Ojus, Florida
Encyclopedia
Ojus is a census-designated place
and formerly incorporated town in Miami-Dade County
, Florida
, United States
. The population was 16,642 at the 2000 census. Ojus borders Aventura
to the east, I-95
to the west, North Miami Beach
to the south and Broward County
to the north. Ojus is currently planning to incorporate and become its own city.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), of which, 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (14.94%) is water.
It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 10 feet.
Ojus was one of two settlements that shared the Snake Creek region, the 2,000 or so acres of swampy, mangrove-filled land at the northernmost end of Biscayne Bay (FIU's Bay Vista campus occupies a portion of this land today). The other town, Fulford, eventually blended in and became part of North Miami Beach.
When Henry Flagler brought his railroad down to Lemon City (a year or so before he extended it to Miami in 1896), he placed depots at numerous spots along the route, and small towns quickly developed around those stops. The distance between Fulford and Ojus was only a mile or so, but it was great enough in those days of poorly paved roads and difficult travel conditions to generate separate communities.
Ojus originally was named in 1897 by Albert Fitch, a farmer who wanted to grow pineapples in the rich soil. The word Ojus is a Seminole Indian word for "plenty" or "lots of," and when Fitch was in the area, Ojus had plenty of everything, including just about any type of crop imaginable - peas, beans, sugar cane, and tomatoes.
When a prison camp was established in Ojus in the early 1900s, rock mining in the area began and it was discovered that the rock coming out of Ojus had qualities that made it ideal for road building. A Palm Beach mining company moved into the area to take advantage of the plentiful rock, which was in great demand in Palm Beach County. In 1913, the company was employing almost 200 men and shipping 50 to 60 carloads of rock daily.
Intent on developing the town, Maule (who?) opened a general store, built apartments for his employees and even opened a movie theater. In 1915, the Ojus School added another teacher, bringing its total to two. Combined with the farming industry, which was still going strong, the population in Ojus by 1920 was greater than that of Fulford and Arch Creek combined.
Unfortunately, Ojus didn't live long enough to see its promise fulfilled. By 1936, the inability of the city's government to collect taxes, combined with the unwillingness of the residents to pay them, resulted in bankruptcy. An act of the Legislature dissolved the town's incorporation papers.
Today there are reminders of Ojus all around the ever-shrinking neighborhood. Ojus Elementary School and the Ojus Branch Post Office are but two of the markers that remind visitors of the area's history.
With shopping centers, condominiums, and high-rise office buildings pushing in on all sides, Ojus nevertheless continues to be among the city's oldest populated areas.
of 2000, there were 16,642 people, 7,089 households, and 4,345 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 5,973.2 people per square mile (2,303.1/km²). There were 8,035 housing units at an average density of 2,883.9/sq mi (1,111.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.09% White (of which 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.
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. 33.1% of all households 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 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.
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 both a mother tongue of 0.52% of the population.
As of 2000, Ojus had the fifty-sixth highest percentage of Cuba
n residents in the US, with 6.77% of the populace. It had the thirty-fifth highest percentage of Colombia
n residents in the US, at 3.71% of the population, and the fifty-first highest percentage of Haiti
an residents in the US, at 3.0% of its population (tied with Avon Park, FL
and Haines City, FL
.) It also had the nineteenth most Peru
vians in the US, at 2.29%, while it had the twentieth highest percentage of Brazil
ians, at 1.60% of all residents (tied with four other US areas.) Ojus' Israel
i community had the seventeenth highest percentage of residents, which was at 1.70% (tied with Sunny Isles Beach
.) It's also home to the 113th highest percentage of Dominican
residents in the US, at 1.42% of the population, while it's Romania
n community was the twenty-first highest percentage in the US, and accounted for 1.0% of all residents (tied with Davison, Michigan
, Thompson, Ohio
and Viola, NY
.)
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
and formerly incorporated town in Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 16,642 at the 2000 census. Ojus borders Aventura
Aventura, Florida
Aventura is a planned, suburban city located in northeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name is from the Spanish word for "adventure", and was named "Aventura" after one of the developers of the original group of condominiums in the area remarked to the others, "What an adventure this is...
to the east, I-95
Interstate 95 in Florida
Interstate 95 is the main Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States; it serves the Atlantic coast of Florida. It begins at a partial interchange with U.S. Highway 1 just south of downtown Miami, and heads north past Daytona Beach and Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the St...
to the west, North Miami Beach
North Miami Beach, Florida
North Miami Beach is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named Fulford in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, the city was incorporated in 1927 as Fulford, but was renamed North Miami Beach in 1931. The population was...
to the south and Broward County
Broward County, Florida
-2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile...
to the north. Ojus is currently planning to incorporate and become its own city.
Geography
Ojus is located at 25°57′24"N 80°9′29"W (25.956720, -80.157917).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), of which, 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (14.94%) is water.
It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 10 feet.
Surrounding Areas
Hallandale BeachHallandale Beach, FloridaHallandale Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, a worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,113...
AventuraAventura, FloridaAventura is a planned, suburban city located in northeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name is from the Spanish word for "adventure", and was named "Aventura" after one of the developers of the original group of condominiums in the area remarked to the others, "What an adventure this is...
