Aventura is a planned, suburban city in northeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, 17 miles north of the city of

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

and part of the

Miami metropolitan area The Miami metropolitan area (also known as Greater Miami, the Tri-County Area, South Florida, or the Gold Coast) is the ninth largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the List of largest cities, 34th largest metropolitan ar ...

. The city is especially well-known for

Aventura Mall Aventura Mall is a shopping mall located in Aventura, Florida. It is the 5th largest mall in the United States by total square feet of retail space and the largest mall in Florida. The anchor stores are Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, 2 Macy's stor ...

, the 5th largest mall in the United States by total square feet of retail space and the largest mall in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. The city name is from the Spanish word for "adventure", and was named "Aventura" after the developers of the original group of

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

s in the area,

Eddie Lewis Edward Lewis may refer to: Politicians *Edward Lewis (Devizes MP) (1650–1674), British MP for Devizes, 1669–1674 * Edward Lewis (Radnor MP), British MP for Radnor, 1761–1768, 1769–1774 and 1775–1790 *Edward Parke Custis Lewis (1837–189 ...

and Don Soffer, remarked "What an adventure this is going to be." According to the U.S. Census estimates of 2010, the city had a population of 35,762.Aventura city, Florida
,

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

. Accessed July 31, 2007.

History

Being initially referred to as Turnberry, Aventura began to be developed during the early 1970s and became an incorporated city in 1995. The Aventura Police Department was formed in 1997. Aventura is home to the luxury resort Turnberry Isle, where the yacht '' Monkey Business'' was docked during the Gary Hart/Donna Rice incident, which contributed to Hart's ending his 1988 bid for the presidency. Aventura is also home to the

, the third-largest shopping mall in the US. Built-in 1983, it is a joint venture of Turnberry Associates and Simon Property, and brings a major source of income to the city. In early 2001, Former US President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

delivered one of his first speeches after leaving the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

at Aventura-Turnberry Jewish Center.

Media

''Aventura News'' is Aventura's own newspaper, which is published weekly and is part of the Miami Community Newspapers, ''The Voice of the Community.'' Aventura is served by the Miami–Ft. Lauderdale market for local radio and television. The city has a magazine named '' Aventura Magazine'' and is served by ''

The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.El Nuevo Herald ''El Nuevo Herald'' is a newspaper published daily in Spanish in Southeast Florida, United States. Its headquarters is in Doral. ''El Nuevo Heralds sister paper is the '' Miami Herald'', also produced by the McClatchy Company. About ''el Nuev ...

''. In 2022, Aventura became the first city in Florida to offer the opportunity for the public to text its city government. The city monitors the text messages and responds to questions and concerns.

Geography and climate

Geography

Aventura is located at . According to the

, the city has an area of . Of that, is land and of it (23.08%) is water.

Surrounding areas

Hallandale Beach Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the ...

Ojus Ojus is a census-designated place and formerly incorporated town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,642 at the 2000 census. Ojus is bordered by Aventura to the east, I-95 to the west, North Miami Beach to the so ...

Golden Beach,

Sunny Isles Beach Sunny Isles Beach (SIB, officially the City of Sunny Isles Beach) is a city located on a barrier island in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on ...

North Miami Beach North Miami Beach (commonly referred to as NMB) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named "Fulford-by-the-Sea" in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, ...

Climate

Aventura has a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Am'') with hot and humid summers and short, warm winters, with a marked drier season in the winter. The city sees most of its rain in the summer (wet season) and is mainly dry in winter (dry season). The wet season, which is hot and humid, lasts from May to September, when it gives way to the dry season, which features mild temperatures with some invasions of colder air, which is when the little winter rainfall occurs-with the passing of a front. The hurricane season largely coincides with the wet season. In addition to its sea-level elevation, coastal location and position just north of the

Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towa ...

, the area owes its warm, humid climate to the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the Unit ...

, which moderates climate year-round. A typical summer day does not see temperatures below . Temperatures in the high 80s to low 90s (30–35 °C) accompanied by high humidity are often relieved by afternoon thunderstorms or a

sea breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass; it develops due to differences in air pressure created by the differing heat capacities of water and dry land. As such, sea breezes a ...

that develops off the Atlantic Ocean, which then allow lower temperatures, although conditions still remain very muggy. During winter, humidity is significantly lower, allowing for cooler weather to develop. Average minimum temperatures during that time are around , rarely dipping below , and the equivalent maxima usually around . Hurricane season begins June 1 and is officially over November 30. Aventura was severely hit by

Hurricane Wilma Hurricane Wilma was an extremely intense and destructive Atlantic hurricane which was the most intense storm of its kind and the second-most intense tropical cyclone recorded in the Western Hemisphere, after Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Part o ...

on October 24, 2005 and was still undergoing recovery as of November 2011. The library was destroyed and has been rebuilt. Terraces flew off of high-rises and condos on high floors were flooded with many of their walls exploding into next-door apartments and adjacent hallways. Countless high-rise windows exploded and electricity stopped.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 40,242 people, 18,035 households, and 9,370 families residing in the city.

