Miami: The Northernmost City of South America

Miami: The Northernmost City of South America

Being from Miami is like having a lifetime pass to the world’s biggest beach resort. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away; as soon as you step out of the airport into the familiar warm blanket of humidity, and hear Latin music blasting from at least three different places, you know that you’ve made it home. And even though some areas might improve and new buildings will pop up, the beaches and iconic culture that make Miami unique always welcome you back as though no time has passed. It’s a vibrant place with a thriving economy and cultural life, but being there can often feel like you’ve left the United States entirely. With an odd blend of Latin and American culture, Miami is aptly described as the northernmost city in South America. Here are three reasons why. 

1. English isn’t the main language. 

Roughly 70% of Miami’s population is Hispanic or Latino, vastly outnumbering the 10% that is white alone (Data USA). As such, it is fairly difficult to get things done without at least some knowledge of Spanish. This becomes obvious from the moment you order an Uber at the airport. Speaking from past experience, I’d estimate there’s a 90% chance that your driver will know a grand total of five words in English. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overheard tourists losing their minds while trying to contact their Ubers through the language barrier. But beyond the rideshare system, Spanish has permeated every aspect of life in Miami. Cuban coffee shops are found on nearly every block, each one complete with a fully Cuban staff and an endless stream of Latino customers that all seem to have known each other for decades. Most banks and corporations in the city require their employees to speak Spanish. Even non-Latin cuisines like Asian or French restaurants will disconcertingly have a workforce of Latinos from all around South America. So although you may be able to scrape by without knowing Spanish in Miami, you’ll be missing out on enough of the city’s value that you might as well have found yourself in a foreign Caribbean country.

2. The city attracts more and more Latin Americans as it grows. 

Every Miami native knows that Cuba is just about 100 miles south. This close proximity allows our city to act as a bridge between Latin America and the rest of the United States. Initially, Cubans started fleeing to Miami in the 1960s to escape Fidel Castro’s rise to power, and Miami happened to be the closest place in our country they could reach. This influx of about 500,000 people immediately established it as a place where Latins are accepted. And given that a majority of them were middle and upper class with years of practical work experience, it didn’t take long for them to carve out a spot in Miami’s financial infrastructure. Since then, the effects of that initial migration compounded and rippled throughout Latin America over several decades. Business owners from places like Argentina, Colombia, and Brazil started moving en masse to capitalize on the environment that was rapidly developing. Unlike cities like Los Angeles, where Spanish speakers were often stigmatized as solely working class, Miami offered the opportunity to run a business with the support of the American economy while still upholding Latin culture and clientele. And the more affluent Latinos moved into the city, the faster it encouraged others to come and try their hands as well. This has now progressed to the point where Latin Americans clearly dominate Miami’s thriving economy. They caused the real estate market to skyrocket by paying boatloads of cash for premium properties. They established a massive banking presence by connecting wealthy South Americans to investors in the USA. They even planted a cultural footprint with bustling neighborhoods like Little Havana and Little Buenos Aires. As Miami continues to grow into the 21st century, the increasing blend of cultures makes it the optimal place for Latinos to start their lives in America. 

3. Songs about Miami (accurately) present it as one huge Latin nightclub. 

When you think of music about Los Angeles, the first thing to come to mind is probably something by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, or maybe classic hip-hop like N.W.A and Tupac Shakur. And when you think of New York, it’s impossible to separate it from the swagger of Frank Sinatra’s anthems, or even the raw lyrics of Jay-Z. So considering all that brilliant material, it’s almost comical that the first thing that comes to mind with Miami’s music is Pitbull shouting “DALE!” to crowds of half-drunk partygoers. One of the consequences of the rapid Latin migration we discussed earlier is that virtually everyone who moved to Miami had children around the same period of time. This created a massive generation of young people who grew up in American society, but still love to party like they’re in South America. They formed a culture that feels like a Latin Las Vegas, where the city serves as a tropical paradise that washes your stress away with each crash of an ocean wave. And as the nightlife grew to accommodate this new behavior, Miami’s music steadily kept up the pace. Songs like Will Smith’s Miami, as well as artists like Flo Rida and DJ Khaled, consistently reinforced Miami’s reputation to the American mainstream. On the Latin side, trap artists from Bad Bunny to J Balvin paint it as a haven where Latinos can feel like Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, partying as much as they want with no fear of consequences. Miami is indelibly tied through music to a lifestyle of lavish excess with a South American flare. And as more songs are written that perpetuate this image, more people will visit with those expectations in mind, continuing the cycle that has made Miami the Latin powerhouse it is today.  

Throughout my childhood, I repeatedly heard variations of the phrase “Miami is the Capital of Latin America”. But it wasn’t until I left for college that I could truly appreciate the quirks of having a Latin population in an American city. Each nationality that found itself in Miami brought some aspect of its culture, all of which have blended together to give the city a unique new environment. It has become a place with increasingly diverse representation, where Latinos can party like nowhere else while capitalizing on the connection to the United States. Now more than ever, Miami has become worthy of its reputation as the northernmost city in South America. 

References

“Miami-Dade County, FL.” Data USA, 2017, datausa.io/profile/geo/miami-dade-county-fl/.