Do you know the history of Downtown Miami?

Downtown Miami is the historic heart of the city, and along with Coconut Grove is the oldest settled area of Miami dating to the early 19th century. It consists of the Brickell Financial District, Historic District, Government Center, Omni and Park West. The neighborhood is divided by the Miami River and is bordered by Midtown to the north, Biscayne Bay to the east, Civic Center and Overtown to the west, and Coconut Grove to the south.

Downtown growth began in the 1890s when land owner and business woman Julia Tuttle (called the mother of Miami) reached an agreement with railroad baron Henry Flagler to bring Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway from West Palm Beach to Miami. Along with developers William Brickell and George E. Merrick they brought new life to the area with the construction of hotels, resorts, homes, and retail in the early 1900’s, and since (through ups and downs) Downtown Miami has blossomed into the financial, luxury residential and shopping destination it is today.

Currently there are approximately 88,000 year-round residents in Greater Downtown (including Downtown's Brickell, Park West, and Omni neighborhoods), with close to 200,000 populating the Downtown area during the daytime, making Downtown Miami one of the most populous downtowns in the U.S. after New York City and Chicago.

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