Coral Gables

History

Coral Gables was formally incorporated as a city on April 29, 1925. It is a planned community based on the popular early 20th-century City Beautiful Movement and is known for its strict zoning regulations. The city was developed by George Merrick, a real estate developer from Pennsylvania, during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. Merrick named the development after his family's home, a plantation built in the early 1900s. The main building of their estate had been named Coral Gables because it was built with Miami Limestone (commonly called "coral rock") and coral-colored Ludowici tile. Much of the early construction in Coral Gables was carried out by Bahamian immigrant laborers, many of whom were skilled stonemasons experienced in working with the local coral rock used in many of the city’s early buildings and infrastructure.

The city's architecture is almost entirely Mediterranean Revival style, mandated in the original plan, with an emphasis on Spanish influence in particular, such as the Coral Gables Congregational Church, donated by Merrick. The domed Catholic Church of the Little Flower was built later, in a similar Spanish Renaissance style.

Early in the city's planning and development, Merrick shared his vision for Coral Gables as "a most extraordinary opportunity for the building of 'Castles in Spain'," according to Coral Gables historian Arva Moore Parks. Merrick's success in executing this vision for the city would catch the attention of Spain's king, Alfonso XIII, who awarded Merrick the Order of Isabella the Catholic for his support of Spanish culture in Coral Gables.

By 1926, the city covered 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) and had netted $150 million in sales, with over $100 million spent on development. That year also had the opening of the Biltmore Hotel and Golf Course, a major landmark in city.

Merrick meticulously designed the city with distinct zones. For example, he designed the downtown commercial district to be only four blocks wide and more than 2 miles (3.2 km) long. The main artery, now known as Miracle Mile, bisected the business district. The city used to have an electric trolley system, which was ended as a result of the growing use of automobiles, but now a new free circulator trolley system, initiated in November 2003, runs down Ponce de León Boulevard. Another distinctive and character-defining feature of the city planned by Merrick are the themed Coral Gables Villages that date to the 1920s and were designed to expand the city's architecture beyond Spanish influence to include Italian, French, and Dutch South African, among others.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.2 square miles (96 km2), of which 24.0 square miles (62 km2) (64.64%) are covered by water.

Climate

Coral Gables has a tropical climate, similar to that found in much of the Caribbean. It is part of the only region in the 48 contiguous states that falls under that category. More specifically, it generally has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Coral Gables had a population of 49,248. The median age was 41.9 years; 16.6% of residents were under 18 and 20.1% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males, and for every 100 females 18 and over, there were 85.0 males 18 and over.

All of the residents lived in urban areas, while none lived in rural areas.

Of the 19,074 households in Coral Gables, 26.0% had children under 18 living in them, 48.8% were married-couple households, 16.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

The city had 21,868 housing units, of which 12.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.0%.

2010 census

According to the 2010 United States census, 46,780 people, 16,453 households, and 10,377 families were residing in the city. In 2010, 11.4% of households were vacant.

2000 census

In 2000, 24.45% had children under 18 living with them, 61.11% were family households, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.89% were not families. The average household size was 2.36, and the average household had 1.68 vehicles.

2022 estimate

In 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the median household income in the city was $118,203; the estimated per capita income was $74,780. Some 9.5% of the citizens were thought to be living below the poverty line.

Economy

Major economic contributors to Coral Gables include:

The University of Miami is the largest employer in Coral Gables since the city's founding, with over 20,000 faculty and staff employees as of 2024.

Baptist Hospital of Miami is the second-largest employer in Coral Gables.

Bacardi has its United States headquarters with 300 employees at 2701 Le Jeune Road.

Intelsat has its Latin American headquarters in Suite 1100 at One Alhambra Plaza.

Fresh Del Monte Produce is headquartered in Coral Gables.

ExxonMobil has a marine-fuels operation in Suite 900 at One Alhambra Plaza in Coral Gables

MasTec, Inc., the second-largest Hispanic-owned company in the nation, is located at 800 South Douglas Road.

Odebrecht has over 300 employees at its location at 201 Alhambra Circle.

American Airlines maintains the Ponce de Leon Travel Center at 901 Ponce De Leon Boulevard.

Dolphin Entertainment is an independent film studio in Coral Gables.

FIFA maintains its North American headquarters in Coral Gables in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will include Miami.

Tourism

Located 4 miles from Miami International Airport, Coral Gables has around 140 dining establishments and gourmet shops and many notable international retailers. Among Coral Gables landmarks are the Venetian Pool, Douglas Entrance, and Miami Biltmore hotel.

