City of Hialeah
—  City  —
Flag of City of Hialeah Flag Official seal of City of Hialeah Seal
Nickname(s): The City of Progress
Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
Coordinates: 25°51′38″N 80°17′38″W / 25.86056°N 80.29389°W / 25.86056; -80.29389Coordinates: 25°51′38″N 80°17′38″W / 25.86056°N 80.29389°W / 25.86056; -80.29389
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Miami-Dade
Incorporation	September 10, 1925
Government
• Mayor	Carlos Hernandez[1]
• Council President	Is. is Edy Rivero
Area
• City	19.7 sq mi (51.51 km2)
• Land	19.2 sq mi (49.8 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population (2010)
• City	224,669
• Density	11,701/sq mi (4,216.3/km2)
• Metro	5,422,200
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	33002, 33010-33018
Area code(s)	305, 786
FIPS code	12-30000[2]
GNIS feature ID	0305059[3]
Website	City of Hialeah official site

Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 226,419. The 2010 census recorded a population of 224,669, a decrease of just 0.8%, and still making it the sixth largest city in the state, a major municipality of Greater Miami and South Florida, and the tenth largest city in the United States among cities with a population density of more than 10,000/sq mile.

The city's name is most commonly attributed to Muskogee origin, "Haiyakpo" (prairie) and "hili" (pretty) combining in "Hialeah" to mean "pretty prairie". Alternatively, the word is of Seminole origin meaning "Upland Prairie". The city is located upon a large prairie between Biscayne Bay and the Everglades.

Hialeah has the second highest percentage of Cuban and Cuban American residents of any city in the US. Hialeah is also the densest American city in terms of population not to feature a skyscraper.

Hialeah is served by the Miami Metrorail at Okeechobee, Hialeah, and Tri-Rail/Metrorail Transfer stations. The Okeechobee and Hialeah stations serve primarily as park-and-ride commuter stations to commuters and residents going into the inner city Miami, and Tri-Rail station to Miami International Airport and north to West Palm Beach.

History[link]

The Seminole interpretation of its name, "High Prairie", evokes a picture of the grassy plains used by the native Indians coming from the everglades to dock their canoes and display their wares for the newcomers of Miami. This "high prairie" caught the eye of pioneer aviator Glenn Curtiss and Missouri cattleman James H. Bright who saw great potential in 1921.^[4][5]

Downtown Hialeah in 1921

In the early "Roaring '20s", Hialeah produced significant entertainment contributions. Sporting included the Spanish sport of jai-alai and greyhound racing, and media included silent movies like D.W. Griffith’s The White Rose which was made at the Miami Movie Studios located in Hialeah. However, the 1926 Miami Hurricane brought many of these things to an end.^[4][5]

In the years since its incorporation in 1925, many historical events and people have been associated with Hialeah. The opening of the Hialeah Park Race Track in 1925 (which was nicknamed the "Grand Dame") as a horse track received more coverage in the Miami media than any other sporting event in the history of Miami up to that time and since then there have been countless horse racing histories played out at the world famous 220-acre (0.89 km²) park.^[4] It was considered one of the most grand of thoroughbred horse racing parks with its majestic Mediterranean style architecture and was considered the Jewel of Hialeah at the time.^[5][6]

The Park’s grandeur has attracted millions, included among them are names known around the world such as the Kennedy family, Harry Truman, General Omar Bradley, Winston Churchill, and J.P. Morgan. The Hialeah Park Race Track also holds the dual distinction of being an Audubon Bird Sanctuary due to its famous pink flamingos and being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart in 1937 said her final good-byes to the continental U.S. from Hialeah as she left on her ill-fated flight around the world in 1937.^[4][5]

While Hialeah was once envisioned as a playground for the elite, Cuban exiles, fleeing Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution as well as World War II Veterans and city planners transformed the city into a working-class community. Hialeah historian Fernandez-Kelly explained "It became an affordable Eden." She further describes the city as "...a place where different groups have left their imprint while trying to create a sample of what life should be like." Several waves of Cuban exiles, starting after The Cuban Revolution in 1959 and continuing through to the Freedom Flights from 1965–1973, the Mariel Boatlift in 1980, and the Balseros or boat people of the late 1990s, created what at least one expert has considered the most economically successful immigrant enclave in U.S. history as Hialeah is the only American industrial city that continues to grow.^[6]

