Coconut Grove, Florida

Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as "The Grove", is an affluent and the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by North Prospect Drive to the south, LeJeune Road to the west, South Dixie Highway (US 1) and Rickenbacker Causeway to the north, and Biscayne Bay to the east. It is south of the neighborhoods of Brickell and The Roads and east of Coral Gables. The neighborhood's name has been sometimes spelled "Cocoanut Grove" but the definitive spelling "Coconut Grove" was established when the city was incorporated in 1919.

What is today referred to as Coconut Grove was formed in 1925 when the city of Miami annexed two areas of about equal size, the city of Coconut Grove and most of the town of Silver Bluff. Coconut Grove approximately corresponds to the same area as the 33133 ZIP Code although the ZIP Code includes parts of Coral Way and Coral Gables and a small portion of ZIP Code 33129. The area is often referred to as "The Grove", and locals take pride that Coconut Grove is one of the greenest areas of Miami.

Coconut Grove is directly served by the Miami Metrorail at Coconut Grove and Douglas Road stations.

History

Several waves of immigration established Coconut Grove, the first in 1825, when the Cape Florida lighthouse went into operation, kept by John Dubose. The settlers primarily came from the Northeastern United States, in addition to British and Bahamian immigrants. They included sailors, naturalists, and artists. Many Black Bahamian immigrants were hired to construct the historical landmarks in and around Coconut Grove. They were believed to be the only people capable of withstanding the extreme heat and humidity, as well as the large mosquito population.

Dr. Horace P. Porter is credited for coming up with the name when, in 1873, he rented a home from Edmond D. Beasley's widow, who homesteaded 160 acres of bay-front property. He lived there for only a year, but during that time, he established a post office which he named “Coconut Grove.”

The first hotel on the South Florida mainland was located in Coconut Grove. Called the Bay View Inn (later known as the Peacock Inn), it was built in 1882 on the site of present-day Peacock Park by English immigrants Isabella and Charles Peacock, who had been the owners of a wholesale meat business in London. Coconut Grove's first Black settlement, in the 1880s, was established by Bahamian laborers who worked at the Peacock Inn. The Barnacle Historic State Park is the oldest house in Miami-Dade County still standing in its original location. It was built in 1891, and was home to Ralph Middleton Munroe, also known as "The Commodore" for being the first commodore and founder of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, an American yacht designer, and early resident of Coconut Grove.

Formerly an independent city, Coconut Grove was annexed by the city of Miami in 1925. In the 1960s, bay-shore Coconut Grove served as the center of South Florida's youth countercultural movement, notably hosting several love-ins and concerts (including a now-infamous Doors concert at Dinner Key Auditorium) during the latter part of the decade. The Bahamian community continued to grow in Coconut Grove through the 1970s.

A surge of commercial development in Coconut Grove was driven by the construction of three major residential complexes during the late 1970s and early 1980s: Yacht Harbour Condominiums in 1975; Grove Isle, a condominium, club, and hotel complex, in 1979; and L'Hermitage in 1980. This was followed by the opening of 2575 S. Bayshore Drive in 1982 and the 1983 opening of Grove Towers. Further development was proposed for Grove Isle in 2013.

Economy

Coconut Grove has a number of outdoor festivals and events, the most prominent of which is the annual Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Others include the King Mango Strut, which began as a parody of the Orange Bowl Parade, and which continues each year on the last Sunday in December. The Great Taste of the Grove Food & Wine Festival takes place each April. Each June, the Goombay Festival transforms Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove into a Carnaval (Caribbean Carnival), celebrating Bahamian culture, with Bahamian food and Caribbean music ( Junkanoo).

The Grove has numerous restaurants, open air and streetside cafes, and several waterfront restaurants and bars. By night, the Grove becomes a center of nightlife frequented by locals, young professionals, students from the nearby University of Miami and Florida International University, and tourists.

Shopping is abundant in the Grove, with two open-air malls, CocoWalk, the Streets of Mayfair, and many other street shops and boutiques.

The Village Center, the three blocks radiating from and focusing on the intersection of Main, McFarland, and Grand Avenues, home to the majority of the retail and restaurant business in the Grove, is also home to three gyms, a multiplex movie house in CocoWalk, several parking garages, a state historic site, an elementary school, a City of Miami fire station, several large condos and residential rental towers, the Coconut Grove Post Office, and two sizable parks. Development and redevelopment continue to redefine and transform the area.

Major corporations including Arquitectonica, Spanish Broadcasting System, and Watsco are located in the Grove.

The eastern border of Coconut Grove is Biscayne Bay, which lends itself to the local boating and sailing communities. The area features the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, a sizable municipal marina, Dinner Key Marina, and others The US Sailing Center is on the Bay between Kennedy Park and the Coral Reef Yacht Club. Pan Am's seaplane operations were based at Dinner Key, and the Miami City Hall is based in the old Pan Am terminal building.