Arts and culture

Places of interest

Coral Gables Villages

Coral Way

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Miami Biltmore Hotel

Miracle Mile

Riviera Schools

Shops at Merrick Park

University of Miami

Venetian Pool

Festivals and events

Festival of Art, University of Miami, held in January

Carnival on the Mile, Miracle Mile, held in February/March

Junior Orange Bowl Festival, held in December–January

Public libraries

Miami-Dade Public Library System operates the Coral Gables Branch Library in Coral Gables.

Education

University of Miami

The University of Miami, a private university ranked in the top tier of national universities, with particular national status in the fields of business, engineering, law, marine science, medicine, communications, and music, is located in Coral Gables.

Primary and secondary schools

Coral Gables schools are part of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which serve Miami-Dade County. The district has several high schools in Coral Gables, most notably Coral Gables Senior High School and International Studies Preparatory Academy, both of which educate students in grades nine through 12. It also has a kindergarten-grade 8 school, Coral Gables Preparatory Academy (formerly Coral Gables Elementary School), with two campuses, including a historic campus located on Ponce de Leon Boulevard. Henry S. West Laboratory Elementary is another school for kindergarten-grade 6. Also, it has two middle schools: George Washington Carver Middle School located on Lincoln Drive and Ponce de Leon Middle School located across from the University of Miami on the east side of U.S. Route 1 on Augusto Street. Present-day George Washington Carver Middle School was moved to its current location on Grand Avenue on land donated by George Merrick. When Carver died in 1942, the school was renamed in his honor.

Gulliver Academy, Marian C. Krutulis Campus, a prekindergarten-grade 8 school that is a member of Gulliver Schools, is within Coral Gables. The management offices of Gulliver Schools were formerly located in Coral Gables. The lower campus of Riviera Schools is located in Coral Gables.

The historic St. Theresa Catholic School, a prekindergarten-grade 8 school, is located near Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel. St. Philip's Episcopal School, the French-American School of Miami, and St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School, all prekindergarten-grade 5 schools, are also located in Coral Gables. Coral Gables Preparatory Academy, a private kindergarten-grade 8 school, is located in Coral Gables.

Media

The Miami Herald is the region's predominant daily newspaper. Coral Gables has one newspaper, Coral Gables News Tribune, which is published twice monthly and covers local and regional news and one weekly newspaper that is part of the portfolio of Miami Community Newspapers publications.

At the University of Miami in Coral Gables, The Miami Hurricane, the official student newspaper, is published weekly each Tuesday.

Coral Gables is part of the Miami-area media market.

Film location

Numerous movies have been filmed fully or partially in Coral Gables, including Nude on the Moon (1961), Goldilocks and the Three Bares (1963), Jimmy, the Boy Wonder (1966), I Eat Your Skin (1971), Shock Waves (1977), Absence of Malice (1981), The Mean Season (1985), Miami Rhapsody (1995), Bad Boys (1995), The Perez Family (1995), Fair Game (1995), Two Much (1995), Blood and Wine (1996), Curdled (1996), Wild Things (1998), The Hours (2002), My Sexiest Year (2007), Dostna (2008), Posthumous (2012), and others.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Coral Gables is served by Miami Metrobus, and by Miami Metrorail at University Station.

Coral Gables provides a free trolley service.

Notable people

Doris Hart former world number-one tennis player and winner of 34 Grand Slam titles

Marc Anthony, salsa singer

Juan Alvarez, former professional pitcher for the Anaheim Angels, Florida Marlins, and Texas Rangers

Zach Banks, racing driver

Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist

Shane Battier, former professional basketball player, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Miami Heat

Bruce R. Berkowitz, mutual fund manager

Kevin Buckler, race car driver and founder of the Racer's Group

Columba Bush, former First Lady of Florida

Jeb Bush, 43rd Governor of Florida

Marty Bystrom, former professional pitcher for the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies

Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop

Colleen Corby, model

Alice Dixson, actress, commercial model, and former beauty queen

Gail Edwards, actress, It's a Living, Blossom, and Full House

Gus Gandarillas, former professional pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers

Juan Ramón Jiménez, Nobel Prize-winning author

Sister cities

Coral Gables' sister cities are:

Aix-en-Provence, France

Cartagena, Colombia

Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala

Santa Tecla, El Salvador

Seville, Spain

San Isidro, Argentina

Coral Gables' emeritus cities are:

El Puerto de Santa María, Spain

Province of Pisa, Italy

Granada, Spain

Quito, Ecuador

Diplomatic missions

Countries with consulates in Coral Gables include: Barbados, Colombia, El Salvador, Italy, Peru, Spain, Monaco, St. Lucia, and Uruguay.

Countries with honorary consulates in Coral Gables include: Australia, Belize, Hungary, Senegal, St. Kitts and Nevis, Togo, and Thailand. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office maintains Taiwan's diplomatic mission here.

In popular culture

The 2014 adventure game A Golden Wake is based on the founding and development of Coral Gables in the 1920s.