Jump to content

Nicknames of Miami

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1955 postcard for Miami, titling it the "Magic City".

Throughout the history of Miami, various nicknames have arose to describe the city, or various elements of the city. Certain nicknames are rather historic, in that they are no longer commonly used, while others continue to survive in popular use.

Various nicknames like "America's Playground", "Gateway to the Americas", and the "Magic City", were popularized by investors who hoped to entice people from the American North, and Latin America, to move to Miami, which was advertised as an other-worldy tropical haven.[1]

City nicknames

[edit]

General

[edit]
  • 305 - originally the area code of Miami, and parts of Monroe County.[2]
  • America's Playground - emphasizing the touristic appeal of Miami Beach; developed in the 1920s to emphasize the fun in Miami compared to the despair of the rest of the country during the Great Depression.[3][4]
  • Capital of the Caribbean - nickname developed in the late 20th century, after the influx of Caribbean immigrants to the city, and the growing importance of Miami as a center for Caribbean business elites.[5][6]
  • Capital of the exile (Capital del exilio) - coined after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, as various Cuban exiles relocated to Miami and made the city an epicenter for Cuban life outside of Cuba.[7][4][8]
  • Capital of Latin America - title devised in the 1980s, as various other Latin immigrant groups, besides Cubans, began to reside in Miami.[9] The nickname is also in reference to Miami's reputation as center for American businesses' offices for Latin America operations.[10] The title's focus on the Latino population also infers Miami's cultural difference from other cities in the New South.[11]
  • Cruise ship capital of the world - reference to the fact that the Port of Miami services more cruise ships than any other port in the world (as reported in 1991).[12]
  • Gateway to the Americas - title similar to "Captial of Latin America", which also brings attention to various business centers and other organizations in Miami, which focus their activities on the Americas.[13]
  • Magic City - arose during the Florida land boom of the 1920s, and references the rapid growth of Miami. As visitors came to Miami for winter vacations, they'd notice the city's rapid growth from year to year, which was "like magic".[14] The term was originally coined in the travel magazine of developer Henry Flagler.[15]
  • Wall Street South - noted as early as 1998, since Miami had the United States' second largest financial sector after New York City's Wall Street.[16] Was revitalized in 2023, as part of a development plan by Maryor Francis Suarez to improve Miami's financial sector.[17]

Controversial

[edit]
  • Banana Republic - popularized during the Elian Gonzalez affair, and was used to infer that Miami politics was controlled by right-wing Cuban Americans. Often used by Americans outside of Miami to degrade the politics of the city.[18][19]
  • North Cuba - a faux-geographical phrase which is often used to imply Cuban Americans are refusing to assimilate and are thus removing the American culture of Miami.[20] Used by the Miami Herald to describe Miami, after the election of Cuban-American mayor Francis Suarez.[21]

Historic

[edit]
  • Havana, North - arose after the Cuban post-revolution exodus, as Cuban refugees came to heavily reside in Miami.[22] Argued in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times that the term is outdated, because of the later influx of other Latino immigrants, making the specific predominance of Cubans an outdated image of Miami.[23][24]
  • Leakiest spot in America - once used to describe the frequency of alcohol bootlegging during Prohibition, which was coming in from Rum Row by the Bahamas.[25]

Neighborhood nicknames

[edit]
Map of neighborhoods in Miami-Dade county.

