The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.
19th century
1870 – William Brickell establishes a trading post on the south side of the Miami River. 1880 – Population: county 100. 1884 – The first hotel, The Peacock Inn, is established in Coconut Grove. 1886 Ralph Munroe builds a home on the bay in Coconut Grove. Kirk Munroe establishes a home in Coconut Grove. 1889 – Teaching begins in the first school building in Coconut Grove. 1891 – Julia Tuttle moves to Miami. 1895 – The first public library is established in Coconut Grove by the ladies of the Pine Needles Club. 1896 Miami incorporated; John B. Reilly becomes mayor. Florida East Coast Railway (Jacksonville-Miami) arrives in Miami. Miami Metropolis newspaper begins publication. Biscayne Hotel built. 1897 Royal Palm Hotel in business. City of Miami Cemetery established. 1898 Burdines in business. David Fairchild establishes the USDA Plant Introduction Garden. 1899 Dade County seat relocated to Miami from Juno. Telephone service begins in Miami. 1900 Flagler Public Library, Miami Board of Trade, and Woman's Club founded. Population: 1,681.
20th century
1900s-1940s
1902 – Carpenters Local 993 labor union established. 1903 John Sewell becomes mayor. Ransom Everglades School is established in Coconut Grove. The Miami Herald newspaper begins publication. 1906 Streetcars begin operating. Automobile parade. 1909 City Hall built. Lummus Park opens. 1910 – Population: 5,471; county 11,933. 1912 – Airport established near Miami. 1913 Bridge to Miami Beach constructed. Lyric Theater opens. 1914 – Construction of Vizcaya begins. 1915 Miami Chamber of Commerce established. Town of Miami Beach incorporated near Miami. 1916 – David Fairchild establishes The Kampong, his winter home in Coconut Grove. 1917 – Elser Pier opens. 1918 – Airdrome Theatre and Strand Theatre open. 1919 Coconut Grove is incorporated. Great Miami Employers' Association established. Seybold Canal Bridge built (approximate date). 1920 Universal Negro Improvement Association chapter established. Population: 29,549; county 42,753.
1921
Commission-manager form of government adopted. WQAM radio begins broadcasting. Tamiami Canal Bridge built. 1923 – Miami Times newspaper begins publication. 1924 Buena Vista becomes part of Miami. Miami River Canal Swing Bridge built. Fotosho Theatre opens. 1925 Allapattah, Coconut Grove, Lemon City, Silver Bluff, and West Little River become part of Miami. Bayfront Park opens. Towns of Coral Gables and Hialeah incorporated near Miami. University of Miami established in Coral Gables. 1926 January 10: Prinz Valdemar ship sinks offshore. September: Hurricane. WIOD radio begins broadcasting. Player's State Theater built. Booker T. Washington High School, Olympia Theater, and Tower Theater open. Town of Miami Shores incorporated near Miami. Wometco – first movie theater, the Capital, opens. 1927 Flagler Theater opens. E. G. Sewell becomes mayor. Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church built. Jewish Floridian newspaper begins publication. 1928 Pan American Field (airfield) begins operating. Dade County Agricultural High school built. Al Capone buys a home in Miami Beach. 1929 - Sears, Roebuck and Company Department Store opens. 1930 Miami Civic Center opens. Population: 110,637. 1933 February 15: Chicago mayor Anton Cermak killed by anarchist in Bayfront Park. E. G. Sewell becomes mayor again. Ryder, the truck leasing company, founded in Miami. 1935 January 1: Orange Bowl football contest begins. November: Hurricane. 1936 – Parrot Jungle established. 1937 – Burdine Stadium, and Liberty Square (housing complex) open. 1938 – Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden opens to the public. 1939 – E. G. Sewell becomes mayor yet again. 1940 Historical Association of Southern Florida established. Population: 172,172; county 267,739. 1941 – Dorsey Memorial Library opens. 1942 May: Portero del Llano ship sinks offshore during World War II. Submarine Chaser Training Center established. 1943 – Urban League of Greater Miami established. 1946 – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People branch established in Liberty City. 1948 – Coconut Grove Citizens Committee for Slum Clearance and Civil Rights Congress chapter organized. 1949 – WTVJ (television) begins broadcasting.