Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County in Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a series of natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper. The neighborhood of South Beach, comprising the southernmost 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) of Miami Beach, along with Downtown Miami and Port of Miami, collectively form the commercial center of South Florida. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 88,000. Miami Beach has been one of America’s pre-eminent beach resorts since the early 20th century. read more…
The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity “Lake Worth Country.” These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the world. They included founding families such at the Potters and the Lainharts, who would go on to become leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, then an enclosed freshwater lake, named for Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment the north via Lake Worth and the Indian River. By 1890, the U.S. Census counted over 200 people settled along Lake Worth in the vicinity of what would become West Palm Beach. The area at this time also boasted a hotel, the “Cocoanut House”, a church, and a post office. The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad. Flagler paid two area settlers, Captain Porter and Louie Hillhouse, a combined sum of $45,000 for the original townsite, stretching from Clear Lake to Lake Worth. read more…
Key West is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in Florida. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 (the Overseas Highway) (east), Sigsbee Park (north, originally known as Dredgers Key), Fleming Key (north), and Sunset Key (west, originally known as Tank Island). Both Fleming Key and Sigsbee Park are part of Naval Air Station Key West and are inaccessible by civilians. Key West is the southernmost city in the Continental United States. The official city motto is “One Human Family.” Key West is 129 miles (208 km) southwest (229.9 degrees) of Miami, (about 160 miles (260 km) by car) and 106 miles (171 km) north-northeast (21.2 degrees) of Havana. Cuba, at its closest point, is 94 statute miles (151 km) south. Key West is a seaport destination for many passenger cruise ships. The Key West International Airport provides airline service. Hotels and guest houses are available for lodging. The central business district primarily comprises Duval Street, and includes much of the northwest corner of the island along Whitehead, Simonton, Front, Greene, Caroline, and Eaton Streets and Truman Avenue. read more…
The Conch Republic is a micronation declared as a tongue-in-cheek secession of the city of Key West, Florida from the United States on April 23, 1982. It has been maintained as a tourism booster for the city since. Since then, the term “Conch Republic” has been expanded to refer to “all of the Florida Keys, or, that geographic apportionment of land that falls within the legally defined boundaries of Monroe County, northward to ‘Skeeter’s Last Chance Saloon’ in Florida City, Dade County, with Key West as the nation’s capital and all territories north of Key West being referred to as ‘The Northern Territories’.” read more…
Disney Wonder is a cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line. The second ship to join the Disney fleet, it entered service in 1999. It is nearly identical in construction to its sister ship, Disney Magic. Both ships have 11 public decks, can accommodate 2,400 passengers in 875 staterooms, and have a crew of approximately 950. The Disney Wonder was built in the year following completion of the Disney Magic. As of 2012, the Wonder is based out of Los Angeles until December 9th. Her “godmother” is Tinkerbell. read more…
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625. The 42nd largest city proper in the United States, with a population of 399,457, it is the principal, central, and most populous city of the South Florida metropolitan area, and the most populous metropolis in the Southeastern United States. According to the US Census Bureau, Miami’s metro area is the seventh most populous and fifth-largest urban area in the United States, with a population of around 5.5 million. Miami and its suburbs are located on a broad plain between the Florida Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east that also extends from Florida Bay north to Lake Okeechobee. read more…
(Latest addition: March 2024) In irregular intervals we publish Theme Weeks about cities, regions, and countries. Here you can find the complete list. read more…
For her wedding over the weekend, Nina Johnson had worked through a predictable checklist of locations in town: hotel ballrooms, restaurant halls and catering outfits. read more…
The Miami Beach Architectural District (sometimes called the Art Deco District) contains the largest concentration of 1920s and 1930s resort architecture in the United States. These vibrantly colored buildings represent an era when Miami Beach was heavily promoted and developed as a “tropical playground”. The district was one of the earliest U.S. National Register for Historical Places listings to recognize the importance of the architecture of this period. read more…
(Latest addition: March 2024) In irregular intervals we publish Theme Weeks about cities, regions, and countries. Here you can find the complete list. read more…
