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Miami, Florida

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

   Miami, Florida
   Skyline of Miami, Florida

   Official flag of Miami, Florida

                                  Official seal of Miami, Florida
   Flag                           Seal
   Nickname: " The Magic City"
   Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida.
   Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida.
   Coordinates: 25°47′16″N, 80°13′″W
   Country United States
   State Florida
   County Miami-Dade
   Mayor Manny Diaz (I)
   Area
    - City 55.27 mi² - 143.15 km²
    - Land 35.68 mi² - 92.42 km²
    - Water 19.59 mi² - 50.73 km²
   Elevation 2 m  (33 ft)
   Population
    - City (2005) 382,894
    - Density 4,148.98/km²
    - Urban 4,919,036
    - Metro 5,422,200
   Time zone EST ( UTC-5)
    - Summer ( DST) EDT ( UTC-4)
   Website: http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/

   Miami is a major city in southeastern Florida, in the United States.
   Miami and the surrounding metropolitan area are situated on northern
   Biscayne Bay between the Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean. By
   population, Miami is the largest city in Miami-Dade County and the
   county seat, the largest city in the South Florida metropolitan area,
   which comprises Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach
   County, making up the largest metropolitan area in the Southeastern
   United States and the sixth largest metropolitan area in the United
   States. However, based on city limits, it is the second-largest city in
   Florida (after Jacksonville).

   Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896, with a
   voting population of just over 300. In 1940, 172,172 people lived in
   the city. According to the 2000 census, the city proper had a
   population of 362,470, while the larger metropolitan area had a
   population over 5.4 million. The U.S. Census Bureau estimate of the
   population of Miami in 2004 was 379,724.

   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 a cultural melting pot,
   heavily influenced both by its large population of ethnic Latin
   Americans and Caribbean islanders (many of them Spanish- or Haitian
   Creole-speaking).

   The region's importance as an international financial and cultural
   centre has elevated Miami to the status of world city; because of its
   cultural and linguistic ties to North, South, and Central America, and
   the Caribbean it is sometimes called "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
   centre of the Hispanic world.

   Practically all major foreign countries today maintain consulates in
   Miami. The city has been involved in numerous political controversies
   with nearby Cuba and Fidel Castro, plus wider concerns with terrorism,
   immigration, and drug issues throughout the region.

History

   The earliest evidence of Native American settlement in the Miami region
   came from about 12,000 years ago. The first inhabitants settled on the
   banks of the Miami River, with the main villages on the northern banks.

   The inhabitants at the time of first European contact were the Tequesta
   people, who controlled much of southeastern Florida, including what is
   now Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and the southern part of Palm
   Beach County. The Tequesta Indians fished, hunted, and gathered the
   fruit and roots of plants for food, but did not practice any form of
   agriculture. They buried the small bones of the deceased with the rest
   of the body, and put the larger bones in a box for the village people
   to see. The Tequesta are credited with making the Miami Circle.

   Juan Ponce de León was the first European to visit the area in 1513 by
   sailing into Biscayne Bay. His journal records that he reached
   Chequescha, which was Miami's first recorded name. It is unknown
   whether he came ashore or made contact with the Indians. Pedro Menéndez
   de Avilés and his men made the first recorded landing when they visited
   the Tequesta settlement in 1566 while looking for Avilés' missing son,
   shipwrecked a year earlier. Spanish soldiers led by Father Francisco
   Villiareal built a Jesuit mission at the mouth of the Miami River a
   year later but it was short-lived. After the Spaniards left, the
   Tequesta Indians were left to fend themselves from European-introduced
   diseases like smallpox. By 1711, the Tequesta sent a couple of local
   chiefs to Havana, Cuba to ask if they could migrate there. The Cubans
   sent two ships to help them, but Spanish illnesses struck and most of
   the Indians died.

   The first permanent European settlers arrived in the early 1800s.
   People came from the Bahamas to South Florida and the Keys to hunt for
   treasure from the ships that ran aground on the treacherous Great
   Florida reef. Some accepted Spanish land offers along the Miami River.
   At about the same time, the Seminole Indians arrived, along with a
   group of runaway slaves. The area was affected by the Second Seminole
   War, during which Major William S. Harney led several raids against the
   Indians. Most non-Indian residents were soldiers stationed at Fort
   Dallas. It was the most devastating Indian war in American history,
   causing almost a total loss of population in the Miami area.

