Miami Lakes is an incorporated town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, in the northwestern part of the county, within the Miami metropolitan area. Its population is about 30,500. The town became Miami-Dade County's 31st municipality when it incorporated in December 2000, and it is known as one of the county's youngest cities. The town's identity is inseparable from its origins as a master-planned community. Miami Lakes was developed by the Graham family's company, which began its planning more than fifty years before incorporation. The roughly 3,000-acre community was designed around a network of lakes, landscaped streets, and small neighborhood parks, with the goal of creating a self-contained, pedestrian-friendly town rather than a typical suburban subdivision. The Graham family is among Florida's most prominent, having produced a governor and U.S. senator in Bob Graham as well as a publisher of the Washington Post, and the Graham Companies remains the town's largest landowner. Miami Lakes is home to more than 1,700 businesses, and its walkable Main Street district anchors the commercial and social life of the community. The town's many small neighborhood parks, recreation programs, and youth activities reflect the Grahams' original emphasis on green space and community facilities within walking distance of homes. Students attend Miami-Dade County Public Schools, including Barbara Goleman Senior High and the Miami Lakes K-8 Center. For residents, the appeal is a cohesive, well-maintained, family-oriented town with a distinct planned character, set within easy reach of the employment, culture, and amenities of greater Miami. Its lakes, parks, and consistent planning make it stand out among Miami-Dade's many suburban municipalities, and that planned character remains central to the town's identity.