Sweetwater, Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sweetwater is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 14,226 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 13,992 [1].

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Education
5 Other Facts
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Sweetwater is located at 25°45′58″N, 80°22′25″W (25.765977, -80.373624)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²), all land.

[edit] History

Developed by the Miami-Pittsburgh Land Co in the 1920s.

The city of Sweetwater was founded in 1941. The town founders were primarily Russian Circus midgets. Many of the original homes were miniature scale houses built to accommodate the midgets. The city was named after the pure water of the Everglades, which some residents described as being sweet. For most of its existence, Sweetwater was a sleepy town with farms, horse stables, and small grocery stores. The 1970's; however, saw a rapid change in the character of Sweetwater. The campus of Florida International University was built just south of town. The Florida Turnpike and State Road 836 expressways created easy access from Sweetwater to the rest of the county. The desire of residents of Dade County (now called Miami-Dade county) to move away from the dense urban sprawl helped add to the rapid growth of Sweetwater.

[edit] Demographics

Sweetwater is a city in Miami-Dade County, in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area.

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 14,226 people, 4,267 households, and 3,550 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,698.4/km² (17,439.7/mi²). There were 4,353 housing units at an average density of 2,049.6/km² (5,336.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.15% White, 0.89% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 7.17% from other races, and 4.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 93.16% of the population.

There were 4,267 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.8% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,333, and the median income for a family was $30,823. Males had a median income of $22,378 versus $17,020 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,098. About 16.4% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 21.7% of those age 65 or over.

In 2000, 16.63% of Sweetwater residents identified as being of Nicaraguan heritage. This was the highest percentage of Nicaraguan Americans of any place in the country.

[edit] Education

Sweetwater is within the Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Sweetwater Elementary School(1,050 students in 2006) serves residents for grades K-5, It is within the city limits. Marjory Stoneman Douglas Elementary School(1,087 students in 2006)is also very close and serves many residents for K-5.

Ruben Dario Middle School(1,305 students in 2006) serves residents for grades 6-8. Paul W. Bell Middle School(1,710 students in 2006) also serves the area for grades 6-8.

Miami Coral Park High School (4,421 students in 2006), serves Sweetwater for grades 9-12. G. Holmes Braddock High School (4,662 students in 2006) also serves Sweetwater for grades 9-12.

The main campus of Florida International University is located just south of the city limit.

13% of Sweetwater residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

[edit] Other Facts

Sweetwater was the filming location for the 1969 movie, "Midnight Cowboy." ^[1]

In March 1996, Sweetwater made national news as 69 animals were found dead on 2 properties in the city. Miami police and the local zoologist blamed a large dog, while many residents blamed the killings on Chupacabra, a blood-sucking beast first spotted in Puerto Rico in 1994. ^[2]

There are 24 hour diners in Sweetwater. You can eat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at Rey's Pizza (Cuban Style Pizza) or LA ESQUINITA HAVANERA (Cuban coffee & food) just to name a few.