Editing Miramar, Florida (section)

==History==

Miramar was founded by A.L. Mailman to serve as a "[[bedroom community]]" for nearby Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Mailman bought the original property he was to develop from H.D. Perry Sr. in 1953. He built 56 homes on the property that were inexpensive homes of concrete and flat roofs. These homes sold quickly because of the low cost of both the homes and the land, and the city of Miramar came into being.

The city was incorporated on May 26, 1955, and was named for the [[Miramar, Havana|Miramar]] area of [[Havana]], [[Cuba]] where Mailman had a summer home (Miramar translates to "look at the sea" in Spanish).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-08-22/news/8602190930_1_mr-gordon-jewish-federation-synagogue|title=R. Gordon, Ex-Miramar Mayor|access-date=October 3, 2016|archive-date=October 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005072137/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-08-22/news/8602190930_1_mr-gordon-jewish-federation-synagogue|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the time of incorporation, the city had a population of less than 200 people. With approximately 2.9 square miles of land area, Miramar's original city boundaries were Southwest 64 Avenue on the east, [[Florida State Road 817|University Drive]] on the west, the Dade County line on the south, and [[Florida State Road 824|Pembroke Road]] on the north. On June 20, 1955, the city's first mayor (Robert Gordon) and city council were sworn in, all of whom were appointed by the governor and served until January 1959, at which time the first municipal election was held.<ref name=cityhistory1/> Mayor Robert Gordon is the individual who is attributed to have given the city its name.<ref name=cityhistory1/> The city seal is inscribed with the motto "Beauty and Progress".<ref name=cityhistory1/>

H.D. Perry Sr.'s part in Miramar did not cease with selling the land to Mailman for development. He is recognized as one of the pioneers in the history of Miramar. His character and civic-activities influenced not only the lives of early residents but continues to the present day, as evidenced by the schools and parks in the city which bear his family's name. Many long-time residents fondly recall the community barbecues hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Perry during those early years. Others are grateful to Mr. Perry for the lessons in animal husbandry, which he conducted for the benefit of Miramar's youth so that they could learn something of farm life.

The only major roads when Miramar was developed were [[Florida State Road 7|U.S. 441]] which was a two-lane road at that time, [[Florida State Road 858|Hallandale Beach Boulevard]] to Southwest 66 Terrace and Pembroke Road which was a dirt road to University Drive. There were no other transportation routes of any kind supplying access to the new community. Miramar's early city fathers advocated the philosophy of planned and controlled growth. The city adopted a Comprehensive Land Use Plan in 1972 before cities and counties were mandated to do so. This provided the framework for the orderly development of future growth. Two-thirds of the land within city limits is currently undeveloped.