General

[edit]
  • Black grove - a nickname for the Western area of Coconut Grove, which is majority black, compared to the rest of Coconut Grove.[26]
  • Doralzuela - a nickname for the Doral neighborhood, that combines the name "Doral" with "Venezuela", in reference to the heavy Venezuelan population of the neighborhood.[27]
  • Jewish Riviera - a nickname specifically for Miami Beach, which arose by the 1970s, as the neighborhood was predominantly Jewish.[28]
  • La Saguesera - Spanglish term for Southwest Miami.[29] The term comes from the Cuban-Spanish pronunciation of "southwest area", and is said in reference to the neighborhood's Cuban population.[30]
  • Little Bahamas - a honorific name for Western Coconut Grove, that honors the original Bahamian settlers of Coconut Grove.[31]
  • Little Moscow, or Little Russia - are names that highlight the Russian population of Sunny Isles Beach.[32][33]
  • Manhattan of the South - a nickname which highlights the Manhattan-like urban density of the Brickell neighborhood.[34]
  • Sixth borough - coined in the early 1950s to emphasize that Miami Beach was practically a part of New York City's five boroughs. It was devised as many New Yorkers (mostly Jews) frequently traveled to Miami for vacation. Eventually the presence of New Yorkers became permanent in Miami Beach, as many set up businesses, or bought homes.[35]
  • Westonzuela - the nickname for the Weston neighborhood, which combines the name "Weston" with "Venezuela", in reference to the heavy Venezuelan population of Weston.[36]

Controversial

[edit]
  • Murder Gardens - a renaming of Miami Gardens, which accentuates the murder rate of the neighborhood during the mid-2000s. Critics claim the name is considered an unfair portrayal of a majority black neighborhood, especially considering recent drops in crime by 2021.[37]

Historic

[edit]
  • God's waiting room - once in reference to the elderly and retired population of Miami Beach before the mid-20th century. The image of Miami Beach as a famous retiree community was ended by the influx of Cuban refugees during the 1980 Mariel boatlift.[38]
  • Little Jerusalem - a nickname for Miami Beach, in reference to its predominant Jewish community. Considered outdated by the New York Times, since many Jewish institutions have been converted to condos by the 21st century.[39]
  • Little San Juan - the former nickname for the Wynwood neighborhood when it was a predominantly working-class Puerto Rican neighborhood, while it is now an affluent art district.[40]
  • Shtetl by the sea - a name for the Jewish community of Miami Beach. Now considered outdated by the New York Times as by the 20th century, many Jewish institutions had been converted to condos.[39]

