North: Eureka Drive (S.W. 184^th Street)

South: SW 232^nd Street

East: Florida Turnpike

West: Naranja Road (S.W. 147 Avenue)

The documented history of South Miami Heights began at the turn of the century when the rich farmlands of South Dade lured pioneers down through Little Hunting Ground, later known as Coconut Grove to Big Hunting Ground, now known as Cutler (Jensen 109). When Henry Flagler extended the Florida East Coast Railway south from Miami to Homestead, it marked the beginning of South Miami Heights (Jensen, 110). The Hurricane of September 1926 devastated the area and nearby towns. The will of the town’s residents permitted the Town to survive the disaster. Although the Town requested federal assistance, asking Congress to "relieve the people of their income tax for the current year", none was received. To make matters worse, the Florida East Coast Railway station burned down, leaving the town without a station for many years (Miami-Dade.gov).

During World War II, South Miami Heights development temporarily slowed, but the post-war period brought exponential growth. Today as the region recuperates from past Hurricanes, (Andrew, Katrina) many efforts are moving towards making South Miami Heights a local recognized community. South Miami Heights past and present has benefited from ‘The Moss Plan’, an economic and community revitalization plan for South Miami-Dade that developed the community’s input after the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1993 (Team Metro: Richmond Heights).

According to 2000 Census figures, there are 33,522 people, 9,931 households, and 7,994 families residing in South Miami Heights. The population density is 2,625.3/km² (6,800.4/mi²). There are 10,364 housing units at an average density of 811.7/km² (2,102.5/mi²). The racial makeup of South Miami Heights is 55.47% White, 30.32% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.83% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 6.85% from other races, and 5.23% from two or more races. 56.17% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 9,931 households out of which 43.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% are married couples living together, 22.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 19.5% are non-families. 15.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. In South Miami Heights the population is spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. The median income for a household in South Miami Heights is $34,899, and the median income for a family is $37,457. Males have a median income of $25,768 versus $22,080 for females. The per capita income for South Miami Heights is $12,315. 17.2% of the population and 14.8% of families are below the poverty line (US Census).

South Dade Regional Office. Team Metro South Office. Telephone Interview. 5 March 2006.

U.S. Bureau of the Census.  (2000).  Statistical File 3, P31 and P32 for Census Tracts 0103.00 and 0112.01.  http://www.census.gov

Jensen, Robert J. and Wiggins, Larry.  (2001).  South Dade: Homestead, Florida City, and Redland.  In (Becky Roper Matkov, ed.) Miami’s Historic Neighborhoods; A History of Community.  Historical Publishing Network.  San Antonio, TX