From a population of 1,500 in 1925, Hialeah has grown at a rate faster than most of the ten largest cities in the State of Florida since the 1960s and holds the rank of Florida’s fifth-largest city, with more than 236,000 residents. The city is also one of the largest employers in Dade County. Predominantly Hispanic, Hialeah residents are characterized as having assimilated their cultural heritage and traditions into a hard-working and diverse community proud of its ethnicity and family oriented neighborhoods.^[4][5]

In January 2009 Forbes Magazine listed Hialeah as one of most boring cities in the United States citing the city's large population and anonymity in the national media.^[7]

Economy[link]

The City of Hialeah is a significant commercial center in Miami-Dade County. The city is host to national retailers such as Starbucks, Target, Best Buy, Kohl's, Walmart, Lowe's, The Home Depot as well as homegrown business such as Navarro and Sedano's.^[8]

Hialeah is also home to vibrant community of mom and pop stores which actively and successfully compete against national name brand retailers, outfitters, and franchises. In order to remain competitive national businesses have altered their traditional business strategy to meet the demands of the local community. Publix supermarkets opened a Publix Sabor along one of the city's main streets which caters exclusively to Latin American and Hispanic clientele.^[9] Moreover, while most of the manufacturing and cloth industry that made Hialeah an industrial city in the 1970s-1980s have disappeared, new electronics and technology businesses have reinvigorated the local economy.^[10]

Westland Mall also known as Westfield Westland provides residents with over 100 stores and several eateries. Macy's, J.C. Penney, and Sears are the main anchor stores located at Westland Mall. Visitors can dine at Fuddrucker's, Chili's, Manchu Wok, McDonald's, and Edy's among other eateries.

Telemundo, the second largest Spanish-language TV network in the United States is headquartered at 2290 West 8th Avenue in Hialeah.^[11][12]

Demographics[link]

As of 2010, there were 74,067 households, with 3.9% being vacant. As of 2000, 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.7% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.39.

In 2000, the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $29,492, and the median income for a family was $31,621. Males had a median income of $23,133 versus $17,886 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,402. About 16.0% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2000, Hialeah had the highest percentage of Cuban and Cuban American residents in the United States, with 75.12% of the populace.^[13] It had the forty-third highest percentage of Colombian and Colombian American residents in the US, at 3.16% of the city's population,^[14] and the eighty-fifth highest percentage of Dominican and Dominican American residents in the US, at 1.81% of the its population.^[15] It also had the thirty-eighth highest percentage of Hondurans and Honduran American in the US, at 1.15%,^[16] while it had the eighth highest percentage of Nicaraguans and Nicaraguan American, at 4.07% of all residents.^[17]

Hialeah ranks #2 (nearby Hialeah Gardens ranks as #1) in the list of cities in the United States where Spanish is most spoken. As of 2000, speakers of Spanish as a first language accounted for 92.14%, while English made up 7.37% of the population. All other languages spoken were below 1% of the population.^[18]

Religion[link]

Hialeah is the headquarters of the Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye, a Santería church. Hialeah contains the largest Santero Community outside of Cuba. A city ordinance restricting the Santería practice of animal sacrifice was ruled unconstitutional in Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah. Roman Catholicism is overwhelmingly the majority religion of city residents.

Politics[link]

Hialeah is located within Florida's 21st Congressional District. It is currently represented in the House of Representatives by Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican.^[19] According to the nonpartisan Bay Area Center for Voting Research (BACVR) Hialeah, Florida is the fourth most conservative city in the United States. ^[20] The current mayor of Hialeah is Carlos Hernandez.^[21]

Government and infrastructure[link]

The University of Florida College of Dentistry operates the Hialeah Dental Clinic. It opened in 1997 to serve Hispanic populations in South Florida.^[22]

Geography[link]

Hialeah is located at 25°51′38″N 80°17′38″W / 25.86056°N 80.29389°W / 25.86056; -80.29389 (25.860474, -80.293971).^[23]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.7 square miles (51 km²). 19.2 square miles (50 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (2.53%) is water.

