80's boom vs. 00's boom

The most recent boom was bigger in many regards, but I hardly think anybody was thinking of Miami in terms of Oklahoma City or Sacramento 20 years ago. They weren't. It was NOT a small city in the 80s and the population wasn't even dramatically smaller. Miami was already big by then.

At the same time, nobody sane is comparing Miami to New York or Chicago today. It remains an absurd comparison on both accounts. Both cities are immensely bigger by every standard and continue to grow exponentially.

Let Miami simply be Miami. It isn't going to be hosting the United Nations or the Olympics or the Louvre or 16 subway lines and the world headquarters of half the Fortune 500---it just isn't that city---but it IS a gorgeous, durable mid-sized city (by global standards) that has never lost its allure nor its interesting challenges.

I realize this is a tangent here but I'm so tired of the comparisons. Why must we be so fixated on Miami being something that it isn't (like New York or wherever) rather than what it is?

I know some here will argue that premise but it really IS an enduring theme on this site---much as I love the people here.

End of tangent....:cheers:

Yeah spellbound I agree, Miami will never compare with New York. But nowadays it does compared with cities like Seattle, Philly, Houston, LA, etc. (not the #1 city in the U.S., but in that "second tier group" of very large cities....I mean the metro area is #5 largest in the US and the skyline is 3rd largest in the US behind Chicago and NY). It certainly is one of the most international cities other than NY and maybe Chicago and San Francisco.

Miami by no means is a "mid sized" city....maybe the population of the city proper indicates that, but the skyline and population of the metro area certainly does not, it's a very large city. Granted it will never catch up to New York but still that doesn't mean it can't be on par with Seattle, Houston, Philly, San Francisco, Chicago, and some of the other very large cities in the U.S. that maybe aren't as great as New York but are still very large - that's what Miami is. It doesn't have to be either New York or a mid sized city, it can still be a very large cosmopolitan city, which it is, but not be New York.

What I meant by Sacramento and OK city was that Miami's skyline in the 80's was comparable to those cities. Maybe in other aspects it was a big city but the skyline which today is comparable to Chicago, back then would be comparable to Oklahoma City. (the only real "skyscrapers" in 1985 were Wachovia, One Biscayne, Miami Center, and that "Bank Atlantic" building. Today there's hundreds.

It's not as though I was around to witness the boom in the 80's... I was born in '88, and even then I lived in Philadelphia (yeah, that's right spellbound ). But based on the history of the city and what I've observed from personal exposure, I'd guess the big boom for Miami during the 80's had probably more to do with pop culture influence than opinion of a skyline.

By then, Miami and Miami Beach (forget South Florida as a whole) built a solid reputation for Jews and other snowbirds from New York, Boston, and as far north as Canada to escape to during the harsh winter months. The TV Show Miami Vice was a worldwide sensation, and despite the negative material found on the show, it gave a massive boom of exposure to this otherwise lesser-known, up-and-coming, 8-decade old city. Need I mention Scarface and Jackie Gleason, among other performers, that attracted money to the area? And also, just when looking at the numbers, more people moved to South Florida during the 80's and early 90's than any other point in history--how's that for a "boom"?

Today more than ever, I think anybody would agree the "'00s boom" in Miami is unlike any skyscraper boom ever witnessed in America--even New York never saw this many 500'+ buildings built in such a short time period (source?). A city whose reputation was at one point tarnished by drug smuggling problems and an illegal immigration overload has recently been transformed into a corporate mega-powerhouse with a solid foundation in the Financial business and Tourism industry. While the 00's boom doesn't have the population growth to support it, it certainly demonstrates the investment and image of what's arguably the biggest boom in Florida-skyscraper history.

Agreed. I think that the 80's boom was good in getting people familiarized with Miami, but the recent 00's boom has made it "world class"....meaning that it is a "Corporate mega-powerhouse" as you called it, the "Capital of the Americas", and the skyscraper boom that is unprecedented in all of American history.

Just to be clear, when I used the term "mid-sized" I meant strictly in a global sense where countless huge (and mega-huge) cities are added to the mix. In U.S. terms it certainly qualifies as a big city...should have worded that better.

With the corporate stuff it's a mixed bag. Certainly there's a large banking presence and many companies have their regional offices in Miami (particularly those focused on Latin America) but at the same time back in the 80s Miami was home to corporate giants like Eastern Airlines, Southeast Bank, and Knight-Ridder that either no longer exist or have relocated. The city really hasn't kept pace with places like Atlanta or Charlotte in corporate expansion during that time frame and the recent boom was driven almost solely by real-estate speculation rather than business interests.

It's an interesting question (80s boom versus 2003-06 boom) anyway. I agree with DShoost that they will be remembered for different reasons.

spellbound said:

At the same time, nobody sane is comparing Miami to New York or Chicago today. It remains an absurd comparison on both accounts. Both cities are immensely bigger by every standard and continue to grow exponentially.

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Here, I just want to add some clarification. As I said on one of the other threads, I don't think any American city could ever approach New York and Chicago. They are just that far ahead of anybody else, but I think people make comparisons because those two great American cities have set the standard for the rest of the world for well over 100 years. They are the "yardsticks" people use to help put things into perspective. As far as 80s boom versus 00s, I don't think there is any real comparison. Yes, much of it was fueled by speculation and we are now seeing just how much was, but what actually made it out of the ground this time around is absolutely amazing.

80's boom? I'm sorry but that never happened.

FIDEL CASTRO said:

80's boom? I'm sorry but that never happened.

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Great idea! Your ahead of the game here. Let's show what the 80's boom was all about in photos and the buildings that made it all happen. I'll start...

Name: Wachovia Financial Center (previously known as the Southeast Bank Center)
Built: 1984
Height: 764 ft
Floors: 55
Notes: when built, it was the tallest building, south of NYC until 1987

Also part of the 80s boom:

Stephen P. Clark Bldg 510 feet - 1985
Citicorp at Miami Centre 484 feet - 1986
701 Brickell 450 feet - 1986
Bank of America 625 feet - 1987

Not to mention The Palace, Villla Regina, and Atlantis among others along Brickell Avene. It just wasn't as big overall as what we just saw.

No 80's boom? Really it sure looked like it to me when I was there in 1986. Yeah it wasnt the quite the same as this one now in volume but some nice and talll buildings came out of it. Buildings that today are considered still to be impressive (then Southeast and Centrust are still highlights of the skyline and the Clark bldg still stands tall).

Mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

That's not a boom.

FIDEL CASTRO said:

Mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

That's not a boom.

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It might not have been a "boom" compared to what just happened, but compared to the "drought" we had from 1987 to 1997, it was a "boom."

Yeah i have to say i seen downtown Miami grow alot over the years , i am now 36 years old and i can remember back when i was 7 or 8 years only to see only One Biscayne Tower and Suntrust standing tall, that was about in 1978 or 1979 my first view of downtown Miami. Wow! thats sure brings back alot of memories compared to what downtown Miami has become today.