Coral Gables
Mediterranean in its palm-shaded style, fiercely protective of its 1920s-boomtime character, and home to a spectrum of parks, museums, historical places, academics and business, Coral Gables may represent an uncommon balance in all of Florida, a "rare pearl."
Well-Located
Coral Gables' geography seems a kind of gift. it's an arty but upscale community that prides itself on walkability -- yet it's only a short train ride from a true metropolis. The Miami Metrorail makes three stops inside city lines, and it connects to Miami International Airport, just four miles away.
Six miles southwest of the heart of happening Miami, Coral Gables is also near the ocean. Positioned just west of Coconut Grove and the Florida seaboard, the city is a community conveniently situated with access to the highway — along a stretch of Route 1 that begins where Interstate 95 leaves off.
With a population of some 43,000 people, Coral Gables' typically tree-lined residential streets surround a downtown core complete with high-rise office buildings, dining, entertainment and shopping districts. The University of Miami makes its main campus in the city, and among other cultural and historic attractions, Coral Gables is home to the famous Biltmore Hotel.
Developer George E. Merrick designed and built Coral Gables in 1922, seeing it as his chance to bring the aesthetics of the country's City Beautiful movement to Dade County. Coral Gables was incorporated in 1925. A visionary city-maker, Merrick also made a land grant that allowed the state's University to make its home there.
Schools
Now Coral Gables' largest employer, the University of Miami is home to its more than 15,000 full-time students during the school year — bringing not only a youthful energy to Coral Gables in the fall and spring, but also making the city a central player in the world of medicine, law and oceanographic research.
Coral Gables is far from a typical college town, however. Major companies that make their home in the city: Del Monte, Intelsat, and Dolphin Entertainment, an independent film studio that specializes in children's productions.
Inside the city, students attend Coral Gables High School, George Washington Carver Middle School, and Coral Gables Elementary schools. No less than two newspapers keep residents in touch with municipal developments, including The Coral Gables Gazette (the local indie, online only) and The Coral Gables News Tribune (part of the region's larger newspaper conglomerate).
People and Character
With a median age of 38, and a median household income of about $85,000, the city is also home to one of the most vibrant populations of Cuban ancestry in the United States. The city celebrates that influence, including summer concerts that focus on Cuban musicians such as Vicentico Valdes.
While it can be on the cutting edge of scholarship and cultural diaspora, the city is also protective of its unique character. Merrick's adherence to the style and substance of the Mediterranean Revival in Florida, in the 1920s, is evidenced in the city's colors, facades, and green spaces. City ordinances and zoning reflect residents' caution about compromising the atmosphere that Merrick brought to his corner of Florida.
When it comes to fun, residents and visitors alike make regular pilgrimages to Coral Gables' spring-fed Venetian Pool, its 83-acre Fairchild Tropical Garden, and its Granada and Biltmore golf courses. Art lovers are also at home, enjoying the University's Lowe Art Museum and Gables Galleries Nights, during which more than 4,000 people have been known to walk and trolley their way to the dozens of venues throughout the city.
And Coral Gables likes to eat. With more than 140 restaurants in the city, and so close to the Atlantic Ocean, there is of course seafood, seafood, and seafood. On the other hand, the nearby international culture, so richly connected to the city, means that Cuban, Argentinian, and other international restaurants and markets are poised to bring you new adventures of the palette.
Location, design, culture, cuisine and art: the city of Coral Gables is all these things, and more. The idea is balanced, the execution is stylish and carefully preserved, and the proximity to everything Florida — from beaches to the resources (and nightlife) of Miami is hard to overlook.
For more information, check out the city's website, which is packed with links and further ideas about what earns Coral Gables its nickame: "The City Beautiful."
