South Florida

South Florida encompasses a three-county area of the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The metropolitan area covers the counties of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. The three counties are the three most populous in Florida. The term "South Florida" is roughly synonymous with the Gold Coast. The Principal Cities include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. The Florida Keys are also included in the Metropolitan Area at times.
As of the 2000 census, the urbanized area had a land area of 1,116 square miles ( 2,890.7 square kilometers), with a population of 4,919,036, for a population density of 4,407.4 per square mile (1,701.7 per square kilometer).

Micropolitan Divisions 2007

Population
Miami--Miami Beach--Kendall 2,402,208
Fort Lauderdale--Pompano Beach--Deerfield Beach 1,787,636
West Palm Beach--Boca Raton--Boynton Beach 1,351,236
Ethnicity:
The racial makeup of population of South Florida [5,334,685] as of 2005:[21]
• White: 72% [3,840,973]
o White Non-Hispanic: 39% [2,080,527]
o White Hispanic: 33% [1,760,446]
• Black (many from the Caribbean [West Indian]) or African American: 21% [1,075,174]
• Native American: less than 0.5% [10,582]
Asian (many of Indo-Caribbean, Asian Latino and Chinese Caribbean origin): 2% [111,196]
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38% [2,013,725] of the population.

Many Canadians (mostly French Canadians), Brazilians, Israelis, Russians and Europeans (mainly from Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and France) also add to the diversity, though people from all over the world live in South Florida.
There is also a notable difference in the culture of South Florida and the rest of Florida, as it tends to be more of a multicultural mosaic and a salad bowl rather than a melting pot, whereas some parts of Central Florida, the Tampa Bay Area, and Southwest Florida, and the majority of the Florida Heartland, the Florida Panhandle, North Florida and elsewhere in Florida have more of a Southern culture.

Politically speaking, South Florida is heavily Democratic, especially Broward (which is the second most reliably Democrat and liberal county in Florida, [13][14] with the exception of the much less populous Gadsden County, where African Americans are a majority). Also, Palm Beach is largely Democrat as well, especially amongst the Jewish community,[15] while the rest of Florida tends to vote more Republican.

South Florida is served by three major airports:
• Miami International Airport (MIA)
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
• Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)

Sports


American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat.

Dolphin Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins and the Miami HurricanesThe Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball and the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League play at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association play at AmericanAirlines Arena in Downtown Miami. The Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League play at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.

Climate
South Florida has a tropical climate, the only major metropolitan area in the 48 contiguous states that falls under this category

The area owes its warm, humid climate to the Gulf Stream, which moderates climate year-round. A typical summer day does not see temperatures below 75 °F (24 °C). 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 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 60 °F (15 °C), very rarely dipping below 40 °F (4 °C), and the maximum averages around 75 °F (24 °C).
Hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30, although hurricanes can develop outside that time period.