Opa-locka, Florida is a region that experiences a tropical monsoon climate, which is also known as “Am” under the Köppen climate classification. What this means is that the summers are hot and humid, and the winters are short and warm. There is a distinctly drier season in the winter months. Opa-locka’s sea-level elevation, location along the southern Atlantic Coast of Florida, subtropical position from the Equator, and proximity to the Gulf Stream are all instrumental in shaping the city’s climate.
In January, temperatures average around 67 degrees Fahrenheit, and the entire winter season is mild to warm. Any cool air that settles into the Opa-locka area usually originates after a cold front passes through from the west. This phenomenon produces most of the rainfall, which is still very minimal during the winter. Low temperatures in Opa-locka occasionally fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, though it is rare to see them in the freezing range or even dipping below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter highs generally range between 70–77 degrees.
The wet season in Opa-locka develops in mid-May, and winds down in mid-October, and this period is characterized by higher temperatures. Generally, the wet season features temperatures in the mid 80s to low 90s degree range in Opa-locka. High humidity complements these temperatures, though there is some respite from the heat and humidity: Many Opa-locka afternoons result in thunderstorms or pleasant sea breezes that develops off the Atlantic Ocean. The majority of the year’s average 56 inches of rainfall occurs during this period in Opa-locka. Extreme temperatures were recorded at 27 degrees Fahrenheit on February 3, 1917, and 100 degrees on July 21, 1940.
Hurricane season in Opa-locka officially starts June 1 and lasts through November 30. Still, hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depressions can develop beyond these dates. The most likely time for Opa-locka to be hit is during mid-August through the end of September.
Monday, June 27, 2011
City of Opa-locka, Florida: General Information
As of the census of the 2007 conducted mid-decade census, there were 15,376 people, 5,190 households, and approximately 4,000 families residing in the city of Opa-locka, Florida. This translates into a population density was 3,451.9 inhabitants per square mile, with 5,407 housing units at an average density of 1,248.4 per square mile.
In these 5,190 households, 41.2% of residents were children under the age of 18 and 28.4% were married couples living together. The remaining households were female households heads in 35.2% of homes, and 29.7% were non-related people sharing a home. Individuals living along were in 24.8% of all households and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household had 2.97 people living in it, and the average size of the family was 3.52.
Opa-locka’s emphasis toward residential homeownership is widely documented, as the city’s homestead exemption has increased significantly with construction of a planned townhouse community in the city. Also available is reasonable availability of rental units throughout the city. An increase in the median income of residents is projected wherein a household in the city will rise $7,000 to $32,000, and the median income for a family from $27,420 to $32,000. The census figures show that males had a median income of $22,347 versus $19,270 for females, while the per capita income for the city is approximately $15,000. Other evidence of increases in projected median income are that 31.5% of families and 35.2% of the population are rising above the poverty line.
As of the 2000 Census, Opa-locka had the forty-sixth highest percentage of residents of Cuban descent in the US, at 9.58% of its populace. It also had the forty-ninth highest percentage of Dominican residents in the US, and the fifty-second highest percentage of Haitian residents in the US. It also had the forty-third most Jamaicans in the US, while it had the nineteenth highest percentage of Nicaraguans, at 2.22% of all residents.
In these 5,190 households, 41.2% of residents were children under the age of 18 and 28.4% were married couples living together. The remaining households were female households heads in 35.2% of homes, and 29.7% were non-related people sharing a home. Individuals living along were in 24.8% of all households and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household had 2.97 people living in it, and the average size of the family was 3.52.
Opa-locka’s emphasis toward residential homeownership is widely documented, as the city’s homestead exemption has increased significantly with construction of a planned townhouse community in the city. Also available is reasonable availability of rental units throughout the city. An increase in the median income of residents is projected wherein a household in the city will rise $7,000 to $32,000, and the median income for a family from $27,420 to $32,000. The census figures show that males had a median income of $22,347 versus $19,270 for females, while the per capita income for the city is approximately $15,000. Other evidence of increases in projected median income are that 31.5% of families and 35.2% of the population are rising above the poverty line.