Demographics

Demographically, Coconut Grove is divided into "Northeast Coconut Grove" and "Southwest Coconut Grove." As of the 2000 census, the population of the entire neighborhood was between 18,953 and 19,646. The area includes the zip codes 33129 and 33133, covering 5.607 square miles (14.52 km²). The neighborhood's population consists of 9,695 males and 9,951 females. The median age for males was 38.4 years, while for females it was 40.3 years. The average household size was 2.1 people, and the average family size was 2.8 members. Among all households, 33.6% were married-couple families, 11.1% were married-couple families with children, and 7.6% were single-mother households. Additionally, 18.3% of males aged 15 and over had never married, compared to 14.3% of females in the same age group.

Approximately 8.1% of the population spoke English either "not well" or "not at all." Regarding birthplace, 31.6% of residents were born in Florida, 34.7% were born in another U.S. state, and 2.3% were native residents born outside the U.S. The percentage of foreign-born residents was 31.4%.

As of 2000, Northeast Grove had a population of 9,812 residents, with 5,113 households, and 2,221 families residing in the neighborhood. The median household income was $63,617.82. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 35.24% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 2.25% Black or African American, 60.96% White (non-Hispanic), and 1.55% other races (non-Hispanic).

As of 2000, Southwest Grove had a population of 9,141 residents, with 3,477 households, and 2,082 families residing in the neighborhood. The median household income was $63,617.82. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 14.80% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 48.27% Black or African American, 35.27% White (non-Hispanic), and 1.66% other races (non-Hispanic).

The "West" Grove (Black Grove) is predominantly composed of people who are of Afro-Bahamian descent. Bahamian sailors were one of the first groups of settlers in the area. The Goombay festival is a celebration of the rich history of this historically Bahamian neighborhood.

Transportation

Coconut Grove is served by Metrobus throughout the area, and by the Miami Metrorail at:

* Vizcaya (SW 32nd Road and U.S. 1)
* Coconut Grove (SW 27th Avenue and U.S. 1)
* Douglas Road (SW 37th Avenue and U.S. 1)

Metrobus' Coconut Grove Connection connects at Coconut Grove and Douglas Road stations, going to many popular areas within the Grove, including CocoWalk and Peacock Park.

Education and institutions

Cultural institutions

* Coconut Grove Playhouse
* Marjory Stoneman Douglas Home
* Miami Science Museum, moved to downtown Miami
* The Barnacle Historic State Park
* The Kampong
* Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

Libraries

* Miami-Dade Public Library operates area public libraries

Schools

Elementary schools

Miami-Dade County Public Schools operates area public schools:

*Coconut Grove Elementary School
*Dade County Training School (1899–1937)
*Frances S. Tucker Elementary School
*George W. Carver Elementary School

Middle schools

* George Washington Carver School, while actually in Coral Gables, serves Coconut Grove. As a magnet school, it does not admit most of its students based on geographical area, but minimum quotas apply regarding to serving Coconut Grove.

High schools

* Bridgeprep Academy of Arts and Minds (2003-2018)
* George Washington Carver School

Private schools

*Ransom Everglades School, founded in 1903
*St. Hugh Catholic School, 1956
* Immaculata-Lasalle High School, 1958
*St. Stephen's Episcopal Day School, 1958
*Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, 1961
*Coconut Grove Montessori School
*Vanguard School

Points of interest

* Charles Avenue
* CocoWalk
* Dinner Key
* First Coconut Grove School
* Grove Isle
* Mercy Hospital
* Miami City Hall
* Plymouth Congregational Church
* Trapp Homestead
* Woman's Club of Coconut Grove

Parks

* The Kampong: an 8-acre (32,000 m²) tropical garden that forms part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden
* The Barnacle Historic State Park: Built in the late 19th century, the former home of Ralph Middleton Munroe is the oldest home in Miami-Dade County still standing in its original location and is situated on the shore of Biscayne Bay. The forest surrounding the home is tropical hardwood hammock and is the last of its kind in the area. The unique architecture includes period furniture and wide porches that afford magnificent views.
* Peacock Park and Kenneth Myers Bayside Park
* David Kennedy Park
* Merrie Christmas Park
* Steele Park
* Blanche Park
* Elizabeth Virrick Park
* Kirk Munroe Park
* Coconut Grove Park
* Grand Avenue Park
* Ingraham Terrace Park
* Sunrise Park
* Marjory Stoneman Douglas Mini Park
* Dinner Key Picnic Islands Park
* Alice Wainwright Park

Notable people

Former and current residents include:

Historic Coconut Grove

Established in 1825, Coconut Grove is one of Miami's oldest neighborhoods. As such, many of Miami's oldest buildings and homes are located in the Grove. Some of these include:

References

External links

Coconut Grove Magazine

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Neighborhoods in Miami
Populated places on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida
Shopping districts and streets in the United States
Former municipalities in Florida
Bahamian-American culture in Florida
1825 establishments in Florida Territory
Populated places established in 1825