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About Miami:

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 408,568, it is the principal, central, and most populous city of the Miami metropolitan area, and the most populous metropolis in the Southeastern United States. According to the U.S. 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 is a major center and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. In 2010, Miami was classified as a Alpha- World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory. In 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States in terms of finance, commerce, culture, entertainment, fashion, education, and other sectors. It ranked thirty-third among global cities. In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami "America's Cleanest City", for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs. According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, and the world's fifth-richest city in terms of purchasing power. Miami is nicknamed the "Capital of Latin America", is the 2nd largest U.S. city (after El Paso) with a Spanish-speaking majority, and the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality.

Downtown Miami and South Florida are home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and is home to many large companies both nationally and internationally. The Civic Center is a major center for hospitals, research institutes, medical centers, and biotechnology industries. For more than two decades, the Port of Miami, known as the "Cruise Capital of the World," has been the number one cruise passenger port in the world, accommodating some of the world's largest cruise ships and operations, and is currently the busiest in both passenger traffic and cruise lines.

Geography of Miami:

The surface bedrock under the Miami area is called Miami oolite or Miami limestone. This bedrock is covered by a thin layer of soil, and is no more than 50 feet (15 m) thick. Miami limestone formed as the result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent glaciations or ice ages. Beginning some 130,000 years ago the Sangamonian Stage raised sea levels to approximately 25 feet (7.6 m) above the current level. All of southern Florida was covered by a shallow sea. Several parallel lines of reef formed along the edge of the submerged Florida plateau, stretching from the present Miami area to what is now the Dry Tortugas. The area behind this reef line was in effect a large lagoon, and the Miami limestone formed throughout the area from the deposition of oolites and the shells of bryozoans. Starting about 100,000 years ago the Wisconsin glaciation began lowering sea levels, exposing the floor of the lagoon. By 15,000 years ago, the sea level had dropped to 300 to 350 feet (110 m) below the contemporary level. The sea level rose quickly after that, stabilizing at the current level about 4000 years ago, leaving the mainland of South Florida just above sea level.

Beneath the plain lies the Biscayne Aquifer, a natural underground source of fresh water that extends from southern Palm Beach County to Florida Bay, with its highest point peaking around the cities of Miami Springs and Hialeah. Most of the Miami metropolitan area obtains its drinking water from this aquifer. As a result of the aquifer, it is not possible to dig more than 15 to 20 ft (4.6 to 6.1 m) beneath the city without hitting water, which impedes underground construction. For this reason, the mass transit systems in and around Miami are elevated or at-grade.

Most of the western fringes of the city extend into the Everglades, a subtropical marshland located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. This causes occasional problems with local wildlife such as alligators venturing into Miami communities and major highways.

In terms of land area, Miami is one of the smallest major cities in the United States. According to the US Census Bureau, the city encompasses a total area of 55.27 sq mi (143.1 km2). Of that area, 35.67 sq mi (92.4 km2) is land and 19.59 sq mi (50.7 km2) is water. That means Miami comprises over 400,000 people in a mere 35 square miles (91 km2), making it one of the most densely populated cities in the United States, along with New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago among others. Miami is located at 25°47'16?N 80°13'27?W.

Miami Weather:

View Detailed 10 Day Weather Forecast for Miami, webcams, weather maps & more at Weather-Forecast.com

Miami Tourist Attractions:

South Beach:

South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States, located due east of Miami city proper between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses all of the barrier islands of Miami Beach south of Indian Creek.

This area was the first section of Miami Beach to be developed, starting in the 1910s, thanks to the development efforts of Carl G. Fisher, the Lummus Brothers, and John S. Collins, the latter whose construction of the Collins Bridge provided the first vital land link between mainland Miami and the beaches.

The area has gone through numerous artificial and natural changes over the years, including a booming regional economy, increased tourism, and the 1926 hurricane, which destroyed much of the area. As of 2010, about 39,186 residents live in South Beach.

Virginia Key:

Virginia Key is a 863-acre (3.49 km2) barrier island in Miami, Florida, United States in Biscayne Bay, south of Brickell and north of Key Biscayne. It accessible from the mainland via the Rickenbacker Causeway.

The island is namely occupied by the Virginia Key Beach Park, Miami Seaquarium, and the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Other facilities include the former Miami Marine Stadium, the National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center, and an office of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Miami Beach:

Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, 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 the port collectively form the commercial center of South Florida. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 87,779. Miami Beach has been one of America's pre-eminent beach resorts since the early 20th century.

