Miami

Miami is a port city located in southeastern Florida, United States, around the Miami River, between the Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean. It is pronounced /miámi/ in Spanish and the demonym is miamense; however, in Latin American Spanish it is mostly pronounced /maiámi/ or /mayami/ due to the influence of English and the frequent is mayamero, although these forms are not admitted by the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Dudes.

It is the seat of Miami-Dade County, and therefore the main, most central, and most populous city in the Miami Metropolitan Area. It was founded on July 28, 1896 and according to the 2014 census it has a population of 417,650; its metropolitan area encompasses more than 5.4 million inhabitants, making it the seventh largest in the United States. The United Nations has calculated that Miami became the ninth largest metropolitan area in the country, behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, and San Francisco.

It is considered a global city of importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts and international trade. It is home to numerous corporate headquarters, banks and television studios. It is also an international center for popular entertainment on television, music, fashion, film and performing arts. The port of Miami is considered the port that hosts the largest volume of cruise ships in the world^{[citation needed]} and is also the headquarters of several cruise line companies. In addition, the city has the highest concentration of international banks in all of the United States of America.

In 2008, it was awarded the title "America's Cleanest City" by Forbes magazine for its year working for air quality, large green spaces, its clean drinking water and streets, and various recycling programs. In that same year, Miami ranked as the third richest American city and the twenty-second richest in the world, according to a study by UBS AG.

Miami is a city with a majority of inhabitants of Latino origin, who are mainly concentrated in neighborhoods such as Little Havana (Little Havana), residence of Cubans in Miami; Little Haiti, where the Haitians are located, Doral (known as Doralzuela, due to its concentration of Venezuelans); Kendall (Florida), also called Little Colombia, due to its enormous number of residents of Colombian origin, Allapattah (or Little Santo Domingo), where Dominicans reside, Wynwood (Little San Juan, due to its immense community of Puerto Ricans) and Sweetwater (Florida) (Little Managua, by Nicaraguans).

In Miami-Dade County, Spanish has been the official language of the administration since 1993, there it is the mother tongue of almost 70% of its inhabitants while English is only 25.42%.

History

Juan Ponce de León (Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain) was one of the first Europeans to reach the current United States and the discoverer of Florida, to which he gave his current name.

Before its founding, the area known today as Biscayne Bay was inhabited by the indigenous ethnic groups: Tequesta, Mayaimi and, occasionally, the Calusa. When the Spaniard Juan Ponce de León arrived in the area that currently corresponds to Miami, in search of the "fountain of youth," he encountered a dazzling variety of indigenous people. In 1567, with Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the Spanish presence in the region was consolidated; On a Tequesta settlement, the Spanish created the Tegesta mission, the work of the Jesuit Francisco Villareal, which was located at the mouth of the Miami River. However, after successive wars, the territory was abandoned by the Spanish. Florida remained under Spanish rule for three centuries —except for the English parenthesis from 1767 to 1787— until its forced cession to the United States in 1821.

In 1891, a wealthy widow named Julia Tuttle moved to Florida and bought 640 acres of land on the north bank of the Miami River. Later, Tuttle convinced wealthy railroad builder Henry Flagler to extend the railroad to Miami, build a luxurious hotel, and build a new town. The result was the founding of the city, in 1896. As a consequence of these events, thousands of people came to Florida. Back then, at the beginning of the city, the population was diverse; People of different cultures, from different parts of the world, came to the new city: Miami's first mayor was an Irish Catholic, some of the first traders were Jewish, and African-Americans and black Bahamians made up a third of the city's new members..

Miami Avenue in 1896.

Urban growth seemed unstoppable in the 1920s, when home prices in some cases quadrupled in a matter of five years. Land speculation was halted by the destructive 1926 hurricane which, in addition to killing more than 200 people, left at least 25,000 homeless and caused several million dollars worth of damage; this led Miami into a deep economic depression three years before the rest of the country. It didn't stay bad for long, however, and managed to get out of the 1929 depression before the rest of the nation, thanks in part to the aviation industry. During the depression, Pan American Airways ushered in the modern era of aviation with the Miami Dinner Key Flying Clippers. Even then, Pan American Airways advertised Miami as Gateway to the Americas. Today, the Pan American Airways terminal is the location of City Hall.

During World War II, the city was an important training and concentration center for troops, especially in Miami Beach. Many men and women who trained during the war returned to South Florida sparking a new period of great growth.

When the Cuban Revolution seized power in 1959, Miami's history took an unexpected turn: in just a decade, more than 400,000 Cubans arrived in Miami. The first exodus of Cubans was mostly from middle-class families and high during the presidency of Fulgencio Batista who was supported by the United States and who after the Cuban Revolution lost all their privileges, this caused the discontent of some Miami residents, especially the Afro-American community, who claimed that Cubans were taking jobs that they were African American. In addition, the educational system had to make an excessive effort to educate thousands of Spanish-speaking children. The hundreds of thousands of newly arrived Cubans settled throughout the county but especially in the Riverside area, later renamed Little Havana, an area where Spanish-speakers from all over the city could conduct their businesses and daily lives speaking as Spanish only.

1980 was a busy year for the city due to the riots known as the Liberty City Riots, which occurred due to an act of abuse of authority by police officers towards an African-American named Arthur McDuffie. That year the second wave of immigrants took place, the Mariel Exodus in which 150,000 Cubans arrived in Miami; this group differed from the first wave of immigrants by being (mostly) poor, with a low cultural level, and an estimated 25,000 had a criminal record in Cuba. Also in 1980 the city witnessed an increase in Haitian immigrants, who settled in an area that later became known as Little Haiti. All this migratory flow that entered Miami increased violence and crime, bringing the homicide rate to historic levels in the 1980s. This period of violence is known as the cocaine war (The Cocaine War), in which Colombian gangs faced off against Cuban gangs (known at the time as the Cocaine Cowboys) who worked for high-caliber drug traffickers.

