Lincoln Park And Miami

Lincoln Park is a 1,208 acre (4.9 km², 1.8875 mi², 488,86 ha) park along the lakefront of Chicago, Illinois' North Side, facing Lake Michigan. Lincoln Park is Chicago's largest public park. The park, named after Abraham Lincoln, stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Ohio Street (400 N) on the south to near Ardmore Avenue (5800 N) on the north, just north of the Lake Shore Drive terminus at Hollywood Avenue. Sony VAIO PCG-8131M battery Several museums are located between North Avenue (1600 N) and Diversey Parkway (2800 N) in the neighborhood that takes its name from the park, Lincoln Park. The park further to the north is characterized by parkland, beaches, recreational areas, nature reserves, and harbors. To the south, there is a more narrow strip of beaches east of Lake Shore Drive, almost to downtown. Lincoln Park, with 20 million visitors a year, is the second most visited park in the United States. Sony VAIO PCG-8152M battery The park's recreational facilities include 15 baseball areas, 6 basketball courts, softball fields, soccer fields, 35 tennis courts, 163 volley ball courts, field houses, a target archery field, a driving range and golf course. The park also includes a number of harbours with boating facilities, as well as public beaches. There are landscaped gardens, public art, bird refuges, a zooSony VAIO PCG-31311M battery, the Lincoln Park Conservatory, the Chicago History Museum, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, and a theater on the lake with regular outdoor performances during the summer. History A concert in Lincoln Park circa 1907. In 1860, Lake Park (also called Cemetery Park), the precursor of today's park, was established by the city on the lands just to the north of the city's burial ground. Five years later, on June 12, 1865, the park was renamed to honor the recently assassinated President Abraham LincolnSony VAIO PCG-31111M battery. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994,[6] part of the oldest section of today's Lincoln Park near North Avenue began its existence as the City Cemetery in 1843. This was subdivided into a Potter's Field, Catholic cemetery, Jewish cemetery, and the general City Cemetery. These cemeteries were the only cemeteries in the Chicago area until 1859Sony VAIO PCG-8112M battery. In 1852, David Kennison, who is said to have been born in 1736, died and was buried in City Cemetery. Another notable burial in the cemetery was Chicago Mayor James Curtiss, whose body was lost when the cemetery was added to the park. Photochrom of the Grant Memorial ca. 1901 Throughout the late 1850s, there was discussion of closing the cemetery or abandoning it because of health concerns. In the fall of 1858, Dr. John H. Rauch MD suggested that the burial grounds were a health risk, which "might serve extremely well for plantations of grove and forest trees" that would be "useful and ornamental to the city." Sony VAIO PCG-7186M battery The idea was dropped during the Civil War, but revived by Dr. Rauch after the war ended. [8] By 1864, the city council had decided to add all the 120-acre (0.49 km2) cemetery lands north of North Avenue to the park by relocating the graves. The cemetery sections south of North Avenue were also relocated but this land was left for residential development. To this day, the Couch mausoleum can still be seen as the most visible reminder of the history as a cemeterySony VAIO PCG-7171M battery, standing amidst trees, behind the Chicago History Museum. Ira Couch, who is interred in the tomb, was one of Chicago's earliest innkeepers, opening the Tremont House in 1835. Couch is believed to not be the only person interred in the old burial ground in Lincoln Park. A plaque placed nearby states that "the remains of six Couch family members and one family friend are in the tomb." [9]Partially due to the destruction of the Chicago Fire on tombstonesSony VAIO PCG-9Z1M battery, it was difficult to remove many of the remains. As recently as 1998, construction in the park has revealed more bodies left over from the nineteenth century.[10] Another large and notable group of graves relocated from the site of today's Lincoln Park were those of approximately 4,000 Confederate prisoners of war who died at Camp Douglas. Many prisoners perished between 1862 and 1865 as a result of the poor condition they were in when taken on the battlefield, or of disease and privation existing at the Federal prisonSony VAIO PCG-5S1M battery. Although the camp was located south of downtown Chicago, near the stockyards, the remains were originally interred at the site of today's Lincoln Park. Today, their gravesites may be found at Oak Woods Cemetery in the southern part of Chicago. A one acre (4,000 m²) mass grave and a monument erected by Southerners and Chicago friends in 1895 memorializes these Southerners whose earthly remnants remain in the NorthSony VAIO PCG-5P1M battery. Author George Levy believes that remains of many of the confederate prisoners are still to be found beneath what are currently baseball fields, the former site of the potter's field.[11] From the 1860s through the 1950s the park expanded South and then North along seven miles (11 km) of Chicago's Lakefront. (See reference notes 1, 2 and 3). The establishment of public parkland along all of Chicago's lakefront was a central tennet of the 1909 Burnham Plan for the development of ChicagoSony VAIO PCG-5N2M battery. Another aspect of park history were the Young Lords Lincoln Park neighborhood sit ins and take-overs of institutions under the leadership of Jose Cha Cha Jimenez, protesting the displacement of Latinos by Mayor Richard J. Daley's urban renewal policies. It was also the scene of violent events that took place during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. These events transpired around the convention center, Grant ParkSony VAIO PCG-3C2M battery, Old Town, and the park adjacent (on Clark Street) called Lincoln Park. “I pointed out that it was in the best interests of the City to have us in Lincoln Park ten miles (16 km) away from the Convention hall. I said we had no intention of marching on the Convention hall, that I didn't particularly think that politics in America could be changed by marches and rallies, that what we were presenting was an alternative life style, and we hoped that people of Chicago would come up, and mingle in Lincoln Park and see what we were aboutSony VAIO PCG-8161M battery.    ” — Abbie Hoffman, from the Chicago 7 trial Zoo, Conservatory, and museums Lincoln Park Zoo Nature Boardwalk Lincoln Park Conservatory Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool in Lincoln Park is a National Historic Landmark listing. Peggy Notabeart Nature Museum-Chicago Academy of Sciences, south wing with tallgrass prairie overlook Zoo Main article: Lincoln Park Zoo 41.921375°N 87.633841°W Lincoln Park is well known for the Lincoln Park Zoo, a free zoo that is open year-round.[12] Lincoln Park Zoo is home to a wide variety of animals. The zoo includes big cats, polar bears, penguins, gorillas, reptiles, monkeys, and other species totalling nearly 1,250 animalsSony VAIO PCG-8141M battery. Two sections of Lincoln Park Zoo have been set aside for children. The partially indoor Pritzker Family Children's Zoo includes habitats of various North American wildlife, and the Farm-in-the-Zoo Presented by John Deere is a working reproduction of a Midwestern farm containing horses and livestock such as pigs, cows, and sheep. At the Farm-in-the-Zoo, children can feed and interact with the animals and view live demonstrations of farm work such as the milking of cowsSony VAIO PCG-3J1M battery. In 2010, the Zoo transformed the South Pond, to create a wildlife marsh habitat, with a Nature Boardwalk. Conservatory Main article: Lincoln Park Conservatory The Lincoln Park Conservatory offers year round displays of plants from many different climates around the world.[13] Today's conservatory was built in stages from 1890 to 1895. It consists of a vestibule, four display halls and fifteen propagating and growing houses. The vestibule and Palm House were built and opened to the public in 1892 and contain giant palms and rubber treesSony VAIO PCG-3H1M battery, including a 15 m (50 ft) fiddle-leaf rubber tree planted in 1891. In the Palm House, one can also find Garden Figure, a sculpture by Frederick Hibbard. The Fern Room or Fernery was opened in 1895. It contains plants of the forest floor, primarily a vast collection of ferns. The Tropical Room was originally called the stove house. Opened in 1895, it contained an assortment of tropical plants suspended from bark-covered wallsSony VAIO PCG-3F1M battery. It is now called the Orchid Room and has a collection of approximately 25,000 natural species. The Display House is used for seasonal flower and plant exhibits. A docent program run by the Chicago Park District and Lincoln Park Conservancy, provides free tours of the Conservatory and its outdoor gardens from 1-4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and from 9 to Noon on Saturdays Sony VAIO PCG-3C1M battery. Lily Pool Main article: Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool Located on Fullerton Parkway between Stockton and Cannon Drives, the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is an historic example of Prairie School landscape architecture. The Lily Pool was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark on February 17, 2006.[14] The Lily Pool had originally been built to cultivate tropical water lilies in 1889. Sony VAIO PCG-9Z2L battery In the 1930s, landscape architect Alfred Caldwell was hired by the Works Progress Administration to redesign the pool in the Prairie School style.