   After the Second Seminole War ended in 1842, William English,
   re-established a plantation started by his uncle on the Miami River. He
   charted the “Village of Miami” on the south bank of the Miami River and
   sold several plots of land. In 1844, Miami became the county seat, and
   six years later a census reported that there were ninety-six residents
   living in the area. The Third Seminole War (1855-1858) was not as
   destructive as the second one. Even so, it slowed down the settlement
   of southeast Florida. At the end of the war, a few of the soldiers
   stayed.
   Julia Tuttle owned 640 acres in the Miami area at the end of the 19th
   century
   Enlarge
   Julia Tuttle owned 640 acres in the Miami area at the end of the 19th
   century

   In 1891, a wealthy Cleveland, Ohio woman named Julia Tuttle purchased
   an enormous citrus plantation in the Miami area, augmenting a smaller
   plot of land she inherited from her father to make a total of 640
   acres. Tuttle’s husband, Frederick Tuttle, died in 1886, and she
   decided to move to South Florida due to the “delicate health” of her
   children. She and William Brickell tried to get railroad magnate Henry
   Flagler to expand his rail line, the Florida East Coast Railroad,
   southward to the area, but he initially declined.

   However, in the winter of 1894, Florida was struck by cold weather that
   destroyed virtually the entire citrus crop in the state. A few months
   later on the night of February 7, 1895, Florida was hit by another
   freeze. That freeze wiped out whatever crops survived the first one,
   and the new trees. Unlike the rest of the state, Miami was unaffected,
   and Tuttle's citrus became the only citrus on the market that year.
   Tuttle wrote to Flagler again, persuading him to visit the area and to
   see it for himself. Flagler did so, and concluded at the end of his
   first day that the area was ripe for expansion. He made the decision to
   extend his railroad to Miami and build a resort hotel.
   Miami Avenue in 1896
   Enlarge
   Miami Avenue in 1896

   On April 7, 1896 the railroad tracks finally reached Miami, and the
   first train arrived on April 13. It was a special, unscheduled train,
   and Flagler was on board. The train returned to St. Augustine later
   that night. The first regularly scheduled train arrived on the night of
   April 15.

   On July 28, 1896, the incorporation meeting to make Miami a city took
   place. The right to vote was restricted to all men who resided in Miami
   or Dade County. After ensuring that the required number of voters was
   present, the motion was made to incorporate and organize a city
   government under the corporate name of “The City of Miami,” with the
   boundaries as proposed. and the city was incorporated with 444
   citizens.

   Miami's growth up to World War II was astronomical. In 1900, 1,681
   people lived in Miami, Florida; in 1910, 5,471; in 1920, 29,571; in
   1930, 110,637. As thousands of people moved to the area in the early
   1900s, the need for more land quickly became apparent. Up until then,
   the Florida Everglades extended eastward to as close as three miles
   from Biscayne Bay. Beginning in 1906, canals were made to remove some
   of the water from those lands. During the early 1920s, the authorities
   of Miami allowed gambling and were very lax in regulating Prohibition,
   so thousands of people migrated from the northern United States to the
   Miami region. The catastrophic Great Miami Hurricane in 1926 caused 373
   fatalities and ended a large building boom. Between 25,000 and 50,000
   people were left homeless in the Miami area. The Great Depression
   followed, in which more than sixteen thousand people in Miami became
   unemployed.

   On February 15, 1933, an assassination attempt was made on
   President-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Giuseppe Zangara, an
   Italian anarchist, while Roosevelt was giving a speech in Miami's
   Bayfront Park. Mayor Anton Cermak of Chicago, who was shaking hands
   with Roosevelt, was shot and died two weeks later. Four other people
   were wounded, but President-elect Roosevelt was not harmed.

   By the early 1940s Miami was recovering from the Great Depression, but
   then World War II started. Many of the cities in Florida were heavily
   affected by the war and went into financial ruin, but Miami remained
   relatively unaffected. Over five hundred thousand enlisted men and
   fifty thousand officers trained in South Florida. After the end of the
   war, many servicemen and women returned to Miami, pushing the
   population up to almost a quarter million by 1950.