Zoo Miami:

The Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens, branded and commonly known as Zoo Miami, formerly known as Miami MetroZoo, is the largest and oldest zoological garden in Florida, and the only tropical zoo in the continental United States. It is located on the old Richmond Naval Air Station site, southwest of Miami in southern metropolitan Miami-Dade County, in the center of the census-designated places of Three Lakes (north), South Miami Heights (south), Palmetto Estates (east) and Richmond West (west). It houses over 2,000 animals on 740 acres (299 ha), 324 acres (131 ha) of which are developed. It is about 3 mi (5 km) around if walked on the path, and has over 100 exhibits.

The zoo's communications director is wildlife expert and photographer Ron Magill. He frequently appears on local talk shows and news stations, often promoting the zoo's animals.

The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden:

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is a 83-acre (34 ha) botanic garden, with extensive collections of rare tropical plants including palms, cycads, flowering trees and vines. It is located in metropolitan Miami, just south of Coral Gables, Florida, United States, surrounded at the south and west by Matheson Hammock Park.

The garden was established in 1936 by Robert H. Montgomery (1872–1953), an accountant, attorney, and businessman with a passion for plant-collecting. The garden opened to the public in 1938. It was named after his good friend David Fairchild (1869–1954), one of the great plant explorers. Dr. Fairchild's extensive travels brought many important plants to the United States, including mangos, alfalfa, nectarines, dates, horseradish, bamboos and flowering cherries. David Fairchild retired to Miami in 1935, but many plants still growing in the Garden were collected and planted by Dr. Fairchild, including a giant African baobab tree. With the guidance of an influential circle of friends, Montgomery pursued the dream of creating a botanical garden in Miami. He purchased the site, named it after Dr. Fairchild, and later deeded it in large part to Miami-Dade County.

Miami Seaquarium:

The Miami Seaquarium is a 38-acre (15 ha) oceanarium located on the island of Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States and is located near downtown Miami. It is the longest operating oceanarium in the United States. In addition to the marine mammals, the Miami Seaquarium also houses various fish, sharks, sea turtles, birds, reptiles and manatees. The park offers eight different marine animal shows and presentations daily and attracts over 600,000 visitors per year. The park employs over 225 full and part-time employees. It is the third largest contributor to Miami-Dade County’s revenue through land lease payments and taxes.

The park was founded by Fred D. Coppock and Captain W.B. Gray and was the second marine-life attraction in South Florida. Upon its grand opening in 1955, it was the largest marine-life attraction in the world.

Miami Science Museum:

The Miami Science Museum is an attraction located in the city of Miami, Florida USA. The museum itself also contains the Space-Transit Planetarium, Weintraub Observatory and a wildlife center. The museum is currently working to transplant the museum from its current location to Park West at Bicentennial Park in Downtown Miami along with the Miami Art Museum. The museum broke ground for the new museum in February 2012, the grand opening is expected in 2015.

The Miami Science Museum is served by the Miami Metrorail at the Vizcaya Station.

The Museum first started as "The Junior Museum of Miami" and was a private non-profit organization established in 1949. It was located inside a house on the corner of Biscayne Boulevard and 26th Street. The Museum grew so rapidly that in 1952 it relocated to the Miami Women's Club building on Bayshore Drive. When it arrived at the new location it was renamed "Museum of Science and Natural History".

Miami Children's Museum:

The Miami Children’s Museum (also known as MiChiMu is a non-profit educational institution located on Watson Island, in the city of Miami, Florida.

Founded in 1983, the museum opened its current building on Watson Island to the public on September 7, 2003. The museum was originally titled the "Miami Youth Museum" and was originally located in Coral Gables in a building called the Miracle Center.

Visitors of all ages are brought to the museum with different areas with activities for everyone. The 56,500-square-foot (5,250 m2) facility, designed by Arquitectonica, includes 12 galleries, classrooms, parent/teacher resource center, Kid Smart educational gift shop, 200-seat auditorium and Subway restaurant. The museum offers hundreds of bilingual, interactive exhibits; programs and classes and learning materials related to arts, culture, community and communication.

The museum's goal is to establish itself as a primary center for the educational enrichment and entertainment of all children and their caregivers as well as to build alliances with families, educators, community organizations and promotional partners to meet the developmental needs of all children in the community.

Miami Art Museum:

The Miami Art Museum (MAM) is an art museum located in Downtown Miami, Florida, in the United States. It was founded in 1984 as the Center for the Fine Arts, and in 1996 became the Miami Art Museum. The MAM dedicates itself to contemporary art and is located at 101 West Flagler Street in Downtown Miami in the same Miami Cultural Plaza as the Historical Museum of Southern Florida and the Miami-Dade Public Library. Current plans are to transplant the MAM from its current location in the Central Business District to Park West at Bicentennial Park along with the Miami Science Museum with plans for completion around 2013. The MAM receives over 60,000 visitors a year.

The Miami Art Museum is served by the Miami Metrorail at Government Center Station.

