July 28, 1896: The Day Miami Became a City

Miami celebrates its birthday on July 28. On that day in 1896, the residents of the new railroad town met to make it an official city.

The incorporation meeting

The meeting was held in a building on the north side of the river, chaired by Joseph A. McDonald, one of Flagler's construction chiefs. Under Florida law, a town needed a minimum number of registered voters to incorporate as a city. Records differ on exactly how many men voted, but sources agree that several hundred did, and that a large share of them, often cited as roughly a third, were Black workers who had come to build the railroad and hotel.

A city named Miami

Some suggested naming the city after Flagler, but he reportedly declined. The name Miami, from the river and a word associated with the area's Native peoples, was chosen instead.

First officials

John B. Reilly, who worked for Flagler's development company, was elected the first mayor. The city at incorporation had a population of only a few hundred people.

A complicated legacy

Black voters were essential to incorporation, yet within a few years Florida's segregation laws and restrictions on voting pushed them out of political life. Black residents were confined to a section northwest of downtown known as Colored Town, later Overtown.

Growth from day one

Miami grew quickly from this small beginning: by 1920 it had nearly 30,000 residents, and it would soon become one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

The early city government

Miami's first city government faced the challenges of a frontier boomtown: building streets, providing water and sewers, preventing fires and keeping order. Many early services were closely tied to Flagler's company, which owned key utilities and land.

Fires and early growth

Like many young American towns built of wood, early Miami suffered a serious fire on Christmas Day 1896 that destroyed many businesses. The town rebuilt quickly, a pattern that would repeat after hurricanes in later years.

Becoming the county seat

Miami grew quickly enough that the seat of Dade County was moved to Miami in 1899. The county's courthouse and government offices helped cement Miami's position as the region's center.

Celebrating Miami's birthday

Each July 28, Miami marks its founding. Historians and community groups use the date to tell a fuller story of the city's beginnings, including the role of Black voters and workers, Bahamian immigrants and the women and men who built the city from the ground up.