In May 1980, the acquittal of several police officers responsible for the death of an African-American veteran sparked riots: 18 people were killed and more than were injured.

Meanwhile, political conflicts in Central and South America have generated waves of migration from many other countries. In the aforementioned 2000 census, 65.8% of the city's inhabitants were classified as "Hispanic", reaching 90.8% in areas such as Little Havana.

At the beginning of the centuryXXI the panorama began to change favorably for Miami. Today is a city open to international trade, especially with Latin America

.

Night in Downtown Miami skyline

Skyscrapers in the center of the city of Miami, seen from the east.

Geography

Brickell

In terms of area, Miami is one of the smallest large cities in the United States. According to the country's Census Bureau, the city covers a total area of 143.15 km² (square kilometers). Of this area, 92.68 km² is land and 50.73 km² is water. That means that Miami is home to more than 400,000 people in 91 km², making it one of the most densely populated cities in the country, along with New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago, among others. The city proper is home to less than 1 in 13 South Florida residents. Additionally, 52% of the population of Miami-Dade County does not live in any incorporated city. Miami is the only city in the United States bordered by two national parks, Everglades National Park to the west and Vizcaino National Park to the east.

Miami and its suburbs lie on a broad plain between the Everglades and Biscayne Bay, which also stretches from Florida Bay north to Lake Okeechobee. The area's elevation never rises above 12 m, and averages hover around 2 m asl in most neighborhoods, especially near the coast. The largest ripples are found along the shoreline of the Miami Rock Ridge, the substratum of which is the base of most of the eastern part of the Miami metropolitan region. The main part of the city is located on the shores of Biscayne Bay, which contains several hundred man-made and naturally created barrier islands, the largest of which are in Miami Beach and South Beach. The Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current, runs north just 15 miles off the coast, allowing the city's climate to remain mild and warm year-round.

Geology

Miami Center

Image of one of the highest points in Miami, west of the center. The highest point is Coconut Grove, 6.1 meters above sea level.

The foundations of the surface of the Miami area are called Miami oolith or Miami limestone. This base is covered by a thin layer of earth, no more than 15m thick. The Miami limestone formed as a result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with the recent glaciations or ice ages. Beginning about 130,000 years ago, the Riss-Würm interglacial raised sea level to about 7.5 m above present level. All of South Florida was covered by a shallow sea. Several parallel lines of reefs formed along the edge of the submerged Florida Plateau, which stretches from the Miami area to what is now Dry Tortugas National Park. The area behind this reef line was, in effect, one large lagoon, with the Miami limestone forming the entire area from oolite deposits and bryozoan deposits. About 100,000 years ago, the Wisconsin Ice Age began to cause a drop in sea level, drying out the lagoon floor. 15,000 years ago, meanwhile, the sea level had dropped from 90 to 110 m below the contemporary level; however, it rose rapidly after this, stabilizing at its present level 4,000 years ago, leaving the southern Florida mainland just above sea level.

Air view of the city of Miami.

Below the plain is the Biscayne Aquifer, a natural underground source of fresh water that extends from southern Palm Beach County to Florida Bay, with its highest point around the cities of Miami Springs and Hialeah. Most of the South Florida metropolitan area draws its drinking water from this aquifer. As a result of the aquifer, it is not possible to dig deeper than 4.57 m below the city, without hitting the water, which prevents underground construction. For this reason there is no underground subway system in Miami.

Most of the city's western fringe extends into the Everglades, a subtropical swampland located in the southern part of the state of Florida. This causes occasional problems with local wildlife, such as alligators venturing into Miami communities and on major highways.

Climate

Miami's climate is Tropical, with hot, humid summers and mild, dry winters. The city experiences cold fronts from November through March, which cause cool to cold temperatures that usually do not last more than 3-4 days. In the course of winter there may be a few days with freezing minimum temperatures (around 0 °C/32 °F).

Most of the precipitation occurs in summer and there is usually a dry season in winter. The wet season prevails from May to September and the dry season is characterized by mild temperatures and weak winter rainfall. Hurricane season often coincides with the wet season.

Miami enjoys a very mild climate and about 3000 hours of sun per year

In addition to its elevation above sea level, its coastal location and position on the Tropic of Cancer mean that the climate is quite moderate throughout the year. A typical summer day includes temperatures between 25°C and 32°C, but rarely exceeding 35°C. The mild temperatures are accompanied by regular levels of humidity, with afternoon storms often being frequent or the sea breezes provided by the Atlantic Ocean, which cool down the temperatures, albeit with a sensation of some muggy weather. During winter, humidity is significantly lower, the average minimum temperatures during that time are mild, around 15 °C, making it very difficult for them to fall below 10 °C, and the maximum temperatures are usually mild, 23 at 26°C.

Destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew of 1992

In Miami, the highest temperature recorded was 38 °C (100 °F). For its part, the lowest temperature recorded was −2 °C (27 °F), and in only one occasion there has been snowfall, a blizzard (light snowfall) on January 19, 1977 in which the snow did not set (there was no accumulation). Despite these data, the climatological records of Miami and its peripheral area have suffered many changes. interruptions from 1839 to 1900. The place where temperature and precipitation measurements are made has been located in the center of the city since December 1900. An office of the National Weather Service was opened in Miami in June from 1911.

