Top 5 Things You May Not Know About Richmond West

Eureka, You Found It 

Before it was Richmond West, it was Eureka — and no, not the expression you say when you discover gold. 

Settled in the early 1900s, this quiet farming area received its first one-room schoolhouse in 1907 at SW 147th Avenue and SW 184th Street. 

It didn't last long, though — by 1916, the district merged small schools and shut Eureka's down. 

The town eventually swapped its name for Richmond, and in 1927, the Seaboard Air Line Railway built a depot in this very community (more on this below!). 

That depot is history, but the railway (now CSX) still cuts right through the community like an old friend who never left. 

So, if you ever hear a train while driving down Eureka Drive, that's some century-old infrastructure saying hi.

Rails to Suburbia     

Once a patchwork of tomato fields, avocado groves, and farmland, Richmond West has gone from tractor tracks to culs-de-sac over the decades. 

The arrival of the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1927 helped connect it to the rest of Miami, yet it remained rural until the 1980s. 

Then came the wave of development — sub-developments sprouted, streets paved over farmland, and families replaced crops. 

It's now a legitimate suburban area, but you'll still spot pockets of green and open lots as a nod to its roots. 

Some longtime residents still call it "country quiet with city perks." 

And honestly? They're not wrong.

Blimps, Blazes, and Zoo Days  

Believe it or not, Richmond West was once home to the world's biggest blimp base during WWII, Naval Air Station Richmond.

It had three massive hangars, each roughly 16 stories tall and over 1,000 feet long, built to house airships for anti-submarine patrols. 

But in a plot twist no one saw coming, a 1945 hurricane flipped the hangars like pancakes and sparked a fire that destroyed 25 Navy blimps and over 365 planes. 

After that, the base shut down, and years later, the land transformed into what is now Zoo Miami — a much calmer (and less flammable) use of the space. 

The next time you're feeding giraffes at the zoo, just know you're standing on a former military airfield that once echoed with the hum of blimps.

When Andrew Came to Town

As you know, Hurricane Andrew didn't just knock on Richmond West's door in 1992 — it kicked it down. 

This Category 5 beast tore through South Dade, completely leveling the Dadeland Mobile Home Park and flattening swaths of new subdivisions in the area. 

Residents say the skies turned orange, roofs vanished, and entire blocks looked like war zones. 

But Richmond West didn't pack up — it rebuilt, stronger and more storm-ready than ever. 

Today, it stands as a symbol of grit and resilience. 

If you talk to long-time locals, "Before Andrew" and "After Andrew" are practically their own calendar.

Bienvenidos a Richmond West 

Did you know that you're just as likely to hear "¿Cómo estás?" as "How are you?" around Richmond West, as this suburb is proudly, overwhelmingly Hispanic? 

Over 80% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, with Cuban ancestry making up more than half the population. 

In fact, it once ranked #17 in the U.S. for the highest Cuban population share! 

Mind you, you'll also find strong Colombian, Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Venezuelan populations here. 

It's safe to say that Spanish is the language of choice at home for over 83% of residents, ranking the neighborhood in the top 2% nationwide for Spanish use. 

So, if you're brushing up on your español, this is a great place to practice (and eat really well while you're at it).