Perrine, Florida facts for kids
Perrine, Florida was a community in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was located about halfway between the cities of Miami and Homestead. The community was named after Henry Perrine. He was given a large piece of land in 1839 by the United States Congress. This was to thank him for his work as a U.S. Consul in Mexico. He also planned to bring new plants from tropical countries to grow in the U.S.
While waiting for his land grant to be approved, Henry Perrine and his family lived on Indian Key, Florida. This island was thought to be safer than the Florida mainland. This was because the Second Seminole War was still happening. On August 7, 1840, Native Americans attacked Indian Key. Several people were killed, including Henry Perrine. However, his family managed to escape.
Contents
History of Perrine
Early Land Grant Challenges
After Henry Perrine's death, his son, Henry Jr., and a business partner, Charles Howe, tried to use the land grant. They didn't have much success. Over time, people who didn't own land, called homesteaders, started to settle on the grant. In 1886, families who had started farms there formed a group. They called themselves a "squatters union." They wanted to fight against being removed from their farms by the Perrine family.
Two railroad companies, including the Florida East Coast Railway, joined with the Perrine family. The courts eventually decided how the land would be split. The squatters received about 2,000 acres (8.1 sq km). The Perrine family received about 10,000 acres (40 sq km). Each railroad company received about 5,000 acres (20 sq km). Part of the original land grant had been sold earlier.
Perrine's Development and Changes
The community that became known as Perrine began as a camp for railroad workers. This was during the building of the Florida East Coast Railway. The railway was being extended from Miami to Homestead. The first school in Perrine opened in 1909.
The community grew in a way that kept people separated. The area east of the railroad tracks was for white residents. The area west of the tracks was for Black residents. Perrine officially became a city in 1948. A Black mayor was elected a year later. However, the city council, which was all white, and the first mayor asked the Florida Legislature to end the city's official status. The Legislature agreed, and the city was dissolved.
Perrine was listed as a "Census-designated place" (CDP) in the 1990 U.S. Census. A CDP is a special area the U.S. Census Bureau defines for gathering population data. It had a population of 15,576 people then. In the 2000 Census, Perrine was split into two CDPs. These were East Perrine and West Perrine. East Perrine became part of the city of Palmetto Bay in 2002. West Perrine continued as a CDP.
Population History
Here's how the population of Perrine changed over the years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau:
- 1950: 2,859 people
- 1960: 6,424 people
- 1970: 10,257 people
- 1980: 16,129 people
- 1990: 15,576 people
Climate
Perrine has a tropical monsoon climate. This type of climate has hot, humid summers with a lot of rain. It also has warm, dry winters.
Education
Miami-Dade County Public Schools runs the public schools in the area.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami operates Catholic schools in the area. Our Lady of the Holy Rosary-St. Richard School is located in Cutler Bay. It used to be called Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Before that, it was in the Cutler Ridge CDP but had a Perrine mailing address.
