Liberty City is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, United States. The area is roughly bound by NW 79th Street to the north, NW 27th Avenue to the west, the Airport Expressway to the South, and

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

to the east. The neighborhood is home to one of the largest concentrations of African Americans in

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of ...

, as of the 2000 census. Although it was often known as "Model City" both historically and by the City of Miami government, residents more commonly call it Liberty City. It is serviced by the Miami Metrorail at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and Brownsville stations along NW 27th Avenue.

History

Once part of the sparsely populated outskirts of northern Miami, what became Liberty City developed during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s when President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the construction of the Liberty Square housing project in 1933, the first of its kind in the Southern United States. Built as a response to the deteriorating housing conditions in densely populated and covenant-restricted slums of Overtown, construction on the initial housing project began in 1934 and it opened in 1937. Into the 1940s and 1950s, the growing Liberty City and adjacent Brownsville thrived as a middle-income

black American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

community, hosting several churches, hospitals, and

community center Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole c ...

s. The area served as home to prominent figures such as Kelsey Pharr, M. Athalie Range (the first black American elected to serve on the Miami city commission) and boxer

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, ...

. Although

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of humans ...

laws prohibited black Americans from resting and residing in popular

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which ...

, service establishment and resorts such as the Hampton House Motel and Villas catered to and entertained the likes of notables such as Martin Luther King Jr., Althea Gibson, and even whites such as

Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...

. Construction of

Interstate 95 in Florida Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main Interstate Highway of Florida's Atlantic Coast. It begins at a partial interchange with U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) just south of downtown Miami, and heads north past Daytona Beach, through Jacksonville, and to ...

in Overtown and declining use of restrictive covenants in the wake of the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requi ...

dramatically altered the neighborhood into the 1960s. Increasing numbers of lower-income elderly and welfare-dependent families migrated to Liberty City after their displacement primarily from

inner city The term ''inner city'' has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Sociologists some ...

Overtown, turning the area into a dangerous ghetto, leading to large-scale

black flight Black flight is a term applied to the migration of African Americans from predominantly black or mixed inner-city areas in the United States to suburbs and newly constructed homes on the outer edges of cities. While more attention has been paid ...

of middle- and higher-income blacks and other blacks like

West Indian American Caribbean Americans or West Indian Americans are Americans who trace their ancestry to the Caribbean. Caribbean Americans are a multi-ethnic and multi-racial group that trace their ancestry further in time mostly to Africa, as well as Asia, the ...

s largely to suburban areas like

Florida City Florida City is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is the southernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. Florida City is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area. As of the 2020 census, it h ...

and Miami Gardens in southern and northern Dade County, respectively. Crime grew prevalent in the increasingly poverty-stricken area in the immediate post–

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

era of the 1960s and 1970s. The ensuing problems of the poor and disenfranchised grew most apparent and notable in

race riot This is a list of ethnic riots by country, and includes riots based on ethnic, sectarian, xenophobic, and racial conflict. Some of these riots can also be classified as pogroms. Africa Americas United States Nativist period: 1700 ...

s that occurred in Liberty City in August 1968 during the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in Miami Beach, and in May 1980 following the acquittal of police officers charged with the killing of Arthur McDuffie The plight of inner-city black Miamians increasingly came to be highlighted in national press into the 1980s as the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

Hurricanes football team won several national college football championships led by players recruited mostly from black, lower-income neighborhoods such as Liberty City and Overtown. National exposure continued with the popularity of nationally broadcast programs such as the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

crime drama ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...

'', which brought the deteriorating conditions of the area to greater prominence. Into the 1990s and 2000s, music grew to reflect the area, with locals such as Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew pioneering the Miami bass genre, which dominated

Southern hip hop Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memp ...

during the decade. Other music and sports talents rose to national prominence from the area such as rappers

Trina Katrina Laverne Taylor (born December 3, 1978), known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in 1998 with her appearance on the Trick Daddy single "Nann Nigga". Trina has been described by '' XXL'' as "the mos ...

and Trick Daddy and NFL players Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson, Antonio Brown, and Willis McGahee.

Gentrification

Climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

is affecting the value of

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

-prone real estate in Miami. Miami neighborhoods with higher elevations such as Liberty City are experiencing increasing real estate values. By 2017, Liberty City, along with Little Haiti, started becoming more attractive to investors. A community land trust is planned to maintain affordability for current residents. Home prices appreciated more slowly in 2018 in

and lower-elevation areas of

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...

Demographics

In 2000, Liberty City had a population of 23,009 and 43,054 residents, with 7,772 households, and 5,428 families residing in the neighborhood. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...

was $18,809.87. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 94.69%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

, 3.04%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any nationality, 1.68% Other races (non-Hispanic), and 0.59%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

. The zip codes for the Liberty City include 33127, 33142, 33147, and 33150. The area covers . In 2000, there were 19,286 males and 23,768 females. The median age for males was 25.9 years, while the median age for females was 30.3 years. The average household size had 3.1 people, while the average family size had 3.7 members. The percentage of married-couple families (among all households) was 20.3%, while the percentage of married-couple families with children (among all households) was 9.1%, and the percentage of single-mother households (among all households) was 33.1%. The percentage of never-married males 15 years old and over was 21.9%, while the percentage of never-married females 15 years old and over was 29.7%. In 2000, 2.7% of the population spoke little to no English. The percentage of residents born in Florida was 74.5%, the percentage of people born in another U.S. state was 16.7%, and the percentage of native residents but born outside the U.S. was 0.8%, while the percentage of foreign born residents was 7.9%.

