Homestead, FL – Relocating Guide

Homestead, a quiet city on the southern side of Florida, USA. In case you’re planning on getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life, Homestead is the way to go. Located just 30 miles from Miami, you can move in and out of the city for any of your needs within the same day!

Homestead is also a very economically sound city to live in, with modern living costs. This is our guide for relocating to Homestead in Miami-Dade county. We’ll try and cover all the different aspects of the city that have the power to impact your life.

Homestead At a Glance

Officially known as Homestead City, it’s a suburb built in the fertile Redland district. Yes, as the name suggests, the land has a reddish hue to it all over. During and before the 18^th century, the area was occupied by Tequesta and then Calusa Indians. They left the area sometime in the 19^th century.

The naming of the city has a benign history to it. During the 1890s, the government commissioned homesteading in the area. It got its name from this very simple fact. Within a few years, the city became a hub for traders, mostly dealing with fruits and vegetables grown in the surrounding farmlands.

The city itself was incorporated in 1913, almost a decade after the railroad connected it to Miami. Interestingly, it was the construction of the railroad that opened this farmland up for homesteading.

Population and Geography

With only an area of 14.4 square miles, Homestead is the true definition of a small town. It’s only 3 feet elevated from the Atlantic Ocean. The great thing is that over 99% of the area is land so there is no trouble fitting all the homes you need.

According to the 2020 census by the United States Census Bureau, the city has around 81,000 people living in it. The range for zip codes starts from 33000 and goes all the way up to 33099, with area codes 305 and 786.

An interesting fact is that the majority of the population is either Hispanic or Latino. The next biggest slot is taken by Black and African American people. In the 3^rd position are the Whites.

As you can see, the area is not big at all. This is one of the reasons Homestead Is considered a very good place to lay low, in a good way. Whether you’re a creative individual or someone looking forward to retiring, this is the perfect place to recharge.

However, a very important aspect to consider when moving to a new location is the weather and climate. Being so close to the ocean and so low to the ground, this city in Southern Florida gets a tropical monsoon climate. Among the things to dislike about this city, humidity is at the top of the list.

The average temperature in recent years has been between 89 degrees to 99 degrees. It means you can expect somewhat consistent weather throughout the year. It’s hot and it’s humid. But some people prefer it that way.

Southern Florida is known for its history of hurricanes. The city has been rebuilt 3 times already since its incorporation. Thankfully, construction technology has come a long way in the last 100 years so Hurricanes are not that big of a threat anymore.

What’s Homestead’s Economy Like?

The economic status of a city not only tells the story of how money flows but also gives insight into the people living in it. From what we can tell, Homestead has a very stable economy with a median income of $55,000+. Among all the households, over 33% earn more than the national average across the US!

As for the expenditure of income, the shelter takes up the most. The average expenditure across various sectors looks like below:

Shelter – $9,594
Transportation – $8,280
Food & Beverages – $6,768
Health Care – $3,828
Utilities – $3,458

Among the residents of Homestead, only 45.49% are homeowners. It means the rest of 54.51% are renters. This is one of the reasons why the shelter cost is relatively on the higher side of the spectrum. If you’re planning to become a homeowner in the area, your average shelter cost will go down.

What about the tax rates, you ask? Well, there’s no way that you don’t know Florida is an income tax free state! As a part of Florida, you don’t have to pay any taxes on your income in Homestead too!

However, there is a 6% state sales tax and a 5.5% corporate income tax. As for the workforce distribution, 70% of the residents are engaged in white collar jobs. The remaining 29% are in blue collar jobs. If you’re wondering about the remaining 1%, they do a variety of jobs.

The potential areas of job in the city are:

There

Healthcare
Education
Sales
Office and Administrative Support
Executive, Managers, and Administrators
Food preparation and serving

As you can see, we’ve uncovered the secret behind Homestead’s steady economy. If you’re planning to move here for work, you have nothing to worry about. And if you’re moving from a high-income tax state like California, Hawaii, or Minnesota, Florida will sure feel like heaven to you.

Quality of Education in Homestead

Whether you already have children or have plans to have children in the future, their education is undoubtedly one of your priorities. It’s true whether you’re planning to relocate to Homestead or any other city in Florida.

Speaking of Homestead, it might be a small city but it’s packed with all kinds of educational institutions. You get 144 preschool options, 77 elementary schools, 44 middle schools, 30 high schools, 25 public district schools, and 19 public charter schools.

Of course, not all of them are inside the city. It’s not even possible to have this many buildings within the area of Homestead. The reason we’re considering all of these schools is that they’re all 30 minutes or less from Homestead.

The top 5 schools that you should look at once you move would be:

Air Base K-8 Center for International Education
Redondo Elementary School
Somerset Academy
Somerset Academy Charter Elementary School in South Homestead
Somerset Arts Academy

If your children have already grown out of high school, you might be looking into colleges for higher education. While some of these options are far away, they’re the best in business.

