Miami

Miami (my-AM-ee), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populous city in Florida. The Miami metropolitan area is the ninth largest in the U.S. with a population. of 6.138 million in 2020. Miami is a majority-minority city with a Hispanic population of 310,472, or 70.2 percent of the city's population, as of 2020. PortMiami is the busiest cruise port in the world in both passenger traffic and cruise lines. Miami has one of the largest concentrations of international banks and is home to many large national and international companies. The city has the third-largest skyline with over 300 high-rises, 58 of which exceed 491 ft (150 m) Miami has sometimes been called the Gateway to Latin America because of the magnitude of its commercial and cultural ties to the region. Miami was named in 1896 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. It is believed that the entire tribe migrated to Cuba by the mid-1700s. In 1566, admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Florida's first governor, claimed the area for Spain. Spain and Britain ruled Florida until Spain ceded it to the United States in 1821.

Toponymy

Miami is the primary city name, but also Coconut Grove, Coral Gables are acceptable city names or spellings. Miami was named in 1896 after the Miami River, derived from Mayaimi, the historic name of Lake Okeechobee and the Native Americans who lived around it. The Miami River was named after the Native American tribe that lived around the lake. The city's name was changed to Miami after the city was incorporated in 1894. The name Miami was adopted by the city's citizens in 1891. It is now known as Miami-Dade County and has a population of more than 1.5 million. The City of Miami is located in Miami Beach, Florida, on the Florida Turnpike, which was once called the Miami Ship Channel. It was renamed Miami in 1892 by the City Council after the river's name, Miami River. The current name is Miami- Dade County, and it was originally called Miami-Wilkes-Barre before the city changed its name to Miami in 1896. The town's name is now Miami-Miami, and the city is in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables. It also has a city park, Miami Beach Park, and a city center, Miami Park, which were all named after Miami River in 1881. It has a lake, Miami Lake, which is named for the original name of the lake and its Native American inhabitants. It's also known as the Miami Beach Causeway, which runs through the center of the city, and has been called Miami Lake since 1883. The word Miami means "river" or "lake" in Native American language.

History

The Tequesta tribe occupied the Miami area for around 2,000 years before contact with Europeans. Julia Tuttle, a local citrus grower and a wealthy Cleveland native, was the original owner of the land upon which the city was built. Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896, with a population of just over 300. In the late 19th century, the area was known as "Biscayne Bay Country", and reports described it as a promising wilderness. The Great Freeze of 1894-1895 hastened Miami's growth, as the crops there were the only ones in Florida that survived. Miami prospered during the 1920s with an increase in population and development in infrastructure as northerners moved to the city. The city's nickname, The Magic City, came from its rapid growth, which was noticed by winter visitors who remarked that the city grew so much from one year to the next that it was like magic. Miami developed in the latter half of the 20th century as a major international, financial, and cultural center. It is the second-largest U.S. city with a Spanish-speaking majority (after El Paso, Texas), and the largest city with an African-American plurality (after Miami) Miami is the only major city in the United States to be founded by a woman, and the only one in which the majority of the population is African American. It was the site of fighting in the Second Seminole War, which ended in 1836.

Geography

Miami and its suburbs are located on a broad plain between the Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east. The elevation of the area averages at around 6 ft (1.8 m) above sea level in most neighborhoods, especially near the coast. The highest points are found along the Miami Rock Ridge, which lies under most of the eastern Miami metro. The heart of the city is Downtown Miami, which is on the eastern side and includes the neighborhoods of Brickell, Virginia Key, Watson Island, as well as PortMiami. Most of the Miami metropolitan area obtains its drinking water from the Biscayne Aquifer, a natural underground source of fresh water that extends from southern Palm Beach County to Florida Bay. Alligators that live in the marshes have ventured into Miami communities and onto major highways. The city is split roughly into north, south, west, and Downtown areas. The western side of Miami is home to immigrants from mostly Central America and Cuba, while the central side is a multicultural community of many ethnicities. The eastern side is the home to many ethnic communities, such as Flagler, Flagler and Flagler Beach, and West Flagler. The northern side is home of Allapattah, a mostly Jewish neighborhood, which makes it very popular with local college students and bohemian restaurants and bars. The southern side includes Coral Way, The Roads, and Coconut Grove, which was established in 1825, and is a historic neighborhood with a heavy tree canopy.

