Homestead, Florida History and Historic Places: An Independent Guide

This is an independent guide to the history and historic places of Homestead, Florida and the surrounding part of South Miami-Dade. It covers how a railroad stop on the way to Key West became a city, the farms of the Redland, the air base, the two national parks on either side of town and the hurricane that reshaped everything in 1992. It also explains practical things: how to walk the historic downtown, how to research an old house or a family, and what historic designation means for property owners.

The site is an editorial guide. It does not run tours, sell tickets, rent spaces or represent any museum, park, club or business. It points to official sources so you can confirm details for yourself.

Why Homestead's history is worth knowing

Homestead is one of the oldest cities in Miami-Dade County, incorporated in 1913, and its story touches most of the big themes of South Florida history. The Florida East Coast Railway opened a station here in 1904. Homesteaders cleared rocky pineland to grow winter vegetables and tropical fruit. Royal Palm State Park, dedicated in 1916 west of town, later became the heart of Everglades National Park. An Army air field arrived in 1942 and grew into a Cold War base. And on August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew came ashore just northeast of the city as a Category 5 storm. Much of what you see in Homestead today is shaped by those events.

Start with the big picture

• Homestead history timeline puts the main events from 1904 to the 2020 census in order.
• Flagler's railroad and William Krome explains how the railroad created the town and who Krome Avenue is named for.
• Hurricane Andrew and Homestead covers what happened in 1992, how the city rebuilt and what changed in building rules.

Places to see

Many of the area's historic places can be visited in a single day, and several are free to view from the street.

• A self-guided walk through historic downtown follows Krome Avenue past the 1917 town hall and the Seminole Theatre.
• Coral Castle history and facts separates what is known about Edward Leedskalnin's stone garden from the legends.
• National Register sites in South Miami-Dade is a checklist of more than 20 listed buildings, districts and sites.

The land around the city

• The Redland's farming history tells how red soil pockets, rock plows and a frost-free climate built a farm economy of avocados, mangoes, vegetables and nurseries.
• Royal Palm State Park traces Florida's first state park from Paradise Key in 1916 to its place inside Everglades National Park.
• The history behind Homestead's two national parks covers the creation of Everglades and Biscayne national parks and the historic places they protect.
• Homestead Air Reserve Base history follows the base from a 1942 ferrying field through the Cuban Missile Crisis to the reserve era.

For owners, researchers and the curious

If you live in an older house, are thinking of buying one or want to trace a family's roots in South Dade, two guides go into the practical details.

• How to research a house or family in Homestead lists the public records, archives and step-by-step methods that work here.
• Historic preservation in Homestead explains local designation, the National Register, design review and incentives.

Learning to drive on Homestead's historic streets

Homestead's history is written into its roads. Krome Avenue could not be widened through the Historic Downtown District, listed on the National Register in 2007, so it stays a slower main street, and Campbell Drive became the truck bypass around downtown. North of Campbell Drive, Krome Avenue runs on past the Redland's groves and nurseries.

That mix makes a good classroom for new drivers. Teenagers can start lessons once they hold a Florida learner's license, and adults 18 or older who have never been licensed take the 4-hour TLSAE course and the knowledge exam first, with no 12-month learner period before the road test.

PalmWay, a driving school licensed by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, gives one-on-one driving lessons in Homestead, 60 minutes each, with pick-up and drop-off anywhere in the city, from Keys Gate to Homestead Senior High after classes. First lessons use the older residential streets west of Krome Avenue; Campbell Drive, US-1 and the southern end of Florida's Turnpike come later. The nearest road test office is in Florida City.

A suggested history day

Start in the morning on Krome Avenue with the town hall museum and the downtown walk. Drive north on U.S. 1 to Coral Castle. After lunch, head west through the Redland farm country to the main entrance of Everglades National Park and walk the Anhinga Trail at Royal Palm, about four miles inside the park. In winter, check whether the park is running tours of the Nike missile site. On another day, go east to Biscayne National Park's visitor center at Convoy Point.

A history day like this is easiest with a car, especially out on the Redland farm roads. For winter visitors from New York with a teenager still on a learner permit, the next step back home is the five hour course the state requires before a road test can be scheduled.

How the guides are written

Each page opens with a short answer, then gives the background, dates and practical details, followed by common questions. Facts come from official and well-established sources such as the National Park Service, the City of Homestead, Miami-Dade County, the State of Florida and the National Hurricane Center. When a detail could not be confirmed, it was left out. Hours, fees and rules change, so check with the museum, park or agency before you go.

If you find an error or have a suggestion, use the contact page. To learn what this site is and is not, read about this guide.