Homestead Real Estate
Situated in between Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park, Homestead is a city in Miami- Dade County in Florida. It lies to the north of Florida City and along with the latter form the greater Homestead- Florida City area. The city's name has an interesting history and is derived from a path by the name of Homesteader's Trail, that was the only means to reach the place. Homestead is a small sized city with a comparatively large population of 54, 000 people.
Homestead has a humid subtropical climate and reminds one of the climates that is existent in Miami and the rest of the South Florida Metropolitan area. Summers are extremely humid and hot with high temperatures while winters are mild and even cool when compared to nearby coastal regions. History bears witness to the fact that hurricanes have harmed the place the most. Hurricane was the last major hurricane that hit the area and Homestead took more than five years to completely recuperate. The place also came in way of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma but they did not deal a major blow.
The population of Homestead constitutes predominantly whites followed by African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders and other races. The oldest city in Miami- Dade County has a well developed education system and lies within the Miami- Dade County Public Schools district. There are a number of elementary and middle schools and two famous charter schools in the form of Keys Gate Charter School and Waterstone Charter School. Homestead is also home to the famous Miami- Dade College.
The city of Homestead has many major attractions which are especially popular with tourists. Biscayne National Park, Everglades Alligator Farm, Fruit and Spice Park and Homestead Rodeo are some sites of interest. The Biscayne National Park is famous for its scuba diving and snorkeling options and is a must- visit site for tourists. A botanical garden spread over an area of 32 acres, the Fruit and Spice Park is one of the greatest attractions in Homestead containing over 500 varieties of fruit, nut and spice trees. Another renowned tourist attraction in Homestead is the Monkey Jungle that has stood since 1933 and contains 400 primates of 30 different species.
The economy of Homestead at one point of time was thriving since it was a major steel producer in the United States. During the 1980's this stature of Homestead declined rapidly as most of the steel companies relocated overseas. The situation further worsened after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 swept away much of the commercial center of the city. The real estate market in Homestead is again picking up and prices are increasingly becoming more competitive. More than 50% of the real estate in Homestead is owner occupied and about 40% are rented units. Though the average home price here is much lower compared to that of the rest of the US, it is slowly rising from the range of $225,000.