Miami receives abundant levels of precipitation. Most of that precipitation takes place from mid-May to early October. It records exactly 1,488 mm of rainfall, while near Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach 1,621 mm and 1,227 mm are collected respectively, which shows the high local variability in terms of rainfall diversification. Likewise, Miami is one of the sunniest cities in the country, enjoying approximately 3,000 hours of sunshine per year.

Due also to its location between two bodies of water known for their significant tropical activity, Miami is one of the cities that, statistically, runs the highest risk of being devastated by a hurricane along with Nassau, the Bahamas and Havana. Despite this, the city has not been directly affected by this phenomenon since Hurricane Cleo in 1964. However, many other hurricanes have affected the city, including Betsy in 1965, Andrew in 1992, Irene in 1999, Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005, and Irma in 2017. The hurricane season officially begins from June 1 to November 30, although they can occur without the need to respect these dates. The most probable and riskiest time for hurricanes for Miami is the Cape Verde hurricane season, from mid-August to the end of September. Due to the high risk of hurricanes in this city, hurricane insurance is a must for residents to help repair damage caused by weather.

Average climate parameters of Miami, Florida (MIA, 1981-2010)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	31	32	34	36	36	37	38	37	36	35	33	32	38
Average temperature (°C)	24	25	26	28	30	31	32	32	31	30	27	25	29
Average temperature (°C)	20	21	22	24	26	28	28	29	28	26	23	21	25
Temp. medium (°C)	15	16	18	20	22	24	26	25	24	23	20	17	21
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	-2	0	2	6	10	15	19	19	16	7	3	1	0
Rains (mm)	41	57	76	109	165	245	319	381	355	160	95	59	2062
Days of rain (≥ 0.2mm)	6.9	6.5	7.0	7	10	16.4	17.0	18	18	12.7	8.4	7	134.9
Hours of sun	210	200	230	300	310	340	380	390	370	290	270	230	3520
Relative humidity (%)	72	70	69	70	73	76	81	86	89	85	79	74	75
Source No. 1: NOAA28 January 2012
Source No. 2: [Horas de sol] Hong Kong Observatory

Demographics

Little Havana, place of the Cuban community.

City center: Miami has the largest metropolitan area in the south of the country.

Miami is the 42nd most populous city in the United States. The Miami metropolitan area, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, has a combined population of more than 5.4 million, making it the fourth largest in the country (behind Chicago) and the largest in the Southeast of the United States. In 2008 the United Nations estimated that the urban agglomeration of the city was the sixth largest in the country and the 44th largest in the world. As a new megalopolis in formation, with 12,795,076 (as of 2008), Miami is the fourth largest urban region in the United States, behind Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Also known as the Florida conurbation, it encompasses its three largest metropolitan areas: Miami, Tampa, and Orlando, ranking twenty-eighth in the world by population (see World Urban Regions by Population). In the 2000 US Census, the city recorded 362,470 residents, 134,198 households, and 83,336 families residing in Miami. The population density was 3,923.5 inhab./km² (inhabitants per square kilometer) and there were 148,388 housing units at an average density of 1,606.2 per square kilometer.

According to the 2010 census, there were 399,457 people residing in Miami. The population density was 2750.98 inhabitants/km². Of the population of 399,457, Miami was made up of 72.58% White, 19.25% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 4.18% other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. Of the total population, 69.96% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Regarding nationalities, the 2000 census confirmed that the ethnic majority was Cuban, with 34.1% of the population. The rest were made up of Nicaraguans, with 5.6%; Haitians, a 5.5%; Hondurans, 3.3%; Dominicans, with 1.7%; and Colombians, with 1.6% of the population. These results confirmed Miami as the first city in the world in terms of residents born outside the country (59% of the population), followed by Toronto (50%), in a study carried out by the United Nations Development Program, UNDP (United Nations Development Program).

There were 134,198 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 36.6% were married couples living together; 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present; and 37.9% were not families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had individuals living alone who were 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 individuals, and the average family size was 3.25. The distribution by age was 21.7% under 18 years of age; 8.8% from 18 to 24; 30.3% from 25 to 44; 22.1% from 45 to 64; and 17.0% were 65 years of age or older. The mean age was 38 years. For every 100 women there were 98.9 men. For every 100 women over the age of 18, there were 97.3 men.

The median income per household in Miami was $23,483 per year, and per family, 27,225 $. Males had a median income of $24,090 versus $20,115 for females. women. The per capita income in 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 whom were minors and 29.3% were people over the age of 65 years.

The explosive growth of the population in recent years has been caused by internal migration from other parts of the country as well as by immigration. The city is considered to be more than a multicultural mosaic, a melting pot of cultures, with residents maintaining much or some of their cultural traits. Miami's general culture is heavily influenced by its large population of people of Latin American and Caribbean origin, from the cultures of islands such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Many of them speak Spanish or Haitian Creole.

Today, the Miami area has a considerable community of citizens: undocumented population, permanent residents, Argentines, Bahamians, Brazilians, Canadians, Chileans, Chinese, Colombians, Cubans, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, French, Germans, Greeks, Guatemalans, Guyanese, Haitians, Hondurans, Jamaicans, Indians, Italians, Mexicans, Nicaraguans, Peruvians, Russians, Salvadorans, Trinidadians, Turks, South Africans, Uruguayans, and Venezuelans, as well as a sizeable Puerto Rican community throughout the metropolitan area. While the most common immigrants are Hispanic and Caribbean, the Miami area is also home to significant communities of Spanish, French, French Canadian, German, Italian and Russian. Immigrant communities have grown in prominent locations in Miami and its suburbs, creating ethnic neighborhoods such as Little Haiti, Little Havana, Little Bogotá, Little Caracas, Little Managua, Little Buenos Aires, Little Moscow or Little San Juan.

