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Miami, one of the most international cities in the hemisphere, is Florida's largest urban center and a major transportation and business hub for the southeastern U.S. Greater Miami, which comprises the city of Miami and surrounding Miami-Dade County, includes Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah and many smaller communities.
The Miami area's history dates back to the discovery of the "New World." Ponce de Leon saw the tip of Key Biscayne in 1513 and named it, more than 100 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
In the 1850s, only about 50 people lived permanently on Biscayne Bay, and it wasn't until the 1870s that Bahamian wreckers helped found the area's first real community, Coconut Grove. Miami was incorporated in 1896, the same year that Standard Oil co-founder and railroad magnate Henry Flagler decided to extend his railroad south from West Palm Beach to Miami.
During the land boom of the 1920s, Miami's population swelled and, thanks to its inviting, subtropical climate, it emerged as one of the nation's great winter resorts. Miami Beach is known for its historic art deco district, the hotels that line its beaches, and numerous marinas and golf courses.
Since the 1950s, the population and commercial growth have skyrocketed. Miami International Airport is the nation's largest international cargo hub and third in terms of international passengers. The Port of Miami is the number one cruise port in the world.
The Miami of the 21st Century is an exciting, global marketplace, a metropolis that serves as a major transfer station for people and ideas from throughout the world. Once a town of tourists and retirees, it has been reinvented into a hemispheric crossroads for trade, travel, culture, and communication.
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