Jungle Island:

Jungle Island (formerly Parrot Jungle) is an interactive zoological park in Watson Island, Miami, Florida, United States. It was originally Parrot Jungle and moved from its original suburban Pinecrest to its present location just east of Downtown Miami renamed as Parrot Jungle Island. In 2007, the park was again renamed to Jungle Island.

Parrot Jungle was a zoological park south of Miami on 22 acres (89,000 m2) of property at Killian Drive and South Red Road.

Originally founded in 1936 by Franz & Louise Scherr, Parrot Jungle was one of the first tourist attractions established in the Miami area. The idea for Parrot Jungle began after Scherr, who owned and operated a feed and supply store in Homestead, became intrigued with the idea of building an attraction where birds would "fly free". Scherr leased 22 acres (89,000 m2) of hammock land for an annual fee of $25. Parrot Jungle was built as a winding nature trail dug through the coral rock and hammock land, indigenous to the area. All the natural plants were left undisturbed. The entrance was built on Red Road.

Monkey Jungle:

Monkey Jungle is a renowned 30-acre (120,000 m2) wildlife park established in 1933 for the exhibition and study of endangered monkeys in semi-natural habitats. Many novel and innovative projects have been conducted at the park, which is also a popular tourist attraction in the Miami, Florida area. The park is in suburban Miami in Cutler Bay at South 216th Street/Hainlin Mill Road near West 147th Avenue.

The park has about 400 primates of 30 different species running loose. Guests walk through a series of tunnel cages. Its tagline is "Where the humans are caged and the monkeys run wild". It includes an Amazonian rainforest, the only semi-natural tropical rainforest found in North America.

Coral Castle:

Coral Castle is a stone structure created by the Latvian American eccentric Edward Leedskalnin (1887-1951) north of the city of Homestead, Florida in Miami-Dade County at the intersection of South Dixie Highway (U.S. 1) and SW 157th Avenue. The structure comprises numerous megalithic stones (mostly limestone formed from coral), each weighing several tons. It currently serves as a privately-operated tourist attraction. Coral Castle is noted for legends surrounding its creation that claim it was built single-handedly by Leedskalnin using magnetism and/or supernatural abilities.

Villa Vizcaya:

Vizcaya, now named the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, is the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune, on Biscayne Bay in the present day Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida. The early 20th century Vizcaya estate also includes: extensive Italian Renaissance gardens; native woodland landscape; and a historic village outbuildings compound. The landscape and architecture were influenced by Veneto and Tuscan Italian Renaissance models and designed in the Mediterranean Revival architecture style, with Baroque elements. Paul Chalfin was the design director.

Miami-Dade County now owns the Vizcaya property, as the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, which is open to the public. 'Villa Vizcaya' is served by the Vizcaya Station of the Miami Metrorail.

Downtown Miami:

Downtown Miami is an urban residential neighborhood, and the central business district of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida in the United States. Brickell Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard are the main north-south roads, and Flagler Street is the main east-west road.

Commonly called simply Downtown, the area is a cultural, financial, and commercial center of South Florida, tracing its present-day history back to the 19th century. In recent years, Downtown Miami has grown to become the fastest-growing area in Miami, with large scale high-rise construction and population increase. Downtown is home to many major museums, parks, schools and colleges, banks, companies, courthouses, government offices, theaters, shops and many of the oldest buildings in the city.

Freedom Tower:

The Freedom Tower is a building in Miami, Florida, designed by Schultze and Weaver. It is used currently as a memorial to Cuban immigration to the United States. It is located at 600 Biscayne Boulevard on the Wolfson Campus of Miami Dade College. On September 10, 1979, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on October 6, 2008. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed the building on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places as the Freedom Tower / Formerly Miami News and Metropolis Building.

Miami Tower:

The Miami Tower is a 47-story, landmark office skyscraper in Miami, Florida, United States. It is located in central Downtown. It is currently the 8th tallest building in Miami and Florida. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed it on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places as the Bank of America Tower.

Built for CenTrust Savings & Loan in 1987, the 47-story building ranks in the top ten tallest skyscrapers in Miami and in Florida at a height of 625 feet (191 m) and is known for its elaborate night-time illuminations and its dramatic three glass tiers. Designed the by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners architectural firm, the tower consists of two separate structures: A 10-story parking garage owned by the city and the 37-story office tower built upon the air rights of the garage. Preliminary planning for the tower began in February 1980; construction on the garage began by November. The garage was completed in February 1983 and the tower began construction a year later. On August 1984, while the tower was under construction, a 5-alarm fire began on the ninth floor; construction was subsequently delayed for several weeks. On December 15, 1985, the tower was lit for the first time in Miami Dolphins aqua and snowflakes.

Everglades:

The Everglades are a natural region of subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee. Water leaving the lake in the wet season forms a slow-moving river 60 miles (97 km) wide and over 100 miles (160 km) long, flowing southward across a limestone shelf to Florida Bay at the southern end of the state.

