Miami, Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

City of Miami
Miami's skyline 1/13/2008
Flag Seal
Nickname: The Magic City
Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
Coordinates: 25°47′16″N 80°13′27″W / 25.78778, -80.22417
Country	United States of America
State	Florida
County	Miami-Dade
Incorporated	July 28, 1896
Government
- Type	Mayor-Commissioner Plan
- Mayor	Manny Diaz (I)
- City Manager	Pedro G. Hernandez
- City Attorney	Jorge L. Fernandez
- City Clerk	Priscilla Thompson
Area
- City	55.27 sq mi (143.15 km²)
- Land	35.68 sq mi (92.42 km²)
- Water	19.59 sq mi (50.73 km²)
Elevation	6 ft (2 m)
Population (2006)
- City	404,048
- Density	11,554/sq mi (3,923.5/km²)
- Urban	4,919,036
- Metro	5,463,857
- Demonym	Miamian
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	305, 786
FIPS code	12-45000[1]
GNIS feature ID	0295004[2]
Website: http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/

Miami (pronounced maɪˈæmi or maɪˈæmə) is a major city in southeastern Florida, in the United States. It is the county seat of Miami-Dade County. Miami is a gamma world city^[3] with an estimated population of 404,048. It is the largest city within the South Florida metropolitan area, which is the largest metropolitan area in the Southeastern United States with 5.5 million people. Miami and its surrounding cities make up the fifth largest urban area in the United States.^[4] As of 2005, the United Nations estimates that the Miami Urban Agglomeration is the fourth largest in the United States, and the 44th largest in the world.^[5]

Miami’s importance as an international financial and cultural center has elevated Miami to the status of world city. Because of Miami’s cultural and linguistic ties to North, South, and Central America, as well as the Caribbean, Miami is many times referred to as “The Gateway of the Americas”. Florida’s large Spanish-speaking population and strong economic ties to Latin America also make Miami and the surrounding region an important financial center of the Hispanic world.

Miami is also home to one of the largest, most influential ports in the United States, the Port of Miami. The port is often called the “Cruise Capital of the World” and the “Cargo Gateway of the Americas”. It has retained its status as the number one cruise/passenger port in the world for well over a decade accommodating the largest cruise ships and the major cruise lines.

As of 2007, Miami is undergoing a massive building boom that ranks second worldwide (and first in the United States) for the most buildings under construction that will be over 492 feet (150 m), with over 24 of such buildings currently under construction. Miami’s skyline also currently ranks third in the U.S. behind Chicago and New York City (and 18th in the world) according to the 2006 Almanac of Architecture and Design.^[6] Including other nearby neighborhoods and cities, the Miami area has over 80 highrise towers under construction, such as the Biscayne Wall in Downtown Miami, a row of skyscrapers being built along the west side of Biscayne Boulevard. Miami currently has the five tallest skyscrapers in the state of Florida with the tallest being the Four Seasons Hotel & Tower.^[7]

At only 35.68 square miles (92 km²) of land area, Miami has the smallest land area of any major U.S. city with a metro area of at least 2.5 million people. The city proper is home to less than 1 in 13 residents of the South Florida Metro Area. Additionally, 52% of Miami-Dade County’s population doesn't live in any incorporated city. Miami is the only major city in the United States bordered by two national parks, Everglades National Park on the west, and Biscayne National Park on the east.

Miami and its metro area grew from just over one thousand residents to nearly five and a half million residents in just 110 years (1896-2006). The city’s nickname, The Magic City, comes from this rapid growth. Winter visitors remarked that the city grew so much from one year to the next that it was like magic.^[8] Miami is the only major city in the United States founded by a woman, Julia Tuttle.^[9]

History

Main article: History of Miami, Florida

Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896,^[10] though the area was first inhabited for more than a thousand years by the Tequesta Indians and was claimed for Spain in 1566 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. A Spanish mission was established a year later in 1567. In 1836 Fort Dallas was built and subsequently, was a site of fighting during the Second Seminole War. In the 1920s, Miami prospered through the Florida Land Boom of the 1920's with an increase in population and infrastructure. By 1940, 172,172 people lived in the city and Miami had grown to become a large, growing city.

