Richmond Heights, Florida
Encyclopedia
Richmond Heights is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Miami-Dade County
, Florida
, United States
. The population was 8,479 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 8,479 people, 2,653 households, and 2,101 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 5,124.3 people per square mile (1,984.1/km²). There were 2,771 housing units at an average density of 1,674.7/sq mi (648.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 12.45% White (of which 3.4% were Non-Hispanic White,) 82.83% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.00% from other races
, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.47% of the population.
There were 2,653 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples
living together, 30.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 3.55.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,191, and the median income for a family was $44,095. Males had a median income of $31,286 versus $27,882 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $15,824. About 14.0% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2000, speakers of English
as a first language
accounted for 87.29% of residents, while Spanish
as a mother tongue made up 12.70% of the population.
As of 2000, Richmond Heights had the sixtieth highest percentage of African-American and black residents
in the US, with 82.80% of the populace. It had the fifth highest percentage of Bahamian
residents in the US, at 1.30% of the population, and the ninety-seventh highest percentage of Cuba
n residents in the US, at 2.54% of its population (tied with Malone, FL
.) It also had the fortieth most Nicaragua
ns in the US, at 1.04% of all residents (tied with South Miami
and Lake Butler, FL
.)
After the end of World War II, Captain Frank C. Martin, a white Pan American pilot, purchased farm land adjacent to the base in rural southwest Dade County. With this purchase he created Richmond Heights, as a new community for returning African American Veterans. Martin who served with black soldiers in World War II, had gained great admiration and respect for their fighting spirit and ability to overcome many obstacles created by both war and racial prejudice.
Prior to the 1960s civil rights movement, decent affordable housing for African Americans professionals in South Florida was difficult to find. Martin soon formed Richmond Development Inc., and sought the help of a local advisory committee of African Americans to build his community. The committee included, Canon Theodore Gibson, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove, who was to become the leader of Miami's Civil Rights Movement, David A. Douglas, manager of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company and others such as Rev. Graham, Attorney G.E. Graves and Mr. William Perry.
Richmond Heights became the standard for developers, nationwide, to provide quality homes for African American’s without skimping on land, materials, and labor. As for Martin he made his home available to residents for weekend social activities, where the subject often turned to his dream of building a community theater and expanding the community across 152nd street where lakes would be dug. Martin donated land for parks, two churches (Bethel Baptist & Martin Memorial A.M.E) and the elementary school, which today bears his name.
Interestingly, of the original 3000 acres (12.1 km²) he purchased in 1949, the Federal Government used eight hundred (800) acres to build the headquarters of Naval Air Station Richmond, a blimp base hastily constructed in the early months of World War II Richmond, and was eventually home to 25 K-series blimps, three hangars, and 3,000 men. The hangars were 16 stories tall, built of Douglas fir brought in by train. The blimps protected ship convoys in the Florida Straits, and [Richmond] was the headquarters for the fight against Nazi U-boats operating in the Caribbean.
By May 1951, Martin's Richmond Heights reached 457 homes. Unfortunately, he did not live to see his dream community when, on a trip near Lake Placid in Central Florida, Martin was killed in a collision with a truck.
Shocked at the loss of the 42-year-old community leader, construction stalled until 1952, when Hialeah builder, E.J. Pollock, a good friend and believer in Martin's plan, purchased the remaining acreage and began building. Today Richmond Heights is home to an average of 9,000 residents. Second, third, fourth and fifth generation descendants of the original community pioneers are ensuring the legacy of the historic neighborhood by continuing to move forward with a respect for heritage and an eye on the future.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 8,479 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Richmond Heights is located at 25°38′0"N 80°22′21"W (25.633415, -80.372362).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 8,479 people, 2,653 households, and 2,101 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 5,124.3 people per square mile (1,984.1/km²). There were 2,771 housing units at an average density of 1,674.7/sq mi (648.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 12.45% White (of which 3.4% were Non-Hispanic White,) 82.83% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.00% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.47% of the population.
There were 2,653 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 30.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 3.55.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,191, and the median income for a family was $44,095. Males had a median income of $31,286 versus $27,882 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $15,824. About 14.0% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2000, speakers of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as a first language
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
accounted for 87.29% of residents, while Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
as a mother tongue made up 12.70% of the population.
As of 2000, Richmond Heights had the sixtieth highest percentage of African-American and black residents
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
in the US, with 82.80% of the populace. It had the fifth highest percentage of Bahamian
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
residents in the US, at 1.30% of the population, and the ninety-seventh highest percentage of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n residents in the US, at 2.54% of its population (tied with Malone, FL
Malone, Florida
Malone is a town in Jackson County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,007 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,763...
.) It also had the fortieth most Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
ns in the US, at 1.04% of all residents (tied with South Miami
South Miami, Florida
South Miami is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,741 at the 2000 census and as of 2007, according to the U.S...
and Lake Butler, FL
Lake Butler, Florida
Lake Butler, Florida may refer to the following places:* Lake Butler, Orange County, Florida* Lake Butler, Union County, Florida...
.)
History
At the beginning of World War II, the United States Navy purchased 2500 acres (1,011.7 ha) of land in southwestern Dade (now called Miami-Dade) County, Florida for the purpose of constructing an airship base. The land was owned by the Richmond Timber Company, a major supplier of Dade County Pine (a denser, harder, sub-species of Pinus Palustris, or Long Leaf Pine). The base was named Naval Air Station Richmond, after the lumber company and was home to the 25 ships of ZP-21(Patrol, Airship Squadron 21 and Airship Wing 2). NAS RICHMOND was the second largest airship base in the United States, NAS LAKEHURST being the largest. NAS RICHMOND was destroyed by a hurricane and fire in September 1945.After the end of World War II, Captain Frank C. Martin, a white Pan American pilot, purchased farm land adjacent to the base in rural southwest Dade County. With this purchase he created Richmond Heights, as a new community for returning African American Veterans. Martin who served with black soldiers in World War II, had gained great admiration and respect for their fighting spirit and ability to overcome many obstacles created by both war and racial prejudice.
Prior to the 1960s civil rights movement, decent affordable housing for African Americans professionals in South Florida was difficult to find. Martin soon formed Richmond Development Inc., and sought the help of a local advisory committee of African Americans to build his community. The committee included, Canon Theodore Gibson, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove, who was to become the leader of Miami's Civil Rights Movement, David A. Douglas, manager of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company and others such as Rev. Graham, Attorney G.E. Graves and Mr. William Perry.
Richmond Heights became the standard for developers, nationwide, to provide quality homes for African American’s without skimping on land, materials, and labor. As for Martin he made his home available to residents for weekend social activities, where the subject often turned to his dream of building a community theater and expanding the community across 152nd street where lakes would be dug. Martin donated land for parks, two churches (Bethel Baptist & Martin Memorial A.M.E) and the elementary school, which today bears his name.
Interestingly, of the original 3000 acres (12.1 km²) he purchased in 1949, the Federal Government used eight hundred (800) acres to build the headquarters of Naval Air Station Richmond, a blimp base hastily constructed in the early months of World War II Richmond, and was eventually home to 25 K-series blimps, three hangars, and 3,000 men. The hangars were 16 stories tall, built of Douglas fir brought in by train. The blimps protected ship convoys in the Florida Straits, and [Richmond] was the headquarters for the fight against Nazi U-boats operating in the Caribbean.
By May 1951, Martin's Richmond Heights reached 457 homes. Unfortunately, he did not live to see his dream community when, on a trip near Lake Placid in Central Florida, Martin was killed in a collision with a truck.
Shocked at the loss of the 42-year-old community leader, construction stalled until 1952, when Hialeah builder, E.J. Pollock, a good friend and believer in Martin's plan, purchased the remaining acreage and began building. Today Richmond Heights is home to an average of 9,000 residents. Second, third, fourth and fifth generation descendants of the original community pioneers are ensuring the legacy of the historic neighborhood by continuing to move forward with a respect for heritage and an eye on the future.