[16] From 1998 to 2002, the Lily Pool underwent an extensive restoration by the Lincoln Park Conservancy and Chicago Park District, which earned the site its historic designations, and renamed the site after Alfred Caldwell. The Lily Pool is open seasonally from mid-April to mid-November from 7:30 a.m. to the earlier of dusk or 7:30 p.m. every daySony VAIO PCG-9Z1L battery. A docent program run by the Chicago Park District and Lincoln Park Conservancy offers free tours from 1-4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and from 9 - Noon on Saturdays during operating season. Nature Museum Main article: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum First established in 1857 as the Chicago Academy of Sciences and now occupying its new facility in 1999 as the Nature Museum, it descends from the Park District's first museum in the parks. The museum's exhibits include displays about the ecological history of the Illinois regionSony VAIO PCG-9131L battery, a live butterfly house, and a green home demonstration.[17] The butterfly house features more than 200 species of exotic butterflies. The museum also offers educational programs for adults and children.[18] History Museum Main article: Chicago History Museum Located at Clark Street and North Avenue, the Chicago History Museum is dedicated to everything about Chicago's human history. Perhaps among its most well-known possessions are Abraham Lincoln's deathbed and several furniture pieces from the room where he died in the Petersen HouseSony VAIO PCG-8161L battery, as well as clothing he and wife Mary Todd Lincoln wore the evening of his assassination.[19][20] The museum also houses Chicago's most important collection of materials related to local history. In addition to the exhibits, the museum continues to house an extensive research library which includes books and other published materials, manuscripts, paintings, sculptures and photosSony VAIO PCG-8152L battery. Recreational areas Children playing in Lincoln Park in winter snowstorm Montrose Harbor and other harbors provide marina and docking facilities First tee at Waveland Golf Course Facilities Lincoln Park runs through five Chicago neighborhoods: from north to south, they are Edgewater, Uptown, Lake View, Lincoln Park and Near North. Along its seven mile (11 km) streach, Lincoln Park has many specialized spaces for recreational activities. The Park contains playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, boating facilities, beaches, field and beach housesSony VAIO PCG-8141L battery, running and bike paths, playing fields and pitches for football, rugby, baseball, softball, cricket, soccer, volleyball, archery, a golf course, driving range, and areas for horseback riding. Beaches Main article: Chicago beaches#Lincoln Park Beaches There are seven public beaches for swimming, sunbathing and beach volleyball along the Park's 7 mile shoreline that are guarded during the summer months. The beaches from north to south are, Thorndale, Hollywood, and Foster in Edgewater; Montrose in Uptown; North Avenue in Lincoln Park; and Oak Street and Ohio in Near North. The first City of Chicago public beach, North Avenue Beach, opened in Lincoln Park in 1895. Sony VAIO PCG-8131L battery Golf The Waveland Avenue Golf Course (now, Sydney R Marovitz) in the Uptown and Lakeview, Chicago neighborhoods section of the park provides a lakside setting for the game.[22] (41°57′9″N 87°38′27.4″W) Known for its challenging narrow fairways, it offers nine tees on a par 36 course. Further south, inland of Lakeshore Drive, is a driving range and miniature golfcourseSony VAIO PCG-81312L battery. Boating There are three harbors in the Park providing marina and docking facilities for boaters: north to south, they are Montrose in Uptown, Lakeview's Belmont Harbor, and Diversey Harbor in the Lakeview and the Lincoln Park Neighborhoods .[23] Montrose Harbor provides 630 dock facilities and is home to the Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club. Sony VAIO PCG-81214L battery Belmont Harbor provides 730 moorings, a fuel dock and a ship store.[25] The Chicago Yacht Club has a Belmont station and the Belmont Yacht Club is located here. Diversey Harbor has 714 moorings and the Diversey Yacht Club provides a fueling dock.[26] There is also a public launch at Diversey. In addition, the park also has rowing, sculling, and crewing channelsSony VAIO PCG-81115L battery. Chicago Lakefront Trail The Chicago Lakefront Trail (abbreviated as LFT) is an 18-mile multi-use path in Chicago, Illinois along the coast of Lake Michigan. It is popular with cyclists and joggers. It is designed to promote bicycle commuting. From north to south, it runs through Lincoln Park, Grant Park, Burnham Park and Jackson ParkSony VAIO PCG-81114L battery. Wildlife North Ponda Green Heron at the North Pond Nature Sanctuary The North Pond Nature Sanctuary (41°55′42.12″N 87°38′15.66″W), located between Fullerton, Diversey, Stockton and Cannon, is a ten-acre pond that has become an important wildlife area. Historically the site was a dune, then a dumping ground, and converted in 1999-2000 into a natural area with a littoral zone that greatly improved the water quality by re-establishing native Midwestern ecologySony VAIO PCG-81113L battery. The upland restoration of prairie, savanna, and woodland plants has included only top quality native species such as little bluestem, sky-blue aster, nodding wild onion, side-oats grama, butterfly weed, purple prairie clover, rough blazing star, wild quinine, prairie phlox, coneflowers, false dragonhead, northern prairie dropseed, showy goldenrod, rattlesnake masterSony VAIO PCG-7142L battery, shooting star, and wild bergamot.[28] The North Pond Nature Sanctuary is notable as the site where Mayor Richard M. Daley and the US Fish and Wildlife Service signed an Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds in April, 2004, making the city eligible for federal funds to restore habitat for the lakefront migratory pathway for birdsSony VAIO PCG-7141L battery. Restoration with native plants has drawn a great diversity of wildlife to this urban pond including many species of birds, turtles, frogs, and even a few beavers. Great Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, Green Herons, Mallards, Wood Ducks, Song Sparrows and woodpeckers can regularly be spotted at the North Pond Nature SanctuarySony VAIO PCG-71111L battery. Animal Sanctuaries Lake dune and beach grass (left), and tallgrass prairie and woodland reserve (right), in Lincoln Park at Montrose Point, a former Nike missile base site turned nature reserve. Further north in the park, in the Lake View neighborhood (3600 N), there is the Bill Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanctuary (41°56′54.64″N 87°38′26.47″W; formerly, Lincoln Park Addison Migratory Bird Sanctuary).[29] First constructed in the 1920sSony VAIO PCG-61411L battery, its spring is supplied with city water to mimic a natural lake marsh environment.[30] It is a unique reserve in that most of its 7-acre (28,000 m2) area is entirely fenced around to preserve the habitat from human encroachment. Instead, a nature trail and a viewing platform are at its surrounding perimeter. In 1968, the entire site was almost bulldozed for park development but its Lake View neighbors led a successful campaign to save and restore itSony VAIO PCG-61112L battery. Today it hosts more than 150 species of birds including, six species of herons, like the black crowned night heron; wood ducks; woodcock; hawks; yellow-billed cuckoos; hummingbirds; thrushes; vireos; 34 species of warblers; and 18 native species of sparrows. In addition, small mammals such as rabbit, opossum, raccoon, and occasionally fox and coyote make there home hereSony VAIO PCG-61111L battery. In the Uptown neighborhood (4400 N;41°57′47.95″N 87°38′1.75″W), there is the 15-acre (61,000 m2) Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary (including “The Magic Hedge”).[31] Its history is perhaps unusual for a nature preserve. During the Cold War, Montrose point, which juts out into Lake Michigan, was used by the United States Army as a Nike missile base.[32] The Army camouflaged their missile launchers and barracks behind honeysuckle hedges. Sony VAIO PCG-5T4L battery When the Army left in the 1970s, bird watchers noticed how the honeysuckle attracted birds. They successfully lobbied the park district for a new preserve. Now, after extensive replanting, the site supports woodland, tall prairie, and lake dune habitat that annually attracts tens of thousands of migratory birds of more than 300 different speciesSony VAIO PCG-5T3L battery. Public art Looking North, Lincoln Park is all the green (and sand) areas in this picture, streaching to the horizon. Lake Shore Drive runs up the middle. The visible Lincoln Park beaches are Oak Street Beach (bottom right) and North Ave Beach (upper-middle right). The Zoo and original park are in the green area to the left of Lake Shore Drive (upper-middle left). Top center are more of Lincoln Park's green northern reachesSony VAIO PCG-5T2L battery, including Montrose Point juting out into the lake. Not visible are Ohio Street beach (to the south of this picture) and the beaches, harbors and parklands, beyond the northern horizon. Lincoln Park is known for its statuary.