Approximately 400 men voted for Miami’s incorporation in 1896 in the building to the left.

The Miami area was better known as “Biscayne Bay Country” in the early years of its growth. Some published reports described the area as a promising wilderness.^[11] The area was also characterized as “one of the finest building sites in Florida.”^[12] However, the Great Freeze of 1894 changed all that, and the crops of the Miami area were the only ones in Florida that survived. Julia Tuttle, a local citrus grower, convinced Henry Flagler, a railroad tycoon, to expand his Florida East Coast Railroad to Miami. On July 28, 1896, Miami was officially incorporated as a city with a population of just over 300.

Miami prospered during the 1920s but weakened after the collapse of the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s, the 1926 Miami Hurricane and the Great Depression in the 1930s. When World War II began, Miami, well-situated due to its location on the southern coast of Florida, played an important role in the battle against German submarines. The war helped to expand Miami’s population to almost half a million. After Fidel Castro rose to power in 1959, many Cubans sought refuge in Miami, further increasing the population. In the 1980s and 1990s, various crises struck South Florida, among them the Arthur McDuffie beating and the subsequent riot, drug wars, Hurricane Andrew, and the Elián González uproar. Miami remains a major international, financial, and cultural center.

Geography

Miami skyline as seen from Miami Beach in August 2007

Miami and its suburbs are located on a broad plain between the Florida Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east that also extends from Florida Bay north to Lake Okeechobee. The elevation of the area never rises above 40 ft (12 m)^[13] and averages at around 6 ft (2 m)^[14] above mean sea level in most neighborhoods, especially near the coast. The highest undulations are found along the coastal Miami Rock Ridge, whose substrate underlies most of the eastern Miami metropolitan region. The main portion of the city lies on the shores of Biscayne Bay which contains several hundred natural and artificially-created barrier islands, the largest of which contains the city of Miami Beach and its famous South Beach district. The Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current, runs northward just 15 miles (24.1 km) off the coast, allowing the city's climate to stay warm and mild all year.

Geology

View from one of the high points in Miami, west of downtown from SW 9th Street. The western part of the city (Little Havana) has points as high as 20 feet (6.1 m) above sea level.^[15]Photo: Marc Averette

The surface bedrock under the Miami area is called Miami oolite or Miami limestone. This bedrock is covered by a thin layer of soil, and is no more than 50 feet (15 m) thick. Miami limestone formed as the result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent glaciations or ice ages. Beginning some 130,000 years ago the Sangamon interglacial raised sea levels to approximately 25 feet (7.5 m.) above the current level. All of southern Florida was covered by a shallow sea. Several parallel lines of reef formed along the edge of the submerged Florida plateau, stretching from the present Miami area to what is now the Dry Tortugas. The area behind this reef line was in effect a large lagoon, and the Miami limestone formed throughout the area from the deposition of oolites and the shells of bryozoans. Starting about 100,000 years ago the Wisconsin glaciation began lowering sea levels, exposing the floor of the lagoon. By 15,000 years ago, the sea level had dropped to 300 to 350 feet (110 m) below the contemporary level. The sea level rose quickly after that, stabilizing at the current level about 4000 years ago, leaving the mainland of South Florida just above sea level.

Beneath the plain lies the Biscayne Aquifer,^[16] a natural underground source of fresh water that extends from southern Palm Beach County to Florida Bay, with its highest point peaking around the cities of Miami Springs and Hialeah. Most of the South Florida metropolitan area obtains its drinking water from this aquifer. As a result of the aquifer, it is not possible to dig more than 15 to 20ft (4.57 to 6.1 m) beneath the city without hitting water, which impedes underground construction. For this reason there is no subway system in Miami.

Most of the western fringes of the city extend into the Everglades, a subtropical marshland located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. This causes occasional problems with local wildlife such as alligators venturing into Miami communities and major highways.

