Miami

Lore & Background

Miami was named after the Miami River, derived from Mayaimi, the historic name of Lake Okeechobee and the Native Americans who lived around it. The Tequesta tribe occupied the Miami area for around 2,000 years before contact with Europeans. A village of hundreds of people, dating to 500–600 BCE, was located at the mouth of the Miami River. In 1566, admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés claimed the area for Spain. A Spanish mission was constructed one year later. Florida was ruled by Spain for centuries—aside from a brief British interlude (1763–1783)—until Spain ceded it to the United States in 1821. In 1836, the U.S. built Fort Dallas on the banks of the Miami River. Miami is noted as the only major city in the United States founded by a woman. Julia Tuttle, a local citrus grower and a wealthy Cleveland native, was the original owner of the land upon which Miami was built. The Great Freeze of 1894–1895 hastened Miami's growth, as the crops there were the only ones in Florida that survived. Julia Tuttle convinced railroad tycoon Henry Flagler to extend his Florida East Coast Railway to the region. Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896, with a population of just over 300. During the early 20th century, migrants from the Bahamas and African-Americans constituted 40 percent of the city's population. Miami prospered during the 1920s. The collapse of the 1920s Florida land boom, the 1926 Miami hurricane, and the Great Depression slowed development. When World War II began, Miami became a base for U.S. defense against German submarines. After Fidel Castro rose to power in Cuba in 1959, many Cubans sought refuge in Miami. Miami's national profile expanded dramatically in the 1970s, particularly in 1972, when the region hosted both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The Miami Dolphins also made history with their undefeated 'perfect' season. Miami developed new businesses and cultural amenities as part of the New South in the 1980s and 1990s.

In Their Own Story

The humidity hangs heavy as the sun dips below the horizon, painting the Biscayne Bay in shades of burnt orange and violet. On Ocean Drive, the pastel facades of Art Deco hotels glow under neon signs that hum to life one by one. A salsa rhythm drifts from an open-air café where older men play dominoes on plastic tables, while nearby, a young entrepreneur checks her phone, coordinating a shipment destined for São Paulo or Bogotá. The air smells of salt spray, frying plantains, and expensive perfume. In this liminal space between the Caribbean and the mainland, time seems to stretch, suspended in the golden hour that never quite ends.

Reader's Guide

Downtown Miami has one of the largest concentrations of international banks in the U.S. and is home to several large national and international companies. The Health District is home to several major University of Miami–affiliated hospital and health facilities, including Jackson Memorial Hospital, the nation's largest hospital with 1,547 beds, the Miller School of Medicine, the University of Miami's academic medical center and teaching hospital, and others engaged in health-related care and research. PortMiami, the city's seaport, is the busiest cruise port in the world in both passenger traffic and cruise lines. The Miami metropolitan area is the second-most visited city or metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. after New York City, with over four million visitors in 2022. Due to its strong commercial and cultural ties to Latin America and majority-Hispanic population (at 70%), Miami has been called the 'Gateway to Latin America' or even the 'Capital of Latin America'.

Did You Know?

• Miami is the only major city in the United States founded by a woman, Julia Tuttle.
• Miami has the third-largest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises.
• PortMiami is the busiest cruise port in the world in both passenger traffic and cruise lines.
• Miami's metropolitan area is the largest urban economy in Florida, with a 2023 GDP of $533.674 billion.