Top 5 Things You May Not Know About Palmetto Estates

Riding the Rockdale Rails into History 

Before Palmetto Estates was a suburb, it was a railroad stop with a name that sounded straight out of a geology textbook: Rockdale. 

Back in the early 1900s, Henry Flagler's trains chugged south through Dade County, making stops in tiny settlements like Kendall, Rockdale, Perrine, and Goulds, with the said Rockdale station just west of where Palmetto Estates sits today, once cluttered by farms and local businesses that laid the foundation for the community that would eventually blossom into Palmetto Estates.

While the name has mostly disappeared from maps, you'll still catch it on a preserve or street sign if you look closely. 

So, next time you see a freight train pass by, remember — without the rails, Palmetto Estates might never have been on the map.

The Forest That Outsmarted a Road     

Hidden right behind US-1's traffic and strip malls is the greenest surprise you'll ever discover: a 39-acre pine rockland forest that nearly got paved over. 

Yes, Miamians, we're talking about Rockdale Pineland Preserve, one of the few surviving patches of a globally rare ecosystem, saved by a tiny endangered plant called the Deltoid Spurge. 

Spotted in the 1980s, it forced developers to back down and leave the forest standing tall, which is why locals today can stroll a short trail under slash pines and spot wildflowers, saw palmettos, and maybe even a butterfly or two in Rockdale Pineland Preserve.

Some would never believe it, but sometimes, the smallest plant can win the biggest battle and give Palmetto Estates a secret wilderness in the middle of suburbia.

A Golf Course Before the Houses?  

Believe it or not, Palmetto Estates' golf course is older than most Palmetto Estates homes. 

The Palmetto Golf Course opened in 1959, designed by Dick Wilson, long before Palmetto Estates filled with mid-century houses, meaning the par-70 layout that snakes along canals with fairways lined by old shade trees has been frustrating golfers for decades.

Miami-Dade County took it over in 1967 to transform it into a public gem, adding a mini-golf next door for those who feel overwhelmed by the 18 holes, along with waterfalls, caves, and a dash of tropical kitsch! 

Looks like golfers were teeing off in Palmetto Estates before families were even moving in.

The Little School with a Big First 

Tucked into Palmetto Estates is a school that quietly made Miami-Dade history, Johnnie M. Parris Colonial Drive Elementary, which opened in 1966 as the county's first school integrated from its very existence. 

During this time, civil rights activist Johnnie Mae Parris led the fight to stop a segregated school plan, pushing instead for a groundbreaking model of inclusion. 

With this, architect Kenneth Treister gave the campus its quirky hexagonal "pod" classrooms, making Johnnie M. Parris Colonial Drive Elementary as unique as its mission. 

Generations of students have walked those halls without ever knowing they were part of a milestone moment in South Dade, and for a modest neighborhood school, it's quite a legacy.

A Rainbow in the Suburbs 

On the surface, Palmetto Estates looks like any other Miami suburb — single-story homes, tree-lined blocks, kids on bikes. 

Yet those who dig into the numbers find it's one of the most LGBTQ+-inclusive neighborhoods in the nation. 

In fact, Palmetto Estates ranks in the top 2% across the U.S. for same-sex couple households, a statistic that surprises many but speaks volumes about its open and welcoming spirit. 

Here, families come in all forms, and that diversity weaves into everyday life. 

Yes, Palmetto Estates may be small, but it proves that suburban doesn't have to mean cookie-cutter in aesthetics and beliefs.