Other Largest Cities

Miami, Florida

Miami is a city located in southeast Florida in Miami-Dade County on the Miami River, between the Florida Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean, in the United States.

It is the county seat of Miami-Dade County, as well as its largest city. As of the 2000 census, the city proper had a total population of 362,470. The area is part of the Greater South Florida metropolitan area, which is comprised of Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County.

The city of Miami is the county seat of Miami-Dade County. The continuously-developed county is comprised of many jurisdictions and municipalities, including Miami Beach, Bal Harbour, North Bay Village, Sunny Isles, North Miami Beach, Aventura, North Miami, Opa-Locka, Miami Lakes, Hialeah, Medley, Miami Springs, Westchester (unincorporated), West Miami, Kendall (unincorporated), Pinecrest, Key Biscayne, Coral Gables, Islandia, Sweetwater, Homestead, and Miami Shores. Together they make Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in the state (est. 2000 Census 2,253,362). A more exhaustive list of municipalities and neighbhorhoods appears under Miami-Dade County, Florida.

When Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896, it had a population of just over 300. Today, a combined 2.2 million inhabitants living in the City and the surrounding urbanized area, in addition to the 1.6 million of neighboring Broward County and 1.1 million of Palm Beach County form the South Florida metropolitan area, the largest urbanized area in the state.

This explosive population growth has been driven by internal migration from other parts of the country, especially the U.S. Northeast, as well as by immigration, especially in more recent years. Today, Greater Miami is regarded as a cultural melting pot, touched by its diverse populations, the majority of whom originate from Latin America and the Caribbean. Partially due to its Romance-friendly linguistic nature, it has also attracted a fair amount of Latin Europeans.

The region's importance as an international financial and cultural center has elevated Miami in the eyes of many to world city status.

Three vessels of the U.S. Navy have been named USS Miami in honor of the city.

Miramar, Florida

Miramar is a city located in Broward County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 72,739.

North Miami, Florida

North Miami is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 59,880. The city sits on Biscayne Bay, and hosts the Biscayne Bay campus of Florida International University. It is also home to the Oleta River State Park, which is the state's largest urban park.

Orlando, Florida

The city of Orlando is the county seat of Orange County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 185,951 (metropolitan area 1,644,561). A 2003 local population count gave the city had a total population of 199,336 (metropolitan area nearly 1.8 million).

The city is best known for the tourist attractions in the area, particularly the nearby Walt Disney World Resort, which is in the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Other area attractions include SeaWorld and the Universal Orlando Resort, the latter of which is in Orlando proper. Downtown Orlando has recently seen much redevelopment, despite being far from the main tourist attractions.

The city's nickname is "The City Beautiful", and its symbol is the fountain of Lake Eola.

Pembroke Pines, Florida

Pembroke Pines is a city located in Broward County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 137,427.

Plantation, Broward County, Florida

Plantation is a city located in Broward County, Florida.As of March 2004 according to University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research, the city has a total population of 84,604.

Pompano Beach, Florida

Pompano Beach is a city located in Broward County, Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to the north of Fort Lauderdale. The Nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 78,191.

Port St. Lucie, Florida

Port St. Lucie is a city located in St. Lucie County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 88,769.

Saint Petersburg, Florida

Saint Petersburg (or St. Petersburg) is a city in Pinellas County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 248,232, making it the fourth largest city in the state of Florida.The city is located on a peninsula in between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, It is connected to the mainland to the north, connected with the city of Tampa, Florida to the east by causeways across Tampa Bay, and to Bradenton, Florida in the south by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

The city is a sea port, and a popular destination for tourism and retirement by people from parts of the United States with colder climate. With an average of some 360 days of sunshine each year, it is nicknamed "The Sunshine City."

Sunrise, Florida

Sunrise is a city located in Broward County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 85,779. It is home to the Sawgrass Mills Mall, currently the largest outlet shopping mall in the United States.

Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee is the capital of Florida, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the population is 150,624. It is the county seat of Leon County.

Tallahassee is the home of Florida State University, Florida A & M University a historically black institution, and Tallahassee Community College. It is also a regional center for trade and agriculture.

The city is served by Tallahassee Regional Airport on the southside of Tallahassee.

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city located in Hillsborough County on the west coast of Florida. It is the largest city in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area which is composed of roughly 2.5 million residents. It is the county seat of Hillsborough County6.

The current mayor of Tampa is Pam Iorio.

West Palm Beach, Florida

West Palm Beach is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 82,103. It is the county seat of Palm Beach County6.

The city was founded by Henry Flagler in 1894, as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth. During the 1920s, the city boomed and was a rival to Miami, leaving it with many historic structures and neighborhoods. The city quickly declined thereafter, however, due to hurricanes, the Great Depression and rampant suburbanization. In the past 10 years, however, the city had undergone a tremendous renaissance as newcomers have rediscovered the city's historic areas and a resurgent downtown entertainment and shopping district. Due to Florida's stringent annexation laws, the city's boundaries remain roughly at their 1920s position, giving the city a population much smaller than the large metropolitan area of nearly 1.2 million people that surrounds it.

In 2000, the city was the focal point of a controversy regarding voting irregularities that some claim may have affected the outcome of the 2000 Presidential Election.

West Palm Beach was the site of the first attacks in the 2001 anthrax attacks.