Opa-locka, Florida

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MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA

City of Opa-Locka


City of Opa-Locka seal (details)

Location of Opa-Locka in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Founded

1926

City Government Style

Council-Manager

Mayor

Joseph L. Kelley

Area
- Total
- Water

4.5 mi² (11.6km²)
0.1 mi² (0.4 km²) 3.13%

Population
- City (2000)
- Density

14,951
3,451.9/mi²

Time zone

Eastern: UTC-5

Latitude
Longitude

25°54' N
80°15' W

City of Opa-Locka Official Website

Opa-locka is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the reported population was 14,951; as of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 15,327.^[1]

1 Description
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Crime
5 Education
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Description

Opa-locka has an area of 4.2 square miles and is located in the north western area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss and was based on the Arabian nights theme with streets that have names like Sabur Lane, Sultan Avenue, Ali Baba Avenue, and Sesame Street. The name Opa-locka is a contraction of the Native Americans' name for the area, “Opa-tisha-woka-locka”, meaning a dry place in the swamp with trees. Some notable facts: Amelia Earhart launched her historic trip around the world from Miami Municipal Airport, just south of Opa-locka.^[1] The Graf Zeppelin, the second largest airship ever, visited the NAS Miami, which later became Opa-locka Airport, as a regular stop on its Germany-Brazil-United States-Germany scheduled route^[2].

[edit] Geography

Opa-locka is located at 25°54′4″N, 80°15′3″W (25.901218, -80.250824)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.6 km² (4.5 mi²). 11.2 km² (4.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.13%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 14,951 people, 4,890 households, and 3,437 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,333.2/km² (3,451.9/mi²). There were 5,407 housing units at an average density of 482.1/km² (1,248.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 22.83% White, 69.64% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.60% from other races, and 3.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.55% of the population.

There were 4,890 households out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.4% were married couples living together, 35.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.52.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,631, and the median income for a family was $22,742. Males had a median income of $22,347 versus $19,270 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,538. About 31.5% of families and 35.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.3% of those under age 18 and 40.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Crime

Opa Locka has a very high per capita violent crime rate. In 2005, it's population was 15,673, with 352 violent, and 1,529 nonviolent crimes reported (8 murder/non-negligent manslaughters, 4 forcible rapes, 176 robberies, 164 agrivated assaults, 703 burglaries, 626 larcenies, and 200 motor vehicle thefts).^[3] Per capita, it has one of the highest violent crime rates in the United States. (Compare to St. Louis, Mo).^[4]

[edit] Education

Miami-Dade County Public Schools serves Opa-locka.

Miami Carol City Senior High School Serves parts of Opa-Locka
Miami Norland Senior High School serves portions of Opa-Locka
Miami Central High School in Miami serves most of Opa-Locka
Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School in Hialeah serves Western Opa-Locka.
Monsignor Edward Pace High School, a prominent Catholic school, is also located in Opa Locka.