused vast damage to the city.
Economy:
Homestead's economy is based on agriculture, primarily for the citrus fruit industry, but many varieties of vegetables and fruit are also grown. Its proximity to the city of Miami has created a housing and building boom since 2002 because of the lack of suitable land available elsewhere for development in Miami-Dade County.
Tourism:
Homestead is located at the entrance to the Everglades National Park, famous for its sawgrass plains and huge mangrove forests where alligators, manatee, eagles and ibis can be easily seen.
Situated close to Biscayne Bay, tourists are able to enjoy the Florida Keys, the underwater Biscayne National Park and all that the ocean has to offer in the way of water sports and beautiful beaches.
Being so close to Miami, one of the world's greatest tourist areas, visitors to Homestead are easily able to commute and see everything on offer.
Homestead is proud of its tropical gardens and parks, including the Fruit and Spice Park. Other attractions in the city are its Coral Castle in Leisure City, which was built between 1923 and 1952 and has on show many items crafted from coral. There is also a racetrack for stock cars, a museum displaying items from the city's pioneering history, the Seminole Theater, the Monkey Jungle and wineries.
History:
The modern history of Homestead began in 1898 when settlers began coming to the area via the Homesteaders Trail, which was the only access to the area. In 1904 the railroad developer, Henry Flagler, made a decision to continue building his Florida East Coast Railway all the way from Miami to Key West in order for the region's farmers to be able to transport their produce to Miami and points even further north. By 1912 the Overseas Railway had also been completed and many of the labourers who had built the railway chose to remain in the vicinity of Homestead, which was incorporated in 1913.