Dwarves, Drunks, and Horses: Odd Facts About the Foundings of Ten Miami-Dade Towns

By Kyle Munzenrieder Thu., Jul. 5 2012 at 8:00 AM

6. Doral Got Its Name From a Combination of the Names of Developer Al Kaskel and Wife Doris
Well, technically, the town, incorporated in 2003, takes its names from the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, which in turn takes its name from a combination of its founders' first names. We should all be thankful Al Kaskel did not marry a woman named Ana. Think about it. Think. Got it? Haha, Anal.

7. Florida City Was Original Named Detroit
In a land promotion, the newly developed area of what's now called Florida City was marketed to people from Detroit, Michigan, and named Detroit, Florida. Edward Stiling and Dr. T.W. Shields, both of Detroit, sold the land to the families, but when the town was incorporated, Shields decided to change its name to Florida City. (Imagined thought process: "What should we call this new city in Florida? I've got it! Florida City! Perfect!"). Stiling opposed the name change and filed an unsuccessful lawsuit to block it.

8. Biscayne Park's Founders Made It Illegal to Kill Birds Within Village Limits
Virginia Gardens had its horse lovers, but Biscayne Park was for the birds. On its incorporation in 1933 (after the City of Miami decided to lop it off during the Great Depression), village founders declared the entire sixth of a square mile a bird sanctuary. To this day, it is still illegal to hunt, trap, or kill any bird within Biscayne Park's limits.

9. The Bal in Bal Harbour Is Made Up
Ever wonder what the hell the Bal in Bal Harbour means? Well, the area was originally known as Bay Harbour, but founders decided that was too boring. So they made up the word Bal instead. It's a combination of the words Bay and Atlantic, because the village is surrounded by Biscayne Bay on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. We can only suspect that the use of the British spelling of harbor can be chalked up to pretension.

10. Miami Gardens Originally Wanted to Call Itself "City of Destiny"
Miami Gardens wasn't incorporated until 2003, but there was an effort in 1996 to incorporate it under the name "City of Destiny." That eventually failed, and we're thankful the Dolphins and Hurricanes today do not play in a place called the City of Destiny.

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Glenn61

Opalocka ,,,I was born and raised there,,,,,not proud of it,,,,, but it was different.,,,LOL

Guest

Her name is Doris, do your research before making yourself look like a fool!

Trina

A municipality is a town, city, or village.

Trick Daddy

Pork and beans is not a town or municipality

Al kohalic

Interesting article. I wonder how pork & beans projects got that name? FIND OUT AND LET US KNOW.

Old Timer

Interesting... what about Lemon City, Miami Shores, Little River, Edison Center, El Portel, Gratigny, etc? When I was growing up in North Miami, all of these were distinct places, although development had blurred many of the town and village lines. I still remember going to the Lemon City Library, which was housed in an old wood house, with a broad front porch and creaky wooden floors.

Joy

Not to mention Allapattah (sp?). Actually I lived in El Portal on NW 86th st. off N. Miami Ave. which backed up to Little River. The community of Little River was named after just that, a little river. Looks like a canal, but it is actually a natural waterway which runs to Biscayne Bay. There are locks to regulate water flow over near 82nd St. & Biscayne Blvd. so it isn't navigable all the way out. I believe El Portal was a developer's invention back in the 1920s real estate boom when they were on a Mediterranean kick. It just means gate or door in Spanish. It's my understanding that there was an actual gate way over near Biscayne Blvd. & 87th St. at one point, in the neighborhood of the village hall.