Opa-locka Tutors

About Opa-locka

A unique city with a Middle Eastern and South Asian flavor, Opa-locka is a city located in South Florida within Miami-Dade County. A diverse background and a rich history make Opa-locka an interesting place to live and a fascinating place for tourists to visit while exploring Florida.

If you’re a fan of Middle Eastern and South Asian architecture and style, Opa-locka should be on your list of places to visit. Designed based on a “One Thousand and One Nights” theme, this city features the largest collection of this style of architecture in the Western Hemisphere. Many street names throughout the city also reflect this eastern influence.

So what about its name, “Opa-locka”? It is cited to be an abbreviation of a Seminole place name, “Opa-tisha-wocka-locka”. The closest meaning derived from that name is a wooden hammock in a swamp. Not the loveliest picture, but definitely a slice of the traditional culture of the area.

If you’re a fan of aviation history, here’s a fun fact. Just south of Opa-locka is Miami Municipal Airport, which is where Amelia Earhart launched her famous trip around the world. Amelia Earhart Park is located at the southwestern side of the city.

Opa-locka is also known for being the first community in the United States to rename a street after the first African-American President, Barack Obama. A mile-long section of road was renamed “Barack Obama Avenue” in early 2009 to commemorate this national milestone.

Though Opa-locka became known for having the highest rate of violent crime for any city in the United States in the early 2000s, you’ll be relieved to learn that this unfortunate fact is quickly changing for the better. Crime statistics report an overall downward trend in the past two decades, with both violent crime and property crime decreasing. It looks like Opa-locka is on its way to becoming a safer, and more family friendly city.

Opa-locka is home to several excellent parks. Both Ingram Park and Sherbondy Park feature an after school program, which is great for kids (from the ages of 4 to 15) with working parents. Football fields, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, and tennis courts are also available across the city, encouraging community members of all ages to get outside and be active. Opa-locka is also just a short drive from a number of Florida’s beautiful beaches, making it convenient to take an easy daytrip to catch some rays.