Twenty years ago, Miami Beach was a quiet waterfront city filled with retirees, impoverished immigrants and slowly decaying hotels. It was far from the cities hey day in the 1950's. But the worldwide popularity of Miami Vice in the 1980's and the rediscovery of the historic Art Deco hotels and apartment buildings in South Beach have revived the glamour.

    Today this city of 93,000 is one of South Florida's most popular neighborhoods for young singles and couples, with a large gay community. The outdoor cafes on Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road. the new retail shopping district on Collins Avenue and dozens of renovated residential buildings from the 1930's and '40s give the South Beach area a unique, urban resort atmosphere.

     But, not all of Miami Beach is young and trendy. New and renovated high-rise condominiums along Collins Avenue cater to European, Latin American and domestic second-home buyers. Traditional single-family homes can be found west of A1A, while luxurious waterfront custom homes sit along North Bay Road and the city's Bay Islands.