Homestead is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States nestled between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. 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. It gets its name from a path that was the only way to reach the area - the "Homesteaders' Trail". As of the 2000 census the city population was 31,909. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 37,957.

As of the census of 2000, there were 31,909 people, 10,095 households, and 7,157 families residing in the city. The population density was 862.8/km² (2,233.9/mi²). There were 11,162 housing units at an average density of 301.8/km² (781.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.00% White, 22.55% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 9.84% from other races, and 5.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.83% of the population. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.2 km² (14.4 mi²). 37.0 km² (14.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.63%) is water.