Miami, Florida

Embassy of the United States of America U.S. CITIES Miami, Florida MIAMI ©Shutterstock.com Discover Diversity and Delight of “Magic City” ropical paradise by day Then and Now when Fidel Castro’s rise to power and urban playground by led many Cubans to immigrate to Miami has been home to sun-lov- night, Miami is a city that the United States. T ing people for more than 10,000 knows how to have a good time. years. Before Pedro Menéndez de Other benchmarks in Miami’s While many flock to Miami for its Avilés claimed the area for Spain history include: sparkling beaches and sizzling in 1565, the Native American nightlife, it is the culture, couture 1513 — Spanish explorer Juan tribe of Tequestas inhabited the and culinary delights that keep Ponce de León becomes the first land. The city was officially them coming back. The largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S., Everglades incorporated in 1896, though its National Park is home to 23 threatened and endangered Whether rollerblading past the population at the time was only species. ©Shutterstock.com fabulous Art Deco hotels on around 300. Collins Avenue or biting into The Roaring ‘20s saw growth in a fresh Cubano sandwich on Miami, though a destructive 1926 Calle Ocho in Little Havana, hurricane followed by the Great you are sure to be swept away Depression significantly slowed by the intoxicating delights of the city’s progress. Miami experi- the “Magic City.” enced population booms follow- ing World War II and after 1959, Miami, Florida European to set eyes on the area now known as Miami-Dade County when he lands in Biscayne Bay. He dubs the area Chequescha. 1821 — After controlling the Miami area for nearly 250 years, Spain sells Florida — Miami and all — to the United States for the equivalent of $5 million. 1891 — Julia Tuttle purchases land along Biscayne Bay to become Fort Dallas in what is now downtown Miami. According to historian Paul S. George, Tuttle proclaimed Sparkling Ocean Drive in South Beach Miami is the center of the Miami Art Deco District, where you can choose from in a moment of foresight that a hundreds of dining and dancing destinations. ©Chensiyuan great city would someday arise in 1972 — Florida International parade down Miami’s pastel-col- the area and would become a cen- University is founded in western ored Ocean Drive. When you’re ter of trade with the Americas. Miami-Dade County, asserting ready for some shade, check out lat- Miami’s place in the field of higher est trends in fashion and art in the The People education in the United States. chic streets of South Beach. For an Miami boasts the largest Latin 1979 — Everglades National Park, evening of sophisticated entertain- American population outside of Latin ment, head downtown where you America, with nearly 65 percent of an hour’s drive from Miami, is can catch the Miami City Ballet, its 400,000 residents claiming Latin named a World Heritage Site. American heritage. As you stroll the Florida Grand Opera and the 2003 — Miami hosts negotiations for through the streets of Miami’s great New World Symphony, all in the neighborhoods, you can expect to the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Arsht Center for Performing Arts. hear Spanish, French, Portuguese and Fortunately, getting to Miami is as Haitian Creole, as well as English. Need to stretch your legs? Miami’s easy as a walk on the beach, with environs offer some of the most fab- The Land Miami International Airport — ulous national parks and reserves in the largest U.S. gateway for Latin Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the country. You can go boating and America and the Caribbean — offer- the east and the Florida Everglades on scuba diving at Biscayne National the west, Miami glitters from beach to ing flights from destinations all over Park, search for the elusive Florida boardroom, with even greater treasures the world. Once you’ve landed, you panther in Big Cypress National to be discovered just outside the city can get around town in a flash using Preserve, go island-hopping in Dry limits. The Miami metropolitan area is DecoBike, one of the bike-sharing long but narrow, running 180 kilometers Tortugas National Park, or canoe programs that are becoming popular from north to south but never more than through subtropical wilderness in in the United States. 32 kilometers east to west. Everglades National Park. The Climate The Arts to the Everglades No matter what you are seeking, Due to its proximity to the equator, you are bound to find it in Miami: a From sunning and surfing to din- Miami enjoys a semitropical climate diverse melting pot of people, cultures ner and dancing, Miami has some- with average temperatures rarely and character where the possibilities dipping below 60 degrees Fahrenheit thing to keep you entertained. are as limitless as the imagination. (16 Celsius) or exceeding 90 degrees While away the day on the beach- (32). No matter where you live, chances front watching the beautiful people are the weather is better in Miami. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE September 2012 BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAMS.

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