A Miami-Dade County village located on the island of Key Biscayne, Key Biscayne is to Miami’s east and Miami Beach’s south, and connected to the former by the four-mile Rickenbacker Causeway, whose construction in 1947 went hand-in-hand with the large-scale development of an island that, beforehand, had been the continental United States’ most expansive coconut plantation. When the village first opened to residents, the local church was actually set up in an old shed originally used for coconut-husking.
Another part of the island, Cape Florida, was owned by James Deering, and then Charles Deering, before being purchased by Jose Manuel José Manuel Áleman, an exiled Cuban Politician. After his death in 1951, his widow bought more land, expanding the property, and later sold it to the state of Florida, which later turned it into the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in 1967.
Key Biscayne is famous for having been the location of a vacation home of President Richard Nixon’s, which people called the “Florida White House,” because Nixon visited his home there over 50 times while in office. Today, it is known as a great place for beach walking, boating, fishing, helicopter tours, jet-ski rentals, kayaking, kite boarding, parasailing, wind surfing, and scuba diving through some of the many old wrecks in the waters by the island.
Some of the most famous landmarks in the area are The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, The Grand Bay, The Ocean Club, The Key Colony complex (made up of Botanica, Oceansound, Tidemark, and EmeraldBay), and The Towers of Key Biscayne.
Other attractions include Crandon Park Beach, Eco-Adventure Tours, the Ritz-Carlton Spa, Divers’ Paradise, Fowey Rocks Lighthouse, and the Miami Seaquarium.
Key Biscayne’s most popular annual events are the Key Biscayne Regatta, the Sony Ericson Open Tennis Tournament, hosted by the Tennis Center at Crandon Park, and the Key Biscayne Art Festival.
People looking to dine in the area have the option of such restaurants as Costa Med Restaurant, Linda B Steakhouse, Tango Grill, La Carreta Restaurant, El Gran Inca, Takito Restaurant, Archie’s Gourmet Pizza, Soon Gelato Café, Bertolini’s, Sushi Siam, Sir Pizza of Key Biscayne, La Bourlangerie, China Gardens, and Two Dragons. Local nightlife includes bars such as Yage Bay Club and Bayside Hut.
Biscayne Bay is served by such hotels and resorts as the aforementioned Ritz-Carlton, the Sonesta Beach Resort, Silver Sands Beach Resort, and Key Biscayne Resort Villas.
Key Biscayne students attend Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Other schools in the area include Key Biscayne Community School, Key Biscayne International Christian School, MAST Academy, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and St. Christopher’s Montessori School.
For more information:
http://www.key-biscayne.com
http://www.keybiscayne.fl.gov
Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324.] Key Biscayne is located on the island of Key Biscayne and lies south of Miami Beach and east of Miami. The Village is connected to Miami via the Rickenbacker Causeway, originally built in 1947.