   Following the 1959 revolution that unseated Fulgencio Batista and
   brought Fidel Castro to power, most Cubans who were living in Miami
   went back to Cuba. That soon changed, and many middle class and upper
   class Cubans moved to Florida en masse with little possessions after
   Castro began to curtail legal rights. Miami generally welcomed the
   Cuban exiles. In 1965 alone, 100,000 Cubans packed into the twice-daily
   "freedom flights" from Havana, Cuba to Miami. By the end of the 1960s,
   more than four hundred thousand Cuban refugees were living in
   Miami-Dade County.

   Although Miami was not really considered a major centre of the Civil
   Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, it did not escape the change
   that occurred. Miami was a major city in the southern state of Florida,
   and had always had a substantial African-American and Caribbean
   population.

   In December 1979, police officers pursued motorcyclist Arthur McDuffie
   in a high-speed chase after McDuffie made a provocative gesture towards
   a police officer. The officers claimed that the chase ended when
   McDuffie crashed his motorcycle and died. The coroner's report
   concluded otherwise. One of the officers testified that McDuffie fell
   off of his bike on an Interstate 95 on-ramp. When the police reached
   him he was injured but okay. The officers proceeded to remove his
   helmet, beat him to death with their batons, put his helmet back on,
   and called an ambulance claiming there had been a motorcycle accident.
   An all-white jury acquitted the officers after a brief deliberation.
   After learning of the verdict of the McDuffie case, one of the worst
   riots in the history of the United States, the infamous Liberty City
   Riots, broke out. By the time the rioting ceased three days later, over
   850 people had been arrested, and at least eight white people and ten
   African Americans had died in the riots. Property damage was estimated
   around one hundred million dollars.
   Cuban refugees arriving in crowded boats during the Mariel Boatlift
   crisis.
   Enlarge
   Cuban refugees arriving in crowded boats during the Mariel Boatlift
   crisis.

   Later, the Mariel Boatlift of 1980 brought 150,000 Cubans to Miami, the
   largest in civilian history. Unlike the previous exodus of the 1960s,
   most of the Cuban refugees arriving were poor. Castro used the boatlift
   as a way of purging his country of criminals and of the mentally ill.
   During this time, many of the middle class non-Hispanic whites in the
   community left the city, often referred to as " white flight." By 1990
   Miami was less than 12% non-Hispanic white.

   In the 1980s, Miami started to see an increase in immigrants from other
   nations such as Haiti. As the Haitian population grew, the area known
   today as Little Haiti emerged, centered around Northeast Second Avenue
   and 54th Street. In the 1990s, the presence of Haitians was
   acknowledged with Haitian Creole language signs in public places and
   ballots during voting.

   Another major Cuban exodus occurred in 1994. To prevent it from
   becoming another Mariel Boatlift, the Clinton Administration announced
   a significant change in U.S. policy. In a controversial action, the
   administration announced that Cubans interdicted at sea would not be
   brought to the United States but instead would be taken by the Coast
   Guard to U.S. military installations at Guantanamo Bay or to Panama.
   During an eight-month period beginning in the summer of 1994, over
   30,000 Cubans and more than 20,000 Haitians were interdicted and sent
   to live in camps outside the United States.
   The aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in the Miami area
   Enlarge
   The aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in the Miami area

   Hurricane Andrew caused more than $45 billion in damage just south of
   the Miami-Dade area in 1992.

   The Elián González uproar was a heated custody and immigration battle
   in the Miami area in 2000. The contoversy concerned six-year-old Elián
   González, who was rescued from the waters off the coast of Miami. The
   U.S. and the Cuban governments, his father Juan Miguel González, his
   Miami relatives, and the Cuban-American community of Miami were
   involved. The climactic stage of this prolonged battle was the April
   22, 2000 seizure of Elián by federal agents, which drew the criticism
   of many in the Cuban-American community.

   The controversial Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations occurred
   in 2003. It was a proposed agreement to reduce trade barriers while
   increasing intellectual property rights. During the 2003 meeting in
   Miami, the Free Trade Area of the Americas was met by heavy opposition
   from anti-corporatization and anti-globalization protests.

   On July 27, 2005, the popular ex-city commissioner Arthur Teele walked
   into the main lobby of the Miami Herald headquarters, dropped off a
   package for columnist Jim DeFede, and told the security guard to tell
   his wife Stephanie he "loved her" before pulling out a gun and
   committing suicide.

Geography and climate

Geography

   The City of Miami and its suburbs are located on a broad plain between
   the Florida Everglades and Biscayne Bay that also extends from Florida
   Bay north to Lake Okeechobee. The elevation of the area never rises
   above 15ft (4.5 m) and averages at around 3ft (0.91 m) above sea level
   in most neighborhoods, especially near the coast. 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.

