Ojus, Florida

Ojus is a census-designated place and formerly incorporated town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 19,673 at the 2020 census, up from 18,036 in 2010.

History
People have been living in the Ojus area for thousands of years. Paleo-Indians have been documented in South Florida dating back to over 13,000 years ago. Archaeologists have uncovered ancient sites at Arch Creek and along the Oleta River. According to archaeologist Robert Carr, although the largest Tequesta settlement was located at the mouth of the Miami River, by 750 BCE approximately 100 Native Americans routinely inhabited the local area which was just a one-hour canoe trip north of the main settlement. The Oleta River, which cuts through Ojus, was one of the Tequesta's primary "roadways" for millennia.  Subsequent people, to include Seminoles, European explorers, and early settlers, would also use the Oleta River to traverse from Miami to the New River in Ft. Lauderdale.

During the late nineteenth century, settlers established farms along the Oleta River. These settlers grew peas, beans, sugar cane, and tomatoes. Seminoles set up a trading post near present-day Greynolds Park to conduct business with the Ojus settlers. In 1897, Albert Fitch named the area "Ojus" after the Seminole word for "plenty" or "lots of".  After the turn of the century, rock was discovered in the area that was ideal for road building. Many of the neighborhood lakes were created during the early part of the twentieth century to support the construction of the area's infrastructure.

State representative Graham W. King lived in Ojus.

Voters initially approved the Town of Ojus on 4/12/1926  only to have this set aside by the state supreme court due to invalid boundary specifications. A second vote for incorporation was approved by voters on 8/31/1926. In 1927, the Town of Ojus was abolished by the state as a municipal government and re-established as a municipal corporation, along with other charter changes. In 1929, a court upheld the city council's refusal of the mayor's order for a charter election. Subsequently the state passed a bill calling for the abolishment of the town, which was rejected by voters. In 1931, the state abolished the Town of Ojus with voter approval on 7/15/1931. A court rescinded this on 10/26/1933 due to the outstanding debt associated with the town. The town was dissolved on 8/8/1935 after the state again abolished the town with voters approving on 8/6/1935. This time, the state was explicit regarding the handling of, and a mechanism to eliminate, the town's debt.

Two landmarks were created in the early part of the twentieth century, but only one survives. In 1925, Carl Fischer constructed the Fulford–Miami Speedway in the present-day Sky Lake neighborhood. The wooden race track was then billed as the world's fastest. It was unfortunately destroyed by the devastating 1926 hurricane. One of the region's most notable features, Greynolds Park, was established in 1936 as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) "New Deal" programs. The park was named after Mr. A.O. Greynolds, owner of the Ojus Rock Company, who donated  of his property in exchange for naming the park after him. Over the years, the park has expanded to include a golf course and a boathouse, and even hosted popular musical acts during the 1960s such as the Grateful Dead. Greynolds Park was declared a historic site in 1983.

On June 6, 2006, the Ojus Urban Area District (OUAD) was formed as a result of recommendations in the Ojus Charrette Report  to plan for the future of the Ojus Area in response to a request for a planning report for Ojus.

In 2018, county referendum 6 narrowly failed to form a new municipality from portions of Ojus, Skylake and Highland Lakes.

Geography
Ojus is located in northeastern Miami-Dade County at  (25.956720, -80.157917),  north-northeast of downtown Miami. Its northern boundary is the Broward County line. Ojus is bordered in Miami-Dade County by Aventura to the east, North Miami Beach to the south, and Ives Estates to the west, while neighboring Broward County communities are Pembroke Park to the northwest and Hallandale Beach to the north.

Interstate 95 forms the western border of the community and provides access via Exit 16 (Ives Dairy Road). U.S. Route 1 (Biscayne Boulevard) runs parallel to the eastern border, just inside the Aventura city limits.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Ojus CDP has a total area of , of which  are land and , or 16.14%, are water. The Oleta River drains the east side of the community. Elevation ranges from  above sea level.

It is in the Eastern Standard Time Zone.

Surrounding areas
 Hallandale Beach
 Aventura
 North Miami Beach
 Ives Estates

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,673 people, 6,690 households, and 4,257 families residing in the CDP.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 18,036 people, 6,263 households, and 4,138 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,642 people, 7,089 households, and 4,345 families residing in the CDP.  The population density was .  There were 8,035 housing units at an average density of .  The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.09% White (59.5% were Non-Hispanic White), 7.05% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.74% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.08% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.60% of the population.

As of 2000, there were 7,089 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. Of all households, 33.1% were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.98.

In 2000, in the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $33,294, and the median income for a family was $41,693. Males had a median income of $34,773 versus $28,781 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,392. About 11.1% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 47.42% of residents, while Spanish made up 32.70%, Russian was at 3.35%, Yiddish was at 2.96%, Hebrew at 2.92%, and the mother tongue of French Creole was 2.41% of the population's speakers. Both Portuguese and French tied with 2.11% of the populace. Arabic made up 0.74% of speakers, while both Chinese and German were spoken by 0.55% of all residents. Also, both Greek and Hungarian were a mother tongue of 0.52% of the population.

Education
Miami-Dade County Public Schools operates public schools. Ojus Elementary School is in Ojus. Students are zoned to Krop High School.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami operates Catholic schools. St. Lawrence K-8 School is in Ojus.

Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School is in Ojus.

References

External links
Ojus Elementary School

Census-designated places in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Unincorporated communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Census-designated places in Florida
Unincorporated communities in Florida
Former municipalities in Florida