From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City of Miami |
|
|
Flag |
Seal |
|
| Nickname(s): 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 |
| Settled |
1825 |
| Incorporated |
July 28, 1896 |
| Government |
| - Type |
Mayor-Commissioner Plan |
| - Mayor |
Manny Diaz (I) |
| - City Manager |
Pedro G. Hernandez |
| - City Attorney |
Julie O. Bru |
| - 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) |
| - Metro |
6,137 sq mi (15,896 km²) |
| Elevation |
6 ft (2 m) |
| Population (2007)[1] |
| - City |
409,719 |
| - Density |
11,483/sq mi (29,740/km²) |
| - Metro |
5,413,212 |
| - Demonym |
Miamian |
| |
2007 estimate |
| Time zone |
EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) |
EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP Code |
33101-33102, 33107,
33109-33112, 33114, 33116, 33119, 33121-33122, 33124-33170,
33172-33190, 33193-33197, 33199, 33222, 33231, 33233-33234,
33238-33239, 33242-33243, 33245, 33247, 33255-33257, 33261,
33265-33266, 33269, 33280, 33283, 33296, 33299 |
| Area code(s) |
305, 786 |
| FIPS code |
12-45000[2] |
| GNIS feature ID |
0295004[3] |
| Website: http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/ |
Miami (pronounced maɪˈæmi or maɪˈæmə) is a global city in southeastern Florida, in the United States. Miami is the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida. With a population of more than 409,719, Miami is the largest city within the Miami metropolitan area, which is the seventh-largest metro area in the United States with over 5.4 million residents.[4] The Miami Urbanized Area (as defined by the Census Bureau) was the fifth most populous urbanized area in the U.S. in the 2000 census with a population of 4,919,036.[5]
Miami is ranked as a global city for its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts and international trade.[6]
The city is home to many company headquarters, banks, and television
studios. It is an international center for popular entertainment in television, music, fashion, film, and the performing arts. The city's Port of Miami is known for accommodating the largest volume of cruise ships in the world and is home to many cruise line headquarters. Miami is also home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States.
As of 2008, Miami is undergoing a large building boom with 24 skyscrapers that are expected to rise over 400 feet (122 m) currently under construction in the city. Miami’s skyline ranks third in the U.S., behind New York City and Chicago, and 18th in the world according to the Almanac of Architecture and Design.[7] The city currently has nine of the ten tallest skyscrapers in the state of Florida, with the tallest being the 789-foot (240 m) Four Seasons Hotel & Tower.[8]
In 2008, Miami was ranked as "America's Cleanest City" according to Forbes Magazine for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs.[9] In 2008, Miami was also ranked the 3rd-richest city in the United States and the world's 22nd-richest city in a UBS study.[10]
History
Approximately 400 men voted for Miami’s incorporation in 1896 in the building to the left.
-
The Miami area was first inhabited for more than one thousand years by the Tequesta Indians, but was later claimed for Spain in 1566 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. A Spanish mission was constructed one year later in 1567. In 1836, Fort Dallas was built, and the Miami area subsequently became a site of fighting during the Second Seminole War.
Miami holds the distinction of being the only major city in the United States founded by a woman, Julia Tuttle, who was a local citrus grower and a wealthy Cleveland native.[11]
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.[12] The area was also characterized as “one of the finest building sites in Florida.”[13] The Great Freeze
of 1894-1895 hastened Miami's growth, as the crops of the Miami area
were the only ones in Florida that survived. Julia Tuttle subsequently
convinced Henry Flagler, a railroad tycoon, to expand his Florida East Coast Railroad to the region. Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896 with a population of just over 300.[14]
Miami prospered during the 1920s with an increase in population and infrastructure 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; by 1940, 172,172 people lived in the city. 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. Nevertheless, in the latter half of the 20th century, Miami
became a major international, financial, and cultural center.
Miami and its metropolitan 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.[15]
Geography
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 South Florida. 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 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)[16] and averages at around 6 ft (2 m)[17] 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 Miami Beach and South Beach. 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. The
western parts of the city have points as high as 20 feet (6.1 m) above
sea level.
[18]
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,[19] 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
Classical
from 