Languages

Alusive poster of Hispanic influence in Miami.

A wide variety of languages are spoken in Miami. Precisely, Miami has the third largest Spanish-speaking population in the Western Hemisphere outside of Latin America, only behind New York and San José (California). It is one of the cities with a high percentage of Spanish-speaking population. In May 1993, the Dade County Council (Miami region) even decided to authorize Spanish as an official language in the administration.^{[citation required ]}

As of 2008, native Spanish speakers accounted for 69.4% of the population, while English is spoken by 25.45%; Haitian Creole for 5.20%; and French made up 0.76% of the population. Other languages spoken throughout the city include Portuguese, at 0.41%; German, 0.18%; Italian, 0.16%, Arabic, with 0.15%; Chinese, 0.11%; and Greek with 0.08% of the population. Miami also has one of the highest percentages of the US population whose residents speak a language other than English at home (74.54%).

Religion

In Miami, there are currently 500 different churches of more than 32 different denominations. Among the most important denominations are the Baptist and the Catholic Church.

Neighborhoods

The city of Miami is divided into thirteen distinct neighborhoods that contain distinctive features and historic sites. The heart of the city is Downtown Miami and geographically it is on the western side of the city. This area includes Brickell, Virginia Key, Watson Island, and the Port of Miami. Downtown is in the central economic district of South Florida, and is home to many major banks, financial headquarters, cultural and tourist attractions, and residential towers.

The southern side of Miami includes Coral Way and Coconut Grove. Coral Way is a historic residential neighborhood built in the 1920s that connects downtown with Coral Gables, and is recognizable for its tree-lined streets and its Spanish colonial and Art Deco architecture. Coconut Grove is a neighborhood in which they are located Miami City Hall on Dinner Key, the Coconut Grove Playhouse theater, the CocoWalk shopping center, and a multitude of bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and bohemian shops. It is a neighborhood with many parks and gardens such as Villa Vizcaya, The Kampong, Barnacle Historic State Park, and is home to the Coconut Grove Convention Center, many of the most prestigious private schools in the country, and numerous historic homes and developments..

On the west side of the city is Little Havana, West Flagler and Flagami, as well as many traditional immigrant neighborhoods. Although it was once a mostly Jewish neighborhood, today it is home to immigrants from Central America and Cuba in particular. In Little Havana is the well-known Dominó park, where numerous middle-aged Cuban residents gather to play domino games, and celebrate cultural activities such as Cultural Fridays or the Calle Ocho Carnaval parade. While the Allapattah neighborhood, in the center of the west zone, it is a multicultural mosaic of various nationalities from South and Central America.

Upstate Miami includes Midtown, an ethnically diverse district with Caribbean, Hispanic, Bohemian, artist and white crowds. The neighborhoods of Edgewater and Wynwood belong to this district, which especially have tall residential towers. Residents with high purchasing power usually live in the northwest part, in Midtown, the Miami Design District and the Upper Eastside. The northwestern part of the city is notable for communities of African Americans and Caribbean immigrants, such as Little Haiti, Overtown and Liberty City.

Miami Neighborhoods and Nearby Areas

• Miami Springs, Brownsville, West Little River, El Portal, Miami Shores, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Adventure
• North Bay Village, Miami Beach near the Bermuda Triangle
• Fisher Island, Cayo Biscayne, Cayo Vizcaino
• Coral Gables, West Miami, Coral Terrace, South Miami, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay
• Coral Gables, West Miami, Coral Terrace, Kendall, Kendale Vergota
• Coral Gables, Westchester, Fountainbleau, El Portal, Doral
• Miami Springs, Miami Lakes, Hialeah, Brownsville, Gladeview, West Little River

Economy

Miami

Miami is one of the most important financial centers in the United States. It stands out as a center of commerce, finance, company headquarters and a strong international business community. According to the classification table of global cities prepared 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".

And it is that Miami enjoys a privileged geographical situation, being at the crossroads of the Caribbean, Central America and South America. That is why the city is the epicenter of international trade between the different Americas, and hosted the negotiations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas held in 2003. The Miami Free Zone is the largest private commercial zone in the world, was founded in 1977 and has a portfolio of about 200 international clients.

1 Hotel South Beach - Bianca Matte.

The city is home to the headquarters and headquarters of the most important multinational companies in the world in or around Miami such as: Alienware, Arquitectónica, Arrow Air, Bacardi, Benihana, Brightstar Corporation, Burger King, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Corporation, Carnival Cruise Lines, CompUSA, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Espírito Santo Financial Group, Fizber.com, Greenberg Traurig, Interval International, Lennar, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Perry Ellis International, RCTV International, Royal Caribbean International, Saqline Investment Authority, SQL holdings international Inc, Ryder Systems, Seabourn Cruise Line, Telefónica USA, TeleFutura, Telemundo, Univision, U.S. Century Bank and World Fuel Services. Due to its proximity to Latin America, Miami serves as the headquarters of Latin American operations for more than 1,400 multinationals such as AIG, American Airlines, Cisco, Disney, Exxon, FedEx, Kraft Foods, Microsoft, Oracle, SBC Communications, Sony and Visa International.

