North: 195^th Street

South: Bay View Drive

East: Atlantic Ocean

West: North Bay Road

            While the City of Sunny Isles Beach was not incorporated until 1997, its history stretches back to 1920, when the land that became the City of Sunny Isles was first bought for development.  Development of what would become Sunny Isles was given a much needed boost when the Haulover bridge was completed in 1925.

            During the 1950s Sunny Isles went through it first high point, as residents and tourists flocked to the area.  During the 1950s and 1960s over thirty motels were built in Sunny Isles, along the beach, and became popular destinations.  Groups, such as the Beatles, frequented the themed motels along Collins Avenue, but during the 1970s tourism gradually slowed down.

            It was not until the 1990s that activity really began to pick up again, with the construction of Ocean Towers.  Since then Sunny Isles has seen many large luxury developments spring up on its shores.

            Sunny Isles Beach is one of the oldest communities in the county, with a median age of 50.4 years, almost fifteen years above the county average.  The percent of the population five and under is very low, while the bulk of the population is between eighteen and sixty-four, with a very large population over the age of sixty-five.  The percentage of residents sixty-five and over is over twice the county average, suggesting a large retiree community present in the city.  Over half of Sunny Isles’ population is foreign born, and the city plays host to a large Eastern European community, with 15.4 percent of the population coming from either Russia or Poland.

            The median household income is below the county average of $35,966, while the median family income is higher, and the city’s per-capita income is considerably higher then the county average of $18,497.  The city’s poverty levels are below the county average, and the median home value is double the county average.  Sunny Isles also has a comparatively higher percentage of its population with high school and college degrees then the county.

            Over the last decade and a half Sunny Isles has seen increased condominium development, starting with the Oceania Towers project, today it attracts developers such as Donald Trump to its beaches.  Condominium and resort development has continued to help fuel Sunny Isles’ economy, with much of the city’s population employed in either the retail or hotel and restaurant industries.  Today Sunny Isles’ beaches still attract residents and tourist from around the world.

            The closest large city to Sunny Isles Beach, is the City of Miami Beach.  Sunny Isles compares favorably with a slightly higher median income, and a higher median family income.  The median household size for Sunny Isles is 1.87 persons, and the median family size is 2.55 persons, this is almost identical to the city of Miami Beach which has median household and a median family size of 1.87 and 2.76 persons respectively.

            As of 2005 the City of Sunny Isles Beach has either completed or is working on several transportation, waste disposal and storm water projects.  By 2005, a storm water runoff and road repaving project was completed in the city’s central district.  Starting in 2005, city plans to build a pedestrian bridge, conduct seawall repairs on 183^rd street and Atlantic Isles, and conduct a traffic calming roadway redesign on 163^rd street.  The City of Sunny Isles beach also maintains a shuttle bus service for its residents and visitors.

http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en (2000) United States Census Bureau

Wikipedia. 2005. 13 April 2005. www.wikipedia.org.

City-Data.com. 2005. 14 June 2005. http://www.city-data.com/city/Sunny-Isles-Beach-Florida.html.

City of Sunny Isles Beach. 2005. 13 June 2005. http://www.sibfl.net/ .