[33] Walking through the park, one sees many of Chicago's great works of art. There is a famous statue of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln Park by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the same sculptor who created the Lincoln statue in Grant Park. Replicas of Lincoln Park's "Standing Lincoln" can be found at Lincoln's tombSony VAIO PCG-5S3L battery, Springfield and in Parliament Square, London. The statue is located at Dearborn and North Avenues. It was fully restored in 1989 by the Lincoln Park Conservancy's Adopt-A-Monument Program, and 8,200 s.f. of formal gardens were added in front of the monument. The only other person who is immortalized by statues in both Grant and Lincoln Parks is Alexander Hamilton, the Lincoln Park statue is sculpted by John AngelSony VAIO PCG-5S2L battery. Just as there is an Abraham Lincoln statue in Grant Park, there is a massive memorial to Ulysses S. Grant in Lincoln Park overlooking Cannon Drive. The sculpture was created in 1891 by Louis Rebisso. John Gelert's Hans Christian Andersen (1896) on Stockton Drive near Webster Avenue provides a tribute to the Danish storyteller. The Eugene Field Memorial (1922) designed by Edward McCartan remembers the Chicago Daily News columnist and poet who wrote "Little Boy Blue" and "Winken, Blinken, and Nod." Sony VAIO PCG-5S1L battery William Ordway Partridge's statue of William Shakespeare (1894) provides a third great story-teller in Lincoln Park. This seated Shakespeare provides a lap for children to climb onto. A bust of Sir Georg Solti, the former conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was also situated in the Lincoln Park Conservatory's formal garden until its relocation to Grant Park in October, 2006. Statues honoring the German poets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller can also be found in Lincoln parkSony VAIO PCG-5R2L battery. The large Goethe statue is located near Diversey and Stockton. The smaller Schiller statue is located near the western entrance to the zoo. At Addison Street stands a 40-foot (12 m) totem pole depicting Kwanusila the Thunderbird. Finally, a statue of John Peter Altgeld (1915), the nineteenth-century Illinois Governor who pardoned the Haymarket Square rioters, can be seen just south of Diversey. This statue was created by Gutzon Borglum and unveiled on September 6, 1915Sony VAIO PCG-5R1L battery. Borglum went on to become the sculptor of the Mount Rushmore Monument. Miami ( /maɪˈæmi/ or /maɪˈæmə/) is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625.[7] The 42nd largest city proper in the United States, with a population of 408,568, it is the principalSony VAIO PCG-5P4L battery, central, and most populous city of the South Florida metropolitan area, and the most populous metropolis in the Southeastern United States.[8] According to the US Census Bureau, Miami's metro area is the seventh most populous and fifth-largest urban area in the United States, with a population of around 5.5 million. Miami is a major center and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international tradeSony VAIO PCG-5P2L battery. In 2010, Miami was classified as a Alpha- World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory.[13] In 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States in terms of finance, commerce, culture, entertainment, fashion, education, and other sectors. It ranked thirty-third among global cities.[14] In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami "America's Cleanest City", for its year-round good air qualitySony VAIO PCG-5N4L battery, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs.[15] According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, and the world's fifth-richest city in terms of purchasing power.[16] Miami is nicknamed the "Capital of Latin America",[1] is the 2nd largest U.S. city (after El Paso) with a Spanish-speaking majority, and the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality. Sony VAIO PCG-5N2L battery Downtown Miami and South Florida are home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and is home to many large companies both nationally and internationally.[18][19] The Civic Center is a major center for hospitals, research institutes, medical centers, and biotechnology industriesSony VAIO PCG-51513L battery. For more than two decades, the Port of Miami, known as the "Cruise Capital of the World," has been the number one cruise passenger port in the world, accommodating some of the world's largest cruise ships and operations, and is currently the busiest in both passenger traffic and cruise lines. History Approximately 400 men voted for Miami's incorporation in 1896 in the building to the leftSony VAIO PCG-51511L battery. The Downtown Miami Historic District is the city's largest historic district, with buildings ranging from 1896-1939 in the heart of Downtown Main article: History of Miami See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Miami, Florida The Miami area was first inhabited for more than one thousand years by the Tequestas, but was later claimed for Spain in 1566 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. A Spanish mission was constructed one year later in 1567. In 1836, Fort Dallas was built, and the Miami area subsequently became a site of fighting during the Second Seminole WarSony VAIO PCG-51412L battery. Miami holds the distinction of being "the only major city in the United States conceived by a woman, Julia Tuttle,"[22] who was a local citrus grower and a wealthy Cleveland native. The Miami area was better known as "Biscayne Bay Country" in the early years of its growth. Some published reports described the area as a promising wilderness.[23] The area was also characterized as "one of the finest building sites in Florida." Sony VAIO PCG-51411L batteryThe Great Freeze of 1894–95 hastened Miami's growth, as the crops of the Miami area were the only ones in Florida that survived. Julia Tuttle subsequently convinced Henry Flagler, a railroad tycoon, to expand his Florida East Coast Railway to the region, for which she became known as "the mother of Miami."[25] Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896 with a population of just over 300. Sony VAIO PCG-51312L battery It was named for the nearby Miami River, itself named for the Mayaimi Indians who previously lived around Lake Okeechobee.[citation needed] Miami prospered during the 1920s with an increase in population and infrastructure but weakened after the collapse of the Florida land boom of the 1920s, the 1926 Miami Hurricane and the Great Depression in the 1930s. When World War II began, Miami, well-situated due to its location on the southern coast of FloridaSony VAIO PCG-51311L battery, played an important role in the battle against German submarines. The war helped to expand Miami's population; by 1940, 172,172 people lived in the city. After Fidel Castro rose to power in 1959, many Cubans sought refuge in Miami, further increasing the population. In the 1980s and 1990s, various crises struck South Florida, among them the Arthur McDuffie beating and the subsequent riot, drug wars, Hurricane Andrew, and the Elián González uproar. NeverthelessSony VAIO PCG-51211L battery, in the latter half of the 20th century, Miami became a major international, financial, and cultural center. Miami and its metropolitan area grew from just over one thousand residents to nearly five and a half million residents in just 110 years (1896–2006). The city's nickname, The Magic City, comes from this rapid growth. Winter visitors remarked that the city grew so much from one year to the next that it was like magic. Sony VAIO PCG-41112L battery Geography The mouth of the Miami River at Brickell Key. The city proper is home to less than 1 in 13 residents of South Florida. Additionally, 52% of Miami-Dade County's population doesn't live in any incorporated city. Miami and its suburbs are located on a broad plain between the Florida Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east that also extends from Florida Bay north to Lake Okeechobee. The elevation of the area never rises above 40 ft (12 m)[28] and averages at around 6 ft (1.8 m) Sony VAIO PCG-3A4L batteryabove mean sea level in most neighborhoods, especially near the coast. The highest undulations are found along the coastal Miami Rock Ridge, whose substrate underlies most of the eastern Miami metropolitan region. 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 Miami Beach and South Beach. The Gulf Stream, a warm ocean currentSony VAIO PCG-3A3L battery, runs northward just 15 miles (24 km) off the coast, allowing the city's climate to stay warm and mild all year. Geology View from one of the higher points in Miami, west of downtown. The highest natural point in Miami is in Coconut Grove, near the bay, along the Miami Rock Ridge at 24 feet (7.3 m) above sea level.[30] 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 50 feet (15 m) thick. Miami limestone formed as the result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent glaciations or ice agesSony VAIO PCG-3A2L battery. Beginning some 130,000 years ago the Sangamonian Stage raised sea levels to approximately 25 feet (7.6 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 lagoonSony VAIO PCG-3A1L battery, 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 (110 m) 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 levelSony VAIO PCG-394L battery. Beneath the plain lies the Biscayne Aquifer,[31] a natural underground source of fresh water 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 20 ft Sony VAIO PCG-393L battery (4.6 to 6.1 m) beneath the city without hitting water, which impedes underground construction. For this reason, the mass transit systems in and around Miami are elevated or at-grade. 