North Miami BeachNorth Miami Beach, FloridaNorth Miami Beach is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named Fulford in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, the city was incorporated in 1927 as Fulford, but was renamed North Miami Beach in 1931. The population was...
Ives EstatesIves Estates, FloridaIves Estates is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 17,586 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ives Estates is located at ....
History
Ojus, like many neighborhoods in Dade County once were actual towns, complete with their own governments, charters, and schools. The town of Ojus, which thrived in the early 1930s and was located south of what is now the county line and just east of the city of North Miami Beach, didn't last very long, but the neighborhood situated on the original town site still bears the Ojus name.Ojus was one of two settlements that shared the Snake Creek region, the 2,000 or so acres of swampy, mangrove-filled land at the northernmost end of Biscayne Bay (FIU's Bay Vista campus occupies a portion of this land today). The other town, Fulford, eventually blended in and became part of North Miami Beach.
When Henry Flagler brought his railroad down to Lemon City (a year or so before he extended it to Miami in 1896), he placed depots at numerous spots along the route, and small towns quickly developed around those stops. The distance between Fulford and Ojus was only a mile or so, but it was great enough in those days of poorly paved roads and difficult travel conditions to generate separate communities.
Ojus originally was named in 1897 by Albert Fitch, a farmer who wanted to grow pineapples in the rich soil. The word Ojus is a Seminole Indian word for "plenty" or "lots of," and when Fitch was in the area, Ojus had plenty of everything, including just about any type of crop imaginable - peas, beans, sugar cane, and tomatoes.
When a prison camp was established in Ojus in the early 1900s, rock mining in the area began and it was discovered that the rock coming out of Ojus had qualities that made it ideal for road building. A Palm Beach mining company moved into the area to take advantage of the plentiful rock, which was in great demand in Palm Beach County. In 1913, the company was employing almost 200 men and shipping 50 to 60 carloads of rock daily.
Intent on developing the town, Maule (who?) opened a general store, built apartments for his employees and even opened a movie theater. In 1915, the Ojus School added another teacher, bringing its total to two. Combined with the farming industry, which was still going strong, the population in Ojus by 1920 was greater than that of Fulford and Arch Creek combined.
Unfortunately, Ojus didn't live long enough to see its promise fulfilled. By 1936, the inability of the city's government to collect taxes, combined with the unwillingness of the residents to pay them, resulted in bankruptcy. An act of the Legislature dissolved the town's incorporation papers.
Today there are reminders of Ojus all around the ever-shrinking neighborhood. Ojus Elementary School and the Ojus Branch Post Office are but two of the markers that remind visitors of the area's history.
With shopping centers, condominiums, and high-rise office buildings pushing in on all sides, Ojus nevertheless continues to be among the city's oldest populated areas.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 16,642 people, 7,089 households, and 4,345 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 5,973.2 people per square mile (2,303.1/km²). There were 8,035 housing units at an average density of 2,883.9/sq mi (1,111.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.09% White (of which 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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.60% of the population.
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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households 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 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.
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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as a first language
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
accounted for 47.42% of residents, while Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
made up 32.70%, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
was at 3.35%, Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
was at 2.96%, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
at 2.92%, and the mother tongue of French Creole was 2.41% of the population's speakers. Both Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
tied with 2.11% of the populace. Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
made up 0.74% of speakers, while both Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
were spoken by 0.55% of all residents. Also, both Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
were both a mother tongue of 0.52% of the population.
As of 2000, Ojus had the fifty-sixth highest percentage of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n residents in the US, with 6.77% of the populace. It had the thirty-fifth highest percentage of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n residents in the US, at 3.71% of the population, and the fifty-first highest percentage of Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an residents in the US, at 3.0% of its population (tied with Avon Park, FL
Avon Park, Florida
Avon Park is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population in 2009 at 8,824. It is the oldest city in Highlands County, and was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England.-History:...
and Haines City, FL
Haines City, Florida
Haines City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 13,174 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population estimated by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida is 18,762. Haines City is the third most populous city in Polk County, Florida...
.) It also had the nineteenth most Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vians in the US, at 2.29%, while it had the twentieth highest percentage of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ians, at 1.60% of all residents (tied with four other US areas.) Ojus' Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i community had the seventeenth highest percentage of residents, which was at 1.70% (tied with Sunny Isles Beach
Sunny Isles Beach, Florida
Sunny Isles Beach is a city located on a barrier island in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The City is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west...
.) It's also home to the 113th highest percentage of Dominican
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
residents in the US, at 1.42% of the population, while it's Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n community was the twenty-first highest percentage in the US, and accounted for 1.0% of all residents (tied with Davison, Michigan
Davison, Michigan
Davison is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Flint. The population was 5,536 at the 2000 census. Davison is located within Davison Township, but is administratively autonomous....
, Thompson, Ohio
Thompson, Ohio
Thompson, Ohio can refer to:*Thompson Township, Delaware County, Ohio*Thompson Township, Geauga County, Ohio, also the location of the community of Thompson*Thompson Township, Seneca County, Ohio...
and Viola, NY
Viola, New York
Viola is a hamlet , in the Town of Ramapo Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Airmont; east of Montebello; south of Wesley Hills and west of Hillcrest...
.)