Community Background Report

Golden Glades

County

Miami-Dade

Boundaries

North: N.E. 167th Street
South: N.E. 135th Street (Opa-locka Blvd)
West: N.E. 18th Avenue
East: N.W. 16th Avenue

Community Type

Neighborhood

History

Golden Glades is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County. The population was 32,623 during the 2000 census. As of 2003, Golden Glades was incorporated into the City of Miami Gardens. Golden Glades has long been identified as a neighborhood in Opa-locka, but the census defines its boundaries outside of the city limits. Golden Glades has evolved over the years, from a farming community in the late 1920s to a busy, middle-class, urban neighborhood. It was not until the 1960s that thousands of established farmers were uprooted by the construction of the Golden Glades Expressway. The neighborhood was not organized then, as roadbuilders and elected officials dealt mainly with frustrated farmers, “not whole blocs of angry voters and taxpayers and their thunderous orators” (Whited 1983). Other big U.S. cities have historically avoided problems by tunneling underground, at five times the cost, but “subways weren't feasible with South Florida's sandy soil and high groundwater” (Whited 1983). Golden Glades is mostly populated with Blacks and Hispanics. Community leaders associate this demographic concentration with a migration of Haitians seeking higher living standards. They report that many “Model City residents and Haitian immigrants left their deteriorating city neighborhoods for burgeoning suburbs and smaller municipalities in North Miami-Dade County” (Viglucci 2001). In 2010, Golden Glades’ 40.12% of the population reported Haitian ancestry,[7] the highest percentage of any community in the United States. At the same time, few new arrivals from Haiti are replacing those who leave Little Haiti, said Jean-Robert La fortune, a county social worker and chairman of the Haitian American Grassroots Coalition. Many of those established enough to sponsor the legal immigration of children or parents now live in communities such as Golden Glades. “It's like a step that has been broken,” said La fortune, who has been living in Golden Glades since 1989. “Little Haiti was a springboard for Haitians, but not many are using it this way today, they just move directly to Golden Glades and start from there” (Viglucci 2001).

Community Dynamics

Golden Glades has a population of 34,821, with a median age of 33.7 and a median household income of $38,808. Between 2015 and 2016, the population of Golden Glades grew from 33,806 to 34,821, a 3% increase, and its median household income grew from $38,090 to $38,808, a 1.89% increase. The median property value in Golden Glades is $155,000, and the homeownership rate is 50.4%.

The population of Golden Glades is 68.8% Black, 20% Hispanic, and 6.51% White. A non-English language is spoken by 68% of the population, and 79.2% are U.S. citizens. Golden Glades is first on the list of Top 101 cities with the most residents born in Haiti (population 500+).

Business Landscape

The economy of Golden Glades employs 14,523 people. The Golden Glades of today has much to offer to young people starting families. The neighborhood tries to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for its residents. All the necessities are available in Golden Glades, such as libraries (as of spring, 2006), parks, and clean public facilities

Transportation

Golden Glades is also the location for a major highway interchange of the same name “Golden Glades Interchange (GGI)”, which connects the Florida Turnpike, Interstate 95, US 441, State Road 9, and the Palmetto Expressway. The GGI is served by Tri-Rail at the Golden Glades Station. The park-and-ride facility serves as a feeder for buses from the surrounding area, operated by both Miami-Dade Transit and Broward County Transit.

The roadways of Golden Glades are strained, with currently over 400,000 vehicles per day (vpd) traveling via its arteries . The travel demand within the Golden Glades Interchange is projected to increase by approximately 50% to 600,000 vpd by the 2040 design year. During the past 20 years, many projects have attempted to improve the flow of traffic. In fact, in 1988, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) proposed a $410 million, 8 1/2-year reconstruction project that never took place.

Then in December 2018, FDOT D6, in partnership with Miami Dade County, began a $57 million, 3.5 year project named the “Golden Glades Multimodal Transportation Facility (GGMTF).” The intention of this project is to upgrade and enhance mobility at the existing Golden Glades Park and Ride Center. This will project will include 2,150 parking spaces, 4,500 square foot transit hub, 10,450 square foot retail space, new designated passenger waiting areas, direct access to Tri-Rail Station from new parking garage, bicycle parking and lockers, new multi-bay bus terminals and upgraded and new bicycle paths, sidewalks, walkways and platforms.