Image of the Manhattan downtown.

Two of the key economic enclaves in Miami's economic engine are Miami International Airport and the Port of Miami. The city's customs offices process 40% of the exports that the United States makes to Latin America and the Caribbean. The most common and main destinations for these exports are Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Argentina. Likewise, the center of the city has the highest concentration of international banks in the country (more than 100), located exactly in Brickell, the financial district of Miami. Said district is made up of six blocks of buildings for central offices and corporate headquarters.

Brickell, Miami CBD. In the image, on the left, the Bank of America building.

Despite this, tourism is Miami's most important source of income. Its beaches, hotels, congresses, festivals and various events attract an average of more than 12 million visitors annually, leaving the city with some 17 billion dollars. In 2003, the city was visited by 10.5 million tourists, which meant a revenue of 11,000 million dollars. It is important to note that Miami Beach is a city apart from Miami.

Miami is home to the National Hurricane Center and the headquarters of the United States Southern Command, responsible for military operations in Central and South America. In addition to these functions, Miami is also an industrial center, especially for stone quarrying and storage.

According to the US Census, in 2004, Miami had the third-highest rate of household income below the federal poverty line in the United States, making it the third-poorest city in the United States, behind only Detroit (first) and El Paso, Texas (second). Miami is also one of the few cities where the local government filed for bankruptcy, in 2001.

In 2005, the Miami area witnessed the biggest real estate boom since the 1920s. Midtown, which had over a hundred approved construction projects, is one such example. As of 2007, no However, the housing market has suffered a setback and more than 23,000 apartments are for sale or closed. Miami is also one of the least affordable places to live, ranking 12th most expensive cities in terms of property. of the house.

Unemployment in Miami continued to be eradicated, despite the fact that its rate was still higher than the national average (5.4%).

Government

Miami City Hall at Dinner Key.

Miami's city government uses a commissioner system headed by the city's mayor. The citizens' commission consists of five commissioners and they are elected from a single member per district. The city commission constitutes the government body with powers to approve ordinances, adopt regulations and exercise all the powers attributed to the city in the Puebla Charter. The mayor is elected by majority and appoints a city manager. The mayor of the city of Miami is Francis X. Suárez and 5 city commissioners who oversee Miami's 5 boroughs. The Miami City Council is located in the Coconut Grove neighborhood on Dinner Key.

The Miami Police Department is the police department of the city.

City Council

• Francis SuarezMayor of the city of Miami.
• Alex Diaz de la PortillaMiami City Commissioner, District 1.
• Ken RussellMiami City Commissioner, District 2.
• Joe CarolloMiami City Commissioner, District 3.
• Manolo ReyesMiami City Commissioner, District 4.
• Keon HardemonMiami City Commissioner, District 5.

Culture

Entertainment and Performing Arts

The Knight Concert Hall of the Centre of Adrienne Arsht for performing arts.

Miami Jewish Museum.

Miami has important cultural attractions such as theaters, museums, parks and performing arts centers. The most recent addition is the Adrianne Arsht Center of the Performing Arts, inaugurated in October 2006 under the name of Carnival Center, it is the second largest arts center in the United States after Lincoln Center in New York and is the headquarters of the Great Florida Opera. World Travel Culture. For its part, the Miami City Ballet, the dance company of the state of Florida, usually performs its works at the Jackie Gleason Theater, among others,The Knight Concert Hall is the second room of the Arsht Center with a capacity for 2,200 people, the center It also has the Carnival Studio theater and the Peacock Rehearsal Studio. Its total area of 53,000 m² attracts large-scale shows, ballets, concerts and musicals from around the world, and is the largest performing arts center in Florida.

Other points of importance in terms of performing arts are the Maurice Gusman Cultural Center, the Coconut Grove Playhouse, the Colony Theater, the Lincoln Theater of the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami Beach, the Theater Miracle, Jackie Gleason Theatre, Manuel Artime Theatre, Ring Theatre, Wertheim Center for the Performing Arts, Fair Expo Center and Bayfront Park Amphitheater for outdoor music events. The Theater in Miami Studio, on Calle 8, is an independent theater space that presents productions by its own company and those of Cuban creators in exile. In the month of July, the Hispanic Theater Festival of Miami is held annually, one of the most important in the continent among those dedicated to Hispanic theater. In 2010, its 25th edition was held.

The city has also been an important venue for the international beauty pageant Miss Universe, as it held several editions from 1960 to 1971 and 1997.

Miami is also home to numerous museums, most of them in the center of the city. These include the Bass Museum, the Frost-FIU Museum, the Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, the Historical Museum of South Florida, the Jewish Museum of Florida, the Lowe Art Museum, the Miami Museum of Art, the Children's Museum, the Miami Museum of Science, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, the Wolfsonian-FIU Museum, and the Miami Cultural Center, home of the Miami Public Library -Dade. Other popular cultural destinations in the area are Isla de la Selva, the Miami MetroZoo, the Miami Seaquarium, as well as parks and gardens in and around the city, accounting for around eighty parks in Miami. The most important parks are Bayfront Park and Parque Bicentenario. Also notable are the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Tropical Park, Watson Island, Morningside Park and Key Biscayne Island.

In addition, Miami is one of the most important points in the fashion market, giving rise to some of the leading modeling agencies in the world. Miami is also home to many fashion-related shows and events, including Miami Fashion Week and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami.

Popular music

Discotecas in downtown Miami.

