The Miami area was first inhabited for more than one thousand years
by the Tequestas,
but was later claimed for SpainA Spanish mission was constructed one year later in
1567. In 1836, Fort Dallas in 1566 by Pedro Menedez de Aviles. was built, and the Miami area
subsequently became a site of fighting during the Second Seminole War.
It holds the distinction of being the only major city in the
United States founded by a woman, Julia Tuttle who was a local citrus grower and a wealthy Cleveland native
The Miami area was better known as "Biscayne Bay Country" in the early
years of its growth. Some published reports described the area as a
promising wilderness.
The area was also characterized as "one of the finest building sites in
Florida." The Great Freeze of 1894-1895 hastened Miami's growth, as the
crops of the Miami area were the only ones in Florida that survived.
Julia Tuttle subsequently convinced Henry Flagler, a railroad tycoon, to expand his Florida East Coast Railroad to the region. Miami was officially incorporated as a
city on July 28, 1896 with a population of just over 300.
Miami prospered during the 1920s with an increase in population and
infrastructure but weakened after the collapse of the Florida land book of the 1920s,
the 1926 Miami Hurricane and the Great Depression in the 1930s. When World
War II began, Miami, well-situated due to its location on the southern
coast of Florida, played an important role in the battle against German submarines. The war helped to expand Miami's population; by 1940,
172,172 people lived in the city. After Fidel Castro rose to power in 1959, many Cubans sought
refuge in Miami, further increasing the population. In the 1980s and
1990s, various crises struck South Florida, among them the Arthur McDuffie beating and the subsequent riot, drug
wars, Hurricane Andrew, and the Elian Gonzalez uproar.
Nevertheless, in the latter half of the 20th century, Miami became a
major international, financial, and cultural center.
Miami and its metropolitan area grew from just over one thousand
residents to nearly five and a half million residents in just 110 years
(1896–2006). The city's nickname, The Magic City, comes from this
rapid growth. Winter visitors remarked that the city grew so much from
one year to the next that it was like magic.
