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Latinos in
Miami
"Miami is the
unquestionable capital of the Caribbean...Latin America’s Ellis
Island." 30
The
city of Miami is located in Miami-Dade
County
in southeast Florida. The word ‘Miami’
is derived from the Native American word meaning ‘sweet water'.
The city covers a total area of 143.1 km2. When first
founded in 1896, Miami's population was a small 300
people. Tremendous
growth occurred during the 1920s, and large-scale migrations of people
from
the northern United States
and Latin American countries has made Miami the vivacious
city it is today. Miami also now ranks as the third largest
immigration port in the United States
following only New York and LA.23
According to
the 2000 U.S. Census, the city has a total
population of 362,470 people and 134,198
households.24
Miami is
often considered a melting pot of many different cultures, ethnic
and
racial groups and communities.
In this
cultural melting
pot, we've come to see an increasingly significant Latino
influence over the years. Currently, about 66% of the city’s
population is Latino. These 238,351
persons of Hispanic origin both have and continue to influence the
community politically, socially, and economically.25
Miami
is often recognized for its large Cuban population. In fact, about 52% of all Cubans live in Miami-Dade
County. 27 ‘Miamians’ as they are referred to
by Hispano Mundo, an
organization committed to sharing the history and culture of Hispanic
immigrants, are
comprised of a
sizable population of immigrants from Cuba,
Nicaragua,
Peru, Columbia, and
other South American
countries.28
The combination of people from so many different national backgrounds
has made Miami what it is today--a multicultural city "bursting with flavor."29
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Site
created by Kim Brow, Carmen Lafia, and Umang
Malhotra. 2004
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