Popular music in Miami is varied. Cubans brought salsa, conga, and rumba from their homelands and immediately popularized it in American culture. Those from Puerto Rico and Panama recently brought with them a new musical rhythm; The Reggaeton. The Dominicans did the same with bachata and merengue, while the Colombians brought vallenato and Colombian cumbia and the Caribbeans reggae, soca, kompa, zouk, calypso and steelpan.

In the early '70s, the disco sound of Miami came to life on TK Records, including music by KC and The Sunshine Band, with hits like "Get Down Tonight", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" and "That's the Way (I Like It)", as did Latin American disco group Foxy with their singles "Get Off" and "Hot Number". George McCrae and Teri DeSario, both Miami natives, were also successful musical artists during the disco era of the 1970s. Influenced by Miami, Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine achieved great success with their Cuban sound in the 1980s and gave to meet with songs like "Conga" and "Bad Boys".

Miami is also considered one of the greatest exponents of freestyle, a style of dance music popular in the 1980s and 1990s and heavily influenced by electro, hip-hop and disco music. Many freestyle artists like Pretty Tony, Debbie Deb, Stevie B, and Exposé are originally from Miami. Indie/folk artists like Cat Power and Iron & Wine are based in the city, while alternative hip-hop artist Sage Francis, electro artist Uffie, electroclash duo Avenue D, and Mateo Blanco were born in Miami but musically based elsewhere. Also from the city are the punk band Against All Authority and the rock/metal bands Nonpoint and Marilyn Manson (these from Fort Lauderdale). Ana Cristina (in 1985), Cuban-American pop singer, and became the first Hispanic person to sing the US national anthem at a presidential inauguration.

Miami is also the home of electronic music, and annually hosts two of the most important events in the world: the Winter Music Conference and the Ultra Music Festival. Along with Miami Beach, Miami has famous nightclubs such as Parkwest, Ink, Cameo, Wall, Story, Trade, Club Space, Mansion, Liv and Treehouse, these last 4 are listed as one of the best 100 clubs in the world, according to DJmag.com. Miami clubs are visited weekly by famous dj's, one weekend you can have Tiesto, Calvin Harris, Carl Cox or Armin Van Buuren.

Miami is known for being part of the clubland (holiday destinations with a variety of clubs and bars and a strong nightlife) along with Ibiza, Mykonos and Ayia Napa.

As for the rap and hip-hop scene, the city is home to artists like DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Ace Hood, Flo Rida and Trina.

Media

Headquarters The Miami Herald.

Several newspapers are published in Miami, including The Miami Herald, the main English-language newspaper, and El Nuevo Herald, in Spanish. Other major newspapers include Miami Today, Miami New Times, Miami Sun Post, South Florida Business Journal, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Miami Times and Biscayne Boulevard Times. El Sentinel and Diario Las Americas are two additional Spanish-language newspapers. The Miami Herald is Miami's largest newspaper with more than one million readers and is headquartered downtown in Herald Plaza. There are also student newspapers from local universities, such as The Beacon from Florida International University, The Miami Hurricane from the University of Miami, The Metropolis from Miami-Dade College, and The Buccaneer from Barry University. Many neighborhoods and adjacent areas also have their own local newspapers such as the Coral Gables Tribune, Biscayne Bay Tribune and Palmetto Bay News. Magazines are also distributed throughout the Miami area, including Miami Monthly, Ocean Drive and South Florida Business Leader.

Miami is also the headquarters and main production city for many of the world's leading television networks, including Telemundo, TeleFutura, Mega TV, Univision, Venevisión International and Sunbeam Television.

Miami is the 12th largest radio market in the United States and the 17th largest television market. Notable television channels in Miami include: WAMI (TeleFutura), WBFS (MyNetwork TV), WSFL (The CW Network), WFOR (CBS), WHFT (TBN), WLTV (Univision), WPLG (ABC), WPXM (ION Television), WSCV (Telemundo), WSVN (FOX), WTVJ (NBC), WPBT (PBS) and WLRN (also PBS).

Sports

American Airlines Arena.

Dolphin Stadium.

Miami Jai Alai fronton, built in 1926 and known as "The Yankee Stadium of Jai Alai".

LoanDepot Park.

Miami is home to four major league teams in the United States: the NFL's Miami Dolphins, the NBA's Miami Heat, the MLB's Miami Marlins, and the NHL's Florida Panthers. In addition, in Miami there are other teams and sporting events such as the Miami FC and Inter Miami CF soccer clubs, the Miami Tennis Masters, numerous greyhound races, marinas, golf courses and jai alai or basket-punta, the sport of great tradition in Florida since the turn of the XX century.

The Miami Heat are the only major league sports team to play within the city limits, at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won the 2006 NBA championship 4-2 against the Dallas Mavericks. The Miami Dolphins play their games at Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Marlins play their games at LoanDepot Park.

The Orange Bowl, one of the most prestigious college football bowls, takes place at Dolphin Stadium. Miami has also hosted the Super Bowl nine times, four of them at Dolphin Stadium and five at the Miami Orange Bowl, tied with New Orleans as the city that has hosted the final the most times.

Miami FC, is a professional soccer team from Florida, has participated in the D2 Pro League since 2010, and plays its matches at Lockhart Stadium. The team signed the Brazilian Romário, who shone for FC Barcelona in the 1990s, in March 2006 for one year. The Florida Panthers, an NHL ice hockey team, plays its games at the BB&T Center located in the city of Sunrise, in Broward County.

Inter Miami CF is the second professional soccer club based in Miami, Florida. It was founded in January 2018 and has competed in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer since the 2020 season.

