About the City:

Although comparatively brief, Miami’s history is a vibrant testament to the visionary spirit of a city that transformed a Native American swampland into an international metropolis in just over a hundred years.

Nicknamed the Magic City, Miami is the crossroads of the Americas, a place with an exciting past and an even more intriguing future. From the grand schemes of Florida’s early developers, to devastating natural disasters, to an explosion of international culture and capital that’s currently shaping the Miami skyline, this bourgeoning megalopolis has witnessed both adversity and triumph, and has remained a place where vision and fantasy are always within grasp. 

Perhaps the most constant thread in Miami’s history is its ability to reinvent and market itself.  “Miami, above all, is the story of America’s genius for self-renewal.” The city has been described as a “contradiction within a paradox within an oxymoron.” “Miami is not just its own invention. It’s its own point of reference….” Today, the city is teaming with investment capital; it has one of the fastest growing residential markets in the world and is driven by the search for beauty, comfort, and luxury.

At a Glance:

• In 1513, a Spaniard named Juan Ponce de León discovered Florida while seeking the fountain of Youth.
• In 1821, US acquired Florida from Spain
• In 1891, Miami pioneer Julia Tuttle settled on the north bank of the Miami River.
• On July 28, 1896, Miami was incorporated by 344 voters
• In the 1920's Miami experienced an unprecedented building growth, the Miami Land Boom era
• the 1926 hurricane and the Great depression ended the Miami Land Boom with devastating loses for investors and the city
• after World War II, Miami experienced a period of significant growth, especially in the suburban areas followed by a decline short after
• the influx of Cubans starting in the 1950's and Haitians, Europeans, Asians and Latin Americans throughout the 1980's and 1990's diversified the demographics of the city.
• at the turn of the 21st century Miami’s residential market, as well as business investments were on the rise
• Today, the city is in its second land boom, with the growth rate competing with, if not superseding that of the 1920's. Metropolitan Miami has a population of approximately 3,876,380 people, with the average age of 36
• In the next few years, nearly one hundred large new buildings will be constructed in the vicinity of downtown Miami (many of which are already under construction). Even greater plans for the city are under way with the new Miami 21 Plan