In terms of land area, Miami is one of the smallest major cities in the United States. According to the US Census Bureau, the city encompasses a total area of 55.27 mi² (143.15 km²). Of that area, 35.67 mi² (92.68 km²) is land and 19.59 mi² (50.73 km²) is water. That means Miami comprises over 400,000 people in a mere 35 square miles (91 km²), making it one of the most densely populated cities in the United States, along with New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago among others. Miami is located at 25°47′16″N, 80°13′27″W.^[17]

Climate

Typical summer afternoon shower rolling in from the Everglades.Photo: Marc Averette

Miami has a true tropical climate (Köppen climate classification Aw),^[18] with hot, humid summers, and warm, dry winters. The city does experience cold fronts from November through March. However, the average monthly temperature for any month has never been recorded as being under 64.4 °F (January averages 67 °F).^[19] Most of the year is warm and humid, and the summers are almost identical to the climate of the Caribbean tropics. In addition, the city gets most of its rain in the summer (wet season) and is relatively dry in winter (dry season). The wet season, which is hot and humid, lasts from May to October, when it gives way to the dry season, which features mild temperatures with some invasions of colder air, which is when the little winter rainfall occurs — with the passing of a front. The hurricane season largely coincides with the wet season.

In addition to its sea-level elevation, coastal location and position just above the Tropic of Cancer, the area owes its warm, humid climate to the Gulf Stream, which moderates climate year-round. A typical summer day does not have temperatures below 75 °F (24 °C). Temperatures in the high 80s to low 90s (30-35 °C) accompanied by high humidity are often relieved by afternoon thunderstorms or a sea breeze that develops off the Atlantic Ocean, which then allow lower temperatures, although conditions still remain very muggy. During winter, humidity is significantly lower, allowing for cooler weather to develop. Average minimum temperatures during that time are around 60 °F (15 °C), rarely dipping below 40 °F (4 °C), and the equivalent maxima usually range between 65 and 75 °F (18-24 °C).

Miami has never recorded a triple-digit temperature; the highest temperature recorded was 98 °F (37 °C).^[20]. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city of Miami was 30 °F (-1 °C) on several occasions.^[21] Miami has only once recorded snowfall, on January 20, 1977. Weather conditions for the area around Miami were recorded sporadically from 1839 until 1900, with many years-long gaps. A cooperative temperature and rainfall recording site was established in what is now downtown Miami in December, 1900. An official Weather Bureau Office was opened in Miami in June, 1911.^[22]

Miami receives abundant rainfall, one of the highest among major U.S. cities. Most of this rainfall occurs from mid-May through early October. It receives annual rainfall of 58.6 inches (1488 mm),^[23] whereas nearby Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach receive 63.8 in (1621 mm) and 48.3 in (1227 mm), respectively, which demonstrates the high local variability in rainfall rates. Hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30, although hurricanes can develop beyond those dates. The most likely time for Miami to be hit is during the peak of the Cape Verde season which is mid-August through the end of September.^[24] Due to its location between two major bodies of water known for tropical activity, Miami is also statistically the most likely major city in the world to be struck by a hurricane, trailed closely by Nassau, Bahamas, and Havana, Cuba. Despite this, the city has been fortunate in not having a direct hit by a hurricane since Hurricane Cleo in 1964.^[25] However, many other hurricanes have affected the city, including Betsy in 1965, Andrew in 1992, Irene in 1999, and Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005. In addition, a tropical depression in October of 2000 passed over the city, causing record rainfall and flooding. Locally, the storm is credited as the No Name Storm of 2000, though the depression went on to become Tropical Storm Leslie upon entering the Atlantic Ocean.

Economy

The heart of Downtown Miami as seen on February 2, 2007. The ongoing construction throughout the city, as depicted here, has inspired popular opinion suggesting Miami has become a prime example of “manhattanization”. Right of center in this image is the Freedom Tower, a historic landmark.

Miami is one of the country’s most important financial centers. It is the major center of regional commerce, and boasts a strong international business community. According to the ranking of world cities undertaken by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC) and based on the level of presence of global corporate service organizations, Miami is considered a “Gamma World City”.

