Coconut Grove is a neighborhood located in the City of Miami, Florida in Miami-Dade County, United States. The borders of the neighborhood are approximately defined as north of Battersea Road, east of LeJeune Road, south of US 1, west of Rickenbacker Causeway and west of Biscayne Bay[1]. It is south of the Brickell and The Roads neighborhoods, 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[2].
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 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[3]. The area is often referred to by locals as "The Grove".
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Geography
It is located at 25°42′47″N 80°15′25″W / 25.713°N 80.257°W, with an average elevation of 13 feet (4.0 m), making it one of the higher areas within the city of Miami.[4]
History
Several waves of immigration established Coconut Grove, the first in 1825, when the Cape Florida lighthouse went into operation and was manned by John Dubose. The post office was established in 1873[5], around the same time that the area saw an influx of Americans from the Northeastern US, as well as British immigrants. Coconut Grove's first black settlement, in the 1880s, was established by Bahamian craftsmen and sailors and their families. 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 owner of a wholesale meat business in London.
World-renowned for its annual art festival, Coconut Grove's other events include the King Mango Strut, which began as a parody of the Orange Bowl Parade. The Goombay Festival For a week in mid-June, Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove is transformed into a Caribbean Carnival. It celebrates Bahamian residents historic festival with Bahamian dancing, Bahamian food, Caribbean music (Junkanoo) and Bahamian culture.
Formerly an independent city, Coconut Grove was annexed by the city of Miami in 1925.[6] The Grove is sometimes known as Miami's Food Court, for its many and varied restaurants. Open air cafes are quite popular as well. Some local favorites include Green Street Cafe, Monty's Raw Bar, Tuscany, Mr. Moes, and Le Bouchon, a French cafe. There are plenty of chain franchises as well, such as The Cheesecake Factory and Johnny Rockets. Shopping is also abundant in the Grove, with two large open-air malls, CocoWalk, Streets of Mayfair, and many other street shops and boutiques. The Coconut Grove Playhouse[7] is a very popular destination, and has launched a number of popular plays and musicals. By night, the Grove becomes a center of nightlife frequented by young professionals and students from Florida International University and the University of Miami.
The eastern border of Coconut Grove is Biscayne Bay, which lends itself to a boating community. The area features a sailing club (Coconut Grove Sailing Club), a yacht club (Coral Reef Yacht Club) and a marina (Dinner Key Marina[8]). Pan Am's seaplane operations were based in Dinner Key, and the Miami City Hall is based in the old Pan Am terminal building.
Coconut Grove is also home to The Kampong, an 8 acre (32,000 m²) tropical garden that forms part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden.
Coconut Grove is also the location of The Barnacle Historic State Park. Built in the late 1800s, the former home of Ralph Middleton Munroe is one of the oldest homes in Dade County and is situated on the shore of Biscayne Bay. The forest surrounding the home is 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.
Demographics
Demographically, Coconut Grove is split up into North-East Grove and South-West Grove, and as of 2000, the total population of both of the neighborhood's sections made up 18,953.[9]
As of 2000,[9] North-East 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,[9] South-West 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).
Transportation
Public Transportation in Coconut Grove is serviced by Metrorail, Miami's heavy rail system. The Metro has two stops in the Grove. The Coconut Grove Station on SW 27th Ave and US-1, and the Douglas Road Station on Douglas Road and US-1. Many bus lines connect with either station that go to many popular areas within the Grove, such as CocoWalk and Peacock Park.
