Homestead was incorporated in 1913 and is the second oldest city in Miami-Dade County next to the City of Miami. It is located approximately 35 miles southwest of the city of Miami, and 25 miles northeast of Key Largo. The name originates from when the Florida East Coast Railway extension to Key West was being built. The rail line was passing through an area recently opened up for homesteading, and as the construction camp at the end of the line did not have a particular name, construction materials and supplies for the workers were consigned to "Homestead Country", shortened to "Homestead" by the engineers who mapped the area.[3] The population was 31,909 at the 2000 census.

The city of Homestead is located near the southern terminus of the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike where it ends at its junction with U.S. 1. Homestead is immediately north and east of Florida City, and these two cities comprise the greater Homestead-Florida City area. Some of the notable unincorporated communities in the area are Redland, Leisure City, Naranja, and Princeton.

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