Because of its proximity to Latin America, Miami serves as the headquarters of Latin American operations for more than 1400 multinational corporations, including AIG, American Airlines, Cisco, Disney, Exxon, FedEx, Kraft Foods, Microsoft, Oracle, SBC Communications, Sony, and Visa International. Several large companies are headquartered in or around Miami, including but not limited to: Alienware, Bacardi, Brightstar Corporation, Burger King, Carnival Cruise Lines, Espírito Santo Financial Group, Greenberg Traurig, Interval International, Lennar, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Perry Ellis International, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Ryder Systems, Telefónica USA, TeleFutura, Telemundo, U.S. Century Bank, and World Fuel Services. Miami International Airport and the Port of Miami are among the nation’s busiest ports of entry, especially for cargo from South America and the Caribbean. Additionally, downtown Miami has the largest concentration of international banks in the country. Miami was also the host city of the 2003 Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations, and is one of the leading candidates to become the trading bloc's headquarters.

The Port of Miami, the largest container port in Florida, as well as the “Cruise Capital of the World” and “Cargo Gateway of the Americas”.

Tourism is also an important industry: the beaches of Greater Miami draw visitors from across the country and around the world, and the Art Deco nightclub district in South Beach (in Miami Beach) is widely regarded as one of the most glamorous in the world. However, it is important to note that Miami Beach is not a part of the city of Miami. Even major TV networks sometimes forget this, as when Good Morning America visited Miami Beach and Charles Gibson thanked the mayor of Miami (but he was standing next to the mayor of Miami Beach). In addition to these roles, Miami is also an industrial center, especially for stone quarrying and warehousing.

Miami is the home to the National Hurricane Center and the headquarters of the United States Southern Command, responsible for military operations in Central and South America.

Miami has also served as venue for legendary legal proceedings, most notably the $145 billion verdict leveled against the nation’s five largest cigarette manufacturers. This case was a class action on behalf of all afflicted Florida smokers and their families, represented by a prominent and successful Miami-raised husband and wife legal team, Stanley and Susan Rosenblatt.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2004, Miami had the third highest incidence of family incomes below the federal poverty line in the United States, making it the third poorest city in the USA, behind only Detroit, Michigan (ranked #1) and El Paso, Texas (ranked #2.) Miami is also one of the very few cities where its local government went bankrupt, in 2001.^[26]

Miami is also one of the least affordable places to live, with the median percentage of housing costs as a percentage of income was 42.8%; the national average was 27%. Miami ranks twelfth among least affordable cities for home ownership.^[27]

In 2005, the Miami area witnessed its largest real estate boom since the 1920s. The newly created Midtown Miami, having well over a hundred approved construction projects, is an example of this.^[28] As of 2007, however, the housing market has crashed and more than 23,000 condos are for sale and/or foreclosed.^[29] The Miami metropolitan area foreclosures are up 82 percent from a year ago, and the Miami area ranks 8th worst in the nation in foreclosures.^[30]

In August 2007, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development attempted to take control of Miami-Dade County’s housing agency, citing mismanagement of housing programs and a poor record keeping of the agency’s finances.^[31] These attempts are halted, pending a ruling on a preliminary injunction request by the county; non-binding mediation has also been mandated over the issue.^[32]

People and culture

Demographics

A map of Miami from 1955

Miami is the 43rd most populous city in the U.S. The South Florida metropolitan area, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, had a combined population of more than 5.4 million people, ranked sixth in the United States,^[4] (behind Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX,) and was the largest metropolitan area in the Southeastern United States. As of the census of 2000, there were 362,470 people, 134,198 households, and 83,336 families residing in the city. The population density was 10,160.9/mi² (3,923.5/km²). There were 148,388 housing units at an average density of 4,159.7/mi² (1,606.2/km²).

The racial makeup of the city is as follows:^[34]

• 66.62% White (11.8% were Non-Hispanic White)^[35]
• 22.31% African American or Black (many of whom are of Caribbean descent)
• 0.22% Native American
• 0.66% Asian
• 0.04% Pacific Islander
• 5.42% from other races
• 4.74% from two or more races
• 65.76% of the population were Latino or Hispanic of any race.

