My Life in Miami

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Miami, a city in southeastern Florida, the most southerly major city in the continental United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast, some 2° north of the Tropic of Cancer, and has a warm subtropical marine climate, with an average annual temperature of about 75° F (24° C). Because of its mild weather, ocean setting, and extensive resort facilities, Miami, together with its environs, is one of the great tourist centers of the world. Miami and Environs. Miami, with an area of 54 square miles (140 sq km), fronts on Biscayne Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean created by islands that constitute the northern reaches of the Florida Keys. The Miami River, which is connected by canal with Lake Okeechobee to the northwest, bisects the city. Miami is divided into four parts—Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast—formed by the intersection of Flagler Street, running east and west, and Miami Avenue, running north and south. Miami is the seat of Miami-Dade county, which is coextensive with the Miami metropolitan area, or Greater Miami. Greater Miami consists of 27 independent municipalities and of large unincorporated areas, some of which are heavily populated. Among the communities north of Miami are North Miami Beach, North Miami, and Miami Shores. Hialeah and Miami Springs are to the west, and Coral Gables, South Miami, and Homestead are to the south. On islands offshore, east of Miami across Biscayne Bay, are the luxurious resorts of Miami Beach, Surfside, and Bal Harbour. The art deco nightclub district in South Beach is regarded as one of the best in the world. These communities, as well as fashionable Key Biscayne to the south, connect with the mainland by causeways. (See Miami Beach.) Miami-Dade county covers 2,408 square miles (6,237 sq km), of which 354 square miles (917 sq km) is water. The western half of the county forms part of the Everglades National Park, one of the nation's most extensive wilderness preserves. People. Greater Miami is predominantly white, but an increasing percentage of the city's population is nonwhite, mostly black, with a sprinkling of other races. However, 65.8% of the population are Latino of any race and 11.8% of the population are non-Hispanic whites. The ethnic makeup of the city is 34.1% Cuban, 22.3% African American, 5.6% Nicaraguan, 5.0% Haitian, and 3.3% Honduran. In 2004 the United Nations Development Programme ranked Miami first in terms of percentage of residents born outside of the country it is located in (59%). More than a quarter-million persons of Cuban origin live in and around Miami. This group has expanded greatly from an influx of refugees both after Castro came to power in Cuba in 1959 and during Castro's release of persons seeking to leave Cuba in 1980. A large segment of the population—about 17% of the total—consists of people 65 years of age or older, many of whom retired to Florida from the northern United States. In Miami Beach approximately 19.2% of the residents are in this age group. The city of Miami had a population of 1,681 in 1900. By 1970 it had 334,859; by 1980, 346,865; and by 2000, 362,470. Greater Miami rose in population from 1,267,792 in 1970, to 1,625,781 in 1980, and to 3,876,380 in 2000. Sports and Recreation. Few places offer such a variety of sports, both professional and nonprofessional, as the Miami area. There are extensive opportunities for aquatic activities—swimming, water skiing, skin diving, fishing, and boating—as well as for golf (over 40 courses), tennis, shuffleboard, bowling, and other sports. Among professional sports in the city are Thoroughbred racing (at Hialeah and Calder tracks and at Gulfstream track in Hallandale, just north of the Miami-Dade county line), dog racing, and jai alai. The Miami Dolphins of the National Football League play at Dolphin Stadium; the Florida Marlins major league baseball team also plays there. Dolphin Stadium is also the site of the Orange Bowl Classic (previously played at the Orange Bowl Stadium), a championship intercollegiate football game, held annually on or near New Year's Day, and of the North-South College All-Star Game. The American Airlines Arena is home to the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. The Miami-based Florida Panthers professional hockey team plays home games at the BankAtlantic Center located in nearby Sunrise. Marine Stadium, on Rickenbacker Causeway leading to Key Biscayne, is for spectators of powerboat racing in Biscayne Bay. Miami has a professional symphony orchestra and ballet company, which perform in the Miami-Dade County Auditorium. Various concert series feature visiting artists from the United States and abroad. There are also professional theater, at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, and amateur theatrical productions. Places of Interest. Greater Miami has a number of art museums. Villa Vizcaya, an Italian Renaissance–style palazzo built by industrialist James Deering, houses an art museum owned by Miami-Dade county. On the campus of the University of Miami at Coral Gables is the Lowe Art Museum, with paintings from the Kress Collection. The Bass Museum is in Miami Beach. Specialized museums include the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, the Holbrook Antique Arms and Gun Museum, and the Museum of Science, with a planetarium. There are numerous attractions devoted to nature. The Everglades National Park offers a unique opportunity to observe the flora and fauna of an unspoiled wilderness, as does the Grossman Hammock State Park, near Homestead. Organized animal refuges include the Crandon Park Zoo, on Key Biscayne; Monkey