The cultural icon of Miami is situated on the southeastern corner of the Sunshine State. The city is unique in so many ways, acting as somewhat of a culture hub, accepting people from all over the world and all walks of life, this is what makes Miami so special, and such an attractive place to live, work or start a business.
Miami offers an abundance of things to do and see and is famous for many different reasons. It boasts beautiful beaches, consistently warm and sunny weather, many different cultures, numerous sports events, an amazing food scene, and some of the best entertainment in the U.S.
Thanks to these factors, Miami has skyrocketed in popularity over the past several decades, resulting in many positives including a stable and powerful economy and tourist hotspot. Millions of people flock down to the southern city from all over the U.S. and internationally, however, there is much to more Miami than meets the eye, so, here is our list of interesting facts about Miami Florida that you might not have known about!
If you want to skip straight to the Miami Florida Economic Facts, click on the link to take you there, or scroll down the page.
Interesting Facts About Miami Florida
1. Miami welcomes a plethora of visitors each year, over 14 million to be precise!
2. The city of Miami has the warmest temperatures in the winter months than any other state in the U.S., with an average temperature of 65-75F.
3. Miami’s name originates from one of the native American tribes that resided in the area during the 1600s and 1700s, they were called the “Mayaimi”.
4. In 1896 Miami became a city after a local businesswoman named Julia Tuttle persuaded a railroad officer to expand into the area, which makes Miami one of the biggest cities in the U.S. to be founded by a female.
5. On Miami Beach you can find the world’s largest collection of Art Deco architecture.
6. The Port of Miami is the largest cruise ship port in the nation. So, it comes as little surprise that Miami has a reputation of being the Cruise Capital of the World, and it is hard to argue this when around 5 million passengers set sail annually.
7. Miami is home to many different parks (over 800) and is the only city in the U.S. that is surrounded by two national parks, Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park.
8. The world’s first Burger King opened in Miami in 1954, three years on from the grand opening, the restaurant franchise introduced the iconic Whopper.
9. Miami is divided into four different parts, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast which has been formed by Flager Street, which runs east and west, and Miami Avenue, which runs north and south.
10. Greater Miami or the Miami Metropolitan area consists of 27 independent municipalities and large unincorporated areas which are vastly populated.
11. You can find the largest concentration of international banks in the whole country in Downtown Miami.
12. Sunscreen was invented in Miami, however, in Europe, there was already a version of sunscreen named protective lotion. It was Benjamin Green who created his own version in Miami, which took the United States by storm and was later sold to Coppertone.
13. The Miami International Airport has provided approximately 1/4 jobs for locals to the city, helping boost the already powerful local economy.
14. Communities that are situated in the north of the city are North Miami Beach, North Miami, and Miami Shores. You can find Hialeah and Miami springs to the west, Coral Gables, South Miami, and Homestead are to the south.
15. Here are the cultural demographics in Miami:
- White Hispanic (65%)
- Non-Hispanic African American (13%)
- White Non-Hispanic (11%)
- Other Hispanic (5.46%)
- Hispanic African American (2.29%)
Economic Facts About Miami Florida
There is a lot to consider when looking at the business and economic facts on Miami as the city has many positive business and economic attributes.
Over the past several decades Miami’s popularity has been constantly increasing, with more and more people deciding to call the city their new home, and place of business. With great infrastructure, a solid education system, comparatively high salaries, and a booming economy, Miami certainly possesses an impressive and expansive economic environment.
Here is our List of Economic Facts About Miami Florida
- The Miami metro area’s GDP is over $327 billion, which is higher than most other U.S. states!
- Miami has no income tax, like the rest of Florida.
- The median household income in Miami is around $51,000.
- Over 10% of the city’s workforce is employed in the tourism industry.
- Tourism, Finance, Media, and Telecommunications are some of the top industries in Miami.
- The average house price in Miami is $389,138. However, this number is seasonally adjusted. The latest prices can be found on Zillow’s website.
- Miami’s sales tax rate is 7%.
- The minimum wage in Miami is $11.00 per hour.
- Miami’s corporate income tax rate is 5.5%.
- In 2020, Miami was classified as a Beta + level global city by the GaWC.
- Tourism generates around 60% of the city’s economic activity.
- Military installations contribute massively to the economy of Miami.
All of these economic facts about Miami provide many valid reasons why thousands of people decide to move to the city to either start a new business or franchise or for work opportunities. It is difficult to argue with any of them!
10 Facts About Miami Florida
15. Miami Dade county covers 2,408 square miles in total, with a water area of 354 square miles. The west of the county forms part of the Everglades National Park, which is considered to be one of the United States’ most extensive wilderness preserves.
16. In the city of Miami over 70% of the total population is some form of Hispanic.
17. Over a quarter of a million of the city’s population are of Cuban origin. The affiliation between Cuba and Miami began in 1959 when Castro came into power in Cuba, forcing many people to leave the country.
18. Miami has an important relationship with Latin America. Miami is the headquarters of Latin American operations for an abundance of multinational corporations.
19. Despite being a city, Miami is a major agricultural region, producing many different types of produce, tomatoes, avocados, mangos, and more!
20. Located off the southern coast of Miami you can find the beautiful region of the Florida Keys, consisting of 800 keys in total, and stretching over 180 miles!
21. The professional football team, The Miami Dolphins are the oldest professional sports team in the state, not just south Florida.
22. If you visit the Miami area and you don’t try a Cuban Sandwich then, did you really go? This famous sandwich is one of the most popular dishes in the city, consisting of ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and sometimes even salami, on, of course, Cuban bread!
23. Boasting the best weather out of any city in the U.S. means that you must have access to good beaches. Fortunately, Miami has 16 beautiful beaches. Here are half of them:
- South Beach.
- North Beach Oceanside Park.
- Oleta River State Park.
- Haulover Beach.
- Sunny Isles Beach.
- Surfside Beach.
- Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Beach.
- Crandon Park Beach.
24. The beaches of Miami are unique, to say the least, with the Atlantic Ocean merging with the Caribbean Sea producing incredible water temperatures and marine life.
Thank you for checking out our 24+ fun facts about Miami Florida! If you have some facts and fun information regarding Miami’s past and present that we have not covered, please make sure to comment below and we will add them to the page.