Miami overview

Miami is nothing if not a city of characters. It’s always attracted people looking to escape, whether from their past, another country, or for vacation. What’s resulted is a city where everyone has a story and cultures collide on every corner. The influx of Latin American immigrants gives Miami a decidedly Spanish spirit too, and stepping off the plane in this city can often feel like walking into another country.

Miami-Dade County has a population of around 2.6 million people, making it the seventh-most populous county in America. Add in the nearly 3.5 million people in Broward and Palm Beach counties to the north, and you’ve got over 6 million people in the South Florida metro area. Miami also boasts the largest population of people born outside the country of any city in America, creating an exciting diversity and mix of cultures. Cuban immigrants make up the single largest group, but you’ll also find people from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and all over Latin America.

Though Miami’s three major languages are English, Spanish, and Haitian Kreyol, expect to hear Spanish as the primary language as soon as you step off the plane. Does that mean nobody speaks English? No. Plenty of people in Miami speak English. But plenty of people also do not.

Miami is very much a Latin American city, which means not only is Spanish many people’s primary language, but Latin culture is the primary culture. What does this mean? Well, if you’re coming from the United States, understand that time has a different meaning in Miami. A meeting set for 3 pm probably won’t start until 3:30. Drinks at 6 pm start at 7 pm. A party that starts at 8 pm won’t have anyone there before 11 pm. People aren’t being rude if they’re late; it’s simply how Miami time works. Everything also happens a little later in the day, as restaurants are typically empty before 8 pm, and it’s not uncommon to see children dining in a restaurant after midnight. Bars are open until 5 am, some even later.

Spanish is spoken exclusively in many parts of the city. It’s also hot here, which means people wear considerably fewer clothes than you might be used to seeing. That doesn’t mean everyone in Miami is running around like two-year-olds who just got out of the bathtub. But it also means you can walk into most places in a bikini top and flip flops and it won’t even raise an eyebrow.

Geographically, Miami was really never supposed to be here. It began as a little trading post at the end of the Miami River on the edge of the Everglades, where the Tequesta people settled and traded with other tribes. In the late 19th century, white settlers braved the swamp and set up shop on the same grounds as the Tequesta.

As transportation across long distances became easier with railroads, Henry Flagler expanded his Florida East Coast Railway into South Florida. Originally, its southern terminus was in Palm Beach, until the winter of 1894-95, when a brutal frost decimated orange crops throughout much of the state. Miami, however, escaped the frost, and early Miami founder Julia Tuttle —the only woman to found a major American city—sent Flagler orange blossoms to show him that no matter how cold it got, Miami stayed warm. This effectively convinced Flagler to extend his railway to Miami, and a vacation destination was born.

Flagler built the grand Royal Palm Hotel on Biscayne Bay and the Miami River in the heart of downtown. Wealthy northerners flocked to Miami in the winter, and a couple of decades later, John Collins had the dream to fill Miami’s barrier islands and create Miami Beach. Though hurricanes destroyed much of the city’s original development, its warm weather and ambitious developer ensured it was quickly rebuilt. And during World War 2, the art deco hotels in Miami Beach served as training grounds for many American troops. After the war, many of those same soldiers returned to the soft sands of Miami Beach, and the population boomed. The growth continued with the mass migration of Cuban immigrants in the early 1960s, fleeing the oppressive regime of Fidel Castro. In the 1970s, Miami Beach became a retirement haven for Jewish people from the northeast, who were joined in the 1980s by Miami’s notorious Vice era of Cocaine Cowboys and rampant crime. The drug money, however, funded Miami’s first collection of downtown high-rises and made Miami the banking capital of Latin America. The drug-addled ‘80s ended, and in 1992, Hurricane Andrew ripped through Dade County and changed the city forever. While many who were displaced never came back, the subsequent rebuilding changed South Beach from a retirement village into the American Riviera. As the new century dawned, a new skyline popped up across the bay in Miami, and slowly neighborhoods like Wynwood, The Design District, and Little Haiti became major American art centers. Today, Miami stands as one of America’s most important cities, not only for leisure but also art, food, and culture.

Miami didn’t become one of the world’s great vacation destinations because the weather is cold. But the heat and humidity can be more than you expect, especially between May and October. Drink about twice as much water as you think you need to, and pack plenty of sunscreen.

Also, understand that though Miami is a fun-and-sun destination, it’s also tropical. Which means it can rain, sometimes all day. Usually, rain is just a passing afternoon thunderstorm that lasts for about an hour. The streets frequently flood when this happens, but drain just as quickly.