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/hohm"sted, -stid/, n.1. a dwelling with its land and buildings, occupied by the owner as a home and exempted by a homestead law from seizure or sale for debt.2. any dwelling with its land and buildings where a family makes its home.3. a tract of land acquired under the Homestead Act.4. a house in an urban area acquired under a homesteading program.v.t.5. to acquire or settle on (land) as a homestead: Pioneers homesteaded the valley.v.i.6. to acquire or settle on a homestead: They homesteaded many years ago.[bef. 1000; OE hamstede (not found in ME). See HOME, STEAD]
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city, Miami-Dade county, southern Florida, U.S., in the fertile Redland district, about 30 miles (50 km) southwest of Miami. The region was inhabited by Tequesta and then Calusa Indians before their disappearance by the early 19th century. Established in 1904 after the arrival of the railroad from Miami, the city took its name from its location in the “homestead country,” government land that was opened to homesteading in the late 1890s. It developed as a shipping centre for fruits and vegetables grown on the surrounding farmland. The city became an important agricultural-trading centre, the service centre for nearby Homestead Air Force Base, the headquarters for Everglades National Park (west and south of the city), and the gateway to the Florida Keys. Homestead was struck by three devastating hurricanes in the 20th century (1926, 1945, and 1992), but in each case the city was rebuilt; its economic prospects were hampered after the 1992 storm, however, by the restructuring of the air force base.Tourism and agriculture are the basis of the city's economy, the chief crops including winter vegetables, tropical fruits, and ornamental plants. The city has a campus of Miami-Dade Community College. Homestead Bayfront Park overlooks Biscayne National Park, which is replete with colourful marine life. Homestead is the site of the unusual Coral Castle, hand-carved by a single man from coral rock. The Fruit and Spice Park has more than 500 varieties of exotic fruits, nuts, and spices. Inc. 1913. Pop. (1990) 26,866; (2000) 31,909.borough (town), Allegheny county, southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S. It lies across the Monongahela River from the southeastern edge of Pittsburgh and is adjacent to West Homestead and Munhall boroughs. Laid out as Amity Homestead in 1871, the borough developed with the growth of Andrew Carnegie (Carnegie, Andrew)'s steel empire. The steelworks, which later became part of Munhall borough, opened in Homestead borough in 1881. Called the Homestead Works, they were the site of the noted Homestead strike of July 1892, when company guards (hired through Allan Pinkerton's (Pinkerton, Allan) National Detective Agency) fought a pitched battle with the strikers who were in control of the town. State militiamen were sent to quell the trouble. The strike directly influenced the reelection of President Grover Cleveland (Cleveland, Grover) over Benjamin Harrison (Harrison, Benjamin) in 1892, and the strikers' defeat retarded the unionization of American steelworkers for more than 40 years.The Homestead Works closed in 1986 and its buildings were torn down in 1993–94. Homestead's economy is now based on service industries and light manufacturing. Inc. 1880. Pop. (1990) 4,179; (2000) 3,569.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