   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 15 m (50 feet) 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 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, a natural underground
   river 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, impeding underground construction.

   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 and crocodiles venturing onto suburban communities and major
   highways.

   In terms of land area, the city of 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 sq. miles (92.68 km²) are land and 19.59 sq. miles (50.73 km²)
   are water. Miami is slightly smaller in land area than San Francisco
   and Boston.

   The city is located at 25°47′16″N, 80°13′27″W^ GR1.

Climate

   Portion of the Miami skyline as seen from Key Biscayne
   Enlarge
   Portion of the Miami skyline as seen from Key Biscayne

   Miami has a humid subtropical climate, with warm, humid summers, and
   mild winters by most standards. The city does experience cold fronts
   from November through March, however most of the year is warm and
   humid, and the summers are reminiscent of a true tropical climate. In
   addition, the city sees most of its rain in the summer (wet season) and
   is mainly dry in winter (dry season). The wet season, which is hot and
   humid, lasts from May to September, 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.

   Climate Zones of the World, under Koppen's System, retrieved August 8,
   2006 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 see temperatures below 75 ºF (24 ºC).
   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 59 ºF
   (15 ºC), rarely dipping below 40 ºF (4 ºC), and the equivalent maxima
   usually range between 65 and 75 °F (18-24 °C).

   Officially, Miami has only once recorded a triple-digit temperature,
   the all-time maximum being 100 ºF (37.8 ºC), set on July 21, 1942.
   However, extreme summer humidity often boosts the heat index to around
   110 ºF (43 °C). The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city of
   Miami was 28 °F (-2 °C) on January 27, 1940. 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.

   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) , 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. 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. 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.

People and culture

Demographics

   A map of Miami from 1955
   Enlarge
   A map of Miami from 1955

   Miami is the 46th most populous city in the U.S. The metropolitan area,
   which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, with a
   combined population of more than 5.4 million people, ranks sixth in the
   United States behind Dallas and is 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 3,923.5/km² (10,160.9/mi²), making
   Miami one of the more densely populated cities in the country. There
   were 148,388 housing units at an average density of 1,606.2/km²
   (4,159.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.62% White, 22.31%
   African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.04% Pacific
   Islander, 5.42% from other races, and 4.74% from two or more races.
   67.76% of the population were Latino of any race. 11.83% of the
   population were non-Hispanic whites. The ethnic makeup of the city is
   34.1% Cuban, 22.3% African American, 5.6% Nicaraguan, 5.0% Haitian, and
   3.3% Honduran. In 2004, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
   ranked Miami first in terms of percentage of residents born outside of
   the country it is located in (59%), followed by Toronto (43%).

   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.

   In the city the population was spread out with 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
   number of murders, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries
   and motor vehicle thefts that have occurred in the metropolitan area.
   The city proper ranks 14th.

   The city ranks second-to-last in people over 18 with a high school
   diploma, with 23% of the population not having that degree.

   A wide variety of languages are commonly spoken throughout the city.
   The City of Miami has three official languages - English, Spanish, and
   Haitian Creole. Other languages that are spoken throughout the city
   include Afrikaans, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, Finnish, French,
   German, Hebrew, Igbo, Italian, Russian, and Turkish. Miami has the
   largest percentage population in the U.S. among large cities (74%) of
   people who speak a language other than English at home.

   The Latin- and Caribbean-friendly atmosphere in Miami has made it a
   popular destination for tourists and immigrants from all over the
   world. In addition, large immigrant communities have settled in Miami
   from around the globe, including Europe, Africa, and Asia. The majority
   of Miami's European immigrant communities are recent immigrants, many
   living in the city seasonally, with a high disposable income.

   Today there are sizable legal and illegal populations of Argentinians,
   Bahamians, Brazilians, Canadians, Colombians, Cubans, Dominicans,
   French, Haitians, Hondurans, Jamaicans, Israelis, Italians, Mexicans,
   Nicaraguans, Russians, Trinidadians and Tobagoans, Turks, and
   Venezuelans, as well as a sizeable legal 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
   one of the largest Israeli, and Russian communities. The communities
   have grown to a prominent place in Miami and its suburbs, establishing
   area neighbourhoods such as Little Havana, Little Managua, Little
   Haiti, Little Moscow, Little Buenos Aires, and Little Tel Aviv.

