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Miami's incredible beaches have consistently been awarded the finest in the world, and are a playground for the rich and famous.
Miami is known for it's importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts and international trade. The city is home to many company headquarters, banks, and television studios. It is an international center for popular entertainment in television, music, fashion, film, and the performing arts.
Miami's Port is known for accommodating the largest volume of cruise ships in the world and is home to many cruise line headquarters. Miami is also home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States.
In 2008, Miami was awarded "America's Cleanest City" by Forbes Magazine for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs. In 2008, Miami was also ranked the 3rd-richest city in the United States and the world's 22nd-richest city in a UBS study.
Cross any street corner in Miami and you're likely to hear the  language and music of many cultures; dine in its restaurants and take a mini tour of the world. Although this sophisticated destination boasts miles of wide sandy beaches, Miami offers much more. Visitors can have a cup of café con leche in Little Havana, Miami's Cuban community; stroll past art deco architecture in the city's South Beach district (dubbed SoBe); explore trendy Coconut Grove; visit attractions such as the Miami Seaquarium and the Miami Metrozoo, or take a cruise from the "Cruise Capital of the World." After sundown, you'll find entertainment so varied you'd have to live here year-round to see it all.
Miami has yachts of all sizes that are available for charter.
Miami History
The Collins Bridge, built in 1913, was the first bridge to connect Miami to Miami Beach. Main article: History of Miami, Florida
The Miami area was first inhabited for more than one thousand years by the Tequesta Indians, 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 War.
Miami holds the distinction of being the only major city in the United States founded by a woman, Julia Tuttle, 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. The area was also characterized as “one of the finest building sites in Florida. The Great Freeze of 1894-1895 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 Railroad to the region. Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896 with a population of just over 300.
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 Florida, 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. Nevertheless, 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.
Our Virtuoso Travel and Cruise Advisors are recommended by the Travel Channel and NBC, and are available to assist you in planning your next Miami vacation at no extra charge.
www.miamigov.com
www.wikipedia.org
www.miamiandbeaches.com
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