South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the
city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States, located due east of Miami city
proper between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses all of
the barrier islands of Miami Beach south of Indian Creek. This area was the
first section of Miami Beach to be developed, starting in the 1910s, thanks to
the development efforts of Carl G. Fisher, the Lummus Brothers, and John S.
Collins, the latter whose construction of the Collins Bridge provided the first
vital land link between mainland Miami and the beaches. The area has gone
through numerous artificial and natural changes over the years, including a
booming regional economy, increased tourism, and the 1926 hurricane, which destroyed
much of the area. As of 2010, about 39,186 residents live in South Beach.
