ABOUT MIAMI


Facts and general information about the city of Miami Florida.

History

Miami was founded on July 28, 1896.

Geography

Miami-Dade County area: 1,955 square miles (3,145 square kilometers)
Elevation: 12 feet (3.6 meters)
Miles of Beaches: 15+

Climate

Subtropical climate with year-round sunshine
Annual average daily temperature: 76 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius)

Recreation

More than 800 parks

Biscayne National Park
Everglades National Park
Crandon Beach County Park
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

Consistently in Dr. Beach's top 10 Best Beaches in the U.S.
Award-winning tennis and golf
Water sports (parasailing, windsurfing, wave-running, jet-skiing)

Demographics

Miami-Dade County population: 2.4 million+
Ethnic breakdown: White 69.7%, Hispanic 57.3%, Black 20.3%

Government

35 municipalities including Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami, the City of Miami Beach and Bal Harbor Village.

Lodging

460+ hotels and motels and nearly 50,000 rooms

Quick Facts

Major Industries: Tourism, International Trade, Software
Electricity: 110 volts
Time Zone: GMT-5
Country dialing code: +1
Area Codes: 305 and 786

Transportation

Miami International Airport: 33.5 million travelers, 3rd in U.S. for international passenger traffic
Port of Miami (ìCruise Capital of the Worldî)
36 taxi companies, 1,827 taxi cabs
21-mile elevated Metrorail mass transit
Metromover 4.4-mile urban loop
Super Shuttle airport transportation
Passenger rails: Amtrak and Tri-Rail

Professional Sports Teams

Florida Marlins Baseball
Miami Dolphins Football
Miami Heat Basketball

More Facts about Miami

  • Miami Beach's Art Deco District contains the world's largest collection of Art Deco Architecture (800+ buildings)
  • Miami is the Recreational Diving Capital of the World, containing Miami over 50 diveable wreck sites, such as ships, oil platforms, army tanks and the Spirit of Miami Boeing 727 jet - sunken to provide artificial reefs for marine life.
  • Miami Beach was dubbed the Sun and Fun Capital by Jackie Gleason when he broadcast his show here in the 1960s. Today Miami Beach is known as America's Riviera and the Latin Hollywood.
  • Miami Beach is a man-made island that was once a Coconut Grove Plantation.
  • Julia Tuttle, the "Mother of Miami" convinced Standard Oil co-founder Henry Flagler to extend his railroad from central Florida to Miami, build a luxury hotel, and lay out a new town. She did so by sending him perfect Miami orange blossoms during a crop freeze north of Miami. The railroad arrived in 1896. The City of Miami was incorporated on July 28 that same year.
  • Miami is home to the world's only Everglades eco-system, made famous in Marjorie Stoneman Douglas' book The River of Grass.
  • Miami is home to 150+ ethnicities and 60+ languages The popular television series "Miami Vice" made its debut in 1984. On July 28, 2006, "Miami Vice: The Movie" was released. Memorable films made in Miami include: "Something About Mary," "The Birdcage," "Goldfinger," "Scarface," "True Lies," "2 Fast 2Furious," "Bad Boys," "Bad Boys 2" and "Out of Sight."
  • Miami's unique sport of Jai-Alai features pelotas which are recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as traveling up to 75 mph.

What the Media is saying about Miami

  • The global press love Miami, ranking it as a top hotspot for romance, great beaches, nightlife, shopping and recreation/fitness.
  • American Express Travel agents ranked Miami as #3 destination in U.S. for families
  • Miami's Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne ranked #8 in USA Today's Dr. Beach Top 10 Beaches list.
  • Self magazine named Miami #3 Fittest City in U.S.
  • MovieMaker Magazine ranked Miami #7 best place in U.S. to film
  • AOL/Travel readers ranked Miami as: #1 for Meeting Someone New, #3 for Clubbing, #5 for Romance and Outdoor Recreation/Exercise, #7 Ideal Hotels & Resorts and #7 for People-watching, #8 for Shopping and #9 for Places to Take in Views.
  • Travel Channel ranked South Beach as one of Top 10 Best Beaches in the World.
  • Miami ranked #1 Best City for Doing Business in Latin America by America Economia magazine.
  • Miami No. 7 in ranking of movie-friendly cities by MovieMaker magazine 2005.