Surrounding areas[link]

•   Unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Miami Lakes, Opa-locka
•   Unincorporated Miami-Dade County Westview
• Hialeah Gardens, Medley, Miami Springs   Westview, West Little River, Gladeview, Brownsville, Miami
•   Miami Springs Miami
•   Hialeah Gardens, Medley, Miami Springs

Transportation[link]

A projection from 1922 that reads "A projection of the town of Hialeah at the Curtiss-Bright Ranch: Gateway to the Everglades, the first town west of Miami, Florida"

Intersection of Palm Avenue and County Road in 1921

Group of tour buses sponsored by real estate developers in Hialeah in 1921.

Rail[link]

Hialeah is served by Miami-Dade Transit along major thoroughfares by Metrobus, and by the Miami Metrorail, Tri-Rail, and Amtrak at:

Metrorail:

•      Tri-Rail/Metrorail Transfer (North 79th Street and West 37th Avenue)
•      Hialeah (East 21st Street and East 1st Avenue)
•      Okeechobee (West 19th Street and South Okeechobee Road)

Tri-Rail:

•      Tri-Rail/Metrorail Transfer (North 79th Street and West 37th Avenue)
•      Hialeah Market (North 41st Street and West 38th Avenue)

Amtrak:

•      Amtrak-Miami: Silver Star and Silver Meteor service, (North 79th Street and West 37th Avenue)

Road[link]

"All Ways Lead to Hialeah" was one of the city’s first slogans. At the time, Glenn Curtiss and James Bright could not have imagined the important link in the transportation chain provided by Hialeah’s location. Sitting in the heart of northwest Dade, Hialeah has access to every major thoroughfare linked by:

• I-75
• Palmetto Expressway (SR-826)
• Florida Turnpike
• US 27
• Hialeah also provides direct economical access to both Opa-Locka Airport and Miami International Airport

Education[link]

Primary and secondary schools[link]

Public schools[link]

Miami-Dade County Public Schools serves Hialeah.^[24] Two high schools serving the Hialeah community, Mater Academy Charter High School and Miami Lakes Educational Center, were named as "Silver" award winners in U.S. News & World Report's "Best High Schools 2008 Search".^[25]

Hialeah-Miami Lakes High

Elementary schools and K-8 centers[link]

• Amelia Earhart Elementary School
• Ben Sheppard Elementary School
• Bob Graham Education Center
• Ernest R. Graham Elementary School
• Flamingo Elementary School
• Hialeah Elementary School
• Hialeah Gardens Elementary School
• James H. Bright Elementary
• James W. Johnson Elementary School
• Joella Good Elementary School
• John G. Dupuis Elementary School
• M.A. Milam K-8 Center
• Mae M. Walters Elementary School
• Meadowlane Elementary School
• Miami Lakes Elementary School
• North Hialeah Elementary School
• North Twin Lakes Elementary School
• Palm Lakes Elementary School
• Palm Springs Elementary School
• Palm Spring North Elementary School
• South Hialeah Elementary School
• Twin Lakes Elementary School

Middle schools[link]

• Henry H. Filer Middle School
• Hialeah Middle School
• Lawton Chiles Middle School
• Miami Lakes Middle School
• Palm Springs Middle School

High schools[link]

• American Senior High School
• Barbara Goleman Senior High School
• Hialeah High School
• Westland Hialeah High School
• Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School
• José Marti Math and Science Technology (MAST) 6-12 Academy
• Miami Douglas MacArthur Senior High School North
• Miami Lakes Education Center

Charter schools[link]

• Mater Academy Charter School

Private schools[link]

• Champagnat Catholic School - Serves mainly southern and south-central Hialeah^[26]
• Our Lady of Charity School - A private Catholic school not formally associated with the Roman Catholic Church, is located in Hialeah.^[27]
• St. John the Apostle School - Serves mainly southern and south-central Hialeah^[28]
• Immaculate Conception School^[29]

Horeb Christian School

Community colleges[link]

• Miami-Dade College Hialeah Campus has served as the city's academic center since 1980. Besides its academic mission, the campus also sponsors numerous cultural and community events.^[30]

Private colleges and universities[link]

• College of business and technology ^[31]
• Florida National College^[32]

Recreation[link]

In March 2009, it was announced that a $40–$90 Million restoration project was set to begin within the year on the Hialeah Park Race Track.^[33] On May 7, 2009 the Florida legislature agreed to a deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida that allowed Hialeah Park to operate slot machines and run Quarter Horse races.^[34] The historic racetrack reopened on November 28, 2009 but only for quarter horse races. The park installed slot machines in January 2010 as part of a deal to allow for two calendar seasons of racing. The races went on all the way until February 2, 2010.^[35] Only a portion of the park has been restored and an additional $30 million will be needed to complete this first phase of the project. The full transformation is expected to cost $1 billion since the plan includes a complete redevelopment of the surrounding area including the construction of an entertainment complex to include a hotel, restaurants, casinos, stores and a theater.^[36] In June 2010 concerns were raised over the preservation of Hialeah Park's historical status as the planned development threatens to hurt Hialeah Park's status as a National Historic Landmark.^[37]

"Hialeah Park, Fla., the world's greatest race course, Miami Jockey Club."

