Miami city
Located in the southeastern part of Florida, Miami is one of the most important American cities. It is spread over a total area of 143.15 square kilometers or 55.27 square miles. When compared to other major American cities, Miami is spread over the least amount of land area. The city is situated on a plain and has the Florida Everglades to its west and the Biscayne Bay to its east. Geographically it is located on 25? 47' 16" N latitude and 80?13' 27" W longitude. The population of the city as per the last census in 2006 is 404,048.
Initially, the region that is today Miami, was home to the Tequesta Indians for more than ten centuries. When Spanish colonizers came to America in 1566, a person called Pedro Menendez de Aviles established a Spanish mission here. The region got its lucky break in 1894, when during the Great Freeze, Miamis crops were the only ones to flourish, while all the other crops in Florida failed. And as a result a local citrus farmer by the name of Julia Tuttle was able to convince the railroad tycoon Henry Flagler to extend the Florida East Coast Railroad to Miami. And since then the city never looked back.
Miami was recognized as a city by the American government on the 28th of July, 1896. With the state government providing all necessary resources, the city began to grow rapidly. And when the Florida Land Bloom happened in the 1920s, Miami was the city which gained the most from it. The land boom resulted in a golden period for the city with massive increase in the population and infrastructure. Another important chapter was added in Miami?s history in 1959 when thousands of Cubans emigrated to the city after Fidel Castro took over power in Cuba. Today these Cubans are an important part of Miamis multi cultural society.
The tropical climate of Miami ensures that the summers are hot and humid. In fact Miami?s summers are pretty much like the Caribbean summers with lots of rainfall and hurricanes. A typical summer day has a hot morning followed by a thunderstorm in the afternoon. In direct contrast to the summers, the winters are dry and cool. This combined with the low humidity, which is otherwise a problem for most parts of the year, makes the winters the most pleasant time of the year. Miami receives more than its fair share of rainfall with an average annual rainfall of 58.6 inches.
Apart from being an major national financial center, Miami also has an important role to play in global business. The city houses the headquarters of almost 1500 multinational companies including major ones like American Airlines, Disney, FedEx, Microsoft, Oracle, Sony, Visa International, Bacardi, Burger King, DHL and Auto Nation. It is also interesting to note that the largest number of international banks in America is in downtown Miami. In fact, Miami has been given the name Gamma World City by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network, because of the large number of global companies operating out of the city.
Along with the corporate houses, Miami also has a number of thriving industries like stone quarrying and warehousing. However, because of the city housing so many corporate offices, it is a very expensive place to live in. Around seventy percent of the population spends nearly half their income on owning a house. The city stands first in the list of least affordable cities for home ownership. It also ranks third on the list of American cities having most number of families with incomes below the federal poverty line. This is reflected in the per capita income of the city - $15,128 which is very poor when compared to other major American cities.
With a population density of 10,160.9 people per square mile, Miami is one of the most densely populated cities in America. People of Latin origin make up a whooping 65.8% of the city?s populace while Non-Hispanic Whites account for only 11.8% of it. 34.1% of the population is Cuban while 22.3% are African Americans. Other nationalities which have a strong presence in the city are Nicaraguans, Haitians, Puerto Ricans, Hondurans, Argentineans and Mexicans. As per a report of the United Nations Development Program published in 2004, Miami ranked first in the list of major cities in the world when it came to percentage of residents not born in the same country. This figure stood at a remarkable 59%.
Due to the presence of these international communities, a number of different languages are commonly spoken in Miami. While English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole are the official languages of the city, there are many more which are freely spoken. Spanish is the first language of 66.75% of the city?s populace, while only 25.45% people speak English at home. In fact, out of all American cities, Miami has one of the largest percentages of residents who don?t speak English as their first language. And if you are worried about safety, then definitely worry about Miami, because it is the second most dangerous metropolitan area in America based on FBI statistics of murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries and vehicle thefts.
One of the busiest airports in the world is the Miami International Airport which serves more than 35 million passengers on an average every year. The airport is very well connected both nationally and internationally, and has non stop flights to about eighty cities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. In addition to the airport is the Port of Miami which is the biggest port for cruise ships in the whole world. Every year it receives nearly 4,000,000 tourists. Also it is one of America?s biggest cargo ports with imports of more than ten million tons of cargo annually.
Miami is one of the most popular American cities with its multi-cultural community and its fast paced life. Vice City, where the immensely popular video game Grand Theft Auto is set is modeled on Miami. There have been a lot of Hollywood movies set in Miami including- There?s Something About Mary, Wild Things, Ace Ventura Pet Detective, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Bad Boys I and II and the James Bond movies Goldfinger, Thunderball and Casino Royale. Miami also has a rocking music scene with a unique mixture of salsa, reggae, calypso, bachata and vallenato. The city is also a major hip hop hub with artists like Dre, 2 Live Crew and DJ Khaled having started their careers here. Miami even hosts some exciting music festivals around the year of which the Winter Music Conference is the best. And when you are in Miami do not miss out on some of the most popular nightclubs in the world including Space, Mansion, Twilo, Ink, Cameo and Opium Garden.
Miami is truly a global city with its strong presence in international business and its amazingly multi-cultural society.
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