Florida City, Florida

Florida City is situated mostly atop a limestone ridge called the Miami Rock Ridge that extends south from present day North Miami Beach to a location in Everglades National Park. The ridge, consisting of Miami limestone, serves as the higher ground within the community. The ridge extended from northeast to southwest across the city. The old location of the Florida East Coast Railway track marks the approximate boundary of the location of the limestone ridge south of Davis Parkway. The range of elevation of the ridge is from 5 to 8 feet (1.5–2.4 meters) above sea level. Before settlement, the ridge was vegetated by South Florida Slash Pine trees, which were alternatively known as Dade County Pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa). (Remnants of these pines can be seen today in local parks and in Everglades National Park at the Long Pine Key picnic area.) These pine rocklands Tomatoes, squash, and other truck crops were grown in the area during the winter months and packed at the Florida City State Farmers' Market near Krome Avenue and Palm Drive, driving the local economy throughout the 1900s. East of the natural ridge was a broad area of marshlands surrounding the area. Old timers of Florida City called these coastal glades the "East Glade". prior to reaching Biscayne Bay. Soils in the East Glade primarily consisted of a limey soil called Biscayne Marl. Development schemes in the East Glade led to the construction of canals in the early 1900s. This led to a lowering of water tables. Although development the East Glade was not extensive prior to the 1980s, agricultural development did occur. Potatoes were the primary crop grown in the East Glade before the construction of extensive housing developments within the areas annexed by the City of Homestead in the late 1970s. Potatoes mostly were harvested from February to March. Florida City was historically bisected by a slough. Sloughs commonly were found crossing the limestone ridge at a roughly perpendicular angle from Miami to Florida City. Florida City's slough (officially called "Long Slough" or "Long Glade Slough") entered the city near Redland Road and Lucy Street, and extended across the city to the southeast to a location near today's NW 3rd Street and NW 3rd Avenue. East of this point, the slough entered the East Glade. Long Slough was a slow flowing body of water that originated in the Everglades just south of the Miami Homestead General Aviation Airport. As canals were constructed in the 1900s, and especially the 1960s, the slough was drained and became a low valley in the limestone ridge. Roadways (such as Redland Road near West Homestead Elementary School, NW 6th Avenue north of Davis Parkway, and NW 3rd Avenue about fifty feet north of NW 3rd Street) had culverts constructed under them to allow water to pass through the slough. NW 4th Street east of NW 5th Avenue dead ended near the approximate location where a fictional NW 4th Avenue would intersect that street. During the late 1980s, the street was constructed to reach NW 3rd Avenue since water in the slough had been drained away. Eventually fill was added to the slough and it was destroyed. Extensive filling operations were conducted in Long Slough near NW 3rd Avenue in the late 1970s. Fill was obtained as waste rock from a nearby rock cutting operation (utilizing Key Largo Limestone, a local coral rock) and was allowed to be dumped in the location by the landowners. Today, this portion of Long Slough serves as a housing development. A live oak hammock existed along Davis Parkway, extending into the Florida City Camper Park. The understory of the hammock was cleared for the camper park, but much of the hammock remained undisturbed to the south of Davis Parkway and NW 1st Road before the late 1970s. Florida City today serves as the southern terminus of the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike. Motels and eateries are located along US 1 before taking the highway south into the Florida Keys. Along with serving as the mainland entrance to the Florida Keys, Florida City also serves as the gateway to the main section of Everglades National Park. ==Geography==