Moving to Miami Lakes, FL gets you a planned town of about 30,500 people built around 23 lakes and a walkable Main Street, 16 miles north of downtown Miami and roughly 15 minutes from Miami International Airport. Housing is the number that decides everything else: the median home value sits near $524,532 and median rent near $1,660, on Livability's reading of Applied Geographic Solutions data released in November 2025. Schools grade well, property crime runs far below national rates, and the honest trade is a quiet, car-dependent town. Below is the cost, the neighborhoods, the job market, the weather and the first-month checklist.
Miami Lakes in the Northwest Miami-Dade Map
Miami Lakes is a real incorporated town, not a Miami neighborhood, and a small one. It covers 6.51 square miles, of which 5.66 is land, and it incorporated on December 6, 2000 with a 2020 census population of 30,467 (Wikipedia). Hialeah wraps around it to the south and west, Miami Gardens sits to the east, and Country Club is to the north. The ZIP codes you'll see on listings are 33014, 33016 and 33018.
The Palmetto Expressway runs straight through the middle and splits the town into two halves that feel different. East of the Palmetto is the original 1962 development, begun by what is now The Graham Companies on land owned by state senator Ernest "Cap" Graham and master planned by Lester Collins with curving, tree shaded roads and curving lakes instead of the square grid used everywhere else in the county. West of it is newer, wider and closer to the Turnpike.
That plan is the reason the town reads the way it does. Miami Lakes was laid out on New Urbanism principles that put walkability, parks and varied architecture ahead of lot yield, according to The Corcoran Group's neighborhood guide. What you get in practice is a town center you can walk, a lot of grass, and a short list of things you have to leave town for: an enclosed mall, a hospital, a museum and a beach are all outside the town limits.
What It Actually Costs to Live in Miami Lakes
Expect to pay a Miami-Dade price for a suburban house. Livability puts the median home value at $524,532, median monthly rent at $1,660, median household income at $92,309 and median property tax at $3,371. Niche reads the same town higher, at a $626,400 median home value, $2,120 median rent and $101,557 median household income, and grades cost of living a C plus with housing at C minus.
Both readings are worth knowing, because the gap between them is roughly the gap between the older east-side housing stock and the newer west-side product. Sixty percent of residents own their homes and forty percent rent, per Niche. Rentals are the tighter market of the two: single family houses dominate the town, and the apartment inventory clusters along the commercial edges rather than inside the residential loops.
The cost people underestimate is the overlap. Florida closings slip, and a family selling in one county while buying in another often ends up with a two week or six week hole between the two dates. A 10×10 storage unit in Miami Lakes holds roughly a one bedroom's worth of furniture and boxes, which is the size most households need when the calendar does not cooperate.
Where to Live in Miami Lakes
Original Miami Lakes: The Lakefront Streets East of the Palmetto
Original Miami Lakes is the 1962 Lester Collins plan and the reason people move here specifically rather than to northwest Miami-Dade generally. Streets curve, the tree canopy is mature, and lakefront lots back onto the water on Loch Lomond and around Lake Katharine. Neighborhood shopping centers and tot lot parks were built into the plan rather than added later, so errands stay short. It's the highest price point in town and the stock is older, which means you should budget for roofs, impact windows and air conditioning systems that are due.
Royal Oaks and the West Side in 33018
West of the Palmetto Expressway, toward NW 87th Avenue, the town was built out later and looks it. Roads are wider, houses are newer, and Royal Oaks Park with the Roberto Alonso Community Center anchors the area with athletic fields, playgrounds, an exercise and bike trail and a butterfly garden. Turnpike access is easier from this side, which matters if you commute to Broward. The trade is a longer drive to Main Street and less shade.
Satori: The Newest Gated Product
Satori is the gated collection of 482 townhouses and single family homes spread across 128 pedestrian friendly acres, most of it built between 2017 and 2020, with homes running from roughly 2,400 to 5,000 square feet. Residents share a clubhouse pool plus a separate playground and splash pool for children, and some houses carry private pools. This is where buyers land when they want new construction and impact glass already installed rather than a renovation project.
The Main Street District
The Main Street district is the only part of Miami Lakes where you can live without driving to dinner. Roughly 225,000 square feet of mixed use space sits between 6700 and 6833 Main Street: brick sidewalks, oak trees, fountains, about two dozen restaurants, boutiques, a 13 screen cinema, the Main Street Players theater company and a Saturday farmers market. There are over 1,600 free parking spaces, which in Miami-Dade is genuinely unusual. Housing here is limited and it is the loudest corner of an otherwise quiet town on Friday and Saturday nights.
