Boats docked in Miami, you can see large skyscraper buildings in the background

Life in Miami

There’s a lot more to South Florida than just its fabled beaches. We invite you to see for yourself.

The city of Miami, with a population of 470,000, is the economic and financial center of Miami-Dade County, which has 2.7 million residents and a mix of people and places that makes the region unique. The region features the busiest passenger cruise port in the world, one of the largest international airports, the third-largest national park in the United States, the second largest financial district in the nation (after New York) and a vibrant arts and culture scene.

History of Miami

The city of Miami gets its name from one of the native tribes that lived in the area in the 1600s and 1700s – the Mayaimi.

It is also the only major American city founded by a woman. In 1891, a Cleveland widow named Julia Tuttle purchased 640 acres on the north bank of the Miami River and moved her family there. Within four years, she had convinced Standard Oil co-founder Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to Miami and lay out a new town. The railroad arrived in April 1896, the City of Miami was incorporated in July, and the first tourist season was inaugurated in January 1897 with the opening of Flagler’s Royal Palm Hotel.

That same year, the city brought in its first convention, the International Tobacco Growers Association, and set its future as a town built to please the tourists. By the 1920s it was a bustling metropolis and began its tremendous population growth.

The city has been shaped by immigration from across the United States and upheaval to the south. After dictator Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba in 1959, hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled the island to start a new life in Miami. Later decades brought an influx of immigrants from Haiti and Nicaragua.

Long described as the “Capital of Latin America,’’ the region has become a truly global city with a thriving entrepreneurial scene and a growing financial sector. The Brickell financial center in Miami has the second largest concentration of international banks outside of New York.

History of Miami

The city of Miami gets its name from one of the native tribes that lived in the area in the 1600s and 1700s – the Mayaimi.

It is also the only major American city founded by a woman. In 1891, a Cleveland widow named Julia Tuttle purchased 640 acres on the north bank of the Miami River and moved her family there. Within four years, she had convinced Standard Oil co-founder Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to Miami and lay out a new town. The railroad arrived in April 1896, the City of Miami was incorporated in July, and the first tourist season was inaugurated in January 1897 with the opening of Flagler’s Royal Palm Hotel.

That same year, the city brought in its first convention, the International Tobacco Growers Association, and set its future as a town built to please the tourists. By the 1920s it was a bustling metropolis and began its tremendous population growth.

The city has been shaped by immigration from across the United States and upheaval to the south. After dictator Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba in 1959, hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled the island to start a new life in Miami. Later decades brought an influx of immigrants from Haiti and Nicaragua.

Long described as the “Capital of Latin America,’’ the region has become a truly global city with a thriving entrepreneurial scene and a growing financial sector. The Brickell financial center in Miami has the second largest concentration of international banks outside of New York.