Little Havana, Miami, Florida

Little Havana ( _es. La Pequeña Habana) is a neighborhood and former census-designated place in the city of Miami, with many Cuban immigrant residents. Little Havana is named after Havana, the capital and largest city in Cuba. The rough boundaries are the Miami River (north), SW 11th Street (south), SW 22nd Avenue (west) and I-95 (east). [ [http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/NETS/pages/AboutNET/DistrictMapLarge.asp City of Miami Neighborhoods Map] ]

Little Havana is well known in the Americas and Europe for its social, cultural, and political activities. It's festivals, including Carnival Miami, Cultural Fridays, the Three Kings Parade and others, are televised to millions of people every year on different continents. It is also known for its landmarks, including Calle Ocho(S.W. 8 St), and its Walkway of the Stars(for famous artists and Latin personalities, including Celia Cruz, Willy Chirino, and Gloria Estefan, the Cuban Memeorial Boulevard, Plaza de la Cubanidad, Domino Park, the Tower Theater, Jose Marti Park, the Firestone/Walgreens Building, St. John Bosco Catholic Church, Municipio de Santiago de Cuba and others. It is undoubtedly the best known neighborhood for Cuban exiles in the world. The name "Little Havana" emerged in the 1960's as the concentration of Cubans in the area grew sharply. Little Havana is the name affixed to a sprwaling neighborhood lying immediately west of downtown Miami. It stretches west from the Miami River for several miles. This sobriquet was applied to the Shenandoah and Riverside neighborhoods in the 1960's, following the beginnings of a vast influx of Cuban refugees there. Little Havana is famous as the cultural and political capital of Cuban Americans, and the neighborhood is a center of the Cuban exile community. Little Havana is characterized by a robust street life, excellent restaurants, cultural activities, mom and pop enterprises, political passion, and great warmth amongst its residents.

Places of interest

* Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street)
* Cuban Memorial Boulevard (SW 13th Avenue)
* Versailles Restaurant
* La Casa de Tula [http://www.lacasadetula.com]
* Padilla Cigar Factory [http://www.padillacigars.com]
* Domino Park
* Tower Theater
* Orange Bowl

Viernes Culturales

Viernes Culturales/Cultural Fridays [http://www.viernesculturales.com] is an artistic, cultural, and social arts and culture fair that takes place on the last Friday of each month in the historic Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, FL, in the heart of Calle Ocho (8th St. SW between 14th and 17th Avenues). A powerful venue for talented visual artists and entertainers, the monthly festival offers an opportunity for visitors and tourists to experience an evening of culture with the diverse flavors of our Latino community. The event consists of outdoor musical performances on a stage and along the sidewalks of Calle Ocho, art exhibits along the sidewalk and in plazas and open spaces, visits to art galleries and cultural centers, cuisine tasting at participating restaurants, and films/art exhibits/ educational programs at the historic Tower Theatre. Free walking tours, led by famed Miami historian Dr. Paul George leave from the Tower Theater at 7pm each festival.

Calle Ocho Festival

Little Havana fire hosts its annual Cuban-festive Calle Ocho street festival (part of the overall Carnival Miami celebrations), one of the largest in the world, with over one million visitors annually. It is a free street festival with a Caribbean carnival feel sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club.

Calle Ocho is a time of pride where different ethnic communities wear colors or flags representing their heritage. You can see flags from Colombia to Nicaragua to Puerto Rico to Costa Rica and even Ireland flooding the streets. Typical foods of different countries are usually sold & popular music like reggaeton, salsa, bachata and merengue is usually heard.

Calle Ocho is Spanish for Eighth Street. This festival takes place between 27th Ave and 4th Ave along Southwest 8th Street. Over 30 stages and hundreds of street vendors participate in the live music street festival now in its 30th year.

Calle Ocho earned an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records when 119,986 people formed the world's longest conga line on March 13, 1988.

Gallery

Demographics

Demographically, the neighborhood is split up into Little Havana (proper) [cite web |url=http://www.miamigov.com/nets/pages/LittleHavana/Havana.asp |title=About The Little Havana Community. |publisher=miamigov.com |accessdate=2008-06-11] and West Flagler (formerly West Little Havana), [cite web |url=http://www.miamigov.com/nets/pages/Flagler/Flagler.asp |title=About The West Flagler (West Little Havana) Community. |publisher=miamigov.com |accessdate=2008-06-11] and as of 2000, the total population of both of the sections made up 90,218. [cite web |url=http://www.miamigov.com/Planning/pages/services/Census.asp |title=Demographics of Neighborhoods in Miami, FL. |publisher=miamigov.com |accessdate=2008-06-11]

As of 2000, [cite web |url=http://www.miamigov.com/Planning/pages/services/Census.asp |title=Demographics of Little Havana Miami, FL. |publisher=miamigov.com |accessdate=2008-06-11] Little Havana had a population of 49,206 residents, with 19,341 households, and 11,266 families residing in the neighborhood. The median household income was $15,213.16. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 90.08% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 3.79% Black or African American, 5.14% White (non-Hispanic), and 0.96% Other races (non-Hispanic).

As of 2000, [cite web |url=http://www.miamigov.com/Planning/pages/services/Census.asp |title=Demographics of West Flagler (West Little Havana) Miami, FL. |publisher=miamigov.com |accessdate=2008-06-11] West Flagler (West Little Havana) had a population of 41,012 residents, with 14,810 households, and 10,490 families residing in the neighborhood. The median household income was $26,176.70. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 90.73% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 1.15% Black or African American, 7.61% White (non-Hispanic), and 0.49% Other races (non-Hispanic).

See also

* Cuba-United States relations
* Cuban-American lobby
* Mariel boatlift
* Opposition to Fidel Castro

References