The NW 67th Avenue and NW 154th Street Corridor
The commercial corridor where Miami Lakes Drive meets the Palmetto is not somewhere you buy a house, but it is where most people land first. Royal Oaks Plaza, the North Star Shopping Plaza and the extended stay hotels sit along here, including Candlewood Suites less than a mile from Main Street with kitchens in the rooms. Renting a corridor apartment or an extended stay suite while you look at houses is the standard play, and a 5×5 locker is usually enough to hold what will not fit in a temporary room.
The Job Market, the Commute and Getting Around
Miami Lakes has a real employment base for a town its size. BankUnited is headquartered here, as are The Graham Companies, Potamkin Auto Group, Inktel, Fine Art Lamps and National Molding, and the corporate parks built into the original master plan are still occupied. Niche grades the local job market a B minus and puts median household income at $101,557. Average commute time runs about 30 minutes, which is a Miami-Dade average rather than a Miami Lakes penalty.
Plenty of residents commute out instead, and the geography is the selling point. The Palmetto Expressway and the Turnpike both touch the town, Miami International Airport is about 15 minutes away, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International is roughly 22 miles, and downtown Miami is 16 miles south. Miami-Dade Metrobus routes 37, 54 and 75 serve the town, and Miami Lakes also runs a free, community exclusive Freebee electric rideshare service seven days a week with extended Friday and Saturday hours, using everything from modified deluxe golf carts to wheelchair accessible vans.
Small business owners moving a company here run into the same wall as everywhere in Miami-Dade, which is that warehouse space starts far larger and far more expensive than a five person operation needs. Renting 10×30 units for inventory, samples and seasonal stock is how a lot of local businesses bridge the gap between a garage and a lease.
Schools Serving Miami Lakes
Miami-Dade County Public Schools serves Miami Lakes, and the schools are the single strongest thing in the town's report card. Niche grades public schools an A and ranks Miami Lakes 77th of 382 Florida suburbs for public schools. The zoned lineup includes Bob Graham Education Center and Miami Lakes K-8 Center at the elementary and middle level, Miami Lakes Middle School, and Barbara Goleman Senior High School and Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School for high school.
The magnet option is the one families move for. Miami Lakes Educational Center, known locally as Miami Lakes Tech, runs grades 9 through 12 across six professional track academies covering Cambridge, communications, entrepreneurship, health science, information technology and applied technology, and students can finish twelfth grade holding a diploma, industry certifications and college credit at the same time.
Private and charter options exist too. Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School has served the town since 1986 and runs about 500 students from age 2 through eighth grade with an average of roughly 12 students per class. Mater Lakes Academy, Mater Gardens Academy and Palm Springs North Elementary sit in or near the town as well. Adult education levels track the school quality: 27 percent of residents hold a bachelor's degree and 17 percent hold a master's or higher, both above national figures.
Parks, Golf and What Weekends Look Like
The parks system is unusually deep for 5.66 square miles of land. The Town of Miami Lakes runs Miami Lakes Optimist Park with four baseball fields, two soccer fields, two flag football fields, four basketball courts, four tennis courts and batting cages, plus Veterans Park with a lighted walking path, Royal Oaks Park, Picnic Park East with The Spot youth center, the K-9 Cove dog park, six passive lakefront parks and 41 tot lots.
Golf is inside the town limits, which is rare in this part of the county. Miami Lakes Golf Club on Miami Lakes Drive is an 18 hole, par 72 course originally designed by Bill Watts in 1962 and completely redesigned in 2025 by architect Bruce Hepner, with a driving range, a pro shop and The Deck as its 19th hole. It reopened to the public in late 2025 and is home to the First Tee of Miami.
Weekends default to Main Street. The Main Street Players stage a full theater season plus children's workshops and improv comedy, the cinema handles August afternoons, and the town's own events calendar carries things like Sabor Fest along Main Street on October 10, 2026. For the eating end of it, the best restaurants in Miami Lakes and the town's brunch rooms cover the Main Street lineup in detail, and the Miami Lakes shopping guide covers where to buy furniture once the house is yours. Youth league families learn quickly that cleats, bats, bikes and paddleboards outgrow a Florida garage with no basement, and a 5×10 unit absorbs a season's worth of gear.
Weather, Hurricane Season and the Flooding Question
Miami Lakes averages an 84 degree high, a 69 degree low, 62 inches of rain a year and zero snow. The calendar has two seasons rather than four. December through April is dry and comfortable, with area averages around 75 high and 59 low in January. June through September is hot and wet, and the rain arrives as a heavy late afternoon thunderstorm rather than all day drizzle, which is why locals run errands in the morning. U.S. News rates March through May the best stretch in the Miami area on temperature and crowds.
