Miami Celebrates 119th Birthday

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ..."

The city of Miami celebrates its 119th birthday Tuesday. It was officially incorporated as a city July 28, 1896, with a population of around 300.

Miami, Florida's second-largest city, has a rich history. Before Europeans came to America, the Tequesta Native American tribe inhabited Miami as well as part of the eastern coast of South Florida. In the early 1500s, the Spanish arrived in Florida and claimed the land as their own.

Miami didn't see much of a population boom during the Second Seminole War. Military members called the area home during the Second and Third Seminole Wars, but settlers didn't reach Miami until after the war ended in 1858. 

Slowly but surely, people began to move into the area. Some of the most notable figures' names still ring a bell today -- Julia Tuttle, William Brickell, Mary Brickell and Henry Flagler were all monumental in seeing potential in South Florida, building the area through railways and various buildings.

Since then, the city has grown immensely. Most of Miami's population surge happened in the 20th century. Many war veterans packed their bags to head to the Sunshine State, where they had trained before heading off to war. 

Fidel Castro's takeover of Cuba in the late 1950s led to a further population boom in Miami, when hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled to America to escape the Marxist state. As of 2012, there were 1.2 million Cuban-Americans living in the greater Miami area, a group which has undoubtedly shaped the cultural face of the South Florida city.