Miami, Dade County -- The name comes from Mayaimi (a lake - now Lake Okeechobee) which means "very large."

Now 105 years old, Miami is part of the nation’s eleventh largest metropolitan area. Incorporated in 1896, Miami is the only municipality conceived and founded by a woman - Julia Tuttle. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Miami’s population in 1900 was 1,700 people. Today it is a city rich in cultural and ethnic diversity with 362,470 residents, 60% of them foreign born. In physical size the City is not large, encompassing only 34 square miles. In population, Miami is the largest of the 30 municipalities that make up Miami-Dade County.

Today Miami contains approximately 375,000 residents. One hundred fifty-thousand of them are Cuban; other Hispanics number about 100,000. More than one-half of Dade County’s two million residents are Hispanic, making it the largest county in the nation with a Hispanic majority. With their wide array of cultures, languages, lifestyles, and festivals, multicultural Miami and Dade County represent one of America’s most vibrant, colorful communities.

The following contains some key data about Miami:

COMMUNITY PROFILE DATA

Year of Incorporation 1896

Form of Government Mayor-Commissioner Plan

Area of City 34.5 Square Miles

Recommended FY 2001 Budget $316.6 million

Expenditures Per Capita $861

POPULATION & RACIAL COMPOSITION

2000 Census Estimate 362,470

White 66.6%

Black 22.3%

Hispanic 65.8%

AGE DISTRIBUTION

1-19 Years 25.6%

20-44 Years 36.2%

45-59 Years 16.1%

60-74 Years 14.6%

75 and Older 7.5%

Median Age 39

HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS

Total Households 130,250

Median Household Income $19,900

Household Size (Persons) 2.8

Organizational Purpose of the City of Miami

Miami is a municipal corporation chartered by the State of Florida. The annotation appearing in Section 1 of the City Charter states:

The city is a governmental entity created by the state. It is a public institution designed to promote the common interests of the inhabitants in their organized capacity as a local government, and its objects are governmental, not commercial.

Section 3 of the City Charter lists the City’s powers. As examples, these include the power to:

Promote the general welfare, comfort, peace (of) … its inhabitants

Make and maintain public improvements