Kevin Aviles

 Hialeah Presentation Blog Post 

Last week in class I learned many key facts about the city of Hialeah. I learned about the history that shaped Hialeah into what it is today and the future plans that are being developed to make Hialeah a more welcoming and safer place for its residents. The class split the information into 4 distinct categories. One group in the class presented on the topic discussing Hialeah’s past, the second group talked about the migration in Hialeah, my group talked about Hialeah’s present, and the final group spoke about the future of Hialeah and the cool development plans that are in store for the wonderful city of Hialeah. Last week was an amazing day of learning new information that I had never considered before, and it taught me a lot about the city that is my community.  

The first group in the class presented on the topic of Hialeah’s past and its history. Group 1 explored Hialeah’s government. An interesting fact that we learned about was that only 532 people were registered to vote in Hialeah in 1925. In 2019 the number of registered voters grew to about 103,391 people (about the seating capacity of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum). Hialeah was founded in 1920 and had less than 2000 citizens and in 1940 the population doubled to 4000. The population increased in 1960 to around 67,000 citizens largely due to the Cuban Revolution that happened in 1959 and caused a lot of Cubans to migrate to Florida and settle in Hialeah. In the 1980s, the population in Hialeah was up to 145,000 and about 74% of the population was Latino. All the information about the population changes throughout Hialeah’s past was fascinating to learn about. Group 1 also talked about the Hialeah residents at this time, they were characterized by a hard-working and diverse community of individuals who were proud of their family-oriented neighborhoods. Hialeah’s architectural style was influenced by the history of climate, cultural heritage, and architectural trends. The architecture included stucco walls, red tiled roofs, arched windows and doors, and geometric shapes with decorative details. Group 1 also highlighted the Ameritec building because of its unique design and the Bright House for being the oldest house in Hialeah. Learning about Bright House was cool, and that is an interesting fact about Hialeah that I did not know about before this fantastic presentation. Group 1 mentioned the establishment of the first library in Hialeah and its first elementary school.  

The second group talked about Hialeah’s migration. The highest surge of migration happened in South Florida between the years 1960-1980. Most of the immigrants migrating to Hialeah, Florida were Cubans. Group 2 talked about the challenges that immigrants from Cuba faced when they moved to Hialeah. Unemployment and language barriers were huge challenges that plagued the Cuban community in Hialeah. Credential recognition programs and targeted job training helped immigrants contribute and benefit from the economy in Hialeah. A problem that arose due to the many immigrants moving to Hialeah was infrastructure and problems with urban planning. Hialeah needed to expand transportation services, utilities, and healthcare to meet the demands of its surging population. Group 2 also touched on the good aspects of the immigrant population in Hialeah which was that many immigrants developed their own businesses created jobs and provided goods and opportunities for the people in Hialeah. Group 2 provided the big milestone events of Cuban migration starting with the golden exile in 1959, freedom flights in 1965, Mariel boat lift in 1980, and Balsero crisis in 1994. Group 2 presented the plights that immigrants in Hialeah faced which were unemployment but also discrimination and social alienation. Immigrants lived with the fear of deportation. Some aspects made the transition to the United States easier for the immigrants moving to Hialeah which was that the Cuban population gave the presence of Spanish speakers and made the language barrier not as big of a problem. Group 2 talked about the Immigrants Reform and Control Act of 1986 which provided a path to legalization to citizens that been in the United States since before January 1st, 1982. The act allowed about 2.7 million immigrants (about the population of Mississippi) nationwide to provide status and obtain legal residency. Group 2 discussed further the issue of the Muriel boat lift and the controversy surrounding the event. The incident created a divide within the Cuban community. The immigrants who arrived from the Muriel boat lift of 1980 were mostly Afro-Cubans from low education backgrounds and practiced Santeria. Old Cubans from before were mostly White, Catholic, or Protestant. The information provided by Group 2 on the migration trends of Hialeah was informative, and I learned how Hialeah has changed since its beginning.  

My group was presenting on the topic of Hialeah’s present. We decided to create a video because it would allow us to deliver information regarding Hialeah’s present time in an informative and creative way. We talked about Hialeah’s schools and its diverse religious institutions. We went over the population in Hialeah and the current trends of the city and its role as an urban center. Our group also provided information about Hialeah's socioeconomic issues. Hialeah’s diverse community was also an important part of our presentation because the city is home to a multicultural community from different countries from the Caribbean and Latin America. I presented on the culinary tradition in Hialeah and the diverse cuisines offered highlighting the multicultural aspects of Hialeah. The vibrant and active social scene is also an important part of the community in Hialeah and details about the arts scenes and different venues where residents go to enjoy the city were discussed in our presentation. My group concluded the presentation by talking about Calle 8 and the malls in Hialeah. 

The final group in the class talked about the future of Hialeah. Group 4 discussed the infrastructure challenges that Hialeah faces and their future plans to address these challenges. The city is developing comprehensive plans to create transit-oriented developments, reduce automobile traffic, and improve air quality. Group 4 informed the class on the future of Hialeah’s population and schools. The city of Hialeah is also developing America Dream Mall which will include a waterpark, ice rink, and up to 2000 stores. The new mall sounds exciting, and I cannot wait to visit when construction is complete. Overall, the future for Hialeah looks bright, and thanks to the information that Group 4 provided I can look forward to many new developments planned by the city of Hialeah.  

The information the class and I learned was highly informative and relevant to our lives. As people who live in South Florida and participate in this community, it is vital to understand and appreciate the cities and locations we occupy and live in. Hialeah is an important city in our community and learning about its many aspects gave me a new sense of appreciation for the city and its residents.