Project Miami
Sheveleva Julia

Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625. The 42nd largest city proper in the United States, with a population of 399,457, it is the principal, central, and most populous city of the South Florida metropolitan area, and the most populous metropolis in the Southeastern United States.According to the US Census Bureau, Miami's metro area is the seventh most populous and fifth-largest urban area in the United States, with a population of around 5.5 million.

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Miami is a major center and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. In 2010, Miami was classified as a Alpha- World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory. In 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States in terms of finance, commerce, culture, entertainment, fashion, education, and other sectors. It ranked thirty-third among global cities. In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami "America's Cleanest City", for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs.

Neighborhoods

Miami is partitioned into many different sections, roughly into North, South, West and Downtown. The heart of the city is Downtown Miami and is technically on the eastern side of the city. This area includes Brickell, Virginia Key, Watson Island, and the Port of Miami. Downtown is South Florida's
East of Downtown, across Biscayne Bay is South Beach.The southern side of Miami includes Coral Way, The Roads and Coconut Grove. The western side of Miami includes Little Havana, West Flagler, and Flagami, and is home to many of the city's traditionally immigrant neighborhoods.The northern side of Miami includes Midtown, a district with a great mix of diversity with many West Indians, Hispanics, European Americans, bohemians, and artists. Edgewater, and Wynwood, are neighborhoods of Midtown and are made up mostly of high-rise residential towers and are home to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

Delray Beach

Delray Beach is a small, sophisticated town with a rich and interesting history, starting, like many Florida towns and cities, with a well-meaning tycoon who bought up an ugly plot of marsh-land infested with snakes, mosquitoes and alligators. Through a long process, Delray has been transformed into quite an attractive little city, with a large number of things to see and do.

Delray is a fantastic location for leisure, as it offers a wide variety of activities, from a fantastic 2-mile stretch of beach (offering all of the activities that you might associate with beaches), to a quaint downtown full of antique shops and art galleries, to a commendable offering of gourmet restaurants . Without a doubt, one of the best parts of Delray Beach, however, is probably the special events that they seem to be perpetually hosting. The Jazz and Art on the Avenue events are an amazing mix of interesting art, eclectic music, and the always charming sights and sounds of Delray Beach.

Mangroves of Biscayne Bay - A Mysterious Place

Stretching along 14 miles of Biscayne National Park's western edge is a mysterious place that can remind one of the jungles seen in old movies. From the water, you see an unbroken line of trees with their beautiful, dark green leaves reaching almost to the water. As you get closer, you see that between the water and the leaves is a seemingly impenetrable tangle of prop roots, arching from the tree's trunk to the water. You have reached our mangrove forest – one of the longest continuous stretches of mangroves left on the east coast of Florida.

Biscayne Bay Coral Reefs

No sea-lover could look unmoved on the blue rollers of the Gulf Stream and the crystal-clear waters of the reef, of every delicate shade of blue and green, and tinged with every color of the spectrum from the fantastically rich growths on the bottom, visible to the last detail through this incredibly translucent medium. It scarcely resembles northern seawater at all – a cold semi-opaque, grayish-green fluid, which hides the mysteries of the bottom. Drifting over the Florida Reef on a quiet day one may note all the details of its tropical luxuriance twenty feet below, and feels himself afloat on a sort of liquid light, rather than water, so limpid and brilliant is it.

Commodore Ralph Middleton Munroe,
describing his first visit to the area in 1877

Gin-Clear Waters of Biscayne Bay

A vast expanse awaits you as you venture from the mangrove shoreline out onto Biscayne Bay. With the wide blue sky above and the gin clear waters below, you seem suspended in time and space. But then you notice that there is movement all around. A brown pelican glides overhead then suddenly wheels and crashes into the water to gather its next meal. Maybe you'll see a sea turtle skimming above the seagrasses, or a manatee grazing. Life surrounds you.

Biscayne Bay is a shallow estuary, a place where freshwater from the land mixes with salt water from the sea and life abounds. It serves as a nursery where infant and juvenile marine life reside. Lush seagrass beds provide hiding places and food for a vast array of sea life. In fact approximately 70 percent of the area's recreationally and commercially important fishes, crustaceans, and shellfish spend a portion of their young lives in the bay's protective environment.

