Is Surfside Part of Miami Beach? No, and Here's Where the Line Falls

Surfside is a separate municipality. It has its own mayor and town commission, its own ZIP code (33154), and about half a square mile of land. The 2020 census counted 5,689 residents. Its borders run from the Atlantic to the Indian Creek waterway, between 87th and 96th Streets, which gives the town one mile of beach.

Why people mix the two up. Surfside sits on the same barrier island as Miami Beach, and the streets don't change as you cross the line. Harding Avenue, our street in North Beach, carries on north into Surfside's business district between 94th and 96th Streets. In the late 1930s Miami Beach even looked at annexing part of what is now Surfside. It never happened, and the town has kept its own government since 1935.

Where we sit. We're at 7418 Harding Avenue, inside the City of Miami Beach, in North Beach. Surfside starts at 87th Street, just to our north. Our guests walk up into it for the quieter streets, and the sunbeds and umbrellas we set out on the beach a few minutes east of our gate are on the Miami Beach side of the line.

Good to know. Surfside's small size is the point. There's no resort strip, the shopping is a few blocks of Harding Avenue, and the beach behind it is wide and quiet. For what to do once you're there, see our Surfside guide.