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2289205

Florida City, Florida

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2289205

Florida City, Florida

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Florida City, Florida

Florida City is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is the southernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. Florida City is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 13,085, up from 11,245 in 2010.

The city lies to the south and west of, and is contiguous with, Homestead. Both cities suffered catastrophic damage in August 1992 when Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida.

The city originated as a land promotion named "Detroit". There were no buildings in the area when the first thirty families arrived in 1910, and they had to stay in Homestead until their houses could be built. The name was changed to "Florida City" when the town incorporated in 1914. It has a small historic area, but much of the city is hotels and other tourist facilities.

The city is at the eastern end of the only road running through the Everglades National Park, which terminates at Flamingo. Florida City is the southernmost city in the United States which is not on an island. It is also the last stop on the mainland north of the Florida Keys. The southern terminus of the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike where it ends at its junction with U.S. 1 is located in Florida City. Homestead is immediately north and east of Florida City, and these two cities comprise the greater Homestead-Florida City area. Some of the notable unincorporated communities in the area are Redland, Leisure City, Naranja, and Princeton.

Florida City is situated mostly atop a limestone ridge called the Miami Rock Ridge that extends south from present day North Miami Beach to a location in Everglades National Park. The ridge, consisting of Miami limestone, serves as the higher ground within the community. The ridge extended from northeast to southwest across the city. The old location of the Florida East Coast Railway track marks the approximate boundary of the location of the limestone ridge south of Davis Parkway. The range of elevation of the ridge is from 5 to 8 feet (1.5–2.4 meters) above sea level.

Before settlement, the ridge was vegetated by South Florida Slash Pine trees, which were alternatively known as Dade County Pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa). (Remnants of these pines can be seen today in local parks and in Everglades National Park at the Long Pine Key picnic area.) These pine rocklands were crushed by equipment and converted to farmland during the 1900s. Tomatoes, squash, and other truck crops were grown in the area during the winter months and packed at the Florida City State Farmers' Market near Krome Avenue and Palm Drive, driving the local economy throughout the 1900s.

East of the natural ridge was a broad area of marshlands surrounding the area. Old timers of Florida City called these coastal glades the "East Glade". This was an extension of Everglades that extended from areas west and south of Florida City to its east. East of the East Glade, marshlands gave way to mangrove swamp prior to reaching Biscayne Bay. Soils in the East Glade primarily consisted of a limey soil called Biscayne Marl.

Development schemes in the East Glade led to the construction of canals in the early 1900s. This led to a lowering of water tables. Although development the East Glade was not extensive prior to the 1980s, agricultural development did occur. Potatoes were the primary crop grown in the East Glade before the construction of extensive housing developments within the areas annexed by the City of Homestead in the late 1970s. Potatoes mostly were harvested from February to March.

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