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Opa-locka, Florida

City of Opa-locka, Florida
Opa-tisha-wocka-locka (Seminole)
City
Opa-locka City Hall
Opa-locka City Hall
Official seal of City of Opa-locka, Florida
Seal
Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida
Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
Coordinates: 25°54′4.39″N 80°15′2.96″W / 25.9012194°N 80.2508222°W / 25.9012194; -80.2508222Coordinates: 25°54′4.39″N 80°15′2.96″W / 25.9012194°N 80.2508222°W / 25.9012194; -80.2508222
Country  United States of America
State  Florida
County Miami-Dade
Incorporated May 14, 1926
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
 • Mayor Myra Taylor
 • Vice Mayor Timothy Holmes
 • Commissioners Joseph L. Kelley,Luis B. Santiago
 • City Clerk Joanna Flores
Area
 • City 11.6 km2 (4.5 sq mi)
 • Land 11.2 km2 (4.3 sq mi)
 • Water 0.4 km2 (0.1 sq mi)  3.13%
Population (2010)
 • City 15,219
 • Density 1,365.2/km2 (3,535.8/sq mi)
 • Metro 5,422,200
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Zip Codes 33054
Area code(s) 305, 786
Website http://www.opalockafl.gov/

Opa-locka is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 15,219. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss and was based on a One Thousand and One Nights theme. Opa-locka has the largest collection of Moorish Revival architecture in the Western hemisphere. Its streets have names like Sabur Lane, Sultan Avenue, Ali Baba Avenue, Perviz Avenue and Sesame Street. Opa-locka has an area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2) and is located in the northeastern area of Miami-Dade County, Florida.

The name Opa-locka is an abbreviation of a Seminole place name, spelled Opa-tisha-wocka-locka. The original name probably signified a wooded hammock in a swamp.

Opa-locka was founded by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss in 1926. Curtiss developed the city with a Moorish architecture theme. While the 1926 Miami hurricane badly damaged the city and brought the Florida land boom to a halt, several Moorish-style buildings survived. Twenty of the original Moorish Revival architecture buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Opa-locka Thematic Resource Area.

Amelia Earhart launched her historic trip around the world from Miami Municipal Airport, just south of Opa-locka. The famous German dirigible Graf Zeppelin visited the NAS Miami, which later became Opa-locka Airport, as a regular stop on its Germany-Brazil-United States-Germany scheduled route.


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