North Miami Beach (commonly referred to as NMB) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Originally named Fulford-by-the-Sea in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, the city was renamed North Miami Beach in 1931. The population is at 46,000. The hurricane of 1926 essentially ended the South Florida real estate boom, and in an effort to alleviate their losses and the damage to the city, local residents came together as the Town of Fulford. In 1927, the city was incorporated as the City of Fulford. Although the North Miami Beach boundaries once stretched to the Atlantic Ocean, this city on the Intracoastal Waterway no longer has any beaches within its city limits, although they are a short distance away across the inlet. North Miami Beach has a large middle classHaitian-American and Jewish-American community who were born in the U.S. or abroad.
Despite making up only 3.4% of North Miami Beaches population, the cities main commercial artery along NE 167th street converging into North Miami Beach Boulevard and then becoming 163rd street, has taken the unofficial name of “Chinatown” due to the large concentration of Asian ran and operated businesses in the area. The area has been referred to unofficially as “Chinatown” since the early 1990s by both locals and North Miami Beach city officials. As of recent even Miami-Dade County officials have even begun to reference the area as Chinatown. Even local guides and Miami websites have called 163rd street Miami’s unofficial Chinatown.
In 1966, a major accomplishment was the completion of the tennis complex and two community centers, Victory Park and Uleta Community Center. In 1968, the Washington Park Community Center was built, and the Allen Park Youth Center was completed in 1973. North Miami Beach expanded its parks in the 1980s as a result of the city commission making strides to benefit the community. The city now has the Judge Arthur I. Snyder Tennis Center. It includes twelve clay hydrogrid tennis courts (six are lighted), six lighted lay-kold hard tennis courts, four racquetball courts, and two paddleball courts. The center also has a clubhouse and pro-shop, a picnic area, and lounge and shower facilities.
