Little Haiti

{{For|the Little Haiti in Brooklyn, New York City| Little Haiti, Brooklyn}} {{Redirect|Lemon City|the historically oldest library in Miami-Dade|Lemon City Branch Library}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox settlement | name = | official_name = | other_name = | native_name = {{native name|fr|La Petite Haïti}}<br/>{{native name|ht|Ti Ayiti}} | nickname = | settlement_type = Neighborhood of Miami  | total_type =  | motto =  | image_skyline = Little Haiti south.jpg | imagesize = 300px | image_caption = Caribbean Marketplace | image_flag = | flag_size = | seal_size = | image_shield = | shield_size = | image_blank_emblem = | blank_emblem_type = | blank_emblem_size = | image_map = Miami neighborhoodsmap.png | mapsize = 300px | map_caption = Little Haiti neighborhood within the City of Miami | pushpin_map = | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_caption = | pushpin_mapsize =  | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = United States | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = Florida | subdivision_type2 = County | subdivision_name2 = Miami-Dade County | subdivision_type3 = City | subdivision_name3 = Miami | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 =  | seat_type = | seat = | parts_type = | parts_style =  | parts =  | p1 =  | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = City of Miami Commissioner | leader_name = Jeff Watson | leader_title1 = Miami-Dade Commissioner | leader_name1 = Audrey Edmonson | leader_title2 = House of Representatives | leader_name2 = Dotie Joseph (D) and Cynthia Stafford (D) | leader_title3 = State Senate | leader_name3 = Larcenia Bullard (D), and Oscar Braynon (D) | leader_title4 = U.S. House | leader_name4 = Frederica Wilson (D) | established_title = | established_date =  | area_magnitude = | unit_pref = | area_footnotes = | area_total_sq_mi = | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_percent =  | elevation_footnotes =  | elevation_m = 2.1 | elevation_ft = 7 | elevation_max_m = | elevation_max_ft = | elevation_min_m = | elevation_min_ft =  | population_as_of = 2010 | population_footnotes = | population_note = | population_total = 29,760 | population_density_sq_mi = 9946 | timezone = EST | utc_offset = -05 | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = | coordinates = {{coord|25.824385|-80.190711|display=inline}} | postal_code_type = ZIP code | postal_code = 33127, 33137, 33138, 33150 | area_codes = 305, 786 | website = | footnotes = }}

'''Little Haiti''' ({{langx|fr|La Petite Haïti}}, {{langx|ht|Ti Ayiti}})<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9VAZAwAAQBAJ&q=little+haiti+lemon+city&pg=PT67 |title=Moon Florida Keys |author=Martone, Laura |date=4 March 2014 |publisher=Avalon |isbn=9781612388670 |access-date=27 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/climate-gentrification-could-exacerbate-housing-crisis-south-florida |title=Climate Gentrification Could Exacerbate Housing Crisis in South Florida|editor=Hahn, Jonathan|date=21 December 2018|publisher=Sierra Club|access-date=30 August 2020}}</ref> is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. It is known historically as Lemon City, Little River and Edison Center. It is home to Haitian immigrant residents, as well as residents from the rest of the Caribbean.

The area is characterized by its French–Creole designations,<ref name="Jan">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H8uArxdvJNcC&q=bronze+statue+Toussaint+Louverture+miami&pg=PA158 |title=Miami: Mistress of the Americas |author=Nijman, Jan |page=158 |year=2011 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=9780812242980 |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref> with its street life, restaurants, art galleries,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/arts/design/miamis-art-world-sets-sights-on-little-haiti-neighborhood.html |title=Miami's Art World Sets Sights on Little Haiti Neighborhood |editor=Sokol, Brett |date=23 November 2015 |work=New York Times |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref> dance, music, theatre performances, family owned enterprises, and other cultural activities.<ref name="Jan"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/neighborhoods/little-haiti|title=Explore Little Haiti|website=Greater Miami & Miami Beach}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://theharlemtimes.com/online-news/little-haiti-a-taste-of-culture-food-and-art |title=Little Haiti: A Taste of Culture, Food And Art. |editor=Staff |date=27 April 2015 |publisher=The Harlem Times |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref>

A 13-foot bronze statue of General Toussaint L'Ouverture, the father of the Haitian Revolution, stands on N Miami Avenue and 62nd Street.<ref name="Jan"/>

