Adjacent to the dazzling City of Miami, University Park is a college community centered around Florida International University. The 2000 census reported some 26,000 people in the city.

About a fifth of all residents are employed by FIU, which is Southern Florida's biggest University. It was chartered in 1965, and opened its doors in 1972. FIU is a research university with 19 colleges and schools. There are many specialized centers and institutes, including a biomedical engineering research center, database research center, environmental technology institute, tropical biology institute, and the National Hurricane Center. Current enrollment at FI is almost 30,000 full-time students.

The city of University Park enjoys a small-town college community atmosphere despite such close proximity to the Miami Metropolitan Area. Important sport and recreation venues include the Golden Panther Stadium, the University Park Stadium, and the FIU Community Stadium. For the Arts, there's the Art Museum of FIU, and the Wertheim Performing Arts Center.

University Park has a number of quaint college pubs and nightclub venues. For a really good time, however, Miami is just 30 minutes away through a dense road network.