Greater Miami's historic neighborhoods

Immigration has transformed the local landscape of Miami and created thriving ethnic districts that embody the cultural traditions of their settlers. Calle Ocho, or Southwest 8th Street, is the commercial and cultural hub of Little Havana. From the annual street fair (the largest in the nation) to the daily domino games at Domino Park, Little Havana offers residents and travelers alike a fascinating portrait of Cuban culture.

Haitian immigrants arriving in large numbers in Miami between 1977 and 1981, seeking to escape political persecution and economic instability, did not meet with the same forms of assistance as their Cuban counterparts. But political lobbying from African Americans and assistance from not-for-profit agencies helped establish the Haitian Refugee Center and the Haitian Task Force, enabling migrants to create a small business district in the heart of Little Haiti, northwest of downtown Miami. More recently, sections of unincorporated Miami-Dade County west of the city have become home to Little Nicaragua, and migrants from all nations of South and Central America now make Miami their home.