According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.63%) is water. Homestead is a small-sized city. At its greatest north–south points – along SW 137th Avenue (Speedway Boulevard) – its city limits extend only – from SW 288th Street (Biscayne Drive) at the north end to (theoretical) SW 352nd Street at the south end. At its greatest east–west points – along SW 328th Street (North Canal Drive / Lucy Street) – its city limits extend – from (theoretical) SW 132nd Avenue at the east end to SW 192nd Avenue at the west end. U.S. 1 – known as Homestead Boulevard within the city limits – extends through a rather narrow northeast / southwest corridor of the city from SW 304th Street (Kings Highway) at the north end to SW 328th Street (Lucy Street) at the south end. It is at this point at the south end that Homestead and Florida City share a common border. (North of the north end at SW 304th Street is known as Unincorporated Miami-Dade County, but it is locally known as the community of Leisure City). Major east–west streets within Homestead include SW 304th Street / NE & NW 15th Street (Kings Highway), SW 312th Street / NE & NW 8th Street (Campbell Drive), SW 320th Street (Mowry Drive), SW 328th Street / SE & SW 8th Street (North Canal Drive / Lucy Street), and SW 344th Street / SE 24th Street (Palm Drive). The original
Homestead Air Force Base was once located several miles to the northeast of Homestead, but due to annexation of formerly unincorporated land immediately to the east and northeast of the original city limits during the late-1990s the city and the far southwestern perimeter of the (now)
Homestead Air Reserve Base share a common border for a small portion along SW 137th Avenue (Speedway Boulevard). A noteworthy tourist attraction within Leisure City is
Coral Castle, built by a jilted lover,
Edward Leedskalnin, over the course of 28 years from 1923 to 1951. The
Fruit and Spice Park is also of interest.
Climate Homestead experiences a
tropical monsoon climate (
Köppen climate classification Am) that borders on a
tropical savanna climate (
Aw). Summers are hot and humid and high temperatures average between 90° and 92 °F (32° to 33 °C). Winters are warm and dry. The all-time record high temperature is , on July 10, 2023, and August 11, 2023. Lows in summer average between and , with low temperatures in all times of year averaging 5 degrees cooler than coastal Miami, mainly because of its inland and rural location. In winter, the area sees cold fronts bring cold weather for short periods from November to March. The lowest temperature ever recorded is 26 °F (–3 °C), on 13 December 1934, which was recorded at Homestead Air Force Base, some 10 miles east of the town. High temperatures in winter average between 68° and 80 °F (18° to 26 °C), and lows average between 57° and 64 °F (8° to 14 °C). Summer is the season when most of the rain occurs. Homestead has a wet season lasting from mid-May to early October. The dry season sees some rain, with most of it coming with the passing of cold fronts. Snow flurries were reported to have been observed in the air at Homestead Air Force Base, on January 20, 1977, and marked the farthest south that snow flurries have ever been reported in the lower 48 United States. }}
Hurricanes In August 1992, the
Category 5 hurricane Andrew devastated the town, as well as nearby Homestead Air Force Base.
Hurricane Katrina caused flooding in Homestead in August 2005. The following October,
Hurricane Wilma damaged
light poles,
grandstands, garages, and sections of
catch fence at the
Homestead–Miami Speedway, a motor racetrack built in the years following Hurricane Andrew. After Hurricane Wilma, a Homestead man was killed in a tractor accident while clearing debris. When
Hurricane Irma struck Florida in September 2017, parts of Homestead lost electric power. South Dade Center, a
low-income housing project for
farmworkers, was flooded with rainwater. Residents were without electricity and
waste collection for about a week without relief. ==Demographics==