History We Call Home

Founded by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss, Miami Springs grew out of ambition, speed, and real estate speculation. This episode looks at the man behind the city — and the boom-era vision that helped shape South Florida. From Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade, 11 cities are celebrating their centennials in 2025 and 2026. WLRN News' series "History We Call Home" spotlights the moments, ideas and peopl...

When Hollywood was founded in 1925, its developer imagined a glamorous resort city. In part one, we revisit the Hollywood Beach Resort Hotel — and how it shaped the early identity of Hollywood. Also in this episode: Before Hollywood existed, a segregated Black neighborhood called Liberia was already there. We explore how Jim Crow laws shaped life in Hollywood — and how Liberia’s legacy is remember...

Long before the Town of Davie became known for its horses and rodeos, it was miles of wild, untamed Everglades. In the early 1900s, after the wetlands were drained, settlers came looking for new opportunities… to farm, to build, to start fresh. Those early pioneers learned to work the land and build a community from the ground up. At the center of it all was the Davie School, now known as the Old...

In the 1920s, the Hialeah Racetrack helped put the city on the map. As Hialeah turns 100, we trace how the racetrack shaped the city — and the labor of Black migrants who helped build it. Also in this episode: Before Hialeah was officially incorporated, Black migrant workers had already established a community called Seminola. This episode explores that neighborhood’s origins — and the fight by de...

For Cuban exiles fleeing the 1959 revolution, Freedom Tower was a first stop — and a symbol of hope. The tower celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2025, marking 100 years as a symbol of resilience in its various functions for the people of Miami. In this episode, we revisit the Freedom Tower’s history and how it went from newspaper headquarters to refugee processing center — and what it repre...

Deerfield Beach, now home to nearly 90-thousand people, is the tenth-largest city in Broward County. But in the early 1900s, it was a quiet farming village with dirt roads, small wooden houses, and little over a thousand residents who were fiercely defensive of their seaside home. In this episode of History We Call Home: 100 Years of South Florida, we look back at Deerfield Beach’s journey from de...

As Boca Raton celebrates 100 years, we turn to Pearl City — its oldest Black neighborhood. Sisters in their 90s share memories of growing up in a segregated farming community — and of building a life in a city that often overlooked them. From Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade, 11 cities are celebrating their centennials in 2025 and 2026. WLRN News' series History We Call Home spotlights the moments,...

One of Coral Gables’ earliest buildings still stands — but its future is uncertain. As the city marks its centennial, we explore the history of a church at the center of a preservation fight — and how it’s redefining its mission for the community today. Also in this episode: Before the Venetian Pool became a landmark, it was a coral rock quarry. We uncover the often-overlooked role of Bahamian wor...

As the Town of Jupiter marks 100 years, we look at a stretch of coastline where rescue and tragedy once met. Near the Jupiter Inlet, a former life-saving station tells the story of a small agricultural town shaped by the sea — and by national events far beyond it. From Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade, 11 cities are celebrating their centennials in 2025 and 2026. WLRN News' series History We Call H...

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment in South Florida history. A century ago, the region experienced a land boom when investors and developers from around the country came down on trains and automobiles and started building cities where once there was swampland, farms and small settlements. Cities sprang up almost overnight. Thanks to a burgeoning post-war economy, entrepreneurial spirit and good old...