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 venturing into Miami communities and major highwaysSony VAIO PCG-391L battery. In terms of land area, 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 sq mi (143.1 km2). Of that area, 35.67 sq mi (92.4 km2) is land and 19.59 sq mi (50.7 km2) is water. That means Miami comprises over 400,000 people in a mere 35 square miles (91 km2), making it one of the most densely populated cities in the United StatesSony VAIO PCG-384L battery, along with New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago among others. Miami is located at 25°47′16″N 80°13′27″W. Climate Main article: Climate of Miami Typical summer afternoon thunderstorm rolling in from the Everglades. Miami has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am)[33] with hot and humid summers and short, warm winters, with a marked drier season in the winter. Its sea-level elevation, coastal location, position just above the Tropic of Cancer, and proximity to the Gulf Stream shapes its climate. With January averaging 67.2 °F (19.6 °C) Sony VAIO PCG-383L battery, winter features mild to warm temperatures; cool air usually settles after the passage of a cold front, which produces much of the little amount of rainfall. Lows sometimes fall below 50 °F (10 °C), but very rarely below 35 °F (2 °C). Highs generally range between 70–77 °F (21–25 °C). The wet season begins some time in May, ending in mid-October. During this period, temperatures are in the mid 80s to low 90s (29–35 °C) Sony VAIO PCG-382L battery, accompanied by high humidity, though the heat is often relieved by afternoon thunderstorms or a sea breeze that develops off the Atlantic Ocean, which then allow lower temperatures, but conditions still remain very muggy. Much of the year's 55.9 inches (1,420 mm) of rainfall occurs during this period. Extremes range from 27 °F (−2.8 °C) on February 3, 1917 to 100 °F (38 °C) on July 21, 1940.[34] Miami has never recorded an accumulation of snow, and has only once recorded snow flurries, on January 19, 1977Sony VAIO PCG-381L battery. 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.[36] Although tornadoes are uncommon in the Miami area, a tornado struck the city in 1925 and again in 1997Sony VAIO PCG-7185L battery. Neighborhoods Miami is partitioned into many different sections, roughly into North, South, West and Downtown. The heart of the city is Downtown Miami and is technically on the eastern side of the city. This area includes Brickell, Virginia Key, Watson Island, and the Port of Miami. Downtown is South Florida's central business district, and Florida's largest and most influential central business districtSony VAIO PCG-7184L battery. Downtown has the largest concentration of international banks in the U.S. along Brickell Avenue. Downtown is home to many major banks, courthouses, financial headquarters, cultural and tourist attractions, schools, parks and a large residential population. East of Downtown, across Biscayne Bay is South Beach. Just northwest of Downtown, is the Civic Center, which is Miami's center for hospitalsSony VAIO PCG-7183L battery, research institutes and biotechnology with hospitals such as Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami VA Hospital, and the University of Miami's Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. The southern side of Miami includes Coral Way, The Roads and Coconut Grove. Coral Way is a historic residential neighborhood built in 1922 connecting Downtown with Coral Gables, and is home to many old homes and tree-lined streetsSony VAIO PCG-7182L battery. Coconut Grove was established in 1825 and is the location of Miami's City Hall in Dinner Key, the Coconut Grove Playhouse, CocoWalk, many nightclubs, bars, restaurants and bohemian shops, and as such, is very popular with local college students. It is a historic neighborhood with narrow, winding roads, and a heavy tree canopy. Coconut Grove has many parks and gardens such as Villa VizcayaSony VAIO PCG-7181L battery, The Kampong, The Barnacle Historic State Park, and is the home of the Coconut Grove Convention Center, as well as many of the country's most prestigious private schools, and numerous historic homes and estates. The western side of Miami includes Little Havana, West Flagler, and Flagami, and is home to many of the city's traditionally immigrant neighborhoods. Although at one time a mostly Jewish neighborhoodSony VAIO PCG-7174L battery, today western Miami is home to immigrants from mostly Central America and Cuba, while the west central neighborhood of Allapattah is a multicultural community of many ethnicities. The northern side of Miami includes Midtown, a district with a great mix of diversity with many West Indians, Hispanics, European Americans, bohemians, and artists. Edgewater, and Wynwood, are neighborhoods of Midtown and are made up mostly of high-rise residential towers and are home to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing ArtsSony VAIO PCG-7173L battery. The wealthier residents usually live in the northeastern part, in Midtown, the Design District, and the Upper East Side, with many sought after 1920s homes and home of the MiMo Historic District, a style of architecture originated in Miami in the 1950s. The northern side of Miami, also has notable African American and Caribbean immigrant communities such as Little Haiti, Overtown (home of the Lyric Theater), and Liberty CitySony VAIO PCG-7172L battery. Culture Entertainment and performing arts Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the second-largest performing arts center in the United States. Miami is home to many entertainment venues, theaters, museums, parks and performing arts centers. The newest addition to the Miami arts scene is the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the second-largest performing arts center in the United States after the Lincoln Center in New York CitySony VAIO PCG-7171L battery, and is the home of the Florida Grand Opera. Within it are the Ziff Ballet Opera House, the center's largest venue, the Knight Concert Hall, the Carnival Studio Theater and the Peacock Rehearsal Studio. The center attracts many large scale operas, ballets, concerts, and musicals from around the world and is Florida's grandest performing arts center. Other performing arts venues in Miami include the Gusman Center for the Performing ArtsSony VAIO PCG-7162L battery, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Colony Theatre, Lincoln Theatre, New World Center, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, Jackie Gleason Theatre, Manuel Artime Theater, Ring Theatre, Playground Theatre, Wertheim Performing Arts Center, the Fair Expo Center and the Bayfront Park Amphitheater for outdoor music events. The city attracts a large number of musicians, singers, actors, dancers, and orchestral players. Miami has numerous orchestrasSony VAIO PCG-7161L battery, symphonies and performing art conservatories. Some of these include the Florida Grand Opera, Frost School of Music, Miami City Ballet, Miami Conservatory, Miami Wind Symphony, New World School of the Arts, New World Symphony Orchestra, as well as the music, theater and art schools of the city's many universities and schoolsSony VAIO PCG-7154L battery. Miami is also a major fashion center, home to models and some of the top modeling agencies in the world. Miami is also host to many fashion shows and events, including the annual Miami Fashion Week and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami held in the Wynwood Art District. Sony VAIO PCG-7153L battery Museums and art The city is home to numerous museums as well, many of which are in Downtown. These include the Bass Museum, Coral Gables Museum, Frost Art Museum, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Jewish Museum of Florida, Lowe Art Museum, Miami Art Museum, Miami Children's Museum, Miami Science Museum, Museum of Contemporary ArtSony VAIO PCG-7152L battery, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Wolfsonian-FIU Museum and the Miami Cultural Center, home of the Miami Main Library. Miami is also the home of the world's largest art exhibition, dubbed the "Olympics of Art", Art Basel Miami. The event is held annually in December, and attracts thousands of visitors from around the worldSony VAIO PCG-7151L battery. Parks The Barnacle Historic State Park, built in 1891 in Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood. Miami's tropical weather allows for year-round outdoors activities. The city has numerous marinas, rivers, bays, canals, and the Atlantic Ocean, which make boating, sailing, and fishing popular outdoors activities. Biscayne Bay has numerous coral reefs which make snorkeling and scuba diving popular. There are over 80 parks and gardens in the city. Sony VAIO PCG-7148L battery The largest and most popular parks are Bayfront Park and Bicentennial Park (located in the heart of Downtown and the location of the American Airlines Arena and Bayside Marketplace), Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Key Biscayne (Crandon Park and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park), Tropical Park, Peacock Park, Morningside Park, Virginia Key, and Watson Island. Other popular cultural destinations in the area include Jungle Island, Zoo Miami, Miami Seaquarium, Coral Castle, St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church, and the Charles Deering EstateSony VPCW21M2E/WI battery. Music The city is a major music production city and attracts many annual music festivals, such as Ultra Music Festival Miami music is varied. Cubans brought the conga and rumba to Miami from their homelands instantly popularizing it in American culture. Dominicans brought bachata, and merengue, while Colombians brought vallenato and cumbia, and Brazilians brought samba. West Indians and Caribbean people have brought reggae, soca, kompa, zouk, calypso, and steel pan to the area as wellSony VPCW21C7E battery. 