2010 census

In 2010, there were 26,120 households, out of which 31.5% were vacant. As of 2000, 11.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.2% were non-families. 45.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.79 and the average family size was 2.45.

2000 census

In 2000, the city population was spread out, with 10.1% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 35.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.9 males. As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $44,526, and the median income for a family was $59,507. Males had a median income of $50,791 versus $37,682 for females. The per capita income for the city was $41,092. About 5.6% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Language and culture

As of 2000, speakers of English as their

first language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother to ...

accounted for 59.92% of the population, while Spanish accounted for 22.63% of residents. It has a Jewish population;

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

speakers were respectively 3.66% and 2.78% of the population. Other languages spoken include Portuguese 2.65%, French 2.40%, Russian 1.75%, and German at 1.46% of city residents. As of 2000, Aventura had the seventeenth-highest percentage of Brazilian residents in the US, with 1.9% of the US populace. the thirtieth-highest percentage of Colombian residents in the US, at 4.25% of the city's population, and the ninety-second-highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, at 2.89% of the city's population. It also had the twelfth-most Israelis in the US, at 2.4%, while it had the thirteenth-highest percentage of Romanians (tied with Hartford, Ohio and Bern, Pennsylvania,) at 1.8% of all residents. Aventura's Russian community had the twenty-fifth-highest percentage of residents, which was at 12.4%, while it was the thirteenth-highest Venezuelan community in the US, which made up 1.31% of the population.

Transportation

Aventura’s partnership with Freebee offers free, on-demand, electric ride-sharing for anyone who wants to get around the city. The service runs from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM everyday except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. The Aventura Express shuttle bus is a city-run public bus service, free to anyone in Aventura. The service runs three routes (North, Central, and South). Miami-Dade Transit's Metrobus and Broward County Transit bus systems also run through the city. Metrobus provide connections to Metrorail and

Metromover Metromover is a free mass transit automated people mover train system operated by Miami-Dade Transit in Miami, Florida, United States. Metromover serves the Downtown Miami, Brickell, Park West and Arts & Entertainment District neighborho ...

at Government Center via Biscayne Boulevard/US 1. Over the last 30 years, travel infrastructure in Aventura has been heavily funded and influenced by developers of the many highrise condominium projects near the beach. Efforts to mitigate traffic impacts associated with increased travel demand to and from these projects led to the majority of principal road, bridge and structure designed primarily to accommodate

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...

travel. This, coupled with single-use zoning and a general lack of connectivity for pedestrians, cyclists and similar modes has contributed to heavy traffic congestion on and near Biscayne Boulevard (US 1), despite this highway having up to ten travel lanes at points. Moreover, costly road improvements have not effectively mitigated traffic increases. A grade separation at the intersection of Ives Dairy Road and Biscayne Boulevard was constructed to facilitate westbound travel leading to Interstate 95 and free flowing eastbound right turns, but traffic signal phasing of the remaining approaches was unchanged, and the intersection continued to experience regular long queues. The main north-south road in the city is

Biscayne Boulevard U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) in Florida runs along the state's east coast from Key West to its crossing of the St. Marys River into Georgia north of Boulogne and south of Folkston. US 1 was designated through Florida when the U.S. Number ...

( US 1) and the main east-west route is the William H. Lehman Causeway. Although no interstates run through the city, I-95 is just five minutes away. Brightline is an

inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains. There is no precise definition of inter-city rail; its meaning may vary from country ...

service operating on the

Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a p ...

line between

and

West Palm Beach West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

, running parallel to Biscayne Boulevard. The Aventura station, located adjacent to the

, provides service along the route. Tri-Rail commuter rail service has also been proposed to run on the FEC line. Another proposal would extend the Miami Metrorail along the US 1 corridor from downtown Miami to the Broward County line, which would pass through Aventura and

Area attractions

The most famous shopping attraction is

, a indoor shopping center. The outdoor malls are "Aventura Town Center", "Aventura Shopping Center", "Aventura Commons", "The Promenade Shops", and "The Shoppes at the Waterways". The city also has its own exclusive parks and recreation department which operate Founders Park, Founders Park Bayside, Waterways Park, Waterways Dog Park, Veterans Park, The Community Recreation Center, and the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center (AACC). At the geographical center of Aventura is The Turnberry Golf Course, encircled by Aventura's Country Club Drive. The Turnberry Golf Course is a three-mile walking/jogging paved promenade which overlooks a multi million-dollar horticultural exhibit, lakes, opulent residential high rises, yachts and the Atlantic Ocean.