In terms of national origin and/or ethnic origin, the city is 34.1% Cuban, 22.3% African American, 5.6% Nicaraguan, 5.0% Haitian, 3.6% Puerto Rican and 3.3% Honduran. In 2004, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) ranked Miami first in terms of percentage of residents born outside of the country it is located in (59%), followed by Toronto (50%).

There were 134,198 households out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples living together, 18.7% have a female head of household with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.25.

The age distribution was 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,483, and the median income for a family was $27,225. Males had a median income of $24,090 versus $20,115 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,128. About 23.5% of families and 28.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.2% of those under age 18 and 29.3% of those age 65 or over.

Based on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports Program, Miami ranks as the second most dangerous metropolitan area in the United States, based on the number of murders, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts that have occurred in the metropolitan area. The city proper ranks 14th in the United States.^[36]

Miami’s explosive population growth in recent years has been driven by internal migration from other parts of the country as well as by immigration. Greater Miami is regarded as more of a multicultural mosaic, than it is a melting pot, with residents still maintaining much of, or some of their cultural traits. The overall culture of Miami and Miami-Dade are heavily influenced by its large population of ethnic Latin Americans and cultures from Caribbeans from islands such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, Cuba and more (many of whom spoke Spanish or Haitian Creole).

Authentic Cuban dish of ropa vieja (shredded flank steak in a tomato sauce base), black beans, yellow rice, plantains and fried yuca with beer.

Today the Miami Metro Area has a sizable community of citizens, permanent residents, and undocumented populations of Argentines, Bahamians, Brazilians, Canadians, Chileans, Chinese, Colombians, Cubans, Dominicans, Ecuadorans, French, German, Greeks, Guatemalans, Guyanese, Haitians, Hondurans, Jamaicans, Indians, Italians, Mexicans, Nicaraguans, Russians, Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Turks, South Africans, and Venezuelans, as well as a sizeable Puerto Rican population throughout the metropolitan area. While commonly thought of as mainly a city of Hispanic and Caribbean immigrants, the Miami area is home to large French, French Canadian, German, Italian, and Russian communities. The communities have grown to a prominent place in Miami and its suburbs, establishing area neighborhoods such as Little Haiti, Little Havana, Little Managua, and Little San Juan.

As of 2000, 34.14% of the populace was Cuban.^[37] 5.67% of the city's population was Nicaraguan,^[38] 5.5% of the it's population was Haitian.^[39] 3.34% of the population was Honduran,^[40] 1.76% of all residents were Dominican.^[41] 1.6% of the population was Colombian.^[42]

Languages

A wide variety of languages are commonly spoken throughout the city. The City of Miami has three official languages^{[citation needed]}: English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole (French Creole). Miami has the largest Spanish-speaking population in the Western Hemisphere outside Latin America.^[43]

As of 2000, speakers of Spanish as their first language accounted for 66.75% of residents, while English was spoken by 25.45%, French Creole by 5.20%, and French speakers comprised 0.76% of the population.^[44] Other languages that were spoken throughout the city include Portuguese at 0.41%, German at 0.18%, Italian at 0.16%, Arabic at 0.15%, Chinese at 0.11%, and Greek at 0.08% of the population. Miami also has one of the largest percentage populations in the U.S. that have residents who speak first languages other than English at home (74.54%.)^[44]

Media

Miami is served by two major English-language newspapers, The Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel, as well as two major Spanish-language newspapers, El Nuevo Herald and Diario Las Americas.The Miami Herald is Miami’s primary newspaper with over a million readers focusing mainly on issues that affect the Miami and Miami-Dade area. It also has news bureaus in Broward County, Monroe County, and Nassau, Bahamas. It publishes daily Monroe County, Nassau, and International Editions along with the daily Miami-Dade edition.

Miami is the 12th largest radio market and the 17th largest television market in the U.S. Television stations serving the Miami area include WAMI (Telefutura), WBFS (My Network TV), WSFL (The CW), WFOR (CBS), WHFT (TBN), WLTV (Univision), WPLG (ABC), WPXM (ION), WSCV (Telemundo), WSVN (FOX), WTVJ (NBC), WPBT (PBS), WLRN (also PBS) and WSBS Mega TV

See also: List of radio stations in Florida

Sports

See also: U.S. cities with teams from four major sports

The Miami Orange Bowl

The American Airlines Arena during 2004 playoffs.