Referential nicknames

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Connolly, N. D. B. (2016). A World More Concrete Real Estate and the Remaking of Jim Crow South Florida. University of Chicago Press. p. 5. ISBN 9780226378428.
  2. ^ Ogle, Connie (2021). "Why is Miami called The 305? We won't make fun of you for asking, bro". Miami Herald.
  3. ^ Capo, Julio (2017). Welcome to Fairyland Queer Miami Before 1940. University of North Carolina Press. p. 106. ISBN 9781469635217.
  4. ^ a b Martinez, Guillermo; Verdaja, Sam (2011). Cubans, an Epic Journey The Struggle of Exiles for Truth and Freedom. Facts About Cuban Exiles. ISBN 9781935806202.
  5. ^ The Contemporary Caribbean. Taylor and Francis. 2015. ISBN 9781317875987.
  6. ^ Velez, William (1998). Race and Ethnicity in the United States An Institutional Approach. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 227. ISBN 9781882289448.
  7. ^ O'Reilly Herrera, Andrea (2001). ReMembering Cuba Legacy of a Diaspora. University of Texas Press. p. 221. ISBN 9780292731479.
  8. ^ Rieff, David (2013). Exile Cuba in the Heart of Miami. Simon and Schuster. p. 102. ISBN 9781439143704.
  9. ^ Stawski, Scott (2015). Inflection Point How the Convergence of Cloud, Mobility, Apps, and Data Will Shape the Future of Business. Pearson Education. ISBN 9780134388946.
  10. ^ Postnational Musical Identities Cultural Production, Distribution, and Consumption in a Globalized Scenario. 2008. p. 66. ISBN 9780739118214.
  11. ^ Latinos in the New South Transformations of Place. Taylor and Francis. 2016. ISBN 9781351923026.
  12. ^ Global Trade Talk The U.S. Customs Service Journal for the International Trade Community · Volume 1, Issue 5. 1991. p. 7.
  13. ^ Partnership for the Americas: Western Hemisphere Strategy and U.S. Southern Command. Lulu Press. 2014. p. xxi. ISBN 9781312044456.
  14. ^ Bash, Avi (2016). Organized Crime in Miami. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439658840.
  15. ^ The Magic City Captured by Miami Vice, Scarface, Movies, and Burn Notice A Guide to 80s Locations and Culture. lulu.com. 2014. p. 11. ISBN 9781312124509.
  16. ^ East-West Multimodal Corridor EIS and Major Investment Study, Dade County. 1998. pp. 3–12.
  17. ^ Wakefield, Stephanie (2025). Miami in the Anthropocene Rising Seas and Urban Resilience. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9781452972589.
  18. ^ Charen, Mona (2018). Useful Idiots How Liberals Got It Wrong in the Cold War and Still Blame America First. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 9781621579144.
  19. ^ Eickstein, Susan (2009). The Immigrant Divide How Cuban Americans Changed the U.S. and Their Homeland. Taylor and Francis. p. 100. ISBN 9781135838348.
  20. ^ Didion, Joan (2017). Miami. Open Road Media. ISBN 9781504045681.
  21. ^ Altman, T. D. (2013). Miami City of the Future, Revised Edition. University Press of Florida. ISBN 9780813047515.
  22. ^ Viglucci, Andres (2021). "How Fidel Castro became the unwitting father of modern Miami".
  23. ^ Silver, Vernon (1994). "Miami, the Whatever-You-Care-to-Name It of Florida".
  24. ^ "Changes in Rhythm for Florida". 2004.
  25. ^ Time Out Miami and the Florida Keys. 2013.
  26. ^ Orjula de Silva, Amelia (2024). "New high-rises and vanishing roots in West Grove". wlrn.
  27. ^ Gomez, Guisel (2025). "Florida's So-Called Venezuelan Capital, Known As 'Doralzuela,' Is Facing an Immigration Backlash". belatina.com. BELatina.
  28. ^ Dell'orto, Giovanna. "Hanukkah message of light in darkness feels uniquely relevant to US Jews amid war, antisemitism". The Hill.
  29. ^ Pfeffer, Ryan (2018). "The best and weirdest Miami slang you need to know". timeout.com.
  30. ^ "AMERICAN SCENE: La Saguesera: Miami's Little Havana". time.com. Time. 1974.
  31. ^ Thames, Alanis (2024). "Historically Black Coconut Grove in Miami nurtured young athletes. Now that legacy is under threat". AP.
  32. ^ "Inside Florida's 'Little Moscow,' Where Russian Money Flows". Business Insider. 2022.
  33. ^ "Birth tourism brings Russian baby boom to Miami". NBC News. 2018.
  34. ^ Time Out Miami and the Florida Keys. 2013.
  35. ^ Lubell, Myron (2013). The Sixth Borough. p. xi.
  36. ^ "'Westonzuela' offers expatriates a safe home away from ..." Sun Sentinel.
  37. ^ Smalls, C. Isiah (2021). "The 'Murder Gardens' name has haunted Miami Gardens. Now, the city's crime rate has dropped". Miami Herald.
  38. ^ Ellwood, Mark (2002). The Rough Guide to Miami. Rough Guides. p. 286. ISBN 9781843531371.
  39. ^ a b Goodnough, Abby (2007). "For Shtetl by the Sea, Only a Few Fading Signs Remain". New York Times.
  40. ^ Amhara, Cherney (2023). "What's now Wynwood used to be Little San Juan. Here's a look back". nbcmiami.com. NBC 6.
  41. ^ Giddings, Alice (2024). "The 'Miami of Europe' is the sunniest city on the continent — and flights are just £37". metro.co.uk.
  42. ^ Turner, Sarah (2006). "The Miami of the Middle East (well, sort of)". The Guardian.
  43. ^ Hamilton, Jessica (2025). "'Miami of Morocco' that rivals the Caribbean gets new UK flight route". metro.co.uk.
  44. ^ Preston-Ellis, Rom (2025). "Amazing African city is known as the 'new Miami' - but has half the price tag". mirror.co.uk. Mirror.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nicknames_of_Miami&oldid=1297280066"