Sports

   CAPTION: Miami professional sports teams

   Club Sport League Venue League Championships
   Miami Dolphins Football National Football League Dolphin Stadium Super
   Bowl ( VII 1972 - defeated Washington Redskins, 14-7 [being the first
   undefeated team in an NFL season] and VIII 1973 - defeated Minnesota
   Vikings, 24-7)
   Florida Panthers Hockey National Hockey League BankAtlantic Centre
   Eastern Conference (NHL) (champions 1995-96)
   Miami Heat Basketball National Basketball Association AmericanAirlines
   Arena NBA Finals (Champions) ( 2006 - defeated Dallas Mavericks, series
   4-2)
   Florida Marlins Baseball Major League Baseball; NL Dolphin Stadium
   World Series ( 1997 - defeated Cleveland Indians, series 4-3; 2003 -
   defeated New York Yankees, series 4-2)
   Miami FC Soccer United Soccer Leagues Tropical Park None
   Miami Tropics Basketball American Basketball Association Miami Arena
   None

   The Miami Heat is the only major league team that plays its games in
   Miami. The team recently 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 a total of
   ten, more than any other city, and is scheduled to host another in
   2007. The Florida Panthers NHL team plays in neighboring Broward
   County, Florida at the BankAtlantic Centre in the city of Sunrise.
   Miami is also the home of the Miami Orange Bowl, the home site for all
   University of Miami Hurricanes football games. Miami is also home to
   Paso Fino horses, where competitions are held at Tropical Park
   Equestrian Centre.

   A number of defunct teams were located in Miami, including the Miami
   Floridians ( ABA), Miami Gatos ( NASL), Miami Screaming Eagles ( WHA),
   Miami Seahawks ( AAFC), Miami Sol ( WNBA), Miami Toros ( NASL), Miami
   Tribe ( PSFL), 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.

   Professional wrestlers living in Miami include Terry "Hulk" Hogan,
   Carlos Colón, Jr., Hazem Ali and Antonio Banks.

Education

   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 high
   schools throughout the area.

   Among the colleges and universities in the area include Barry
   University, Florida International University, Johnson and Wales
   University, Miami-Dade College, St. Thomas University, Florida Memorial
   University, and the University of Miami.

Economy

   The ever-increasing Miami skyline during its most recent construction
   boom. - October 2006Photo: Marc Averette
   Enlarge
   The ever-increasing Miami skyline during its most recent construction
   boom. - October 2006
   Photo: Marc Averette

   Miami is one of the country's most important financial centers. It is
   the major centre 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 organisations, Miami is considered a "Gamma World City."

   Because of its proximity to Latin America, Miami serves as the
   headquarters of Latin American operations for many multinational
   corporations, including American Airlines, Cisco, Disney, Exxon, FedEx,
   Microsoft, Oracle, SBC Communications and Sony. Several large companies
   are headquartered in or around Miami, including Alienware, AutoNation,
   Burger King, Carnival Cruise Lines, Citrix Systems, DHL, Norwegian
   Cruise Lines, and Ryder Systems. 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. This effort has been guided by
   Florida FTAA.

   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 glamourous 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 centre,
   especially for stone quarrying and warehousing.

   Miami has also served as host venue for legendary legal proceedings,
   most notably the astounding $145 Billion verdict leveled against the
   nation's 5 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 2002 American Community Survey,
   Miami was the poorest city in the United States, with 31% of the
   residents having incomes below the federal poverty line. In 2004, Miami
   moved to third in the rankings ahead of Detroit, Michigan and El Paso,
   Texas.

   Miami is also one of the least affordable places to live, with 69% of
   its residents spending at least 30% of their household income on home
   ownership. Miami ranks first among least affordable cities for home
   ownership.

   As of 2005, the Miami area is witnessing 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.

Transportation

   Miami-Dade County Transit Buses in Miami Beach, Florida.
   Enlarge
   Miami-Dade County Transit Buses in Miami Beach, Florida.

   Miami's main international hub is Miami International Airport, which is
   one of the busiest international airports in the world, serving over 35
   million passengers every year. Identified as MIA or KMIA by various
   world aviation authorities, it is a major hub and the single largest
   international gateway for American Airlines, the world's largest
   passenger air carrier; and is also served by many foreign airlines. MIA
   is the USA's third largest international port of entry for foreign air
   passengers (behind New York's JFK and Los Angeles' LAX), and the
   seventh largest such gateway in the world (bested only by those two
   airports; combined with London's Heathrow, Paris' Charles de Gaulle,
   Amsterdam's Schiphol, and Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok international
   airports). 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. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood
   International Airport (FLL/KFLL) also serves the metropolitan area, and
   actually handles more total passengers who are originating or ending
   their trip in south Florida than does MIA.