The Miami Heat is the only major professional sports team that plays its games within Miami's city limits. The team won the 2006 NBA Finals, winning the series 4-2 over the Dallas Mavericks. The Miami Dolphins and the Florida Marlins both play their games in the suburb of Miami Gardens. The Orange Bowl, a member of the Bowl Championship Series, hosts their college football championship games at Dolphin Stadium. The stadium has also hosted the Super Bowl; the Miami metro area has hosted the game a total of nine times (four Super Bowls in Dolphin Stadium, including Super Bowl XLI, five at the Miami Orange Bowl), tying New Orleans for the most games. Miami FC, Florida’s only professional soccer team, plays at Tropical Park in Miami. Miami signed world famed soccer player Romario in March 2006 to a one year deal, and possibly longer. The Florida Panthers NHL team plays in neighboring Broward County, Florida at the BankAtlantic Center in the city of Sunrise. Miami is also the home of the Florida International University Golden Panthers at FIU Stadium and the University of Miami Hurricanes, whose football team formerly played at the Miami Orange Bowl, but moved to Dolphin Stadium starting with the 2008 season. Miami is also home to Paso Fino horses, where competitions are held at Tropical Park Equestrian Center.

A number of defunct teams were located in Miami, including the Miami Floridians (ABA), Miami Matadors (ECHL), Miami Manatees (WHA2), Miami Gatos (NASL), Miami Screaming Eagles (WHA), Miami Seahawks (AAFC), Miami Sol (WNBA), Miami Toros (NASL), Miami Tropics (SFL), and the Miami Hooters (Arena Football League). The Miami Fusion, a defunct Major League Soccer team played at Lockhart Stadium in nearby Broward County.

Education

See also: Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Miami is served by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which is the largest school district in Florida and the fourth largest in the United States. As of February 15, 2006 it has a student enrollment of 414,128. The district is also the largest minority public school system in the country, with 52% of its students being of Hispanic origin, 25% African American, and 6% non-white of other minorities. M-DCPS is also one of a few public school districts in the United States to offer optional bilingual education. Miami also has several Catholic and Jewish private schools throughout the area.

The city ranks second-to-last in people over 18 with a high school diploma, with 47% of the population not having that degree.^[45]

Colleges and universities in the city proper:

• Florida International University Metropolitan Center in Downtown Miami (Public)
• Miami-Dade College (Public)
• Miami International University of Art and Design (Private)

Transportation

Air travel

Miami International Airport, one of the busiest international airports in the world, is the main airport serving the Miami metropolitan area, catering to over 35 million passengers a year. Identifiable locally, as well as several worldwide authorities, as MIA or KMIA, the airport is a major hub and the single largest international gateway for American Airlines, the world’s largest passenger air carrier. Miami International is the United States’ third largest international port of entry for foreign air passengers (behind New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport), and is the seventh largest such gateway in the world. The airport’s extensive international route network includes non-stop flights to over seventy international cities in North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Alternatively, nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) also serves the metropolitan area.^[46]

Miami's port as seen from Miami Beach, Florida showing 7 cruise ships docked 12/8/2007.

Seaports

Miami is home to the Port of Miami, the largest cruise ship port in the world. In 2005, the port served 3,605,201 passengers. Additionally, the port is one of the nation's busiest cargo ports, importing nearly ten million tons of cargo annually. Among North American ports, it ranks second only to the Port of South Louisiana in New Orleans in terms of cargo tonnage imported/exported from Latin America. The port is on 518 acres (2.10 km²) and has 7 passenger terminals. The top port imports are cargo, stone/clay/cement/tile/bricks/concrete, and alcoholic beverages. The most common exports of the Port of Miami are cargo, paper/newsprints/towels, and textiles. China number 1 import country of the port, and Honduras is the number 1 export country. Eight cruise lines sail from the port of Miami: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, and Windjammer Barefoot Cruises.^[47]

Public transportation

Further information: Miami Public Transportation

The Miami Metrorail

Local public transportation includes Metrobus, Metromover, and Metrorail—an elevated rapid transit system—each operated by Miami-Dade Transit. Furthermore, Tri-Rail, a suburban rail system, connects the major cities and airports of the South Florida metropolitan area. Several transit expansion projects are being funded by a transit development sales tax surcharge throughout Miami-Dade County. The Metrobus system is also an option for those looking to reach destinations not served by the main transit lines. A new light rail system called BayLink has been proposed. BayLink will connect Downtown Miami with the South Beach district of Miami Beach.