The Everglades are shaped by water and fire, experiencing frequent flooding in the wet season and drought in the dry season. Writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas popularized the term "River of Grass" to describe the sawgrass marshes, part of a complex system of interdependent ecosystems that include cypress swamps, the estuarine mangrove forests of the Ten Thousand Islands, tropical hardwood hammocks, pine rockland, and the marine environment of Florida Bay.

Miami University:

Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked the university 3rd for best undergraduate teaching at national universities , 90th in the overall rankings, 40th among U.S. public universities and 2nd among public universities in Ohio.

Miami's Division I sports teams are called the RedHawks. Miami University is one of three Public Ivy universities competing in the Eastern division of the Mid-American Conference where they compete in all sports except hockey, in which the team is part of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Miami is nicknamed the "Cradle of Coaches" for the star-quality coaches that have trained through its football program and in early 2012 Miami trademarked the phrase. Its men's basketball team has appeared in 16 NCAA basketball championships, reaching the Sweet Sixteen four times. Miami's ice hockey team finished runner-up in the 2009 national championship game.

Miami Facts:

Miami Beach was a mangrove swamp before it’s development started in the 1920s.

The only Everglades eco-system in the world is in Miami.

Miami has more than 800 parks and is the only city in the United States that is bordered by two separate National Parks – Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park.

Miami is the only major city in the US to be founded by a woman (Julia Tuttle).

With more than 800 buildings, Miami Beach’s Art Deco district is home to the world’s largest collection of Art Deco Architecture.

In 2008, Miami was ranked #1 Cleanest City in America by Forbes Magazine.

Miami has the largest cruise ship port in the world.

Miami Beach is also known as “America’s Riviera”.

Nearly 12 million people visited Miami in 2009.

Miami International Airport:

Miami International Airport is the primary airport serving the South Florida area. The airport is in an unincorporated area in Miami-Dade County, Florida, eight miles (13 km) northwest of Downtown Miami, in metropolitan Miami, between the cities of Miami, Hialeah, Doral, Miami Springs, the village of Virginia Gardens, and the unincorporated Fountainebleau neighborhood.

The airport is a hub for passenger airlines American Airlines, Executive Airlines under the American Eagle name; cargo airlines, UPS Airlines and FedEx Express; and charter airline Miami Air. It is a focus airport for LAN Airlines and its subsidiaries, both for passengers and cargo operations. Miami International Airport has passenger and cargo flights to cities throughout the Americas and Europe, as well as the Canary Islands off the African coast, and cargo flights to Asia; it is South Florida's main airport for long-haul international flights.

Miami International Airport is the largest gateway between the United States and Latin America, and is one of the largest airline hubs in the United States, owing to its proximity to tourist attractions, local economic growth, large local Latin American and European populations, and strategic location to handle connecting traffic between North America, Latin America, and Europe. In the past, it has been a hub for Braniff International Airways, Eastern Air Lines, Air Florida, the original National Airlines, the original Pan Am, United Airlines, and Iberia. Miami International is also the proposed hub of two new start-up airlines, one of which hopes to use the Eastern Airlines name.

In 2011 the airport ranked first in the United States by percentage of international flights and second by volume of international passengers, behind only New York-JFK. In 2011, 38,314,389 passengers traveled through the airport, making the airport the 25th-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic. The Airport also ranks as the 12th busiest airport in the United States by annual passenger count and is the busiest airport in the state of Florida. The airport also handled more international cargo than any other airport in the United States.

Miami Hotels:

Miami Luxury Hotels:

Four Seasons Hotel Miami
Mandarin Oriental

The Ritz Carlton Coconut Grove
JW Marriott Marquis Miami
EPIC Hotel - a Kimpton Hotel
Casa Moderna Miami
Sonesta Bayfront Hotel Coconut Grove
Conrad Miami
Hotel InterContinental Miami
Viceroy Miami
Sofitel Miami
JW Marriott Miami
The Mutiny Hotel
Mayfair Hotel & Spa
The Grove Isle Hotel & Spa
Hilton Miami Airport
Miami Marriott Dadeland
Hyatt Regency Miami

Cheap Hotels Miami:

Airways Inn & Suites
Comfort Suites

Quality Inn Miami Airport Hotel
Quality Inn South at the Falls
Homestead Miami Blue Lagoon
Motel Bianco
Miami River Inn
Motel Blu
Midtown Inn Miami
Hotel Roma Golden Glades Resort
Rodeway Inn Miami Airport
Leamington Hotel
Malabo Hotel Miami
Hotel Chateaubleau
Days Inn Miami International Airport
Hampton Inn Miami Dadeland
SpringHill Suites Miami Airport South
Country Inn & Suites Miami (Kendall)