Demographics

The Miami metropolitan area, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, has a population of 6.1 million people, ranking eighth in the United States. The city is home to less than one-thirteenth of the population of South Florida. 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 is heavily influenced by its large population from the Caribbean and South America. Since the 1960s, there has been massive white flight with many non-Hispanic whites moving outside Miami due to the influx of immigrants settling in most parts of Miami. As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of Miami was 65.4% White American (including White Hispanic), 16.0% black or African American, 1.3% Asian American, and the remainder belonged to other groups or was of mixed ancestry. The 2020 US Census reported that Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 72.5% of Miami's population. In 2010, those of (non-Hispanic white) European ancestry accounted for 11.9%. Of the city's total population, 0.3%. were Indian/Indo-Caribbean (1,206 people) (0.3%) were Chinese/Chinese Caribbean (1, 804 people), 0.2% were other Asian (433 people), and 0.1% were Vietnamese (125 people).

Economy

Miami has a Gross Metropolitan Product of $257 billion, ranking 11th in the United States and 20th worldwide in GMP. Over 1,400 multinational firms are located in Miami, with many major global organisations headquartering their Latin American operations (or regional offices) in the city. In a 2016 study by the website 24/7 Wall Street, Miami was rated as the worst U.S. city in which to live, based on crime, poverty, income inequality, education, and housing costs that far exceed the national median. PortMiami is the world's busiest cruise port, and MIA is the busiest airport in Florida. Miami was the host city of the 2003 Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations. Miami is also an industrial center, especially especially for stone quarrying and warehousing. The city is home to one of the largest ship ports in the world, the PortMiami, which is often called the largest cruise port in the US. The Little Fire Anturopia (Wasmannia auropata) is an invasive pest that is often found in Miami. The local government has gone bankrupt in 2001, and the city has a history of going bankrupt in the past, including in the early 1990s when the city was hit by a massive fire that destroyed much of the downtown area. Miami has the seven tallest (as well as fifteen of top twenty) skyscrapers in the state of Florida, with the tallest being the 868-foot (265 m) Panorama Tower. In 2012, Miami had the fourth highest percentage of family incomes below the federal poverty line out of all large cities.

Culture

Miami is known as the "Magic City" for seemingly popping up overnight due to its young age, massive growth, and its aesthetics of neon art deco. It is nicknamed the "Capital of Latin America" because of its high population of Spanish-speakers. The city has a unique dialect, called the "Miami accent", that is widely spoken. Miami has been the setting of numerous films and television shows, including Miami Vice, Cocaine Cowboys, Burn Notice, Jane the Virgin, Scarface, The Birdcage, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Golden Girls, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Dexter. Several video games, including Hotline Miami, the Gameloft racing game Asphalt Overdrive, and the fictional Vice City in several video games across the Grand Theft Auto series, is based on Miami. Miami is also a major fashion center, home to models and some of the top modeling agencies in the world. Miami will be having their first boat-in movie theater on Saturday, July 25, 2020. The Miami area has commonly spoken among second- or third-generation Hispanics, whose first language was English. Unlike other dialects in the U.S., the Miami dialect is rhotic, based on a fairly standard American accent but with some changes, very similar to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast dialects. Miami's cuisine is a reflection of its diverse population, with a heavy influence from Caribbean and Latin American cuisine. It has spawned a unique South Florida style of cooking known as Floribbean cuisine.

