Kendale Lakes, Florida

History

Kendale Lakes (and all of West Kendall) once had a large Miami Jewish population; many prominent attorneys lived there throughout the mid and late 70s. It was truly a bedroom community up until the mid to late 80s.

El Dorado Blvd was once a walk-through outdoor mall with many mom and pop stores called the Kendale Lakes Mall. It was a destination for locals and had many specialty shops like Second Skin, Smatt Bootery, Sentry Drugs, Mightiest Mortals and restaurants like Fiesta Tacos, The Carvery, Cozzoli's Pizza, Tiger Tea House and Burns Bakery to name but a few. Kendale Lakes Mall remains a source of nostalgia for many locals who grew up in the area during the late 1970s and 1980s.

The Kendale Lakes Country Club was bought by the Miccosukee tribe. It originally was an amenity offered to local homeowners. It is still surrounded by tree lined streets - a canopy of trees and lush green lawns. Coral rocks cover a moat which is located around its circumference, and it is dotted with lakes. At one time there was a small sandy beach and picnic area and pier which is now closed. There are remnants of the old pier. There were two pools at the country club (one for family and one for adults only) including an Olympic size pool, replaced now by a volleyball court.

As of October 20, 2024, the last Kmart-branded store in the contiguous United States is located in Kendale Lakes. Unlike most locations bearing the Kmart brand name, the Kendale Lakes location is a convenience store, rather than a big-box department store. However, it is not the last remaining location globally, with one standard big-box store found in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands each.

Geography

Kendale Lakes is located 15 mi west-southwest of downtown Miami. It is bordered to the north by Tamiami, to the northeast by Westwood Lakes, to the southeast by Kendall, to the south by The Crossings, to the southwest by The Hammocks, and to the west by Kendall West.

The Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike forms the eastern edge of Kendale Lakes, with access from Exits 20 and 23. The highway leads north and east 24 mi to Florida's Turnpike between Miramar and Miami Gardens, and south 22 mi to its end at U.S. Route 1 in Florida City.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Kendale Lakes CDP has a total area of 8.6 sqmi, of which 8.1 sqmi are land and 0.5 sqmi, or 6.19%, are water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 55,646 people, 18,517 households, and 14,516 families residing in the CDP.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 56,148 people, 17,984 households, and 14,240 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census

As of 2000, 42.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.1% were non-families. 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13 and the average family size was 3.40.

In 2000, the CDP the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $44,156, and the median income for a family was $46,001. Males had a median income of $30,754 versus $26,134 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,592. About 8.7% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, speakers of Spanish as a first language accounted for 82.44% of residents, while English made up 15.15% and French Creole was 0.84% of the population.{{cite web |url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=12&county_id=&mode=place&zip=&place_id=36062&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r

Education

Public schools

Miami-Dade County Public Schools operates public schools.

Elementary schools:

• Bent Tree Elementary School
• Kendale Lakes Elementary School - Kendale Lakes Elementary is located on SW 80th Street and SW 142nd Avenue in the Kendale Lakes Park, just south of the Kendale Lakes Golf Course. The students are known as the Kendale Lakes Tigers, although previously, they were the Sailboats.
• Royal Green Elementary School K-8 schools:
• Ethel Koger Beckham K-8 Center
• Winston Park K-8 Center

Secondary schools:

• Howard D. McMillan Middle School
• Miami Sunset High School

Charter and private schools

Charter schools:

• Archimedean Schools (K-12), including Archimedean Upper Conservatory
• Somerset Palms Academy (K-8)
• Academir Preparatory Academy (elementary)

Private schools:

• Calusa Preparatory School (K-12)
• The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami operates Catholic schools. Good Shepherd School (K-8) is in Kendale Lakes.

Holy Cross Academy was formerly in Kendale Lakes CDP. It closed in 2004.

References

References

1. "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Florida". United States Census Bureau.
2. "P1. Race – Kendale Lakes CDP, Florida: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau.
3. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
4. {{GNIS. 2403167
5. (2024-10-25). "The last Kmart on US mainland sits in a Miami shopping center, quiet and largely ignored".
6. "CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING (1790-2000)". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
7. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Kendale Lakes CDP, Florida".
8. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Kendale Lakes CDP, Florida".
9. "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2020: Kendale Lakes CDP, Florida".
10. "S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES - 2010: Kendale Lakes CDP, Florida".
11. "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Kendale Lakes CDP, FL". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
12. "Contact Us". Bent Tree Elementary School.
13. "Contact Us". Kendale Lakes Elementary School.
14. "Contact Us". Royal Green Elementary School.
15. "Ethel Koger Beckham K-8 Center". [[Miami-Dade County Public Schools]].
16. "Home". Winston Park K-8 Center.
17. "Home". Howard D. McMillan Middle School.
18. "Home". [[Miami Sunset Senior High School]].
19. "Archimedean Upper Conservatory". [[Archimedean Schools]].
20. "Contact". Somerset Palms Academy.
21. "Home". Academir Preparatory Academy.
22. "Contact Us". Calusa Preparatory School.
23. "Home". Good Shepherd Catholic School.
24. "2000 Census Block Map: Kendale Lakes CDP". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
25. Berger, Ellis. (2001-04-06). "SEX ABUSE ALLEGED AT HOLY CROSS ACADEMY". [[South Florida Sun Sentinel]].
26. Rodriguez, Ihosvani. (2005-02-11). "Ex-monastery student guilty in nun's slaying". [[South Florida Sun Sentinel]].