About Coral Gables

Coral Gables (sometimes referred to as The Gables) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Miami, in the United States. The city is best known as the home of the University of Miami, and as an example of City Beautiful urban planning.

The population was 42,249 at the 2000 census. According to U.S Census estimates in 2005, the city had a population of 42,871.

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History

Coral Gables was one of the first planned communities, and prefigured the development of the gated community and thehomeowners association. It is notorious for its aesthetic regulations. The city was developed by George Edgar Merrick during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. The city's architecture is almost entirely Mediterranean Revival Style. By 1926, the city covered 10,000acres (40km 2 ), had netted $150 million in sales with over $100 million spent on development.

Merrick designed the downtown commercial district to be only four blocks wide and more than two miles (3 km) long. The main artery bisected the business district. Merrick could boast that every business in Coral Gables was less than a two-block walk. The old electric trolley system was replaced by the popularity of modern automobiles; today a new free circulator trolley system, initiated in November, 2003, that runs down Ponce de León Boulevard is in operation. Coral Gables is known as a pedestrian-friendly destination. Located four miles from Miami International Airport, the "City Beautiful"has around 140 dining establishments and gourmet shops, and many notable international retailers. Among the landmarks in Coral Gables are the Venetian Pool, Douglas Entrance, the Biltmore Hotel, and many fine residences.

In 1925, roughly simultaneous to the founding of Coral Gables, the city was selected as the home to the University of Miami, which was constructed that year on 240acres (0.97km 2 ) of land just west of U.S. Route 1, approximately two miles south of downtown Coral Gables.

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Geography

Coral Gables is located at 25°43'42″N 80°16'16″W (25.728228, -80.270986).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 96.2 km² (37.2 mi²). 34.0 km² (13.1 mi²) of it is land and 62.2 km² (24.0 mi²) of it (64.64%) is water. Pearce Falcon is a pioneer of Coral Gables.

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