South Miami

As the story goes with most of the cities in the Miami-Dade County Metropolitan Area, the land known as present-day South Florida had been inhabited by Native American tribes that included the Tequesta, Calusa, and Jaega long before European settlers arrived in the 16th century. In those days, Coconut Grove was called Little Hunting Ground, and Cutler was called Big Hunting Ground. In 1896, a pioneer named Wilson Alexander Larkins moved to the area of Fort Dallas which is now known as the Lummus Park Historic District. Larkins purchased some land west of Sunset Drive and Red Road, where he built a house and barn. In 1898, Larkins built the first general store in what is now known today as "Cocoplum Circle" or "Cartagena Plaza." In addition to that, he established a post office to accommodate the growing population. He was the postmaster for 16 years. Even though Larkins tried to name the area "Manila," he could stop everyone who moved there from calling the area "Larkins" in his honor. Another prominent person who did a lot in the establishment of South Miami is Harold W. Dorn and his brother Robert who owned a large mango and avocado farm in the area. Southwest 59th Avenue was named Dorn Avenue for the two brothers. Furthermore, in 1925, the Dorn brothers established the Riviera Theatre. Nevertheless, it was demolished, and Charles T. Fuchs built a bakery on the vacant lot. 

South Miami is only minutes away from places such as Santa's Enchanted Forest located 16 minutes away at 7900 SW 40th Street in Olympia Heights. This seasonal park is open November through October and features Christmas displays, petting zoo, food and more. In addition to that, you have the Venetian Pool, located on De Soto Boulevard, featuring a spring-water-filled pool and waterfalls. Occupying a shallow quarry, the pool displaces around 820,000 US gallons of fresh water every day from nearby artesian wells and is considered to be the largest natural freshwater pool in the country. If you’re wondering where residents go for shopping and dining, you have The Shops at Sunset Place an outdoor shopping mall located at 5701 Sunset Drive. The Shops have upscale stores such as Forever 21, GAP, GAP Kids, Polo, Z Gallerie. Additionally, you have restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy Johns, and Johnny Rockets. Another alluring feature about South Miami is the Riviera Golf Course located less than 15 minutes away at 1155 Blue Road. This members-only golf course offers members a challenging 18-hole course designed by Donald Ross in 1946. It also provides private lessons so you can improve your game. 

South Miami has been influenced by many styles of architecture from around the world and provided potential homebuyers a large variety of home styles. Real estate in South Miami includes Ranch, Art Deco, Classical American, Modern, Italianate, Colonial, Mission-Revival, Cottage, Tudor, Craftsman, Spanish-Mediterranean, Spanish-Ranch, and many others. Single-family homes for sale in South Miami range in size from one bedroom, one bathroom, and 684 square feet to six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and 6,300 square feet. Furthermore, if you can’t find what you’re looking for in South Miami, we can still assist you in locating a home in one of our neighboring communities. If you’re interested in learning more about real estate options in South Miami, please contact us today for further details.