Archeological Sites and Shipwrecks in Biscayne National Park

The lands and submerged bottomlands of Biscayne National Park are rich with archeological remains that document the cultural history of southern Florida and the Florida Keys. Submerged archeological sites include an array of shipwrecks and other representations of maritime casualties, demonstrating the international maritime heritage encompassed in the waters of Biscayne National Park. The archeological remains of many shipwrecks have been found in our waters. The earliest identified shipwreck site is from the mid 18th century. Since historical records document that early European exploration of this region began in the early 16th century, it is possible that earlier remains are waiting to be found here.

Blessed with year-round mild climates and unrivaled ocean access, America’s southernmost resort city is also a sought-after international recreation destination. Ranked the nation’s #1 Healthiest City by Natural Health Magazine in 2002, Miami caters to action-oriented visitors from around the globe with some of the world's top golf, tennis and sporting facilities. Add sparkling waters that are a magnet for boating enthusiasts, fishermen, divers and water sports aficionados to the equation and it is easy to see why Miami is a number one choice for active travelers of all ages and skill levels. But where to start?Miami’s streets are often busy, some of its attractions often attract crowds, and a few days can leave more to choose from than you have time to include, so knowing the active options in advance—and how to manage your time and movements—is essential Miami planning.

Miami Beach has long been noticed as one of the finest beaches in the United States. Miami Beach is located at the southeastern tip of Florida. It is across from the Biscayne Bay, and is one of the most popular waterfronts in America. Thousands of visitors travel from around to world to visit Miami Beach each year.

Miami Beach, located on the eastern coast of the southernmost tip of Florida, is a happening vacation destination for anyone who enjoys year-round sunshine, Art Deco design, exciting dance clubs, and beautiful beaches.

Before venturing to the beaches, one of the first sights visitors should check out is the Art Deco district located between the Atlantic Ocean and Lenox Court. Miami Beach has the largest collection of Art Deco architecture, which is displayed on numerous apartments, hotels, and other buildings that were built between 1923 and 1943, so be sure to take a stroll or a bike ride past these colorful buildings. This distinct style is represented by the use of materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, inlaid wood, and lacquer and styles such as stepped forms, zigzags, and dramatic curves.

Culture

Entertainment and performing arts

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the second-largest performing arts center in the United States.

Miami is home to many entertainment venues, theaters, museums, parks and performing arts centers. The newest addition to the Miami arts scene is the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the second-largest performing arts center in the United States after theLincoln Center in New York City, and is the home of the Florida Grand Opera. Within it are the Ziff Ballet Opera House, the center's largest venue, the Knight Concert Hall, the Carnival Studio Theater and the Peacock Rehearsal Studio. The center attracts many large scale operas, ballets, concerts, and musicals from around the world and is Florida's grandest performing arts center. Other performing arts venues in Miami include the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Colony Theatre, Lincoln Theatre,New World Center, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, Jackie Gleason Theatre, Manuel Artime Theater, Ring Theatre, Playground Theatre, Wertheim Performing Arts Center, the Fair Expo Center and the Bayfront Park Amphitheater for outdoor music events.

nterior of the Ziff Ballet Opera House

The city attracts a large number of musicians, singers, actors, dancers, and orchestral players. Miami has numerous orchestras, symphonies and performing art conservatories. Some of these include the Florida Grand Opera, Frost School of Music, Miami City Ballet,Miami Conservatory, Miami Wind Symphony, New World School of the Arts, New World Symphony Orchestra, as well as the music, theater and art schools of the city's many universities and schools.

Miami is also a major fashion center, home to models and some of the top modeling agencies in the world. Miami is also host to many fashion shows and events, including the annual Miami Fashion Week and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami held in the Wynwood Art District.

Museums and art

Interior of the Knight Concert Hall

The city is home to numerous museums as well, many of which are in Downtown. These include the Bass Museum, Coral Gables Museum, Frost Art Museum, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Jewish Museum of Florida, Lowe Art Museum, Miami Art Museum, Miami Children's Museum, Miami Science Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Wolfsonian-FIU Museum and the Miami Cultural Center, home of the Miami Main Library. Miami is also the home of the world's largest art exhibition, dubbed the "Olympics of Art", Art Basel Miami. The event is held annually in December, and attracts thousands of visitors from around the world.

Colleges and universities

Founded in 1925, the University of Miamiis the oldest college in Florida south ofWinter Park.

Miami has over 200,000 students enrolled in local colleges and universities, placing it seventh in the nation in per capita university enrollment. In 2010, the city's four largest colleges and universities (MDC, FIU, UM, and Barry) graduated 28,000 students.

Colleges and universities in and around Miami: