Dade County

County in southeast Florida; area 5,063 sq km/1,955 sq mi; population (1990) 1,937,044. It is situated at the southeast tip of the Florida Peninsula, on the Atlantic Ocean, bordered by barrier islands (keys) that enclose Biscayne Bay to the southeast, and by part of Florida Bay to the south. Its administrative headquarters and metropolis is Miami. To the east is the vacation resort of Miami Beach; the resort-filled coastal fringe of Dade is its most developed area. Around Miami are a multitude of suburban residential communities. The economy of this section relies on retirees, tourism, business, the farming and processing of vegetables and citrus fruit, and light industry. The interior, to the west, is in the Everglades.