Community Background Report

City of Hialeah

County

Miami-Dade

Boundaries

See interactive map

Community Type

Municipality

History

Originally developed by pioneer aviator Glenn Curtiss and cattleman James H. Bright in 1921, the city of Hialeah was incorporated in 1925 with a population of 1,500. After 79 years, the population of Hialeah has grown to over 237,000. It is ranked as the fifth-largest city in Florida. The name Hialeah is of Seminole Indian origin meaning “High Prairies”. Hialeah is home to the famous Hialeah Park where many thoroughbred horses have raced into the history books. Hialeah was the starting point for the ill-fated final trip of America’s greatest female aviator Amelia Earhart. Hialeah has been graced with the presence of such famous individuals as Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, J.P. Morgan and members of the Kennedy family. Hialeah has produced such notable individuals as entertainer John Secada, pitchers Alex Fernandez and Charlie Hough, and footballer Vince Kendrick. While Hialeah was once envisioned as a playground for the elite, Cuban exiles fleeing Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution as well as World War II veterans and city planners transformed the city into a working-class community.

Community Dynamics

As of 2010, 94.7% of Hialeah’s population is Hispanic and has the highest percentage of Cuban and Cuban American residents in the United States, with 73.37% of the populace. The median household income is $29,249, way below the Miami Dade County median, which is $43,129. Hialeah residents have assimilated their cultural heritage and traditions into a hard-working community. The community is committed to preserving a quality atmosphere for working class families. Residential properties are characterized by mostly small parcels with one-level single family structures.

Business Landscape

Hialeah is an important city in the Northwest section of the county, because of its workforce size and industrial sector. Its many major corridors have a mix of commercial, industrial, and residential properties. The City, three major hospitals, parcel delivery companies, and distributors account for the largest employers. Manufacturing accounts for approximately one-third of employment.

Hialeah is also home to vibrant community of mom and pop stores. These shops have been noted to actively and successfully compete against national name brand retailers, outfitters, and franchises. In order to remain competitive national businesses have altered their traditional business strategy to meet the demands of the local community. Moreover, while most of the manufacturing and cloth industry that made Hialeah an industrial city in the 1970s-1980s have disappeared, new electronics and technology businesses have reinvigorated the local economy. Telemundo, the second largest Spanish-language TV network in the United States is headquartered in Hialeah.

Transportation Characteristics

A drastic increase in population growth has created a need to improve transportation initiatives. In 1998 Mayor Raul Martinez greeted the City of Hialeah’s Circulator with great enthusiasm.Since then there have been attempts to enhance the two community transit circulators. The Hialeah Transit System Express Service Feasibility Study is the latest to make recommendations to improve the City’s transit service (Hialeah Transit System).

Hialeah’s location in the northwest of Miami-Dade County has influenced the path of transportation networks. The following highways can be accessed from Hialeah either directly orindirectly: I-95, I-75, the Palmetto, the Dolphin, and the Florida’s Turnpike. Hialeah also provides direct economical access to Opa-Locka Airport, Miami International Airport, and the Port of Miami. Tri-Rail and Metrorail stations are conveniently located within the city.