As of the 2000 Census, Opa-locka had the forty-sixth highest percentage of residents of Cuban descent in the US, at 9.58% of its populace. It also had the forty-ninth highest percentage of Dominican residents in the US, and the fifty-second highest percentage of Haitian residents in the US. It also had the forty-third most Jamaicans in the US, while it had the nineteenth highest percentage of Nicaraguans, at 2.22% of all residents.
History of the City of Opa-locka, Florida
Opa-locka, Florida is a city located in Miami-Dade County, which had a population of 15,376 as recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2005. The city was created by developer Glenn Curtiss and was based on an Arabian Nights theme, with streets names such as Sabur Lane, Sultan Avenue, Ali Baba Avenue, and Sesame Street. The city maintains the largest collection of Moorish Revival architecture in the Western hemisphere.
The name Opa-locka derives from the Native American name for the area, “Opa-tisha-woka-locka,” meaning, “The high land north of the little river on which there is a camping place.” It was eventually shortened to Opa-locka. The Moorish architecture theme that dominated early construction and architectural inspiration halted when the 1926 Miami hurricane badly damaged the city and brought the Florida land boom to a halt.
Other notable events and people that shaped Opa-locka as a city were that Amelia Earhart launched her historic trip around the world from Miami Municipal Airport, just south of the city. Also, the famous German dirigible Graf Zeppelin visited airport which later became Opa-locka Airport. This was part of a regular stop on the Germany-Brazil-United States-Germany scheduled route.
Opa-locka has been plagued by severe and continual increases violence in recent years, largely due to a significant decrease in police forces to patrol the city. Commentary in the Miami New Times said that the police department had been “steadily deteriorating” for the twenty year period leading up to 2009. The Opa-locka police force decreased from 50 to 16 during this time. The Miami New Times received memorandums which, in Godfrey's words, “reveal an agency rife with controversy.” In January 2005, after negative Florida Department of Law Enforcement evaluations of the Opa-locka police force surfaced, the Miami-Dade Police Department stepped in for analysis. The agent ultimately sent the Miami-Dade county commissioner a report that stated that it would cost $7 million per period to take over the Opa-locka police duties. Later that year, Opa-locka allocated $3.5 million to its officers and the city manager fired James Wright, the police chief, in January 2008 after people accused Wright of corruption.
The name Opa-locka derives from the Native American name for the area, “Opa-tisha-woka-locka,” meaning, “The high land north of the little river on which there is a camping place.” It was eventually shortened to Opa-locka. The Moorish architecture theme that dominated early construction and architectural inspiration halted when the 1926 Miami hurricane badly damaged the city and brought the Florida land boom to a halt.
Other notable events and people that shaped Opa-locka as a city were that Amelia Earhart launched her historic trip around the world from Miami Municipal Airport, just south of the city. Also, the famous German dirigible Graf Zeppelin visited airport which later became Opa-locka Airport. This was part of a regular stop on the Germany-Brazil-United States-Germany scheduled route.
Opa-locka has been plagued by severe and continual increases violence in recent years, largely due to a significant decrease in police forces to patrol the city. Commentary in the Miami New Times said that the police department had been “steadily deteriorating” for the twenty year period leading up to 2009. The Opa-locka police force decreased from 50 to 16 during this time. The Miami New Times received memorandums which, in Godfrey's words, “reveal an agency rife with controversy.” In January 2005, after negative Florida Department of Law Enforcement evaluations of the Opa-locka police force surfaced, the Miami-Dade Police Department stepped in for analysis. The agent ultimately sent the Miami-Dade county commissioner a report that stated that it would cost $7 million per period to take over the Opa-locka police duties. Later that year, Opa-locka allocated $3.5 million to its officers and the city manager fired James Wright, the police chief, in January 2008 after people accused Wright of corruption.
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