Hurricane season runs June through November and overlaps the wet season, with the real risk concentrated in August, September and October. Say it plainly: this is South Florida, and a named storm will eventually close schools, offices and both airports for a day or two. New residents should sort out shutters or impact glass, a generator plan and flood coverage during the dry season rather than in August.
Street flooding is the more common everyday issue, and it is a fair question to ask before you buy. Miami Lakes sits at about 7 feet of elevation, 0.85 of its 6.51 square miles is water, and drainage is an active town capital project, with the Loch Lomond Phase II drainage improvements going out to bid in August 2026. Ask about a specific street's history rather than the town's average. Humidity is the quieter problem: paper, photographs, wood furniture, electronics and anything upholstered do not survive a non air conditioned garage here, which is why climate controlled storage in Miami Lakes is the default rather than the upgrade. If you want the month by month version, the best time to visit Miami Lakes guide breaks the year down.
Your First 30 Days in Miami Lakes
Set up utilities first. Electricity comes from Florida Power & Light, natural gas from TECO Peoples Gas where it is available, and water and sewer from Miami-Dade Water and Sewer, all of which want the service address and a connection date plus a deposit for new accounts. Internet and cable are the usual providers and worth confirming before closing, since installation windows in northwest Miami-Dade can run a couple of weeks out.
Then handle the paperwork with deadlines attached. Florida requires a state driver's license within 30 days of establishing residency, and vehicles must be titled and registered within 10 days. Voter registration goes through the Miami-Dade County Elections Department. Trash runs on a town schedule of twice weekly residential collection, recycling twice a month, and two self scheduled bulky pickups a year, which is the detail that decides how you dispose of moving boxes and the furniture that did not make the cut. Our moving checklist sequences the rest.
Finally, do the fun part deliberately. Walk Main Street on a weeknight, pick up a Saturday farmers market habit, and work through the things to do in Miami Lakes list over the first few months. A town of 30,000 rewards showing up.
Storage While You Settle In
Value Store It sits in Miami Lakes with month to month rentals and no long term contract, which is the right structure when you do not yet know whether you need space for six weeks or a year. The smallest options handle overflow rather than furniture: a 10×5 works for boxes, holiday bins and a bike or two, and a 5×15 takes the long, awkward things like ladders, surfboards and a disassembled bed frame. Step up to a 10×15 and you are into two bedroom territory with appliances, while a 10×20 holds a full house between closings. Units run roughly 25 to 300 square feet, every one of them climate controlled, and our unit size guide will get you closer than guessing from a floor plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Miami Lakes a good place to live?
Miami Lakes grades A minus overall on Niche, with an A for public schools, an A for good for families, a B for crime and safety and a C plus for cost of living. Violent and property crime rates run well below national averages, including 63.3 burglaries per 100,000 residents against a national 500.1. The trade is that it's quiet and car dependent, with nightlife limited to Main Street and its immediate surroundings.
Is Miami Lakes prone to flooding?
Street flooding after heavy rain is a real issue in parts of Miami Lakes. The town sits at roughly 7 feet of elevation, 0.85 of its 6.51 square miles is water, and it is actively spending on drainage, with the Loch Lomond Phase II drainage improvement project going out to bid in August 2026. Ask about the specific street and check the flood zone before you sign anything.
Is Miami Lakes expensive to live in?
Miami Lakes is expensive by national standards and mid range by Miami-Dade standards. Median home value readings range from $524,532 (Livability, November 2025 AGS data) to $626,400 (Niche), with median rent between $1,660 and $2,120 depending on the source. Median household income runs $92,309 to $101,557, so local pay tracks local prices better than in coastal Miami neighborhoods.
Is Miami Lakes the same as Hialeah?
No. Miami Lakes is a separate incorporated town with its own council-manager government, incorporated on December 6, 2000, while Hialeah is a much larger neighboring city. Hialeah borders Miami Lakes on the south and west, and the two share ZIP code edges and a lot of daily traffic, but they have different governments, different school assignments and different tax bills.
Is Miami Lakes a city?
Miami Lakes is a town, which in Florida is a municipality like any other. It runs a council-manager government with an at-large mayor and six council members, contracts law enforcement from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, and is served by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue stations 1 and 64. Its motto is "Growing Beautifully," and its town hall sits at the east end of Main Street.
Making the Move
Miami Lakes suits people who want Miami-Dade access without Miami density: strong public schools, 23 lakes, a Main Street you can walk to, and a 15 minute drive to the airport. Come see it on a weekday afternoon and again on a Saturday morning before you commit, because the town reads very differently at those two hours. When the boxes outnumber the rooms, Value Store It in Miami Lakes can hold the overflow until the house catches up.
