Most of Fisher Island was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1950 on, and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fisher Island is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fisher Island’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fisher Island’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.3 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Fisher Island’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fisher Island was created through the dredging of Government Cut, which separated the landmass from the barrier island that later became Miami Beach. Dredging began in 1905 and was completed in 1911.
In May 1918, businessman and real estate developer Dana A. Dorsey purchased what was then known as Terminal Island. Dorsey, described by the City of Miami Beach as one of the first Black millionaires in Florida and the American South, reportedly envisioned the island as a resort destination for Black families and professionals during the segregation era. The project was not realized, and the island was sold the following year to Carl G. Fisher.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fisher Island. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1950Miami sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fisher Island.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewBarbara Lidz and Gene Shinn at Fisher Island Station circa 1976, c. 1976
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fisher Island’s page.
Fisher Island is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Fisher Island?
0.0% of Fisher Island’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1987.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (13), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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