Little Havana

By Roberto Hernandez

     Miami’s Little Havana community is defined by Cuban immigrant culture and has established itself as a central location for political and cultural events in Miami.[i] Before 1960, the population of Cuban-Americans living in Miami was relatively small. However, with Fidel Castro in power, Cubans started to move to Miami. The Cuban population rapidly came to define Miami, with over half of Miami’s population consisting of Cuban immigrants by 1980, after the Mariel Boatlift.

     Soon after Fidel Castro took over Cuba in January 1959, thousands and then hundreds of thousands of Cubans came to Miami and settled in this area, so that it became a sort of “Plymouth Rock” for the new arrivals. By 1962, more than 28 businesses between Southwest 5^th and 15^th avenues had already switched ownership from Anglo to Cuban. By 1966, the Cuban transformation was, for the most, part complete. From this Little Havana launching pad, Miami’s Cubans not only transformed a neighborhood, they transformed an entire city.[ii]

     Today, the Little Havana community is all about music, cafecito, salsa, and Hispanic culture, but what really defines it is how cultures collide; creating a unique neighborhood that in many ways delineates Miami’s sense of place.  

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[i] American History USA website: https://www.americanhistoryusa.com/little-havana-cuban-culture-in-miami-since-castro/

[ii] Greater Miami and the Beaches website: http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/historic-little-havana