Road and rail

Miami is the southern terminus of Amtrak's Atlantic Coast services, with its final station located in the suburb of Hialeah, Florida.

Miami-Dade County is served by four Interstate Highways (I-75, I-95, I-195, I-395) and several U.S. Highways including U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 27, U.S. Route 41, and U.S. Route 441. For information on the street grid, see Miami-Dade County, Florida#Street grid. Some of the major Florida State Roads (and their common names) serving the county are:

• SR 112 (Airport Expressway) Downtown to MIA
• SR 821 (The HEFT or Homestead Extension of the Florida Turnpike: SR 91/Miami Gardens to U.S. Route 1/Florida City)
• SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) Golden Glades Interchange to U.S. Route 1/Kendall
• SR 836 (Dolphin Expressway) Downtown to Turnpike via MIA
• SR 874 (Don Shula Expressway) 826/Bird Road to 878
• SR 878 (Snapper Creek Expressway) Kendall to Turnpike/Homestead
• SR 924 (Gratigny Parkway) Miami Lakes to Opa-locka

In 2007, Miami was identified as having the rudest drivers in the United States, the second year in a row to have been cited, in a poll commissioned by automobile club AutoVantage.^[48] Miami is also consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States for pedestrians.^[49]

Miami in popular culture

See also: List of films and television shows set in Miami

Portion of the Miami skyline showing the Bank of America tower lit hot neon pink, one of the colors that has become the epitome of Miami's fashion nostalgia.

A view of Miami's popular cityscape showing the Wachovia Financial Center.

There are many television shows set in Miami. The controversial Emmy winning drama Nip/Tuck, CBS's CSI: Miami, and Showtime's Dexter all take place in Miami. The Jackie Gleason Show was taped in Miami Beach from 1964 to 1970. The NBC show Good Morning, Miami was fictionally based around the workings of a Miami television station. The popular sitcoms The Golden Girls and Empty Nest, as well as the detective series Surfside 6 and Miami Vice were also based in the Miami area. Keeping with its modern music tradition, the city has recently hosted the 2004 and 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. A recent show to be set in Miami is the USA Network's Burn Notice, which is filmed on location and in studios located in Miami.

In the mid-2000s, Miami started to become a popular backdrop for reality television shows. Reality programming set in the city include the TLC show Miami Ink; Discovery Channel's After Dark; Animal Planet's Miami Animal Police; MTV's 8th & Ocean, Making Menudo, the fourth season of Making the Band, Room Raiders; The Real World: Miami, and The X Effect; VH1's Hogan Knows Best; TruTV's Bounty Girls: Miami; and the third season of Bravo's Top Chef.

Video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories take place in Vice City a fictional city inspired by Miami, including some of the same architecture and geography. There were also people and gangsters in the game who speak Haitian Creole and Spanish.

Miami has acted as the backdrop for several movies, including There's Something About Mary, Wild Things, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Bad Boys & Bad Boys II, Transporter 2, The Birdcage, The Substitute, Blow, True Lies, Reno 911!: Miami, Quick Pick, Miami Vice (based on the 1980s television series of the same name), Cocaine Cowboys, 1983's Scarface, and the James Bond films Goldfinger, Thunderball, and Casino Royale.

Miami is a center for Latin television and film production. As a result, many Spanish-language programs are filmed in the many television production studios, predominantly in Hialeah and Doral. This includes gameshows, variety shows, news programs, and telenovelas like Morelia and La Mujer de Mi Vida. Arguably, the most famous Miami-filmed programs are Sábado Gigante, a Saturday night variety show seen throughout the United States, South America and Europe, and the daytime talk shows Cristina Saralegui and El Gordo y la Flaca.