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"Sony VPCW12S1E/WZ battery. Miami-area natives George McCrae and Teri DeSario were also popular music artists during the 1970s disco era. The Bee Gees moved to Miami in 1975 and have lived here ever since then. 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"Sony VPCW12S1E/W battery. Miami is also considered a "hot spot" for dance music, 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, and Exposé, originated in Miami. Indie/folk acts Cat Power and Iron & Wine are based in the city, Sony VPCW12S1E/T battery while alternative hip hop artist Sage Francis, electro artist Uffie, and the electroclash duo Avenue D were born in Miami, but musically based elsewhere. Also, ska punk band Against All Authority is from Miami, and rock/metal bands Nonpoint and Marilyn Manson each formed in neighboring Fort Lauderdale. Popular Cuban American female recording artist, Ana Cristina, was born in Miami in 1985Sony VPCW12S1E/P battery, and became the first Hispanic person in history to perform the "Star Spangled Banner" at a presidential inauguration. The 80's and 90's also brought the genre of high energy Miami Bass to dance floors and car subwoofers throughout the country. Miami Bass spawned artists like 2 Live Crew (featuring Uncle Luke), 95 South, Tag Team, 69 Boyz, Quad City DJ's, and Freak Nasty. Examples of these songs are "Whoomp! (There It Is)" by Tag Team in 1993Sony VPCW11S1E/W battery, "Tootsee Roll" by 69 Boyz in 1994, and "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" by the Quad City DJ's in 1996. These songs all reached the top 10 in the pop charts and gave Miami Bass a new commercial success. Miami is also home to a vibrant techno and dance scene and hosts the Winter Music Conference, the largest dance event in the world, Ultra Music Festival and many electronica music-themed celebrations and festivals. Along with neighboring Miami BeachSony VPCW11S1E/T battery, Miami is home to nightclubs such as Space, Mansion, Parkwest, Ink, and Cameo. The city is known to be part of clubland, along with places such as Mykonos, Ibiza and Ayia Napa. There are also several rap and hip hop artists out of Miami. They include Trick Daddy, Trina, Pitbull, Pretty Ricky, DJ Khaled, Flo-Rida, Jackie-O, Rick Ross, DJ Laz, and the Miami Bass group 2 Live CrewSony VPCW11S1E/P battery. Media See also: List of radio stations in Florida The Miami Herald headquarters. Miami has one of the largest television markets in the nation and the second largest in the state of Florida.[42] Miami has several major newspapers, the main and largest newspaper being The Miami Herald. El Nuevo Herald is the major and largest Spanish-language newspaper. Both The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald are Miami's and South Florida's main, major and largest newspapers and are both headquartered in Downtown Miami in Herald PlazaSony VPCYA1S1E/B battery. Other major newspapers include Miami Today, headquartered in Brickell, Miami New Times, headquartered in Midtown, Miami Sun Post, South Florida Business Journal, Miami Times, and Biscayne Boulevard Times. An additional Spanish-language newspapers, Diario Las Americas also serve Miami. The Miami Herald is Miami's primary newspaper with over a million readers and is headquartered in Downtown in Herald PlazaSony VPCYA1V9E/B battery. Several other student newspapers from the local universities, such as the oldest, the University of Miami's The Miami Hurricane, Florida International University's The Beacon, Miami-Dade College's The Metropolis, Barry University's The Buccaneer, amongst others. Many neighborhoods and neighboring areas also have their own local newspapers such as the Aventura News, Coral Gables Tribune, Biscayne Bay Tribune, and the Palmetto Bay NewsSony VPCY22Z5008B battery. A number of magazines circulate throughout the greater Miami area, including Miami Monthly, Southeast Florida's only city/regional; Ocean Drive, a hot-spot social scene glossy, and South Florida Business Leader. Miami is also the headquarters and main production city of many of the world's largest television networks, record label companies, broadcasting companies and production facilities, such as Telemundo, TeleFutura, Galavisión, Mega TV, Univisión, Univision Communications, Inc. Sony VPCY21S1E/SI battery, Universal Music Latin Entertainment, RCTV International and Sunbeam Television. In 2009, Univisión announced plans to build new production studios in Miami, dubbed 'Univisión Studios'. Univisión Studios will be headquartered in Miami, and will produce programming for all of Univisión Communications' television networks. Sony VPCY21S1E/L battery Miami is the twelfth largest radio market[44] and the seventeenth largest television market[45] in the United States. Television stations serving the Miami area include: WAMI (Telefutura), WBFS (My Network TV), WSFL (The CW), WFOR (CBS), WHFT (TBN), WLTV (Univision), WPLG (ABC), WPXM (ION), WSCV (Telemundo), WSVN (Fox), WTVJ (NBC), WPBT (PBS), and WLRN (also PBS) Sony VPCY21S1E/G battery. Cuisine The cuisine of Miami is a reflection of its diverse population, with a heavy influence especially from Caribbean cuisine and from Latin American cuisine. By combining the two with American cuisine, it has spawned a unique South Florida style of cooking known as Floribbean cuisine. Floribbean cuisine is widely available throughout Miami and South Florida, and can be found in restaurant chains such as Pollo TropicalSony VPCY11S1E/S battery. Cuban immigrants in the 1960s brought the Cuban sandwich, medianoche, Cuban espresso, and croquetas, all of which have grown in popularity to all Miamians, and have become symbols of the city's varied cuisine. Today, these are part of the local culture, and can be found throughout the city in window cafés, particularly outside of supermarkets and restaurants. Sony VPCY11S1E battery Restaurants such as Versailles restaurant in Little Havana is a landmark eatery of Miami. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, and with a long history as a seaport, Miami is also known for its seafood, with many seafood restaurants located along the Miami River, and in and around Biscayne Bay.[48] Miami is also the home of restaurant chains such as Burger King, Tony Roma's and BenihanaSony VPCZ11X9E/B battery. Accent See also: North American English regional phonology In Miami, a unique accent, commonly called the "Miami accent", is widely spoken. It developed mostly by second- or third-generation Hispanics, mostly Cuban-Americans, whose first language was English. It is very similar to accents in the Northeast, but contains a rhythm and pronunciation heavily influenced by Spanish. Sony VPCZ11Z9E/B battery Sports American Airlines Arena, home to the Miami Heat. The Sony Ericsson Open, a major tennis tournament, is held in Miami annually See also: U.S. cities with teams from four major sports Miami's main four sports teams are the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League, the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association, the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball, and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. As well as having all four major professional teams, Miami is also home to Miami FCSony VPCZ12M9E/B battery, Miami Tropics, the Sony Ericsson Open for professional tennis, numerous greyhound racing tracks, marinas, jai alai venues, and golf courses. The city streets has hosted professional auto races, the Miami Indy Challenge and later the Grand Prix Americas, whereas the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval located 35 miles southwest currently hosts NASCAR national racesSony VPCZ12X9E/X battery. In 1946, the Miami Seahawks played in the All-America Football Conference for one season, 1946, and then folded. The city's first entry into the American Football League was the Miami Dolphins, which competed in the fourth AFL league from 1966–1969. In 1996, Miami acquired the AFL team the Sacramento Attack, which was renamed as the Miami HootersSony VPCZ12Z9E/X battery (due to its association with the Florida-based Hooters restaurant chain), and it played from 1993–1995. In 1996, the association with the chain was completed, and the team moved to West Palm Beach and renamed as the Florida Bobcats. Currently, the Miami Heat and the Miami Marlins play their games within Miami's city limits. The Heat play their home games at the American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami. The Miami Marlins home ballpark is Marlins ParkSony VPCZ138GA battery, located in the Little Havana section of the city on the site of the old Orange Bowl stadium. The Miami Dolphins play their games at Sun Life Stadium in nearby Miami Gardens. The Orange Bowl, a member of the Bowl Championship Series, hosts their college football championship games at Sun Life Stadium. The stadium has also hosted the Super Bowl; the Miami metro area has hosted the game a total of ten times (five Super Bowls at the now Sun Life StadiumSony VPCZ13M9E/B battery, including Super Bowl XLI and five at the Miami Orange Bowl), tying New Orleans for the most games. The Florida Panthers play in neighboring Broward County at the BankAtlantic Center in the city of Sunrise. Miami FC, Florida's only professional soccer team, plays at Tropical Park Stadium. Miami signed world-famed soccer player Romario in March 2006 to a one year deal. Miami is also home to Paso Fino horses, where competitions are held at Tropical Park Equestrian CenterSony VPCZ13M9E/X battery. Miami is also the home of many college sports teams. The two largest are the University of Miami Hurricanes, whose football team formerly played at the Miami Orange Bowl from 1937 until 2008, moving to Sun Life Stadium subsequently, and Florida International University Golden Panthers whose football team plays at FIU StadiumSony VPCZ13V9E battery. A number of defunct teams were located in Miami, including the Miami Floridians (ABA), Miami Matadors (ECHL), Miami Manatees (WHA2), Miami Gatos (NASL), Miami Screaming Eagles (WHA), Miami Seahawks (AAFC), Miami Sol (WNBA), Miami Toros (NASL), Miami Tropics (SFL), Miami Tropics (ABA), and the Miami Hooters (Arena Football League). The Miami Fusion, a defunct Major League Soccer team, played at Lockhart Stadium in nearby Broward CountySony VPCZ13X5003B battery. Economy Downtown is South Florida's main hub for finance, commerce and international business. Brickell Avenue has the largest concentration of international banks in the U.S. As seen in 2006, the high-rise construction in Miami has inspired popular opinion of "Miami manhattanization" The Port of Miami is the world's largest cruise ship port, and is the headquarters of many of the world's largest cruise companiesSony VPCZ13V9E/X battery Miami is a major center of commerce, finance, 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 organizations, Miami is considered a "Beta− world city".