In Miami there are also several prestigious university teams. The Florida International University Golden Panthers, whose football team plays at Riccardo Silva Stadium, and the University of Miami Hurricanes are the biggest.

A large number of now-defunct teams located in Miami include the Miami Floridians (ABA), Miami Matadors (ECHL, hockey), Miami Manatees (WHA2, hockey), Miami Gatos (NASL, soccer), Miami Screaming Eagles (WHA, hockey), Miami Seahawks (AAFC, American football), Miami Sol (WNBA, women's basketball), Miami Toros (NASL, soccer), Miami Tropics (SFL, American football), Miami Fusion (MLS, soccer) and Miami Hooters (Arena Football League).

Homestead is an oval that was used in the old CART and currently in the IndyCar Series. There was also a Miami Grand Prix, an automobile race that was held on street circuits within the city.

Education

Public Schools

Miami-Dade County Public Schools operates public schools.

Private schools

Miami is home to several prestigious Catholic, Jewish, and non-denominational private schools. The Archdiocese of Miami operates the following private Catholic schools in the city: Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, St Hugh Catholic School, St. Teresa School, La Salle College, Monsignor Edward Pace College, Carrollton Sacred Heart School, Christopher Columbus High School, Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School or St Brendan High School, among many other primary and secondary schools. Some of the best known non-denominational private schools in Miami are Ransom Everglades, Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami Country Day School, which are traditionally known as some of the best schools in the country. Other schools in the outlying areas include Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, a Jesuit-affiliated all-boys school, and the Jewish-style Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School.

Universities

In Miami and its surroundings we can find many institutions of higher education, such as those listed below:

• Miami Dade College
• University Barry
• Carlos Albizu University
• University of Miami
• International University of Art & Design of Miami
• International University of Florida
• Johnson University and Wales
• Keiser University
• Florida Memorial University
• Nova Southeastern University
• Universidad Santo Tomás
• Talmudic University

Libraries

Miami-Dade Public Library System operates public libraries in Miami.

Transportation

Aerial

Miami International Airport.

Miami International Airport, located 11 kilometers northwest of the city in an unincorporated area of the county, serves the city and its area as its primary airport. It is one of the busiest airports in the world, since between 30 and 34 million passengers pass through its facilities a year, being the third most important in the United States only behind John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Los Angeles International Airport. It is also a connection center for American Airlines, as the airport has more than one hundred airlines that serve 150 cities around the world. The route catalog includes direct flights to North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Other nearby airports include Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Opa-Locka Airport in the city of Opa-Locka, and Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, located 21 kilometers from the city center, serve as aviation General to the Miami area.

Maritime

Picture of a part of the Port of Miami.

Miami has one of the largest ports in the United States: the Port of Miami (officially known as Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami); the authority in charge of managing it is Miami-Dade County Seaport Department. In addition, it is one of the most important cruise ports in the world. Because of this, it is known as the "Cruise Capital of the World", since three million passengers use it annually. In 2007, 3,787,410 passengers passed through its facilities. In turn, the port is one of the most important of the cargo transportation sector, importing 7.8 tons during the year 2007. It is only surpassed in this area by the Port of South Louisiana in New Orleans in terms of cargo tonnage imported/exported from Latin America.

The port covers an area of 2 km² (square kilometers) and has seven passenger terminals. China is Miami's main import port and Honduras is the main port of export. It also has numerous cruise line headquarters including Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Windjammer Barefoot Cruises.

Public transport

Miami Metromover.

Miami public transportation is operated by the Miami-Dade Department of Public Transportation and the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), and includes commuter rail (Tri-Rail), elevated transit system rapid (Metrorail), an elevated monorail (Metromover) and a bus network. Miami has the highest transit rate in Florida, with 12% of Miami's population using public transportation daily.

The Miami Metro is the elevated rapid transit system for the city of Miami. It consists of 22 stations, with a distance of one mile between each of them; the entire journey takes just over 40 minutes. It is the longest such transportation in America at 34 kilometers, connecting Kendall with Hialeah, passing through South Miami, Coral Gables and downtown Miami. The Metromover, for its part, is a free elevated, driverless and automatic monorail service. It moves through downtown Miami through its 22 stations on three different lines.

The Tri-Rail is the commuter rail (commuter rail, in English) is operated by the SFRTA and runs from Miami International Airport north to West Palm Beach, making eighteen stops. The Metrobús is the bus network of Miami-Dade County and serves the population 365 days a year. It consists of more than one hundred routes and a fleet of 900 buses.

The Miami Intermodal Center and Miami Central Station combine Metrorail, Amtrak, Tri-Rail, Metrobus, taxis and car rental services at the airport.

Roads

The Venetian (izq) and MacArthur (der) highway connects the Center with South Beach and Miami Beach.

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

Miami-Dade County is connected by four interstate highways (I-75, I-95, I-195, I-395) and several federal highways including the U.S. Highway. Route 1, U.S. Route 27, U.S. Route 41 and the U.S. Route 441. I-95 connects Miami with Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, running from north to south. The Florida Turnpike is the turnpike that goes from the south, in Orlando, to the Golden Glades Interchange, north of the city, passing through central Florida. Below is the summary of Florida state highways that run through the county:

• SR 112 (Airport Expressway) from Miami Beach to Miami International Airport
• SR 821 (The HEFT or Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike: SR 91/Miami Gardens a U.S. Route 1/Florida City)

• SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) Golden Glades Interchange at U.S. Route 1/Pinecrest
• SR 836 (Dolphin Expressway) downtown Miami to Turnpike via MIA
• SR 874 (Don Shula Expressway) 826/Bird Road a Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike/Kendall
• SR 878 (Snapper Creek Expressway): SR 874/Kendall to U.S. Route 1/Pinecrest & South Miami
• SR 924 (Gratigny Parkway) Miami Lakes to Opa-locka

Miami has six major causeways running through Key West connecting the western part of the key, and the eastern barrier islands along the Atlantic Ocean. The Rickenbacker Causeway is the southernmost causeway and connects Brickell with Virginia Key and Biscayne Key. The Venetian Causeway and the MacArthur Causeway connect Downtown Miami with South Beach. While the Julia Tuttle Causeway connects to Midtown and Miami Beach. The 79th Street Causeway connects at the Upper East Side and North Beach. The northernmost causeway is the Broad, it is also the smallest causeway in Miami, and connects North Miami with Bal Harbour.