Education and institutions
Elementary schools
Miami-Dade County Public Schools operates area public schools:
- Coconut Grove Elementary School
- Frances S. Tucker Elementary School
- George W. Carver Elementary School
Middle schools
- George Washington Carver Middle School
High schools
- Academy of Arts and Minds Charter High School
Private schools
- Ransom Everglades School
- St. Stephen's Episcopal Day School
- St. Hugh Catholic School
- Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart
- Coconut Grove Montessori School
- La Salle High School
Cultural
- Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
- The Barnacle Historic State Park
- Coconut Grove Playhouse
- The Kampong
- Marjory Stoneman Douglas Home
- Miami Science Museum
Libraries
Points of interest
- Coconut Grove Convention Center
- CocoWalk
- Dinner Key
- Mercy Hospital
- Miami City Hall
- Plymouth Congregational Church
Parks
- Kennedy Park
- Peacock Park
- Merrie Christmas Park
- Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
- Steele Park
- Myres Bayside Park
- The Barnacle Historic State Park
- Blanche Park
- Virrick Park
- Munroe Park
- Coconut Grove Park
- Grand Avenue Park
- Ingraham Terrace Park
- Sunrise Park
In Popular Culture
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (December 2008) |
- The movie Where the Pavement Ends was filmed in Coconut Grove in 1923. It was directed by Rex Ingram and starred Ramon Navarro[10].
- Cocoanut Grove is the setting of the Marx Brothers's 1925 show The Cocoanuts (musical) and 1929 film The Cocoanuts.
- Pioneer Folk rock musician Fred Neil resided in, and wrote songs about Coconut Grove, notably on the song 'Bleecker & MacDougal'.
- 'Coconut Grove' is also a song by The Lovin' Spoonful.
- In the film Scarface Manny lives in an upscale home in the Grove.
- In the TV series Dexter, Dexter Morgan, lives in Coconut Grove.
- In the video for the song 'Careless Whisper' George Michael can be seen looking out at sea from a hotel balcony in Coconut Grove as a seaplane flies by.
- In the movie Bad Boys, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith follow a suspect through Coconut Grove.
- The movie Hoot, produced by Frank Marshall, Toby Emmerich and Jimmy Buffett (who also appears in the film and sings on the soundtrack) and based on a novel by Carl Hiaasen, is set in Coconut Grove.
- In Big Trouble, by Dave Barry, the main setting is Coconut Grove.
- The set for the TV series Burn Notice is in Coconut Grove, in what was once the City of Miami's Convention Center.
- Coconut Grove is the setting for the movie Meet The Fockers
- Coconut Grove has been a location on the show The First 48
- Coconut Grove is a location in the 1985 Burt Reynolds film "Stick". Stunt man falls off hi-rise condo building.
- The 2008 film "Marley and Me" with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson was filmed on location in Coconut Grove.
- The fourteen minute video of Michael Jackson's 1982 song Thriller included scenes that were filmed in Coconut Grove's old Bahamian cemetery [11].
See also
References
- ^ City of Miami official map
- ^ Blackman, E. V. Miami and Dade County, Florida. Washington, DC: Victor Rainbolt, 1921.
- ^ USNaviguide.com
- ^ Coconut Grove, FL - Community Profile
- ^ WPA Guide to Miami, Northport, NY: Bacon, Percy & Daggett, 1941, page 49.
- ^ Livingston, Grant (2000). "The Annexation of the City of Coconut Grove". Tequesta (Miami, FL: Historical Association of Southern Florida) LX: 32-55. ISSN 0363-3705. http://digitalcollections.fiu.edu/tequesta/files/2000/00_1.pdf?bcsi_scan_4D7E231455658879=0&bcsi_scan_filename=00_1.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-12-11.
- ^ COCONUT GROVE PLAYHOUSE : Broadway By The Bay
- ^ CMS Redirect
- ^ a b c "Demographics of Coconut Grove Miami, FL.". miamigov.com. http://www.miamigov.com/Planning/pages/services/Census.asp. Retrieved on 2008-06-11.
- ^ Planning Your Vacation in Florida, Miami and Dade County [WPA Guide to Miami], Northport, NY: Bacon, Percy & Daggett, 1941, p. 145.
- ^ Miami Herald Autopsy Planned After Jackson's Death by Audra D.S. Burch. p.A1
External links
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