Little Haiti (, ) 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, with its street life, restaurants, art galleries, dance, music, theatre performances, family owned enterprises, and other cultural activities.

A 13-foot bronze statue of General Toussaint L'Ouverture, the father of the Haitian Revolution, stands on N Miami Avenue and 62nd Street.

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. 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.

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.

Demographics

As of 2000, Little Haiti had a population of 29,128, 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.

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.

Parks

  • Athalie Range Park <small>(named after M. Athalie Range)</small>
  • Lemon City Park between NE 58th Terrace and NE 59th Street.
  • Little Haiti Soccer Park

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
  • Jesse J. McCrary Elementary School
  • Morningside Elementary School
  • Toussaint L'Ouverture Elementary School

;Middle schools

  • i-tech Prep Academy
  • Miami Edison Middle School
  • Little River Library

Cultural institutions

  • Little Haiti Cultural Complex
  • Caribbean Marketplace
  • Cathedral of Saint Mary

See also

  • Haiti–United States relations
  • Haitian Americans
  • United States and the Haitian Revolution
  • Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti station in Brooklyn, NY
  • Little Haiti in East Flatbush, Brooklyn

References

  • Little Haiti Insider's Guide