Some of the distances to major cities from Miami are: one hour to Fort Lauderdale, two hours to Palm Beach, three and a half hours to Key West, and three hours to Orlando. According to a survey, the city has the rudest drivers in the country, and at the same time was ranked the most dangerous American city for pedestrians.

In popular culture

View of the Urban from Miami.

Many television shows and series have been filmed in Miami or have used the city as a setting. Among them are Nip/Tuck, the Emmy Award-winning series, CSI: Miami and Dexter. The Jackie Gleason Show was filmed in Miami Beach from 1964 to 1970, while the sitcom Good Morning, Miami was fictionally based on the operations of a Miami television network. The popular series The Golden Girls and Empty Nest were set in Miami, although they were actually filmed in Los Angeles. Miami Vice, a famous series from the 1980s, was also based in the Miami area. A recent television series broadcast by USA Network, Burn Notice, was filmed and has his studies in the city. Keeping with its musical tradition, Miami has recently hosted the MTV Video Music Awards in 2004 and 2005.

The luxury apartment building Atlantis Condominium, which appears in the opening credits of the series Miami Vice.

At the turn of the 21st century, Miami became a major setting for reality shows like Miami TLC's Ink, Discovery Channel's After Dark, Animal Planet's Miami Animal Police, 8th & Ocean and MTV's Making Menudo, the fourth season of Making the Band, Roomraiders; The Real World: Miami and The X Effect; Hogan Knows Best by VH1, Bounty Girls: Miami by TruTV, The First 48 by A&E Network, the third season of Top Chef by Bravo and recently with Kourtney and Khloe take Miami, which has been filming in the city for 2 seasons.

Rockstar Games' best-selling video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, set in Vice City, a fictional city based heavily on the city of Miami, includes some of Miami's characteristic architecture and geography. Characters speaking Haitian Creole and Spanish are included in the game.

Many movies have been filmed in Miami as well, including: There's Something About Mary, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Wild Things, Marley & Me, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Out of Time, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Step Up Revolution , Two rebel cops & Bad Boys II, Transporter 2, The Birdcage, The Substitute, Blow, Risk Lies, An Given Sunday, Reno 911!: Miami, Quick Pick, Miami Vice (based on the TV series of the same name), Cocaine Cowboys, Scarface, Police Academy 5, Miami Blues and the James Bond films Goldfinger, Thunderball and Casino Royale.

Miami is also the center for the production of Hispanic movies and soap operas. As a result, many Spanish-language programs are taped in Miami, predominantly in Hialeah and Doral. TV game shows, variety shows, and newscasts are included. One of the most famous Hispanic programs broadcast from Miami is Sábado Gigante, as well as Cristina's Show, Relaciones Peligrosas and El gordo y la flaca. Some of the very famous soap operas produced by the Venezuelan network Venevisión International are Gata Salvaje, Ángel Rebelde, Eva Luna, Secreto de amor, among others.

Famous people

• Debbie Harry, vocalist of the Blondie group
• Emmanuel, singer
• Udonis Haslem, basketball player
• Wilmer Valderrama, actor
• William Hall Macy, actor, writer and director
• James Andrew Jones, basketball player
• Catherine Keener, actress
• Eva Mendes, actress and model
• Adam Irigoyen, actor, singer, rapper and dancer
• Yani Gellman, actor
• Flo Rida, rapper, composer and DJ
• Jason Derulo, singer, dancer, choreographer, actor
• Lauren Jauregui, singer and composer, belonged to the female musical group, Fifth Harmony
• Diego Torres, Argentine singer and actor
• Camila Cabello, Cuban-American singer and composer, belonged to the female musical group, Fifth Harmony
• Lil Pump, American rapper
• XXXTentacion, American rapper
• Ana María Polo, Cuban-American doctor

Twinned cities

The city of Miami, according to the Sister Cities International website, has brotherhood with the following cities:

Cities with Miami, FL
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	Riohacha, Colombia	Reocin, Spain
Cali, Colombia	Manizales, Colombia	Santiago, Chile
Guayaquil, Ecuador	Lima, Peru	Bogotá, Colombia
Buenos Aires, Argentina	Panama City, Panama	Benidorm, Spain
Caracas, Venezuela	Murcia, Spain	Maracaibo, Venezuela
Mendoza, Argentina	Maracay, Venezuela	Palermo, Italy
Asunción, Paraguay	Barranquilla, Colombia	Mérida, Mexico
Kagoshima, Japan	Port-au-Prince, Haiti	Madrid, Spain
Beirut, Lebanon	Dong-gu, South Korea	Armenia, Colombia
Zurich, Switzerland	Marbella, Spain	Qingdao, China
Amsterdam, Netherlands	Brussels, Belgium	Vienna, Austria