South Miami, Florida

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Location of South Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida
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Location of South Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida

South Miami is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. An early land owner of the area, W.A. Larkins owned property west of Red Road and Sunset Drive. He built the first grocery store in the area, and as the community grew, a post office was placed in the community. Larkins became the first Postmaster, and the community took the name of "Larkins". A depot was placed along the Florida East Coast Railway.

In 1926, area residents wanted to incorporate their area, and because of the booming city to the north of them, they chose the name of "South Miami". The original town boundaries were Red Road on the east, Kendall Drive to the south, Palmetto Road to the west (now Palmetto Expressway), and Bird Road to the north. The year 1926 also saw the first incoming class of freshmen at the newly chartered University of Miami campus, which abuts the city of South Miami eastern boundary along Red Road (SW 57th Avenue). Also founded with a higher-education theme that same year was the Cambridge Lawns neighborhood of South Miami, situated just 0.7 miles from the university campus. The neighborhood's Cambridge Lawns Historic District, some 30 homes in the Tudor Revival and Mediterranean revival style completed in 1928, were granted historic recognition by the City of South Miami in 2005.

In 1933, the original six square miles of South Miami were reduced to just over three miles due to an effort to reduce municipal responsibilities. The city's size was reduced again in 1937, and many of the northern city residents sued to get out of the city. This is why the city of South Miami has the most irregular boundaries of any city in Miami-Dade County today. The population was 10,741 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 11,274 [1].

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[edit] Geography

South Miami is located at 25°42′37″N, 80°17′43″W (25.710279, -80.295170)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.0 km² (2.3 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 10,741 people, 4,301 households, and 2,593 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,811.0/km² (4,680.5/mi²). There were 4,457 housing units at an average density of 751.5/km² (1,942.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.84% White, 24.70% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.75% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.37% of the population.

There were 4,301 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,488, and the median income for a family was $57,791. Males had a median income of $37,250 versus $29,772 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,526. About 8.9% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

South Miami is part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system. Schools include South Miami Elementary School, South Miami Middle School and South Miami High School.

[edit] Government

Mayor: Horace G. Feliu

Vice Mayor: Randy Wiscombe

Commissioner: Velma Palmer

Commissioner: Marie Birts

Commissioner: Jay Beckman

City Manager: Yvonne Soler-McKinley

[edit] External links

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