Florida International University
University of Miami
John Vianney College Seminary
Fortis College
Miami Dade College Homestead Campus

Things to Do in Homestead

Of course, the areas tourists always visit will be some of the first places for you to visit after you move to Homestead, Florida. The question is, what are the best options for newcomers?

In this section of our relocation to Homestead guide, we’re going to outline the things you can do in the city. Of course, some of them are lifetime experiences while others, you can repeat.

Homestead Miami Speedway

Racing has been ingrained in Florida’s history for a very long time. Among the available tracks, the Homestead Miami Speedway is undoubtedly one of the most iconic ones. The pinnacle of races that happen here is of course NASCAR and IndyCar. It’s also been the host of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series and the Championship Cup Series.

During the race season, the whole vibe of the city changes. People from all walks of life go to the speedway to watch the greatest racers fly through the wind. If you happen to move during the racing season, it’s one of the first places you should visit.

The Coral Castle Museum

Well, this is one of those touristy places that you go to at least once. Of course, you’re welcome to revisit any time you want to but we doubt that. This place is based on the personal collection of one man who collected local limestone.

Apparently, the residents and even experts are yet to figure out how the man moved these massive chunks of limestone. But it’s beyond the point. The important thing is that it’s a popular place among children. It’s one of those attractions that you won’t find in any other state in America.

The National Parks

In case you’ve been researching Miami-Dade County for moving, there’s no way you haven’t come across the 2 most iconic national parks. Of course, we’re referring to Everglades and Biscayne.

Everglades is the largest tropical forest that exists in North America. If a different variety of plants and animals are part of your fantasies, it doesn’t get any better than Everglades. It’s a given that you can’t cover the entire park in one visit so you’ll surely keep coming back. Sometimes with family. Sometimes with your new neighbors.

Then, we have Biscayne. It’s only a 20-minute drive from the city and you can get lost among all the coral reefs and over 10,000 years of human history.

Everglades Alligator Farm

If you’re in the Everglades area, you shouldn’t miss the chance to visit the bizarre alligator farm. Alligators and Florida have a long-standing history. The warm and humid weather along with the swamplands make it very fertile for the breed.

The Everglades Alligator Farm is located near Florida City, on SW 192^nd Avenue. Yes, you can enter by buying tickets. And every penny you pay is going to be worth it. The farm houses more than 1,000 gators, of all shapes and sizes. This could also be an amazing learning experience for yourself and your children.

The Beaches

How can we forget beaches when discussing a city in Miami-Dade? Sure, none of the beaches are within city limits but they’re not very far as well. The beaches you can visit right now include:

Homestead Bayfront Park
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Rowell’s Waterfront Park
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
Gilbert’s Resort

Art & Culture

Being one of the most prominent states in the country, Florida has a very nice dynamic to its overall culture. You already know about the variety in the population which has also impacted the overall vibrance of art and culture in Homestead.

Below are some of the hubs of culture in Homestead that you can visit on weekends or during the festive time of the year.

Life Pointe Church
City Church
Sacred Heart Church
St Paul Baptist Church
Iglesias Christiana El Deseado De Las Naciones
Sacred Heart Outreach Center

Top Places to Eat and Drink

If you’re anywhere near being a foodie, Homestead has some spectacular options for you. From local cuisine to continental to Asian to Mexican, whatever you desire, you can get in Homestead.

But you know our tradition. We’re not going to list generic places that you can eventually find on your own after moving. Rather, we’re listing the most exotic places to eat in the city.

The Redland Rance – Know for smoothies, juices, and food trucks
Knaus Berry Farm – Known for its exclusive availability from October to April
Sweet De-Lights Bakery – For baked goods lovers
Redlander Restaurant Winery and Brewery – If you crave delicious food with a side of top-quality drinks
Royal Palm Grill & Deli – Best for family hangouts

Highways and Transportation

Being mostly land, the transportation system in Homestead is very modern. Buses are the pinnacle of public transportation in the city. The surrounding bus stands are:

Busway & SW 324 St
Eastbound SW 4 St (West of Krome Ave)
Busway & NE 2 Dr
W Mowry Dr & SW 1 Av
N Krome Ave & NE 2 St (S/N)
Historic Museum

As for highways, the only one going through the city is SR 998, or State Road 998. It’s an east-west road that connects SR 997 with US Route 1. It’s locally known as Campbell Drive.

Political Status

Homestead, Florida follows a council-manager government system. A city council is in place to execute the legislative functions as well as to develop the overall vision of the city. Just like the counties, Homestead city has a mayor too.

But in this kind of government system, a mayor is more of a ceremonial role than a functional one. A city manager is the main executive role where he/she oversees all the day-to-day operations.

The current mayor of Homestead is Steven D. Losner and the city manager is Cate McCaffery. As it’s a relatively smaller city we’re talking about, the operations are pretty seamless and drama-free.