   The main seaport, The Port of Miami, is the largest cruise ship port in
   the world, serving over 18 million passengers per year. 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 terms of cargo
   tonnage imported/exported from Latin America.
   Miami skyline from Miami Beach showing 6 cruise ships docked at Port of
   Miami 1/10/06. Photo: Marc Averette
   Enlarge
   Miami skyline from Miami Beach showing 6 cruise ships docked at Port of
   Miami 1/10/06. Photo: Marc Averette

   Miami is connected to Amtrak's Atlantic Coast services.

   Local public transportation includes Metrobus and Metrorail, a metro
   rapid transit system (both operated by Miami-Dade Transit).
   Furthermore, Tri-Rail, a commuter 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. A new light rail
   system is proposed and is called BayLink. BayLink will connect downtown
   miami with South beach. 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. 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

   For information on the street grid, see Miami-Dade County,
   Florida#Street grid.

In popular culture

   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.Photo: Marc Averette
   Enlarge
   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.
   Photo: Marc Averette

   There are many television shows that have been based in Miami. The
   controversial Emmy winning drama Nip/Tuck and CBS's CSI: Miami both
   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
   sitcom The Golden Girls and the detective series Surfside 6 were also
   based in Miami Beach. In the 1980's, no show rivaled Miami Vice in
   revitalizing the city's image as the 'mecca of cool' for the MTV
   Generation. Keeping with its modern music tradition, the city has
   recently hosted the 2004 and 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. The TLC
   reality shows Miami Ink and Million Dollar Agents are set in the city.
   Some other recent reality shows in Miami include Animal Planet's Miami
   Animal Police and MTV's 8th & Ocean and The Real World: Miami.

   The video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City takes place in 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 is a centre 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, La Mujer de Mi Vida etc. Arguably, the most famous being
   Sábado Gigante, a Saturday night variety show seen throughout the
   United States, South America and Europe, and the daytime talk shows
   Cristina and El Gordo y la Flaca.

   Miami has acted as the backdrop for several movies, including There's
   Something About Mary, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Bad
   Boys & Bad Boys II, The Birdcage, True Lies, Miami Vice (based on the
   80's television series of the same name), and most notably 1983's
   Scarface.

Music

   Miami music is varied. Latin American Immigrants brought the conga and
   rumba to Miami from their homelands instantly popularizing it in
   American culture.

   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".

   Miami also had a huge place in hip-hop music since the mid-1980s, with
   its urban sound, rivaling that of New York City as the East Coast's
   prime hip-hop mecca. Miami's also the birthplace of Miami Bass and
   arguably the birthplace of Southern Rap. Notable hip-hop artists from
   Miami consist of 2 Live Crew, Dre, Luther Campbell, Poison Clan, Trick
   Daddy, Trina, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Smitty, and the late DJ Uncle Al.
   Producers include Cool & Dre, The Diaz Brothers, Red Spyda.

   Miami is also considered a "hot spot" for 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, Exposé, and Paris By Air originated in Miami.

   Also in Miami due to the many Latinos in the area, Reggaeton is very
   popular, artists sucha as Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, and many
   others, are popular.

Sister Cities

   Miami has 19 sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities
   International, Inc. (SCI):
     * Morocco Agadir, Morocco
     * Jordan Amman, Jordan
     * Colombia Bogotá, Colombia
     * Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina
     * Mexico Cancún, México
     * Bolivia Cochabamba, Bolivia
     * South Africa Durban, South Africa
     * Japan Kagoshima, Japan
     * Republic of China Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
     * Nicaragua Managua, Nicaragua
     * Costa Rica Montes de Oca, Costa Rica
     * Spain Murcia, Spain
     * France Nice, France
     * Romania Targoviste, Romania
     * Italy Palermo, Italy
     * Israel Ramat Hasharon, Israel
     * Chile Santiago, Chile
     * Chile Iquique, Chile
     * Dominican Republic Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
     * Tunisia Sousse, Tunisia
     * Bulgaria Varna, Bulgaria

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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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