Gold Coast (Florida)
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- For other uses of the term see: Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Florida that runs along the southeastern coast of the state between Palm Beach and Miami. It includes the cities of West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach and Hollywood, as well as the famous spring-break town of Fort Lauderdale.
The name "Gold Coast" was well deserved from about the 1920s onward. With the arrival of Henry Flagler's ill fated railroad, more and more Northerners started arriving. New buildings and architecture flourished (better known today as the Art Deco style, most evident in Miami's South Beach). Initially only the wealthiest Americans were establishing footholds and second residences (first towards the Northern end of the Gold Coast - Palm Beach proper), but not too much later more "common folk" started coming and taking up residence. A major tourist attraction today is Al Capone's long term suite on the 13th floor of the Biltmore Hotel in today's Coral Gables (southern Miami). With continuous inbound migration and a very modest outbound movement the investments made in real property were termed "gold" - hence the name - Gold Coast. Many of the hotels and other buildings, originating from the 1920s and 1930s have been refurbished and constitute the backbone of Miami's tourism and convention hospitality industry. The Eden Roc, The Fontainbleu, The Clevelander, The Savoy, The Sagamore, The National are only a few of the many buildings that can be seen on Miami's postcards. To this day Miami has preserved its unique architecture, colorful facades, odd wave-inspired shapes, which altogether offer a unique experience to every visitor. This is a large city but it tends not to resemble Chicago or New York; there is hardly any gray or just bare stone. Colors are vibrant, shapes are uncommon and themes are various. Aquamarine - blue is just as common as turquoise green or hot pink. Most prevailing is the sense of shamelessness, exuberance and energy in this vibrant city on the Atlantic coast.
