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The History of Miami, FL
 The city of Miami got its start in 1895 when Henry M. Flagler, the railroad magnate, and the land-holding Tuttle and Brickell families formed a liaison at the mouth of the Miami River. Formerly known as Biscayne Bay Country, the Brickells operated a trading post and post office. Flagler developed the east coast of Florida beginning in St. Augustine in 1885. With the arrival of Flagler’s railroad, a land boom began and settlers came in droves, followed by a variety of businesses and a hotel. Growth continued, making Miami a major transportation, agricultural and tourist hub.
The Great Depression had a major impact on Miami and Miami Beach. The poor economy left hotels empty and lacking in tourists with money to spend.
By WWII, the US Government established a base to guard local waters and set up military schools and training fields. German U-boats were sinking vessels off the coast of Florida. The Navy had air stations around Miami, Homestead and West Palm Beach. The empty hotel rooms were filled with training military personnel, allied pilots and navigators. Local citizens provided support and social comforts in the war effort with entertainment and service clubs (USO). The Miami Beach Servicemen’s Pier was famous for recreation and celebrity appearances. After the war, many service men returned to live in Miami. In the 1970’s, Miami and Miami Beach began a revitalization of its 1920’s architectural buildings, especially the hotels along Ocean Drive. Known as Art Deco, the former quietly neighborhood is hopping with energy, businesses, restaurants and attractions.
Miami Beach History is one of migration, colonization and capital investment. It is said that Miami Beach’s origin is in 1913 when John Collins, a New Jersey Quaker, and Carl Fisher started creating a bridge across the bay when they initiated an agricultural project near Miami oceanfront.
 But, yes, there is history before them. Tequesta Indians, one of the first tribes in South Florida, discovered the area and, later, in the 16th century, the Spanish colonizers occupied it in spite of negotiations with the natives. The Seminole arrived in the area and engaged in fierce war 1836 until 1857. When the war ended some soldiers stayed.
The area's greatest change came in 1891 thanks to Julia Tuttle, who, after inheriting a small piece of land from her father, purchased 640 acres of a citrus plantation on the north bank of the Miami River. During the Depression years, a new group of investors and businessmen, mainly Jewish, arrived in Miami Beach and built a large number of small hotels that forty years later would become the Art Deco District. World War II brought another 100,000 people, mainly soldiers and their families, to Greater Miami and the Beaches. In the sixties, more than half-a-million Cuban exiles fled to Miami creating the city's contemporary identity.
With the multi-billion dollar capital investment in the 80's and 90's, Miami Beach was transformed into the international Mecca for travel and business that we know today.
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