Second homes: North Miami’s slice of paradise [South Florida]
Just after World War II, Bal Harbour became one of the first planned municipalities in Florida with underground utilities. Since then, the tiny village’s relentless pursuit of aesthetic perfection has never waned, and from its famous palm-lined entrance to its perfect beach and world-class luxury shopping mall, it’s a resort community a movie-set designer might have created, all in less than 1 immaculate square mile. Recently, Bal Harbour’s influence has spread to its neighboring cities, creating an array of choices just north of Miami for second-home owners craving the sun, sand and South Florida lifestyle.
“When I moved here 17 years ago, there were about 20 municipalities in (Miami-Dade) County, and now there are 35,” says Todd Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom Network/Keller Williams Realty. “There used to be all these unincorporated areas with kitschy waterfront motels, but they’ve become cities, trying to remake themselves into another Bal Harbour.”
Most are laid out on the narrow barrier islands just north of Miami Beach, along the same Collins Avenue famed for its nightlife in Miami’s South Beach. The main ones are Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, Aventura and North Miami, and they all sit conveniently between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, with easy access to the cultural offerings and airports of each city, but with what Nordstrom describes as a “quiet, easy lifestyle” in comparison.