Education

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is a public school district serving Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida. Founded in 1885, it is the largest school district in Florida and the Southeastern United States, and, , the fourth la ...

operates area public schools:

Public Schools

Elementary schools

*Lillie C. Evans K-8 Center *Poinciana Park Elementary School *Liberty City Elementary School *Holmes Elementary School *Charles R. Drew K-8 Center *Agenoria S. Paschal/Olinda Elementary School *Orchard Villa Elementary School *Lenora Braynon Smith Elementary School *Kelsey L. Pharr Elementary School *Earlington Heights Elementary School *Shadowlawn Elementary School *Thena B. Crowder Elementary School

Middle schools

*Brownsville Middle School *Charles R. Drew K-8 Center *Lillie C. Evans K-8 Center

High schools

* Miami Northwestern Senior High School * Miami Central Senior High School

Colleges

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (Miami Dade, MDC or Dade) is a public college in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1959, it has a total of eight campuses and twenty-one outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County. It is the largest college in the Florida College S ...

Libraries

Miami-Dade Public Library The Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) is a system of libraries in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Governance The Miami-Dade Public Library System is a county department within Miami-Dade county government. The Board of County Commissioner ...

operates area public libraries: *Model City Library

Transportation

The Miami Metrorail services the neighborhood at the following stations: *

Earlington Heights Earlington Heights station is a station on the Metrorail rapid transit system in Brownsville, Florida. This station is located at the intersection of Northwest 21st Avenue and the Airport Expressway (SR 112). The Metrorail Orange Line creation ...

( Airport Expressway and West 22nd Avenue) * Brownsville (North 52nd Street and West 27th Avenue) * Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza (North 62nd Street/Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and West 27th Avenue)

Notable people

Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Ind ...

* Ian Richards * Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. * M. Athalie Range * Leslie C. Brown, motivational speaker * Carrie P. Meek * Luther Campbell *

Ky-mani Marley Ky-Mani Marley (born 26 February 1976) is a Jamaican singer and musician. His name is of East African origin, and means "Adventurous Traveler". He is the only child of Bob Marley with Anita Belnavis, a Jamaican table tennis champion. In 200 ...

Darlyne Chauve Darlyne Chauve is an artist working with paint (especially known for her large works), photography, and video installations. Has a studio, Warehouse NOW, at 745 NW 54 Street in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami, FL Miami ( ), officially ...

Udonis Haslem Udonis Johneal Haslem ( born June 9, 1980) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, where he was a key member of four N ...

Mickey Rourke Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. (; born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading man in drama, action, and thriller films. During the star of the 1980s, Rourke played supporting roles i ...

Tarell Alvin McCraney Tarell Alvin McCraney (born October 17, 1980) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. He is the chair of playwriting at the Yale School of Drama and a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble. He co-wrote the 2016 film ''Moonlight'' ...

, playwright * Montel Vontavious Porter * Trick Daddy *

*JT, member of American rap duo

City Girls City Girls is an American hip hop duo consisting of Yung Miami (Caresha Romeka Brownlee; born February 1994) and JT (Jatavia Shakara Johnson; born December 1992). The duo originate from Miami, Florida, and garnered attention after making an un ...

* Chad Johnson, NFL wide receiver * Bershawn Jackson *

Rakeem Cato Rakeem Cato (born March 28, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Fayetteville Mustangs of the National Arena League (NAL). He played college football at Marshall and was the Thundering Herd's starting quarterback from 2011 to 2014. ...

Jacki-O Angela Brookins-Gillispie (born November 24, 1971), better known as Jacki-O, is an American rapper who is now signed to her own label Virtuous Woman Entertainment. Born in Florida, she got her first break in 2003 with the sex rap "P (Real Good)" ...

* Darnell Jenkins *

Betty Wright Bessie Regina Norris (December 21, 1953 – May 10, 2020), better known by her stage name Betty Wright, was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist. Beginning her professional career in the late 1960s as a teen ...

Marcus Forston Marcus Forston (born September 28, 1989) is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. Forston was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He played college football for the University o ...

Jacory Harris Jacory Sherrod Harris (born May 12, 1990) is a former Canadian football quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and a current firefighter in Miami for the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department. Harris started ...

Sean Spence Sean Ryan Christopher Spence (born June 7, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami, where he was n ...

, NFL linebacker *

Teddy Bridgewater Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. (born November 10, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he graduated from Miami Northwestern high school ...

, NFL quarterback * John Marks, Mayor of

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

* DJ Uncle Al * George Jung-lived in Liberty City in 1987 which was shown in the movie ''

Blow Blow commonly refers to: * Cocaine *Exhalation * Strike (attack) Blow, Blew, Blowing, or Blown may also refer to: People * Blew (surname) * Blow (surname) Arts and entertainment Music *The Blow, an American electro-pop band Albums * ''Blo ...

'' *

, CFL quarterback * Elvis Dumervil, linebacker for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

of the NFL * Antonio Brown, NFL wide receiver * Artie Burns, NFL cornerback for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

Amari Cooper Amari Cooper (born June 17, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiv ...

, NFL wide receiver for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

* Eli Rogers, NFL wide receiver for the

T. Y. Hilton Eugene Marquis "T. Y." Hilton (born November 14, 1989) is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at FIU, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the thi ...

, NFL wide receiver for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

Devonta Freeman Devonta Cornellius Freeman ( ; born March 15, 1992) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. High sc ...

, NFL Running back

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...

* Purvis Young, self-taught visual artist

References

External links

"Photo Essay: Fitting Tribute by Hank Willis Thomas"
'' Mother Jones'', May 2007 {{coord, 25.831801, -80.224829, display=title 1930s establishments in Florida African-American history in Miami Neighborhoods in Miami Populated places established in the 1930s