Jungle and Parrot Jungle, both south of Coral Gables; and the Seaquarium, with marine shows, on Rickenbacker Causeway. Tropical plants and flowers are featured at the Miami Beach Garden Center and Conservatory; Orchid Jungle and the Redland Fruit and Spice Park, in the Homestead area; and the Fairchild Tropical Gardens, in south Coral Gables. There are also many public parks with a profusion of trees and flowers. Some of these have facilities for camping and various sports activities. Economy. Tourists—over 10 million per year—generate more than 60% of the Miami area's economic activity. To serve these visitors, nearly 10% of the workforce is employed by hotels and motels, restaurants, and recreational facilities. Various other industries, such as construction and wholesale and retail suppliers, greatly depend, directly or indirectly, on the tourist trade. Military installations also contribute to the economy. Miami serves as the headquarters of Latin American operations for many multinational corporations. Moreover, downtown Miami has the largest concentration of international banks in the United States. Greater Miami has considerable light manufacturing, notably in the garment industry; it is known for stone quarrying and warehousing as well. The city is also a major agricultural region, producing tomatoes, avocados, mangoes, and beans. Although Miami-Dade county is south of Florida's great citrus belt, there is a large lime crop. Transportation. Miami is a major transportation center. There are a number of airports in the area, of which the most important is the Miami International Airport, on the western edge of the city, with flights to Latin America and Europe, as well as to cities in the United States. Direct passenger rail service is available to the U.S. Northeast and Midwest. Interstate bus lines also serve the city, which is connected with the Florida turnpike and the interstate highway system. Situated on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Miami is a major seaport for both cargo and cruise lines. In 1960 the Port of Miami, administered by the Dade County Seaport Commission, began and completed long-range development of a deepwater marine terminal in Biscayne Bay. It is the largest cruise ship port in the world and one of the nation's busiest cargo ports. In addition to its cargo and passenger facilities, the terminal is used as a base by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences of the University of Miami. Education. The Miami-Dade county public school system is the fourth largest in the United States, with about 417,000 pupils in 2005. There are also many nonpublic schools, with an enrollment of some 43,000. The leading institution of higher learning in Greater Miami is the University of Miami, whose main campus is at Coral Gables. The Miami-Dade College has six campuses and various outreach centers throughout the county. Among other colleges in the area are the state-supported Florida International University, Barry University, and St. Thomas University (formerly, Biscayne College), the latter two Roman Catholic. Florida Memorial University, primarily a black institution, is a Baptist-affiliated school. There are numerous other academic as well as technical institutions of higher learning in the Miami area. Government. The city of Miami has a commission-manager form of government. The mayor is elected to a two-year term, and five commissioners serve four-year terms. The 13-member Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners also plays a major role in city government. It heads a metropolitan county government, called Metro, which acts to coordinate municipal activities. History. The name Miami probably derived from mayami, an Indian word meaning "big water" or "sweet water." Maps of the 16th century show an Indian village at what is now Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. Fort Dallas, near the mouth of the Miami River, was built in 1836, during the Seminole Indian wars. In 1896 Henry M. Flagler, through the urging of the pioneer settler Julia Tuttle, extended the East Coast Railroad to Miami. The city was incorporated that year, and visitors began to flock to the area. Miami Beach was incorporated in 1915. During the early 1920s, Miami was the scene of a great land boom, owing to the influx of people from northern United States to the region. However, in 1926, as a result of a severe hurricane and financial panic, the boom collapsed, leaving real estate interests with acres of swampland and no buyers. Despite this setback the region continued to grow, with land drained and streets and parks laid out. During World War II, Miami became a huge training base for hundreds of thousands of members of the armed services. Many veterans returned to the area after the war. There was an increase in hotel building at that time, and the Miami area grew and flourished. Growth, however, has sometimes generated growing pains: an influx of hundreds of thousands of Cubans in the 1960s and in 1980 created one set of problems, and increased racial tension, at least partially initiated by alleged police mistreatment of blacks, culminated in severe rioting in 1980. In the 1980s the large Cuban refugee population exceeded 600,000. Cubans became involved in politics in the city, dominating the government of Miami as well as that of nearby communities. "Little Havana," the initial entry point for early waves of Cubans, is a predominantly Spanish-speaking community and reflects aspects of Cuban culture. Haitian refugees moved into an area initially called "Lemon City," which has incorporated many of their native customs. By the 1980s that neighborhood had come to be known as "Little Haiti."