It is hard to imagine that the City of Opa-Locka was once comparable to today’s South Beach. Opa-Locka began as a vision of Glen Curtiss, the man responsible for developing the cities of Miami Springs and Hialeah. Occupying 4.2 miles in northern Miami Dade County, Opa-Locka is a page out of Arabian nights boasting one of the greatest collections of Moorish architecture in the Western Hemisphere. Curtiss approached Bernhardt Muller in 1925 about helping him create a city that was beautiful and unique, yet distinct from the Spanish Mediterranean architecture that dominated cities such as Coral Gables. The name Opa-Locka is derived from an Indian word “Opatishawockalocka” meaning “a big island covered with many trees and swamps. By 1921 Curtiss shortened the name to “Opa-Locka”. Curtiss wanted Opa-Locka to be the most perfect city that planning and engineering could achieve and the most beautiful art man could conceive.

The City of Opa-Locka was incorporated in 1926. Curtis built more than 100 buildings with an array of domes, minarets, and outdoor staircases between 1925 and 1928 during Florida’s land boom years. The streets bore names the characters from Arabian nights such as Sharazad, Alibaba, and Aladdin. In its early days, Opa-Locka was an all-white community that attracted middle class home buyers. The city had its own airport, zoo, golf course, archery club, and swimming pool. Shortly after the 1926 hurricane, which destroyed many of the structures, the U.S Navy opened a base at Opa-Locka Airport. The City began to decline when the Navy pulled out following World War II during the 1950s. By the 1980s, the white middle class was moving out and the working middle class was moving in. The area became settled by black laborers who laid railroad tracks for the Seaboard rail line. Following this transition The City has experienced a sharp decline, become one of the most violent and poverty stricken communities in South Florida. The City has become a mix of residential, commercial and industrial zones with the Opa-Locka airport being its best known landmark.

Under the direction of Mayor Joseph Kelly, city officials have vowed to turn the city around by focusing on crime prevention, cleaning up around the city, and reaching financial stability. Despite the plague of problems The City has encountered in the past, the city is trying to regain the spirit it was founded with in the 1920s. The Opa-Locka community has increased the sense of community and pride among its residents.  The City offers programs that promote homeownership, improving the public schools, and repairing public infrastructure. The city has also capitalized on its Arabian Nights theme by an annual celebration called the Arabian Night’s festival. At least 30 churches are crowded into the small city. Opa-Locka residents have access to three parks and recreation facilities. Despite its limited resources Texas Justice, Bad Boyz II, and 2 Fast 2 Furious

North: N.W. 151^st Street

South: N.W. 125^th Street

East: N.W. 45^th Avenue

West: N.W. 47^th Avenue