When was miami founded

You're sure to hear all about Miami Beach's proudest memories: the epic hotels, the unique architecture, the celebrities and creativity, and the unique culture. But that isn't the only history that has made the Beach what it is today. After all, not only the good times but also the tough times shape a place's character. And Miami Beach has one hell of a history of crime, corruption, racism, economic downfall, and even a brush with war.

Before we blow out those candles on the Beach's cake, let's take a look at the lowlight reel. Men Play God Throughout the vast majority of human existence, our species has been content with living on land that already exists and is readily inhabitable. This is not true of Miami Beach. In , Miami Beach was a glorified sandbar and mangrove ridge. New Jersey residents Henry Lum and son Charles decided to buy this sandbar for 25 cents an acre. They tried to turn it into a coconut farm, but either rats or rabbits depending upon which version you hear ate the coconuts.

Henry and Charles didn't make very good Floridians. Eventually, John S. Collins bought the area and had more success growing crops, but that didn't mean it was anything more than a mangrove and some sand at that point. By , the town would officially be incorporated, and Collins partnered with Carl Fisher and the banking Lummus brothers to turn the beach into an honest hunk of land. True, much of South Florida is built on drained swampland, but compared to the creation of Miami Beach, that was relatively easy.

In Miami Beach, laborers had to clear out the mangroves, deepen the channels of water around it, and fill in the area with actual soil to create honest-to-not-God land. Of course, laborers were subjected to high heat and mosquitoes. Support the independent voice of Miami and help keep the future of New Times free. Support Us. Keep New Times Free. So you'd think the Beach would welcome another such landmark weekend. The inaugural Urban Beach Week kicked off in during Memorial Day weekend, which is traditionally the beginning of slow season for the Beach.

True, there were hints the event might prove to have some kinks. It was not centrally organized, largely promoted through word of mouth, and not officially sanctioned by the city.

It also catered to college-aged kids, who are typically a bit wilder and less responsible than the general population. Yet there was one other defining feature of the event: It was organized largely for and by African-Americans. The event started small, but soon national hip-hop acts began making it a regular destination, and the crowds grew. People got rich flipping real estate. They'd buy a building lot before lunch and sell it for a huge profit before dark, day after day.

Hurricanes have also been part of Miami history. Click on this link for video scenes from the devastating hurricane. By the early 's, Miami was on the way back. Many new hotels had been built, especially in Miami Beach, and the city was growing. The history of Miami still resonates with the activities that took place here during the war. Almost every hotel room in Miami and Miami Beach became barracks for military men and women who were being trained for the war. The City was also well located to play a role in the search and destruction of German submarines operating off the South Florida coast in the gulf stream.

During the war, about , people lived in Miami. The history of Miami was changed forever by these people. After the war, many military people came back to work and live in Miami. Miami once again became a thriving city. Understanding the history of Miami would not be possible without studying a bit of the history of modern Cuba, our neighbor 90 miles to the south. When Fidel Castro overthrew Batista and took over Cuba in , many Cubans fled to Miami, increasing the population even more.

The Cubans were not welcomed with open arms. The Anglo business and political power structure did not make things easy for the displaced Cubans. By sticking together, and with diligence, time and hard work, the Cuban population came to be the most powerful political and economic force in Miami. In the 's, s and s one crisis after another buffeted Miami as badly as hurricanes had done in the past. In fact, one of the crises was another hurricane. These crises - along with one morale boosting event in between - are important to understand the history of Miami and the resilience of its people.

The Cuban Refugee Crisis. The 's saw hundreds of thousands of refugees flood into Miami from Castro's Cuba. There was a shortage of housing for them, the city's utility and educational systems were badly strained. It took most of the decade for the crisis to settle down and for the community to adjust to the new residents and for the new residents to become part of the community.

The "Cocaine Cowboys" emerged in the 's. The "cowboys" were an assortment of merciless murdering drug dealing gangs and syndicates, many of them Colombian. Murders and violence became the norm. Floridians from the rest of the state became afraid to even visit Miami, let alone do business there. This notion prompted her to persuade the millionaire Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to Miami, but he was hesitant.

To aid her in her quest, Miami was hit by a severe freeze in the winter of which had no effect on her crops. This made Tuttle the sole producer of citrus that year.

Tuttle along with William and Mary Brickell persuaded Flagler of the potential and agreed to give him land in exchange. By April , the railroad tracks reached Miami and in July a meeting was held to incorporate the city. The right to vote was restricted to men and a third of the voters were Bahamian immigrants.

Along with the railroad, Flagler financed and built streets, water and power systems and a resort hotel. Canals were made to drain water from the everglades that covered a majority of the land. It was no surprise that Miami soon became an instant tourist attraction and retreat for the rich and famous.

This prompted the first of many real estate booms. They transformed the Miami Beach area into one of the hottest tourist spots in the country. To ensure a steady influx of visitors, Collins built hotels and fisher built shops, nightclubs and the Dixie Highway.

This boom lasted until one of many hurricanes in hit the area prior to the Great Depression.