The name “Allapattah”
comes from the Seminole Indian word for
alligator. The initial settlement of the Allapattah community began in 1856 when William
P.Wagner, the first permanent settler, arrived
from Charleston, South Carolina and established
a homestead of forty acres where Miami Jackson
High School presently stands.Allapattah is
also the neighborhood lying immediately Northwest of
Downtown Miami.
The total population of Allapattah is 44,486
persons (12.3%) of the City’s population and is
mainly of Hispanic origin. It emerged in the
1960's as a neighborhood with the second highest
concentration of Cubans and in the 1990's with the
highest concentration of Dominicans in the City of
Miami. At the present time, Allapattah is a mosaic of
people from many South and Central American and
Caribbean countries.
Allapattah is the proud home of some of the
finest medical facilities in the United States.
Institutions like the Bascom Palmer Eye
Institute, the Ryder Trauma Center, Cedars of
Lebanon Hospital and the Veterans Administration
Hospital are but a few of the many outstanding
diagnostic, treatment and research facilities in
the area, attracting patients and distinguished
physicians from all over the world.
Civic Center, a seat of local, county and state
governmental agencies is located a few blocks
away. The Dade Criminal Justice Building, Dade
County Jail, and the Public Health Department
are found steps away from each other. Centers of
education, such as the Lindsey Hopkins Adult
Education Center, Miami Dade School of Medicine
and Miami Jackson High School, are also located
in this area.
The 20th Street merchant’s corridor, between
27th and 17th avenues, is now famous for its
multiple garment manufacturing and wholesale
outlets attracting buyers and exporters from all
over, especially from Latin America and the
Caribbean. Nearby, the Produce Market, the
largest open-air food distribution center in
Miami, serves local supermarkets and “bodegas”
with the freshest variety of South Florida
produce, tropical fruits and many other
products.
The largest industrial area of the city is
located in Allapattah. Many trades are well
represented here and a wide range of services
are offered: clothes manufacturers, auto repair
shops, paint and body shops, carpentry and
upholstery shops. Additionally, there are
several shipyards and dry docks located along
the banks of the Miami River.
Allapattah NET has helped bring stability to
this neighborhood, and contributed to the
revitalization of the area by improving the
physical, economic and social conditions. The
Allapattah neighborhood has benefited from the
many municipal and social services offered by
NET. By working together with the Minimum
Housing Agency, Allapattah NET has helped
improve the conditions of many tenants living in
sub minimal housing standards. The 20th Street
Merchants Association was created with the
support of Allapattah NET to encourage merchants
to unite in the revitalization of the area.
Extra police has been assigned to this
commercial corridor, reducing crime greatly.
Allapattah NET has cleared the area of abandoned
vehicles, and has considerably reduced illegal
mechanical repairs in this neighborhood.
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