Claim: Miami Beach is located on natural islands.

Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County , Florida , United States . It was incorporated on March 26 , 1915 . The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay , the latter of which separates the Beach from Miami . The neighborhood of South Beach , comprising the southernmost 2.5 mi2 of Miami Beach , along with downtown Miami and the Port of Miami , collectively form the commercial center of South Florida . As of the 2010 census , Miami Beach had a total population of 87,779 . It has been one of America 's pre-eminent beach resorts since the early 20th century .   In 1979 , Miami Beach 's Art Deco Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The Art Deco District is the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world and comprises hundreds of hotels , apartments and other structures erected between 1923 and 1943 . Mediterranean , Streamline Moderne and Art Deco are all represented in the District . The Historic District is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the East , Lenox Court on the West , 6th Street on the South and Dade Boulevard along the Collins Canal to the North . The movement to preserve the Art Deco District 's architectural heritage was led by former interior designer Barbara Capitman , who now has a street in the District named in her honor .