Hialeah

Energetic mix of homes and businesses in Hialeah The Palm Springs neighborhood in Hialeah is full of life with a somewhat jumbled layout of homes and businesses. “You have a lot of shopping centers, commercial properties and residential properties – everything is intertwined, so there’s a lot of movement,” says Mario Avalos, a Realtor with K and A Realty who has been selling homes in the Miami area since 2011. Palm Springs is home to a large Hispanic community with family-owned businesses and a cultural event bringing residents together in nearby Hialeah to celebrate a revered historical figure. Midway between Broward County and downtown Miami, Palm Springs locals enjoy an easy commute to jobs, the beach and the airport, thanks to nearby highways. Midcentury ranch homes on large lots Palm Springs has single-family homes and condominiums. Ranch-style homes built in the ‘50s are common with midcentury features like low, flat roofs and sometimes Spanish Colonial features like red-tiled roofs and arched entryways. Many sit on large lots with circular driveways that can fit multiple cars. Sidewalks and palm trees flank residential streets. Prices range from $400,000 on the low end to $900,000 on the high end for homes between three and seven bedrooms. “Given its location, the price point for homes in Palm Springs is reasonable,” Avalos says. Wine and steak under string lights at Graziano’s Shopping centers make up the bottom of this neighborhood, providing all the essentials. Walmart Neighborhood Market, Publix and Fresco y Más have fresh produce and other groceries, while numerous chain restaurants are available for quick and easy meals. Locals refresh their wardrobes at Old Navy and a variety of clothing stores. Graziano’s is an Argentinian restaurant and a Miami staple since 1962. Locals enjoy wine and steak on the cozy outdoor patio under umbrellas and string lights. Nearby Miami Lakes, Miami Springs and Doral have upscale shopping, dining and entertainment. Hialeah celebrates revered Cuban poet Palm Springs locals are immersed in festivities hosted by Hialeah, with an Easter Eggstravaganza, Independence Day Celebration, Turkey Trot and holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony for the holidays. The city celebrates Cuban heritage at the José Martí Parade, honoring the Cuban poet and philosopher with colorful costumes and floats. Palm Springs Schools earn high marks Schools near Palm Springs earn between a C-plus and a B from Niche. Younger students may attend John G. Dupuis Elementary, which earns a B, and Palm Springs Middle School, which earns a C-plus. Both schools are located inside the neighborhood. Teens can attend Hialeah Senior High School, which earns a B-minus and is located two miles away. Students there participate in academies to get early experience in culinary arts, transportation and 10 other subjects, depending on their interests. Watch a baseball game or wakeboard at Palm Springs parks Ernest R. Graham Park is an outdoor space with basketball courts and a baseball field that is home to the Florida National University baseball team. Neighboring Palm Springs, Amelia Earhart Park sits on 515 acres with five lakes. It has a fishing pier, dog park, soccer field and a watersports complex where residents can wakeboard. “Amelia Earhart Park has some of the better mountain biking trails in southeast Florida,” Avalos says. Florida Route 826 goes to Broward and Miami Palm Springs residents can take Florida Route 826 north to Broward County and south to downtown Miami. A public bus system services Hialeah with stops on West 49th Street. Medical services are available within the neighborhood at the Larkin Community Hospital Palm Springs campus. Miami International Airport is seven miles away with direct flights to destinations around the world.

In 1925, the Hialeah Park Racetrack opened to unprecedented media fanfare. Lesser known was Seminola City, the neighborhood just six blocks west of the racetrack developed for the primarily Black laborers who built the racetrack. Today, the Hialeah Park Racetrack is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its grand Mediterranean-style architecture and double identity as an Audubon sanctuary with a flamboyance of pink flamingos. Seminola City retains some of its Black culture despite being in Hialeah, where there are more people of Latin American than anywhere else in the mainland United States. Local Realtor Raquel Colp from Axis Premiere Realty says the area is "as close to Cuba as you can get in Miami." Single-family homes cluster in dense pockets throughout the neighborhood, with apartments and townhouses scattered across town. Lawns are hard to come by in this urban area, with many residents utilizing valuable yard space for driveways to park cars and boats, but some homes have enough room for shade-giving palm trees and limited landscaping. Bungalows dominate the area, with tiled roofs, colorful accents and warm-toned walls. These houses typically have three to four bedrooms and are listed for under $500,000. At the high end of the price range, renovated ranch-style homes and new constructions of contemporary moderns are listed for under $900,000. Neighborhood students attend Miami-Dade County Public Schools, starting at Springview Elementary, which scored an A-minus from Niche. Henry H. Filer Middle is rated a C-plus, and Westland Hialeah Senior High earned a B-plus on the website. This high school also offers specialized career tracks in journalism, artificial intelligence and criminal justice. Seminole City is also home to iMater Academy Elementary and iMater Academy Charter Middle/High School, two tuition-free public charter schools that Niche grades a B-minus and B, respectively. Johnny L. Coston Park provides lighted multi-use fields, playgrounds, and a recreation center. Ethel Primus Park offers fewer amenities but much-needed green space in this industrialized section. The mature trees and neatly kept grass make it an excellent spot for a picnic. A few blocks north in Hialeah, the 515-acre Amelia Earhart Park has a petting zoo. Seminola City is home to some excellent Latino cuisine. Tiagos Tacos is hard to miss with its eye-catching murals, painted in stylized Miami scenes from the city skyline to the beach. El Rey De Las Fritas is a humble diner loved by locals for its Cuban breakfast options. The frita cubana is their signature dish, a burger topped with shoestring fries. Residents will find shopping at the neighborhood's north end along 29th Street, with regional Latin American grocery chain Presidente Supermarket providing pantry staples and specialty items. Rey Chavez Distributors is a local grocer with Central and South American products. Within a few blocks of Seminola, “You have all sorts of chain restaurants and a Walmart Supercenter,” says Colp. With the Okeechobee Metrorail station within Seminola City, residents can quickly get into Miami for a relaxing day at the beach or an evening exploring the city's famous nightlife. Miami International Airport is just 5 miles away.