[11] Miami has a Gross Metropolitan Product of $257 billion and is ranked 20th worldwide in GMPSony VPCZ13Z9E/X battery, and 11th in the United States. Several large companies are headquartered in or around Miami, including but not limited to: Akerman Senterfitt, Alienware, Arquitectonica, Arrow Air, Bacardi, Benihana, Brightstar Corporation, Burger King, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Corporation, Carnival Cruise Lines, CompUSA, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Duany Plater-Zyberk & CompanySony VPCZ21M9E battery, Espírito Santo Financial Group, Fizber.com, Greenberg Traurig, Holland & Knight, Inktel Direct, Interval International, Lennar, Navarro Discount Pharmacies, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Oceania Cruises, Perry Ellis International, RCTV International, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Ryder Systems, Seabourn Cruise Line, Sedano's, Telefónica USA, TeleFutura, TelemundoSony VPCZ21Q9E battery, Univision, U.S. Century Bank, Vector Group and World Fuel Services. Because of its proximity to Latin America, Miami serves as the headquarters of Latin American operations for more than 1400 multinational corporations, including AIG, American Airlines, Cisco, Disney, Exxon, FedEx, Kraft Foods, LEO Pharma Americas, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle, SBC Communications, Sony, Symantec, Visa International, and Wal-Mart. Sony VPCZ21V9E battery Miami is a major television production center, and the most important city in the U.S. for Spanish language media. Univisión, Telemundo and TeleFutura have their headquarters in Miami, along with their production studios. The Telemundo Television Studios produces much of the original programming for Telemundo, such as their telenovelas and talk showsSony VPCEH3T9E battery. In 2011, 85% of Telemundo's original programming was filmed in Miami.[53] Miami is also a major music recording center, with the Sony Music Latin and Universal Music Latin Entertainment headquarters in the city, along with many other smaller record labels. The city also attracts many artists for music video and film shootingsSony VPCEH3N6E battery. Since 2001, Miami has been undergoing a large building boom with more than 50 skyscrapers rising over 400 feet (122 m) built or currently under construction in the city. Miami's skyline is ranked third most impressive in the U.S., behind New York City and Chicago, and 19th in the world according to the Almanac of Architecture and Design.[54] The city currently has the eight tallest (as well as thirteen of the fourteen tallest) Sony VPCEH3N1E battery skyscrapers in the state of Florida, with the tallest being the 789-foot (240 m) Four Seasons Hotel & Tower.[55] During the mid-2000s, the city witnessed its largest real estate boom since the Florida land boom of the 1920s. During this period, the city had well over a hundred approved high-rise construction projects in which 50 were actually built.[56] In 2007, however, the housing market crashed causing lots of foreclosures on houses. Sony VPCEH3D0E battery This rapid high-rise construction, has led to fast population growth in the city's inner neighborhoods, primarily in Downtown, Brickell and Edgewater, with these neighborhoods becoming the fastest-growing areas in the city. The Miami area ranks 8th in the nation in foreclosures.[58] In 2011, Forbes Magazine named Miami the second most miserable city in the United States due to its high foreclosure rate and past decade of corruption among public officials. Sony VPCEH3B1E battery In 2012, Forbes Magazine named Miami the most miserable city in the United States because of a crippling housing crisis that has cost multitudes of residents their homes and jobs. The metro area has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country and workers face lengthy daily commutesSony VPCEH2Z1E battery. 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. The Port of Miami is the world's busiest cruise port, and MIA is the busiest airport in Florida, and the largest gateway between the United States and Latin America. Additionally, the city has the largest concentration of international banks in the countrySony VPCEH2S9E battery, primarily along Brickell Avenue in Brickell, Miami's financial district. Due to its strength in international business, finance and trade, many international banks have offices in Downtown such as Espírito Santo Financial Group, which has its U.S. headquarters in Miami. 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 headquartersSony VPCEH2Q1E battery. As of 2011, the Port of Miami accounts for 176,000 jobs and has an annual economic impact in Miami of $18 billion. It is the 11th-largest cargo container port in the United States. In 2010, a record 4.33 million passengers traveled through the Port of Miami. One in seven of all the world’s cruise passengers start from Miami. Sony VPCEH2P0E battery The Civic Center has the country's second-largest concentration of medical and research facilities. It is the center of Miami's growing biotechnology sectors.[60] Tourism is also an important industry in Miami. Along with finance and business, the beaches, conventions, festivals and events draw over 38 million visitors annually into the city, from across the country and around the world, spending $17.1 billion. The Art Deco District in South Beach, is reputed as one of the most glamorous in the world for its nightclubs, beaches, historical buildings, and shopping. Annual events such as the Sony Ericsson OpenSony VPCEH2N1E battery, Art Basel, Winter Music Conference, South Beach Wine & Food Festival, and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami attract millions to the metropolis every year. Miami is the home to the National Hurricane Center and the headquarters of the United States Southern Command, responsible for military operations in Central and South America. In addition to these roles, Miami is also an industrial center, especially for stone quarrying and warehousing. These industries are centered largely on the western fringes of the city near Doral and HialeahSony VPCEH2M9E battery. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2004, Miami had the third highest incidence of family incomes below the federal poverty line in the United States, making it the third poorest city in the USA, behind only Detroit, Michigan (ranked #1) and El Paso, Texas (ranked #2). Miami is also one of the very few cities where its local government went bankrupt, in 2001. Sony VPCEH2M1E batteryHowever, since that time, Miami has experienced a revival: in 2008, Miami was ranked as "America's Cleanest City" according to Forbes for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs.[15] In a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States (of four U.S. cities included in the survey) and the world's fifth-richest city, in terms of purchasing power. Sony VPCEH2L9E battery Demographics Miami is the 42nd most populous city in the U.S. The Miami metropolitan area, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, had a combined population of more than 5.5 million people, ranked seventh largest in the United States,[66] and is the largest metropolitan area in the Southeastern United States. As of 2008, the United Nations estimates that the Miami Urban Agglomeration is the 44th-largest in the world. Sony VPCEH2J1E battery As of 2000, in terms of national origin and/or ethnic origin, 34.1% of the populace was Cuban,[68] while 5.6% of the city's population was Nicaraguan,[69] 5.5% of the population was Haitian,[70] 3.3% of the population was Honduran,[71] 1.7% of all residents were Dominican,[72] and 1.6% of the population was Colombian.[73] In 2004, the United Nations Development Program Sony VPCEH2H1E battery (UNDP) ranked Miami first in terms of percentage of residents born outside of the country it is located in (59%), followed by Toronto (50%). As of 2010, there were 183,994 households of which 14.0% were vacant.[64] As of 2000, 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-familiesSony VPCEH2F1E battery. 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. The age distribution was 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 yearsSony VPCEH2E0E battery. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. In 2009, the median income for a household in the city was $29,812, and the median income for a family was $33,814. The per capita income for the city was $19,846. About 21.7% of families and 26.3% of the population were below the poverty lineSony VPCEH2D0E battery. In 1960, non-Hispanic whites represented 80% of Miami-Dade county's population.[74] In 1970, the Census Bureau reported Miami's population as 45.3% Hispanic, 32.9% non-Hispanic White, and 22.7% Black.[75] Miami's explosive population growth has been driven by internal migration from other parts of the country, primarily up until the 1980s, as well as by immigrationSony VPCEH2C0E battery, primarily from the 1960s to the 1990s. Today, immigration to Miami has slowed significantly and Miami's growth today is attributed greatly to its fast urbanization and high-rise construction, which has increased its inner city neighborhood population densities, such as in Downtown, Brickell, and Edgewater, where one area in Downtown alone saw a 2,069% increase in population in the 2010 CensusSony VPCEH1Z1E battery. Miami is regarded as more of a multicultural mosaic, than it is a melting pot, with residents still maintaining much of, or some of their cultural traits. The overall culture of Miami is heavily influenced by its large population of Hispanics, and Blacks, mainly from the Caribbean islands. Plymouth Congregational Church in Coconut Grove. There has been a Norwegian Seamen's church in Miami since the early 1980s. In November 2011, Crown Princess Mette-Marit opened a new building for the church. The church was built as a center for the 10,000 Scandinavians that live in FloridaSony VPCEH1S9E battery. Around 4,000 of them are Norwegian. The church is also an important place for the 150 Norwegians that work at Disney World.[76] Languages As of 2000, speakers of Spanish as their first language accounted for 66.75% of residents, English by 25.45%, Haitian Creole by 5.20%, and French speakers comprised 0.76% of the population.[77] Other languages that were spoken throughout the city include Portuguese at 0.41%, German at 0.18%, Italian at 0.16%, Arabic at 0.15%, Chinese at 0.11%, and Greek at 0.08% of the populationSony VPCEH1S8E battery. Miami also has one of the largest percentage populations in the U.S. that have residents who speak first languages other than English at home (74.55%). Due to English-speakers moving away from the area, the percentage of residents who speak only English is expected to continue to decline. Civic engagement Organizations such as the Miami-Dade Salvation Army and its iconic Red Kettle Christmas Campaign, Hands On Miami, City Year Miami, Human Services Coalition of South Florida, and Citizens for a Better South Florida, among many other organizations have been working to engage Miamians in volunteerismSony VPCEH1S1E battery. Government Miami City Hall in Dinner Key. Main article: Government of the City of Miami The government of the City of Miami (proper) uses the mayor-commissioner type of system. The city commission consists of five commissioners, are elected from single member districts. The city commission constitutes the governing body with powers to pass ordinances adopt regulations and exercise all powers conferred upon the city in the city charterSony VPCEH1S0E battery.The mayor is elected at large and appoints a city manager. The City of Miami is governed by Mayor Tomás Regalado and 5 City commissioners which oversee the five districts in the City. It holds regular meetings in the City Hall of Miami located in 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33133 in the neighborhood of Coconut Grove on Dinner KeySony VPCEH1M9E battery. City council See also: List of mayors of Miami Tomás Regalado – Mayor of the City of Miami Wifredo "Willy" Gort – City of Miami Commissioner, District 1 Marc Sarnoff – City of Miami Commissioner, District 2 Frank Carollo – City of Miami Commissioner, District 3 Francis Suarez – City of Miami Commissioner, District 4 Richard P. Dunn – City of Miami Commissioner, District 5 Education Public schools Main article: Miami-Dade County Public Schools Miami Senior High School, Miami's oldest continuously-used high school structure Florida International University has the largest enrollment of any university in South Florida, and is one of the state's primary research universitiesSony VPCEH1M1E battery. Public schools in Miami are governed by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which is the largest school district in Florida and the fourth-largest in the United States. As of September 2008 it has a student enrollment of 385,655 and over 392 schools and centers. The district is also the largest minority public school system in the country, with 60% of its students being of Hispanic origin, 28% Black or West Indian American, 10% White (non-Hispanic) Sony VPCEH1L9E battery and 2% non-white of other minorities.[79] Miami is home to some of the nation's best high schools, such as Design and Architecture High School, ranked the nation's best magnet school, MAST Academy, Coral Reef High School, ranked 20th-best public high school in the U.S., Miami Palmetto High School, and the New World School of the Arts.[80] M-DCPS is also one of a few public school districts in the United States to offer optional bilingual education in SpanishSony VPCEH1L8E battery, French, German, Haitian Creole, and Mandarin Chinese. Private schools Miami is home to several well known Roman Catholic, Jewish and non-denominational private schools. The Archdiocese of Miami operates the city's Catholic private schools, which include: St. Hugh Catholic School, St. Agatha Catholic School, St. Theresa School, Immaculata-Lasalle High School, Monsignor Edward Pace High School, Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School, St. Brendan High School, amongst numerous other Catholic elementary and high schoolsSony VPCEH1L0E battery. All-boys Catholic college preparatory schools are Christopher Columbus High School and Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. All-girls Catholic preparatory schools are Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. Non-denominational private schools in Miami are Ransom Everglades, Gulliver Preparatory School, and Miami Country Day School. Other schools in the area include Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day SchoolSony VPCEH1J8E battery, Dade Christian School, Palmer Trinity School, and Westminster Christian School. Colleges and universities Founded in 1925, the University of Miami is the oldest college in Florida south of Winter Park. Miami has over 200,000 students enrolled in local colleges and universities, placing it seventh in the nation in per capita university enrollment. In 2010, the city's four largest colleges and universities (MDC, FIU, UM, and Barry) graduated 28,000 students. Sony VPCEH1J1E battery Colleges and universities in and around Miami: Barry University (private) Carlos Albizu University (private) Florida International University (FIU) (public) Florida Memorial University (private) Johnson and Wales University (private) Keiser University (private) Manchester Business School (satellite location, UK public) Miami Culinary Institute (public) Miami Dade College (public) Miami International University of Art & Design (private) Nova Southeastern University (private) St. Thomas University (private) Talmudic University (private) University of Miami (private) Overall, amongst Miamians 25 years and older, 67% had a high school diploma, and 22% had a bachelors degree or higher. Sony VPCEH1E1E battery In 2011, Miami was ranked as the sixth most-read city in the U.S. with high book sales.[83] Professional training programs Miami is also home to both for-profit and nonprofit organizations that offer a range of professional training and other, related educational programs. Per Scholas, for example is a nonprofit organization that offers free professional certification training directed towards successfully passing CompTIA A+ and Network+ certification exams as a route to securing jobs and building careersSony VPCEH1AJ battery. Transportation Main article: Transportation in Miami Airports Miami International Airport, serves as the primary international airport of the Greater Miami Area. One of the busiest international airports in the world, Miami International Airport caters to over 35 million passengers a year. Identifiable locally, as well as several worldwide authorities, as MIA or KMIA, the airport is a major hub and the single largest international gateway for American Airlines, the world's second-largest passenger air carrierSony VPCCA3S1E battery. Miami International is the busiest airport in Florida, and is the United States' second-largest international port of entry for foreign air passengers behind New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, and is the seventh-largest such gateway in the world. The airport's extensive international route network includes non-stop flights to over seventy international cities in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle EastSony VPCCA3E1E battery. Alternatively, nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport also serves commercial traffic in the Miami area. Opa-locka Airport in Opa-locka and Kendall-Tamiami Airport in an unincorporated area serve general aviation traffic in the Miami area. Port of Miami The Royal Caribbean International headquarters at the Port of Miami. Miami is home to one of the largest ports in the United States, the Port of Miami. It is the largest cruise ship port in the world. The port is often called the "Cruise Capital of the World" and the "Cargo Gateway of the Americas".Sony VPCCA2Z0E battery It has retained its status as the number one cruise/passenger port in the world for well over a decade accommodating the largest cruise ships and the major cruise lines. In 2007, the port served 3,787,410 passengers.