==History== The area now known as Little Haiti was previously called Lemon City for well over a century. Several people settled near Biscayne Bay north of the Miami River after the civil war, squatting on unclaimed land. Some of the squatters eventually applied for homestead grants for the land they were squatting on. By 1889 a community had formed, with a post office named "Motto". "Lemon City" replaced "Motto" as the name of the community by 1893. A school had opened in 1890, and Lemon City also included several businesses and a newspaper, as well as port facilities on Biscayne Bay. With the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Miami in 1896, Miami quickly overshadowed Lemon City.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Blazek|first=Ron|date=1982|title=Library in a Pioneer Community: Lemon City, Florida|url=http://digitalcollections.fiu.edu/tequesta/files/1982/82_1_02.pdf|journal=Tequesta: The Journal of the Historical Association of Southern Florida|volume=1|issue=42|pages=39–55|via=Florida International University Digital Collections}}</ref>

Viter Juste, a Haitian businessman, activist and community leader, came up with the name of Little Haiti. According to Jean-Claude Exulien, a retired professor of history and friend of Juste's since 1977, Juste wrote an article in the ''Miami Herald'' in which he first referred to the neighborhood as "Little Port-au-Prince." However, editors at the ''Miami Herald'' found the name, "Little Port-au-Prince," too long, so the newspaper shortened the term in the headline to ''Little Haiti''.<ref>{{cite web|title = Viter Juste, Haitian community pioneer and leader, dies at 87|url = http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/article3272294.html|access-date = 2015-09-04}}</ref> Over the objections of various groups including historians, African-Americans and Bahamians, City of Miami commissioners in May 2016 voted in favor of designating Little Haiti as an official neighborhood with boundaries overlapping the historic Lemon City, which was founded by Bahamian immigrants before Miami existed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article80151417.html |title=What's in a name? Little Haiti boundaries now official |editor=Smiley, David |date=26 May 2016 |publisher=Miami Herald |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref>

==Borders== The southern border is North (NW/NE) 54th Street, west to Interstate 95 and north along the Miami city boundary on North (NW/NE) 80th Street. It then goes back down along Northeast Second Avenue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.local10.com/news/miami-commissioners-vote-in-favor-of-designating-area-as-little-haiti- |title=Miami commissioners vote in favor of designating area as Little Haiti |editor=Vela, Hatzel |date=26 May 2016 |publisher=Local10 |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref>

==Demographics== As of 2000, Little Haiti had a population of 29,128,<ref name=LilHaiti>{{cite web|url=http://www.miamigov.com/Planning/pages/services/Census.asp |title=Demographics of Little Haiti Miami, FL. |publisher=miamigov.com |access-date=2008-06-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517201540/http://www.miamigov.com/Planning/pages/services/Census.asp |archive-date=2008-05-17 }}</ref> with 9,368 households, and 6,181 families residing in the neighborhood. The median household income was $18,887.49. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 64.92% Black or African American, 4.78% White (non-Hispanic), 14.74% Hispanic or Latino of any race and 15.56% other races.<ref name="LilHaiti"/> The fastest growing group in the area is Hispanic.

The zip codes for the Little Haiti include 33127, 33137, 33138, and 33150. The area covers {{convert|3.456|sqmi|km2}}. As of 2000, there were 14,708 males and 15,357 females. The median age for males was 31.0 years old, while the median age for females was 33.8 years old. The average household size had 3.0 people, while the average family size had 3.7 members. The percentage of married-couple families (among all households) was 27.6%, while the percentage of married-couple families with children (among all households) was 13.8%, and the percentage of single-mother households (among all households) was 20.7%. 2.1% of the population were in nursing homes. The percentage of never-married males 15 years old and over was 21.7%, while the percentage of never-married females 15 years old and over was 22.0%.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

==Attractions==

=== Food === Rooted in the Haitian immigrants that sought refuge here in the ’80s, today Little Haiti, has some Afro-Caribbean culture mixed with global trends. Restaurants in this area showcase a diversity and mix of tastes and settings. Among these cultural offerings is the Michelin-starred Boia De.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Boia De – Miami - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant |url=https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/florida/miami/restaurant/boia-de |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=MICHELIN Guide |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604003227/https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/florida/miami/restaurant/boia-de |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hamersly |first1=Kendall |title=This new Little Haiti restaurant has a 10-day wait. Here's why diners are buzzing |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/miami-com/restaurants/article240307201.html |access-date=July 18, 2023 |work=Miami Herald |issue=February 26, 2020 |archive-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228181248/https://www.miamiherald.com/miami-com/restaurants/article240307201.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Culture === Little Haiti’s main strip is NE 2nd Avenue. This region is “ripe for improvement” as one local activist in the area put it. Neighboring Wynwood and Design District have become popular arts and culture havens with streets lined with galleries and commercial art storefronts. The whole area, in just a handful of years, has been overtaken by an artistic energy and an appreciation for high-design and street-art.

