| Little Haiti La Petite Haïti |
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| — Neighborhood of Miami — | |
| Businesses in the heart of Little Haiti | |
| Nickname(s): Lemon City (historic name) | |
| Little Haiti neighborhood within the City of Miami | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Miami-Dade County |
| City | Miami |
| Subdistricts of Little Haiti |
Neighborhoods list
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| Government | |
| • City of Miami Commissioner | Richard Dunn |
| • Miami-Dade Commissioner | Audrey Edmonson |
| • House of Representatives | Daphne Campbell (D) and Cynthia A. Stafford (D) |
| • State Senate | Larcenia Bullard (D), and Oscar Braynon (D) |
| • U.S. House | Frederica Wilson (D) |
| Elevation | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 29,760 |
| • Density | 9,946/sq mi (3,840.2/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-05) |
| ZIP Code | 33127, 33137, 33138, 33150 |
| Area code(s) | 305, 786 |
| Website | Little Haiti neighborhood |
Little Haiti or La Petite Haïti, and traditionally known as Lemon City, is a neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States known as a traditional center for Haitian immigrants, and Francophone culture in the city.
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In the early 1900s, a small farming community, Lemon City, developed in this area, but it was a city only in name. The area had many lemon groves from where the town took its name. Though not as abundant as in the past (due to urbanization and eradication from citrus canker outbreaks), lemon trees still grow in several residents' backyards. The town even had its own railway depot on the Florida East Coast Railroad. The growing city of Miami to the south, however, was looking for more property to add to their town. In 1925, Lemon City was annexed by Miami, along with the town of Little River to the north, and the town of Buena Vista to the south, each of which now comprise modern-day Little Haiti. Many residents and visitors continue to use the Lemon City name.
Through the years, the community has changed from agricultural to residential, from middle class to lower class and middle class again. Part of this change was driven by immigrants from Haiti, and soon the area was called "Little Haiti, (La Petite Haiti)." In the 1980s and 1990s, Little Haiti was one of the poorest areas in Miami and was known for its crime and drug trade. Some of this still exists today, however the area is experiencing a cultural renaissance.[1][2]
In 2009, human remains from Lemon City Cemetery were discovered at a housing construction site; the Miami Historical Preservation Board "in principle" issued a non-binding unanimous vote that the cemetery site remain undeveloped as a memorial site.[3]
To a large extent, the Haitian Creole and Francophone culture thrives there. Attempts are underway to make Little Haiti into an ethnic enclave, but this has been hampered by the fact that many prosperous residents have moved away.
Factors contributing to the district's gentrification are the close proximity of the Miami Design District and the development of the new nearby Buena Vista and Edgewater communities, where construction of multimillion-dollar high rises, night clubs, restaurants, entertainment, and cultural centers are well under way, effecting increases in property value. As real estate prices continue to rise, Haitians and other residents of the low-income area are being displaced. New businesses and new residents are attracted to the original Lemon City borders.
However, "La Petite Haiti" continues its fight as a cultural heart for the Haitian Diaspora, as demonstrated by the recent inauguration of a large, beautiful statue of the father of Haitian independence; The General Toussaint L'Ouverture. La Petite Haiti also has a distinct Caribbean-Francophone flavor. Little Haiti is home of the Edison Courts housing developments and Miami Edison Senior High School. The area boasts various excellent art shops.
Little Haiti was also depicted in Grand Theft Auto:Vice City as its same name Little Haiti, one of the neighborhoods in the game.
Little Haiti is north of Buena Vista, west of the Upper East Side. The neighborhood boundaries are roughly bound by Little River to the north, I-95 to the west, Florida East Coast Railway to the east, and NE 54th Street to the south.[4]
Little River is a sub-neighborhood within the neighborhood of Little Haiti. It is located in the northern extremity of Little Haiti. The rough boundaries are the Little River to the north (for which it's named), NE 71st Street to the south, Miami Avenue to the west, and Biscayne Boulevard to the east. The river also serves as the boundary for the city limits of Miami in this neighborhood. It is located at , with an elevation 7 feet (2.1 m).[5]
In 1925, Little River was annexed by Miami, along with the towns of Lemon City and Buena Vista to the south to form modern-day Little Haiti. Today, the area historically known as "Buena Vista" is today called the Design District.
Many restaurants, stores, parks, and even public schools have names to famous Haitians or Haitian-Miamian events. Some of these include:
As of 2000, Little Haiti had a population of 29,128[6] and 30,066[4] residents, with 9,368 households, and 6,181 families residing in the neighborhood. The median household income was $18,887.49. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 14.74% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 64.92% Black or African American, 4.78% White (non-Hispanic), and 15.56% Other races (non-Hispanic).[6]
The zip codes for the Little Haiti include 33127, 33137, 33138, and 33150. The area covers 3.456 square miles (8.95 km2). As of 2000, there were 14,708 males and 15,357 females. The median age for males were 31.0 years old, while the median age for females were 33.8 years old. The average household size had 3.0 people, while the average family size had 3.7 members. The percentage of married-couple families (among all households) was 27.6%, while the percentage of married-couple families with children (among all households) was 13.8%, and the percentage of single-mother households (among all households) was 20.7%. 2.1% of the population were in nursing homes. The percentage of never-married males 15 years old and over was 21.7%, while the percentage of never-married females 15 years old and over was 22.0%.[4]
As of 2000, the percentage of people that speak English not well or not at all made up 17.6% of the population. The percentage of residents born in Florida was 41.1%, the percentage of people born in another U.S. state was 11.6%, and the percentage of native residents but born outside the U.S. was 3.1%, while the percentage of foreign born residents was 44.1%.[4]
Miami-Dade County Public Schools operates area public schools. Schools within Little Haiti include:
Miami-Dade Public Library operates all area public libraries:
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