Music

Miami music is varied. Latin Americans brought the conga and rumba to Miami from their homelands instantly popularizing it in American culture, as well as salsa music, bachata, merengue, vallenato. West Indians and Caribbean people have brought reggae, soca, kompa, zouk, calypso, and steel pan to the area as well.

In the early-1970s, the Miami disco sound came to life with TK Records, featuring the music of KC and the Sunshine Band, with such hits as "Get Down Tonight", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" and "That's the Way (I Like It)"; and the Latin-American disco group, Foxy (band), with their hit singles "Get Off" and "Hot Number". Miami-area natives George McCrae and Teri DeSario were also popular music artists during the 1970s disco era.

Miami-influenced, Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, hit the popular music scene with their Cuban-oriented sound and had huge hits in the 1980s with "Conga" and "Bad Boys".

Notable hip-hop artists from the Miami area consist of 2 Live Crew, Dre, J.T. Money (of Poison Clan), Poison Clan, Pretty Ricky, Trick Daddy, Trina, Pitbull, Rayko/KRB and Rick Ross.

Miami is also considered a "hot spot" for DANCE music, Freestyle, a style of dance music popular in the 80's and 90's heavily influenced by Electro, hip-hop, and disco. Many popular Freestyle acts such as Pretty Tony, Debbie Deb, Stevie B, and Exposé, originated in Miami. Indie/folk acts Cat Power and Iron & Wine are based in the city,^[50] while alternative hip hop artist Sage Francis, electro artist Uffie, and the electroclash duo Avenue D were born in Miami, but musically based elsewhere. Also, punk band Against All Authority is from Miami, and rock/metal bands Nonpoint and Marilyn Manson each formed in neighboring Fort Lauderdale.

Miami is also home to a vibrant music scene and hosts the Winter Music Conference, two days Ultra music festival and many electronica music-themed celebrations and festivals. Along with neighboring Miami Beach, Miami is home to some famous nightclubs, such as Space, Mansion, Twilo, Ink, Cameo, and Opium Garden, and is also the site of the annual Winter Music Conference - the largest Dance music event in the world. The city is known to be part of clubland, along with places such as Mykonos, Ibiza and Ayia Napa.

Sister cities

See also: List of sister cities in Florida

Miami has 10 sister cities:^[51]

• Bogotá, Colombia
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Kagoshima, Japan
• Lima, Peru
• Madrid, Spain
• Port-au-Prince, Haiti
• Qingdao, China
• Salvador, Brazil
• Santiago, Chile
• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

See also

• City of Miami Cemetery
• List of mayors of Miami
• List of people from Miami, Florida
• List of tallest buildings in Miami
• Miami Police Department
• Miami Seaquarium
• Neighborhoods of Miami, Florida

References

Extended information

• U.S. Census Bureau - Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights for City of Miami
• Jeff, Ripple (1995). The Florida Keys: the Natural Wonders of an Island Paradise, Photographs by Bill Keogh, Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN.

External links

Find more about Miami on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Dictionary definitions
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	Learning resources

• Miami, Florida travel guide from Wikitravel
• Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau
• City of Miami, Florida - Official Site
• Miami Times newspaper that serves Miami, Florida is available in full-text with images in Florida Digital Newspaper Library
• Miami, Florida is at coordinates 25°47′16″N 80°13′27″W / 25.787676, -80.224145 (Miami, Florida)Coordinates: 25°47′16″N 80°13′27″W / 25.787676, -80.224145 (Miami, Florida)

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County seat: Miami
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Former CDPs	Miami: Allapattah | Bay Point Estates | Brickell | Coconut Grove | Dinner Key | Liberty City | Little Havana | Little Haiti | Overtown Miami Gardens: Andover | Bunche Park | Carol City | Lake Lucerne | Norland | Opa-locka North | Scott Lake Palmetto Bay: Cutler | East Perrine
Communities	Fairlawn | West Kendall