With the development of Wynwood and the Design District and the increasing prices for space in those areas, Little Haiti, Lemon City and Little River have emerged as an arts haven.

The programming at the Little Haiti Cultural Center offers local community initiatives. Located next door, The Caribbean Marketplace was designed by Charles Harrison Pawley in the style of the typical Haitian gingerbread architecture.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caribbean Marketplace |url=https://www.miamigov.com/LHCC/Venues-Rentals/Caribbean-Marketplace |website=www.miamigov.com |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref>

===Parks=== *Athalie Range Park<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.miamigov.com/parks/park_range.html|title=Miami - Parks & Recreation: Athalie Range Park}}</ref> <small>(named after M. Athalie Range)</small> *Lemon City Park between NE 58th Terrace and NE 59th Street.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.miamigov.com/parks/park_lemoncity.html|title=Miami - Parks & Recreation: Lemon City Park}}</ref> *Little Haiti Soccer Park<ref name="Barber">{{cite web |url=http://www.miamiblackvisitorguide.com/historic.html#lemon |title=The Legacy of Lemon City/the Magic of Little Haiti |editor=Barber, Timothy A. |website=Miami Black Visitor Guide |access-date=31 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510110608/http://www.miamiblackvisitorguide.com/historic.html#lemon |archive-date=10 May 2017}} (adapted from Gepsie M. Metellus)</ref>

==Education== Miami-Dade County Public Schools runs area public schools. Schools within Little Haiti include:

===Public schools=== thumb|right|Historic Miami Edison Middle School in Edison.

;Elementary schools *Edison Park Elementary School<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Elementary-School-Hosts-White-Hot-Heat-Party-155851605.html |title=Elementary School Hosts White Hot Heat Party |editor=Jeannot, David |date=31 May 2012 |publisher=NBC Miami |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref> *Jesse J. McCrary Elementary School<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?ID=120039000454|title=Search for Public Schools - School Detail for JESSE J. MCCRARY JR. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL|website=nces.ed.gov}}</ref> *Morningside Elementary School<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/restaurants/fine-restaurants-at-morningside-elementary-fundraiser-tonight-updated-6566481 |title=Fine Restaurants at Morningside Elementary Fundraiser Tonight (Updated) |editor=Klein, Lee |date=7 May 2010 |publisher=Miami New Times |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref> *Toussaint L'Ouverture Elementary School<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/community-voices/article47787370.html |title=Friends and Neighbors: Alvin Ailey director Robert Battle's story told in children's book |editor=Hines, Bea L. |date=3 December 2015 |publisher=Miami Herald |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref>

;Middle schools *i-tech Prep Academy{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} *Miami Edison Middle School<ref name="Barber"/>

;High schools *Itech @ Thomas Edison Educational Center *Miami Edison Senior High School

===Libraries=== Miami-Dade Public Library System operates all area public libraries, including: *Lemon City Branch Library *Edison Center Library<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mdpls.org/branches/edison-center-branch-library.asp|title=Miami-Dade Public Library System Edison Center Branch Library|website=www.mdpls.org|language=en|access-date=2019-01-06}}</ref> * Little River Library<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mdpls.org/branches/little-river-branch-library.asp|title=Miami-Dade Public Library System Little River Branch Library|website=www.mdpls.org|language=en|access-date=2019-01-06}}</ref>

==Cultural institutions== *Little Haiti Cultural Complex<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.miami.gov/LHCC/Home|title=Little Haiti Cultural Center|website=www.miami.gov}}</ref> *Caribbean Marketplace<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.miami.com/little-haiti039s-caribbean-marketplace-reopens-article |title=Little Haiti's Caribbean Marketplace Reopens |editor=Fleuranvil, Fabiola |date=16 July 2014 |publisher=Miami.com |access-date=31 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404102322/http://www.miami.com/little-haiti039s-caribbean-marketplace-reopens-article |archive-date=4 April 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> *Cathedral of Saint Mary<ref name="Barber"/> *The Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wlrn.org/post/haitian-cultural-arts-alliance-among-73-knight-arts-finalists |title=The Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance Among 73 Knight Arts Finalists |editor= Green, Nadege |date=5 May 2015 |publisher=WLRN |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Little Haiti}} *[http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/places-to-see/little-haiti Little Haiti Insider's Guide]

{{Miami Neighborhoods}} {{Miami-Dade County Shopping Districts and Streets}} {{Ethnic enclaves}} {{Coord|25.824385|-80.190711|display=title}}

Category:Neighborhoods in Miami Category:Ethnic enclaves in the United States Category:Haitian-American history Category:Haitian-American culture in Miami Category:Haiti–United States relations Category:Tourist attractions in Miami