Sports

The Miami Open tennis tournament was previously held in Key Biscayne before moving to Hard Rock Stadium. The city streets have hosted professional auto races in the past, most notably the open-wheel Grand Prix of Miami. The Miami metro area has hosted the Super Bowl a total of ten times, tying New Orleans for the most games. Miami is also home to Paso Fino horses, and competitions are held at Tropical Park Equestrian Center. Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer plays at DRV PNK Stadium in nearby Fort Lauderdale, temporarily until a stadium is built in Miami. Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League play in nearby Sunrise at the FLA Live Arena. University of Miami Hurricanes and Florida International University Panthers compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Conference USA, respectively. Miami Heat and Miami Marlins play within Miami's city limits, at the FTX Arena in Downtown and LoanDepot Park in Little Havana, respectively, while Marlins Park is built on the site of the old Miami Orange Bowl stadium. Miami Dolphins play at Hard Rock stadium in suburban Miami Gardens, while the Florida Panthers play at the Florida Panther Arena in Sunrise. The Orange Bowl, one of the major bowl games in the College Football Playoff of the NCAA, is played at HardRock Stadium every winter. The Dolphins have won the Orange Bowl five times (five times at the current Hard rock Stadium and five at the MiamiOrange Bowl) and the game has also been played at the stadium five times. The Heat and the Marlins play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), while the Panthers compete at Ricardo Silva Stadium.

Beaches and parks

There are over 80 parks and gardens in the city. The largest and most popular parks are Bayfront Park and Museum Park. Zoo Miami, Jungle Island, the Miami Seaquarium, Monkey Jungle, Coral Castle, Charles Deering Estate, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and Key Biscayne are popular cultural destinations. The Trust for Public Land reported that the park system in the City of Miami was the 64th best park system among the 100 most populous US cities. The city was analyzed to have a median park size of 2.6 acres, park land as percent of city area of 6.5%, 87% of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park, $48.39 spending per capita of park services, and 1.3 playgrounds per 10,000 residents. In its 2020 ParkScore ranking, the city was ranked 48th out of 100 cities, down slightly from 48th place in the 2017 ranking. It was ranked 64th in the world in the ParkScore rankings for the year of 2020, down from the 48th best ranking in the previous year. The Miami Beach Boardwalk is one of the most popular beaches in the U.S. It is located in the heart of Downtown Miami and is located on the banks of the Atlantic Ocean. The boardwalk is a popular tourist attraction, with many restaurants, bars, and hotels located in its vicinity. The Boardwalk was built in the early 1900s and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Law and government

The government of the City of Miami uses the mayor-commissioner type of system. The mayor is elected at large and appoints a city manager. The city commission consists of five commissioners that are elected from single member districts. The commission's regular meetings are held at Miami City Hall, which is located at 3500 Pan American Drive on Dinner Key in the neighborhood of Coconut Grove. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Miami is represented by Republican Maria Elvira Salazar and Democrat Frederica Wilson. The City ofMiami is governed by Mayor Francis X. Suarez and 5 city commissioners that oversee the five districts in the city. It is located on the Florida Turnpike between Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale. It has a population of 2.1 million. It was founded in 1858. It became a state in 1881. It received its first charter in 1883. It lost its last charter in 1971. It gained its current charter in 1978. It had its first city manager in 1882. The current city commission was formed in 1894. It currently has five commissioners. It also has a city attorney, a city clerk, and a city council member. Miami is home to the Miami Dolphins, the Miami Marlins, and the Miami Heat. The Miami Dolphins are one of the most successful sports teams in the United States. The Dolphins have won the World Series three times in the last five years. The Heat have also won the Super Bowl twice in the past five years, in 2000 and 2010.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Miami, Broward County, Florida = 65.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 50. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Miami = 7.2 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 442,241 individuals with a median age of 41.3 age the population grows by 18.75% in Miami, Broward County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 12,284.47 residents per square mile of area (4,743.55/km²). There are average 2.56 people per household in the 162,469 households with an average household income of $30,148 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is of the available work force and has dropped -4.51% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 18.48%. The number of physicians in Miami per 100,000 population = 262.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Miami = 59.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 131. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 248. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 59.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 30, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Miami, Broward County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 29.91%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 36 years with median home cost = $153,850 and home appreciation of -17.75%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $14.71 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,069 per student. There are 17 students for each teacher in the school, 605 students for each Librarian and 358 students for each Counselor. 4.25% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 9.06% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.11% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).