[89] Additionally, the port is one of the nation's busiest cargo ports, importing 7.8 million tons of cargo in 2007.[89] Among North American ports, it ranks second only to the Port of South Louisiana in New Orleans in terms of cargo tonnage imported/exported from Latin AmericaSony VPCCA2S1E battery. The port is on 518 acres (2 km2) and has 7 passenger terminals. China is the port's number one import country, and Honduras is the number one export country. Miami has the world's largest amount of cruise line headquarters, home to: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International. On May 24, 2010, construction began on the $1 billion Miami port tunnel that will serve the Port of Miami. Sony VPCCA2S0E battery Public transportation The Miami Metrorail is the city's rapid transit system and connects the city's central core with its outlying suburbs Tri-Rail is Miami's commuter rail that runs north-south from Miami's suburbs in West Palm Beach to Miami International Airport. Main article: Miami-Dade Transit Public transportation in Miami is operated by Miami-Dade Transit and SFRTA, and includes commuter rail (Tri-Rail), heavy-rail rapid transit (Metrorail), an elevated people mover (Metromover), and buses (Metrobus). Miami has Florida's highest transit ridership as about 17% of Miamians use transit on a daily basis. Sony VPCCA2AJ battery Miami's heavy-rail rapid transit system, Metrorail, is an elevated system comprising 22 stations on a 22-mile (35 km)-long line. Metrorail runs from the western suburbs of Hialeah and Medley through the Civic Center, Downtown, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, South Miami and ends in the southern suburban neighborhood of KendallSony VPCCA1S1E/W battery; construction on a direct Metrorail connection to Miami International Airport began in 2009 with expected passenger service beginning in early 2012.[92] A free, elevated people mover, Metromover, operates 21 stations on three different lines in Downtown, with a station at roughly every two blocks of Downtown and Brickell. Several expansion projects are being funded by a transit development sales tax surcharge throughout Miami-Dade CountySony VPCCA1S1E/P battery. Tri-Rail, a commuter rail system operated by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), runs from Miami International Airport northward to West Palm Beach, making eighteen stops throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Construction is currently underway on the Miami Intermodal Center and Miami Central Station, a massive transportation hub servicing Metrorail, Amtrak, Tri-Rail, MetrobusSony VPCCA1S1E/G battery, Greyhound Lines, taxis, rental cars, MIA Mover, private automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians adjacent to Miami International Airport. Completion of the Miami Intermodal Center is expected to be completed by winter 2011, and will serve over 150,000 commuters and travelers in the Miami area. Phase I of Miami Central Station is scheduled to begin service in the spring of 2012, and Phase II in 2013Sony VPCCA1S1E/D battery. Two new light rail systems, Baylink and the Miami Streetcar, have been proposed and are currently in the planning stage. BayLink would connect Downtown with South Beach, and the Miami Streetcar would connect Downtown with Midtown. Rail Miami is the southern terminus of Amtrak's Atlantic Coast services, running two lines, the Silver Meteor and the Silver Star, both terminating in New York City. The Miami Amtrak Station is located in the suburb of Hialeah near the Tri-Rail/Metrorail Station on NW 79 St and NW 38 AveSony VPCCA1S1E/B battery. Current construction of the Miami Central Station will move all Amtrak operations from its current out-of-the-way location to a centralized location with Metrorail, MIA Mover, Tri-Rail, Miami International Airport, and the Miami Intermodal Center all within the same station closer to Downtown. The station is expected to be completed by 2012. Florida High Speed Rail was planned to connect Miami with Orlando and Tampa in a single line, but was canceled in 2011Sony VPCCA1S1E battery. Road The Venetian Causeway (left) and MacArthur Causeway (right) connect Downtown and South Beach, Miami Beach. Miami's road system is based along the numerical "Miami Grid" where Flagler Street forms the east-west baseline and Miami Avenue forms the north-south meridian. The corner of Flagler Street and Miami Avenue is in the middle of Downtown in front of the Downtown Macy's (formerly the Burdine's headquarters) Sony VPCCA1C5E battery. The Miami grid is primarily numerical so that, for example, all street addresses north of Flagler Street and west of Miami Avenue have "NW" in their address. Because its point of origin is in Downtown which is close to the coast, therefore, the "NW" and "SW" quadrants are much larger than the "SE" and "NE" quadrants. Many roads, especially major ones, are also named Sony VPCCA1AHJ battery (e.g., Tamiami Trail/SW 8th St), although, with a few notable exceptions (e.g., Coral Way), the number is in more common usage among locals. All streets and avenues in Miami-Dade County follow the Miami Grid, with a few exceptions, most notably Coral Gables, Hialeah, and Miami Beach. Some neighborhoods, such as The Roads, is thusly named because its streets run off the Miami Grid in a 45-degree angle, and therefore all named roadsSony VPCCA1AGJ battery. 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 Miami are: SR 112 (Airport Expressway): Interstate 95 to MIA SR 821 (The HEFT or Homestead Extension of the Florida Turnpike): SR 91/Miami Gardens to U.S. Route 1/Florida City) Sony VPCCA1AFJ battery SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway): Golden Glades Interchange to U.S. Route 1/Pinecrest SR 836 (Dolphin Expressway): Downtown to SW 137th Ave via MIA SR 874 (Don Shula Expressway): 826/Bird Road to Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike/Kendall SR 878 (Snapper Creek Expressway): SR 874/Kendall to U.S. Route 1/Pinecrest & South Miami SR 924 (Gratigny Parkway) Miami Lakes to Opa-lockaSony VPCCA190 battery Miami has six major causeways that span over Biscayne Bay connecting the western mainland, with the eastern barrier islands along the Atlantic Ocean. The Rickenbacker Causeway is the southernmost causeway and connects Brickell to Virginia Key and Key Biscayne. The Venetian Causeway and MacArthur Causeway connect Downtown with South BeachSony VAIO VPCF11Z1E battery. The Julia Tuttle Causeway connects Midtown and Miami Beach. The 79th Street Causeway connects the Upper East Side with North Beach. The northernmost causeway, the Broad Causeway, is the smallest of Miami's six causeways, and connects North Miami with Bal Harbour. In 2007, Miami was identified as having the rudest drivers in the United States, the second year in a row to have been cited, in a poll commissioned by automobile club AutoVantage.[94] Miami is also consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States for pedestrians. Sony VAIO VPCF11S1E battery Bicycling In recent years the city government, under Mayor Manny Diaz, has taken an ambitious stance in support of bicycling in Miami for both recreation and commuting. Every month, the city hosts "Bike Miami", where major streets in Downtown and Brickell are closed to automobiles, but left open for pedestrians and bicyclists. The event began in November 2008Sony VAIO VPCF11M1E/H battery, and has doubled in popularity from 1,500 participants to about 3,000 in the October 2009 Bike Miami. This is the longest running such event in the US. In October 2009, the city also approved an extensive 20-year plan for bike routes and paths around the city. The city has begun construction of bike routes as of late 2009, and ordinances requiring bike parking in all future construction in the city became mandatory as of October 2009. Sony VAIO VPCF11M1E battery In 2010, Miami was ranked as the 44th most bike-friendly city in the US according to Bicycling Magazine.[97] Walkability A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Miami the eighth most walkable of the fifty largest cities in the United States. In popular culture View of the "Moon over Miami", a famous phrase that has inspired many pop culture items, including a movie, TV series, and songSony VAIO VPCF21ZHJ battery. In film and television See also: List of films and television shows set in Miami Miami is a center for television and film production. The city has acted as the backdrop for many movies, and many television shows, telenovellas, and awards shows have been set or filmed in Miami. In the mid-2000s, Miami started to become a popular backdrop for reality television shows. Additionally, Miami is a major center, worldwide, for Spanish-language television and film productionSony VAIO VPCF21Z1E/BI battery. In music See Miami (Music) Miami has inspired the names of musical groups as well as of numerous albums and song titles. For example, the late country singer Keith Whitley (1955–1989) sang a song called "Miami, My Amy", about a special woman from Miami; the song is one of his biggest hits to this day. Sony VAIO VGN-CS33H battery In video games The video games, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (which became one of the best selling video games in 2002)[100] and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, take place in Vice City, a fictional city inspired by Miami, which includes some of the same architecture and geography. The game also includes characters who speak Haitian Creole and Spanish, as do many people found in MiamiSony VAIO VGN-CS33H/Z battery.