The City of Hialeah boasts 3 tennis centers, more than 5 public swimming pools and aquatic centers, and more than 14 public parks totaling more than 100 acres (0.40 km²) combined. Furthermore, "Milander Park features a municipal auditorium and a 10,000 seat football stadium."^[4][38]

Amelia Earhart Park also serves the Hialeah community.^[39]

Pools and aquatic centers[link]

• Babcock Pool
• Bright Pool
• Buck Dent Aquatic Center
• McDonald Aquatic Center
• Milander Aquatic Center
• Reid Pool
• Walker Pool

Parks and facilities[link]

• Amelia Earhart Park
• Babcock Park
• Bright Park
• Bucky Dent Park
• Casa Park
• Cotson Park
• Goodlet Park
• McDonald Park
• Milander Park
• O'Quinn Park
• Palm Lakes Park
• Slade Park
• Southeast Park
• Sparks Park
• Walker Park
• Wilde Park

Passive parks[link]

• Ethel Primus Park
• Hialeah Drive Park
• Ken Mattingly Park
• K.C. Park
• Three Friends Park
• Timothy H. Artman Park
• Triangle Park

Adult centers[link]

• Goodlet Adult Center
• Villa Aida Adult Center
• Wilde Adult Center

Notable people[link]

• Alex Avila, Major League Baseball Player - drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the fifth round
• Maria Canals Barrera, actress
• Devin Bush, professional NFL FS for the Atlanta Falcons (1995–1998), the St. Louis Rams (1999–2000) and the Cleveland Browns (2001–2002)
• Horacio Cambeiro, anchor/correspondent
• Rene Capo, United States Olympic representative as a judoka
• Harry Wayne Casey, lead singer of KC and the Sunshine Band and graduate of Hialeah High School
• Chris Corchiani, professional NBA guard for Orlando Magic after being picked in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft from North Carolina State University and later on the Boston Celtics as well as the Washington Bullets
• Rohan Davey, professional NFL quarterback for the New England Patriots (2002–2004), switched on to the Arizona Cardinals, also helped lead the win of the NFL Europe World Bowl for the Berlin Thunder
• Bucky Dent, professional baseball player for the MLB New York Yankees and graduate of Hialeah High School
• Vincent D'Onofrio, actor and producer, known for stage, film and television work and best known for his role as Detective Robert Goren in Law & Order: Criminal Intent
• Wifredo A. Ferrer, nominated to be the next U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida by President Barack Obama
• Rene Garcia, former City of Hialeah Councilman and Florida State House Representative
• Gio Gonzalez, Baseball Player - Drafted by Chicago White Sox in the 1st Round, Made MLB Debut in 2008 with the Oakland A's against the Toronto BlueJays
• Ted Hendricks, former professional football player
• Charlie Hough, former professional baseball player
• Richard Hough, former professional baseball player
• Greg Jackson, professional football player for the National Football League
• Catherine Keener,Oscar-nominated actress
• Raul L. Martinez, former mayor of Hialeah, Florida and longest-seated mayor in Hialeah history (1981–2005)
• Jill Michelle Meleán comedienne and actress; alumna cast member of FOX sketch comedy series MADtv
• Roell Preston, former professional football player
• Julio Robaina, Mayor of the city of Hialeah, Florida as of 2005
• Rick Sanchez, CNN anchor/correspondent
• Jon Secada, Grammy Award-winning musician
• Michael Timpson, professional NFL wide receiver for the New England Patriots for six seasons (1989–1994) and alumnus of the Lakes class of 1985^[40]
• Mayra Veronica, singer, actress, model (FHM 100 sexiest in the world, Maxim's sexiest music artist alive)

References[link]

External links[link]

Miami portal

• City of Hialeah official site
• Hialeah Chamber of Commerce official site

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