The Miami River is a river in the U.S.state of Florida that drains out of the Everglades and runs through the city of Miami, including Downtown. The 5.5-mile (8.9 km) long river flows from the terminus of the Miami Canal at Miami International Airport to Biscayne Bay. It was originally a natural river inhabited at its mouth by the Tequesta Native Americans, but it was dredged and is now polluted throughout its route through Miami-Dade County. The mouth of the river is home to the Port of Miami and many other businesses whose pressure to maintain it has helped to improve the river’s condition.
Without the Miami River, which few visitors even know about, modern-day Miami wouldn’t exist, as it was the area’s only major source of freshwater, fed by the Everglades. The city developed along the river and expanded from there. The port along the river and its dubious activities in the 1970s and 1980s were often part of the plot of the TV series Miami Vice.
The Miami River is likely the shortest working river in the United States. The Center for Urban & Environmental Solutions reported in 2008: “Waterborne commerce through the Miami River port doubled between an annual level of about 250,000 short tons in the early 1970s to about 500,000 in the early years of the new century. Foreign trade accounts for most of the commerce through the Miami River Port. Exports dominate the Port’s commerce, accounting for over 75 percent of the total. In the 1970s, exports had averaged 56 percent of the total. Most of the Miami River’s foreign trade is with the nearby countries of the Caribbean, especially the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Bahamas. This reflects the suitability of the Miami River for shallow draft vessels which serve the many shallow draft ports in the Caribbean.”
In recent years, realizing they had common interests, various business entities along the river formed the Miami River Marine Group. The group works closely with local law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard, ICE, and others to maintain clear channels of communication and cooperation. It now acts much as one port with numerous port facilities and support entities such as agents, surveyors, consultants, naval architects and engineers, and ship and machinery repair businesses.
Many of the ships sailing from the Miami River carry cargo to ports in Haiti including Port-au-Prince, Miragoâne, Cap-Haïtien, Port-de-Paix, Saint-Marc, Gonaïves, and Jacmel. Their cargo typically consist of dry foodstuffs such as beans and rice, canned goods, clothing, household goods and appliances, and used cars, trucks, and buses.
In times past, some of the cargo terminals on the river were areas of lawlessness. Law enforcement and regulatory agencies have eliminated most of that sort of activity. When the International Ship and Port Security Code and the U.S. Maritime Transportation Act of 2002 came into force (and in the prior runup) on July 1, 2004, most opportunities for crime were eliminated.
Some of the terminals and other business related to cargo shipping on the “lower end” of the river near downtown Miami have been eliminated or moved farther upstream because of illicit shipping activities. The “lower end” of the river has been the subject of much renovation and building of high rise offices, hotels, and living structures.
A number of residential and mixed-use projects have been constructed along the Miami River. They include Latitude on the River, Mint at Riverfront, Neo Vertika, River Oaks Marina and Tower, and Terrazas Miami.
[responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"](Latest addition: February 2026) In irregular intervals we publish Theme Weeks about cities, regions, and countries. Here you can find the complete list.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N...
