Coral Gables, Florida

Coral Gables, Florida
Nickname(s):  The City Beautiful, The Gables
Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida.
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Miami-Dade
Government
• Mayor	Don Slesnick
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population  (2005)
• City	42,871
• Metro	5,422,200
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Website	http://www.citybeautiful.net/

Often called "The Gables," Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Miami, in the United States. The city is best known as the home of the University of Miami.

The population was 42,249 at the 2000 census. According to U.S Census estimates in 2005, the city had a population of 42,871[1].

History

Coral Gables was one of the first planned communities, and prefigured the development of the gated community and the homeowners association. It was at one point notorious for its aesthetic regulations, but they pale compared to those currently practiced by homeowners associations. The city was developed by George Merrick in the 1920s. The city's architecture is almost entirely Mediterranean.

Merrick designed the downtown commercial district to be only four blocks wide and more than two miles long. The area was once serviced by a free trolley system that ran down Ponce de Leon Boulevard, the main artery disecting the business district. Merrick could boast that every business in Coral Gables was less than a two block walk. The old trolley system was replaced by the popularity of modern automobiles until a new free trolley system was initiated in November, 2003. Now, Coral Gables is known as a pedestrian-friendly destination. Located only four miles from Miami International Airport, the "City Beautiful" boasts more than 140 dining establishments and gourmet shops, plus many notable international retailers.

In 1925, roughly simultaneous to the founding of Coral Gables, the city was selected as the home to the University of Miami, which was constructed that year on 240 acres of land just west of U.S. Route 1, approximately two miles south of downtown Coral Gables.

Geography

Coral Gables is located at 25°43′42″N 80°16′16″W (25.728228, -80.270986).Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 96.2 km² (37.2 mi²). 34.0 km² (13.1 mi²) of it is land and 62.2 km² (24.0 mi²) of it (64.64%) is water.

Demographics

Major Coral Gables intersection at Coral Way (Miracle Mile) and Ponce de Leon Boulevard.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 42,249 people, 16,793 households, and 10,243 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,242.4/km² (3,216.9/mi²). There were 17,849 housing units at an average density of 524.9/km² (1,359.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.83% White, 3.30% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.68% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.49% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 46.64% of the population.

There were 16,793 households out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 17.4% under the age of 18, 13.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $66,839, and the median income for a family was $98,553. Males had a median income of $66,178 versus $39,444 for females. The per capita income for the city was $46,163. About 4.3% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Home to University of Miami

Academics

Coral Gables is best known as home to the University of Miami, a globally-recognized university that is ranked academically among the top tier of U.S.-based colleges and universities. Some of its academic programs, including those in business, marine biology, medicine and music, are considered among the best in the world[2][3].

The University of Miami has graduated many prominent leaders in the fields of art, athletics, business, entertainment, music, politics, science, television, and other fields[4].

Collegiate athletics

The University of Miami also maintains one of the nation's most successful collegiate athletic programs. It has won repeated national championships in both Division I football (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 2001) and baseball (1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001)[5]. Over the past 25 years, the University of Miami has been the most successful Division I college football program in the nation. Its five national championships since 1983 are the most of any Division I university of the past quarter century)[6].

The University of Miami also has graduated two Heisman Trophy winners, Vinny Testaverde (in 1986) and Gino Torretta (in 1992)[7], and three of its former football players--Ted Hendricks, Jim Kelly and Jim Otto--went on, following highly successful National Football League careers, to be admitted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the highest honor awarded a former NFL player. Currently, the University of Miami has more of its graduates playing in the NFL than any other U.S. college or university.

Additional items of interest

The city also has a sizable business district. Coral Gables is an extremely affluent city. Its residents include upper class businesspeople and professionals. The city is well known for its restaurants, art galleries, unique shops and boutiques and live theater performances.

The median household income for a Coral Gables resident, as of the 2000 census, was $66,839.

Portions of the film Fair Game were filmed in Coral Gables[8].

Public education

Coral Gables schools are part of the Miami-Dade School District, which serves almost all of metropolitan Miami. The district has one high school in Coral Gables, Coral Gables High School, which educates students in grades nine through 12.

Notable people from Coral Gables

• Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida
• Frank Gore, professional football player, San Francisco 49ers.
• Marilyn Milian, television judge, The People's Court.
• Thurston Moore, lead singer and guitarist, Sonic Youth.
• Mimi Rogers, actress and first wife of Tom Cruise.
• Jonathan Vilma, professional football player, New York Jets.

Places of interest

• Biltmore Hotel
• Coral Way scenic drive
• DeSoto Fountain
• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
• John C. Gifford Arboretum
• Jerry Herman Ring Theatre
• Montgomery Botanical Center
• University of Miami
• Venetian Pool

• 
  Alhambra Water Tower
• 
  City Hall, with statue of Merrick in front.
• 
  The famous Biltmore Hotel
• 
  DeSoto Fountain sits in the center of a traffic circle in the city of Coral Gables, Florida.
• 
  Miracle Theater on Miracle Mile.
• 
  Scenic Coral Way.
• 
  Venetian Pool, the city of Coral Gables' public swimming pool.

Sister Cities

Coral Gables has seven sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

• Aix-en-Provence, France
• Cartagena, Colombia
• Granada, Spain
• Quito, Ecuador
• Pisa, Italy
• El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain
• La Antigua, Guatemala

External links

• City of Coral Gables
• Coral Gables profile, NNDB
• Jerry Herman Ring Theatre
• Pedestrian Pocket Guide to Coral Gables