Bay Harbor Islands is a town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, occupying two islands in Biscayne Bay between the mainland and the Atlantic, just north of Miami Beach and east of Bal Harbour. The community was established in 1947 by developer and philanthropist Shepard Broad, who laid out the town with a clear planning vision: the West Island reserved for single-family homes and the East Island developed with multi-family buildings and a business district. That original zoning structure still defines the town today, giving it a deliberately low-rise, boutique scale that is unusual for the Miami metro.
Roughly 6,000 residents live in Bay Harbor Islands. Despite its small size, the town is fully civic-minded, with the East Island hosting Town Hall, police headquarters, and the Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor K-8 Center. The Broad Causeway, a toll roadway crossing the Intracoastal Waterway with a drawbridge, links the islands to the mainland and to Miami Beach, about 15 minutes away. The town is flanked by Indian Creek Island to the south and Surfside and Bal Harbour to the east and west, placing it among some of the region's most established waterfront communities.
The town is served by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, one of the nation's largest districts, and its location puts the beaches of Surfside and Miami Beach, the shops of Bal Harbour, and the dining, culture, and employment of greater Miami within minutes. At the same time, the islands themselves remain quiet, walkable, and residential, with small parks and tot lots rather than commercial sprawl.
Bay Harbor Islands suits households seeking a boutique, waterfront island setting with a strong sense of community, a neighborhood school in town, and ready access to the beaches and amenities of the surrounding corridor. Its two-island layout and long-standing zoning give it a scale and character that set it apart from the larger municipalities around it.
