Communities and Neighborhoods in Miami, FL

Downtown Miami is the central business district of Miami-Dade County and Miami, Florida. Brickell Avenue/Biscayne Boulevard is the main north-south road in downtown, and Flagler Street is the main east-west road in the Central Business District. Downtown Miami is divided into four distinct areas, Uptown, Park West, the Central Business District and Brickell, and then themselves into many subdistricts. The northernmost area is Uptown, which is divided into the subdistricts of the Omni, Wynwood/Edgewater, and Midtown. To the south of Uptown, is Park West, the Central Business District and south of the Miami River, Brickell, divided into Upper Brickell and Lower Brickell. The CBD is separated from Brickell by the Miami River, NW 7th St marks the line between Park West and the CBD, the Dolphin Expressway separates Park West and Uptown, and Broadway splits Upper and Lower Brickell apart.

Midtown Miami is a newly created section of Uptown in downtown Miami, Florida, south of the Design District and Little Haiti. It is roughly divided by I-395 to the south, I-195 to the north, I-95 to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east. It is mainly in the sections of the city referred to as Wynwood, western Edgewater and eastern Overtown.

Overtown is located in the central part of the city of Miami. Overtown is bounded by NW 5th Street to the South, NW 20th Street to the North, the FEC Corridor and NW 1st Avenue to the East, and NW 10th Avenue to the West.

Coral Way, is a short east-west divided highway entirely within the city of Miami, Florida, USA. Its current western terminus is Douglas Road (Southwest 37th Avenue); its eastern terminus is U.S. Route 1 (SR 5) in the Brickell area of Miami. Although it has had the FDOT designation as a State Road only since 1980 (and as State Road 956 until 1983), Coral Way has been an important route for Miami for much longer: it was a main street for the short-lived city of Silver Bluff, which merged with Miami in 1926. In addition to being a major artery, SR 972 is noted for its spreading banyan trees in the median throughout much of its length. Arching branches with aerial roots extend from sidewalk to sidewalk.

Coconut Grove is located in the Southeastern tip of Miami. It is split into two sections, North-East and South-West Coconut Grove. The Miami city hall is located in this district. This is also where Bahamian migrants settled during and after the "contract" years. This period entailed the importation of Bahamian migrants for work to help with the building up of the Miami infrustucture in the mid 20th century. Coconut Grove is also home to The Kampong, an 8 acre (32,000 m²) tropical garden that forms part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden.

Coconut Grove is also the location of The Barnacle Historic State Park. Built in the late 1800s, the former home of Ralph Middleton Munroe is one of the oldest homes in Dade County and is situated on the shore of Biscayne Bay. The forest surrounding the home is hardwood hammock and is the last of its kind in the area. The unique architecture includes period furniture and wide porches that afford magnificent views.

Allapattah's name is derived from the Seminole Indian language word meaning alligator. At the beginning of the 20th Century, the area was known as the Allapattah Prairie. The area is northwest of downtown, and about five miles east of Miami International Airport. Today, many of the businesses and educational institutions in the neighborhood are generally located on Northwest 36th Street (US 27). The boundaries are roughly as follows: to the north, State Road 112, to the south, Northwest 20th Street, to the east, Northwest Seventh Avenue (US 441), and to the west, Northwest 27th Avenue.

Little Haiti is currently experiencing a renaissance and a boom, due to the close proximity of the Design District and the development of the new nearby Edgewater community, where construction of multimillion-dollar high rises, night clubs, entertainment, and cultural centers are well under way, effecting increases in property value. As real estate prices continue to rise, Haitians and other residents of the low-income area are being displaced in a classic example of gentrification. However, "La Petite Haiti" continues its fight as a cultural heart for the Haitian Diaspora, as demonstrated by the recent inauguration of a large, beautiful statue of the father of Haitian independence; The General Toussaint L'Ouverture. La Petite Haiti also has a distinct Caribbean-Francophone flavor that hopefully will not disappear with the area's transitioning nature. Little Haiti is home of the Edison Courts housing developments and Miami Edison Senior High School. The area boasts various excellent art shops.

Other neighborhood districts in the area include Liberty City, Upper Eastside, Wynewood/Edgewater, Little Hayana, and Flagami.