Education

Aventura is served by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) system. Aventura Waterways K–8 Center serves as the public K–8 school of MDCPS which serves Aventura. The school is outside of the city limits but all children that live in Aventura are in the boundary for that school. Dr. Michael Krop High School in Ives Estates is currently the sole MDCPS high school serving North Miami-Dade County residents, including those of Aventura. Krop is considered to be a

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

because it has a "Students Training in the Arts Repertory (STAR)" program, and has a total student body population of 2,833. There are also

charter schools A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

established with sponsorship from the municipal government, Aventura City of Excellence School (ACES), a K–8 school. It was for years the only public school within the City of Aventura. It is operated by a private charter school company called

Charter Schools USA Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) is a for-profit '' education management organization'' in the United States. It operates eighty-seven schools in seven states including sixty one charter schools in Florida. In 2019, Charter Schools USA managed charter ...

. Built and opened in 2003, ACES was ranked in the top 10 of all schools in Florida in 2006. Construction on the Don Soffer Aventura High School, the other charter school, began in 2018. Opened in August 2019, the Charter School initially accepted ninth grade students in its first year and added grades 10 through 12 in subsequent years. The Northeast Branch of the

Miami-Dade Public Library System The Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) is a system of libraries in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Governance The Miami-Dade Public Library System is a county department within Miami-Dade county government. The Board of County Commissione ...

serves Aventura as a means of accessing information for all education alike. Regional universities and higher education institutions include: * Florida International University: Biscayne Bay Campus (North Miami)

Notable people

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...

, American actress best known for the television series I Love LucyFrenkiel, Nora (February 21, 1982) "Turnberry Isle - an expensive form". ''The Miami Herald''. p. 14SL. * James Caan, American actor *

Jimmy Connors James Scott Connors (born September 2, 1952) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He held the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977 and a career total of 268 ...

, American tennis player *

Caroline, Princess of Hanover Princess Caroline of Monaco (Caroline Louise Marguerite; born 23 January 1957) is, by her marriage to Prince Ernst August, the Princess of Hanover. As the eldest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Grace Kelly, she is the elder sist ...

, Hereditary Princess of Monaco * Billy Cunningham, American basketball player and coach *

Morton Downey Jr. Sean Morton Downey Jr. (December 9, 1932 – March 12, 2001) was an American television talk show host and actor who pioneered the " trash TV" format in the late-1980s on his program '' The Morton Downey Jr. Show''. Early life Downey's parents ...

, American singer, songwriter and television talk show host of

The Morton Downey Jr. Show ''The Morton Downey Jr. Show'' is a syndicated American talk show presented by Morton Downey Jr. that ran from 1987 to 1989. The show and its host pioneered the concept of " trash TV" format. Starting as a local program on New York-New Jersey sup ...

* Vitas Gerulaitis, Lithuanian-American professional tennis player *

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

, American singer and actress * Jimmy Johnson, Dallas Cowboys two-time Super Bowl Champion; Cowboys and later Miami Dolphins Coach * Sid Luckman, NFL Hall of Fame football playerDing, Kevin (July 6, 1998) "Hall of Fame QB dies after heart attack". ''The Miami Herald''. p. 2D. *

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beh ...

, American tennis player * Howard Metzenbaum,

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

representing

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

in 1974, and then again from 1977 to 1995 *

Carlo Ponti Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. (11 December 1912 – 9 January 2007) was an Italian film producer with more than 140 productions to his credit. Along with Dino De Laurentiis, he is credited with reinvigorating and popularizing Italian cine ...

, Italian film producer * Carlo Ponti Jr. Italian orchestral conductor, son of Carlo Ponti *

Edoardo Ponti Edoardo Ponti (born 6 January 1973) is an Italian director. He is the younger son of actress Sophia Loren and producer Carlo Ponti Sr. and the brother of conductor Carlo Ponti Jr. Early life Ponti was born on 6 January 1973 in Geneva, Swit ...

Italian director, son of Carlo Ponti * Sid Raymond, actor and comedian * Dennis Rodman, Basketball Hall of Fame, five-time NBA World Champion, and Two-time NBA All-Star * Jeffrey Rosen, billionaire businessman *

Donald Soffer Donald Soffer (born September 20, 1932) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is a real estate developer who developed Florida swampland into what was to become the city of Aventura, Florida. Early life and education Soffe ...

, Real Estate DeveloperLubove, Seth (October 8, 1984) "Office-space gap above North Miami being filled". ''The Miami Herald''. p. 5. * Fred Stolle, Australian tennis player. Two-time major winner * Sandon Stolle, Australian tennis player *

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice. ...

, American pop singer * Alain Vigneault, Head Coach NHL Philadelphia FlyersIsaac, Dave (April 20, 2019) ''Fletcher found a coach, new what?''. p. B1.

References

External links

City of Aventura
{{authority control Cities in Miami-Dade County, Florida Populated places on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida Cities in Florida Former census-designated places in Florida 1995 establishments in Florida Cities in Miami metropolitan area Populated places established in 1995