Miami today is a city full of emotion, colour and texture. It is hot, sexy and affects all the senses, a strong reflection of its growing Latin culture. Hardly the brash, drug-ridden crime capital of America that was made famous in the 1980s television series Miami Vice, today's booming metropolis has since been dubbed ‘America's Casablanca,' the ‘Magic City' and, more recently, the ‘America of the Millennium.'

These various appellations touch on one aspect of Miami that distinguishes it from other US cities - its identity as a truly multicultural American city. It is a gateway to South and Central America and the third most popular city in the United States for international visitors (after Los Angeles and New York). In fact, Miami just might be more Latin American than simply American.

Despite being a city famed for its sunny weather, spicy nightlife and fine dining, Miami had surprisingly humble beginnings. Located on the far south coast of Florida, perched between a mangrove swamp and a barrier reef, Miami was founded 100 years ago, when a tycoon called Henry Flagler extended his railroad to carry citrus fruits from the frost-free south. Development was slow until the Florida land boom in the 1920s. During Prohibition, Al Capone came here when the heat was on in Chicago.

After WWII, the Mafia moved in and later, once Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba in 1959, waves of Cuban refugees arrived. Before long, they had established Miami as the Latin capital of the USA - with later mass immigration in the 1980s as well. The cultural climate the Cubans created in Miami inspired residents of other Latin American countries (Colombia, Dominica, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Haiti and others) to seek an escape from poverty or oppressive governments and emigrate. And now, Spanish is spoken as pervasively in Miami as English.

Yet the city is one of America's most ultramodern cities - the second largest in Florida (after Jacksonville) but easily its most exciting, exotic and cosmopolitan. Miami, known as Greater Miami and the Beaches or just Greater Miami for short, includes a number of islands and mainland communities, including two cities - Miami and Miami Beach.

Much of Miami's appeal is due to its diverse neighbourhoods, which range from the big-city, towering skyscrapers of downtown Miami (the commercial heart of the city) to Little Havana, home to the Cuban community, or to the trendy Miami Beach neighbourhood of South Beach. South Beach is probably most recognisably ‘Miami,' with its candy-coloured art deco buildings set against a pure South Florida backdrop of cloudless skies, dazzling blue ocean, pale sandy beaches and swaying palm trees.

Greater Miami is also an international crossroads of commerce, finance, culture, sports, entertainment, transportation and tourism, which is, not surprisingly, the city's main source of income.

The influx of wealthy Latinos from South America is changing the economy significantly. Miami is now where they do business, and even many restaurateurs believe if they have a restaurant in Los Angeles and New York, they must have one in Miami. T

he city is changing with the revitalisation of downtown and expensive condos emerging everywhere. As real estate skyrockets, locals move westwards away from Miami's beaches and older upscale neighbourhoods.

The downtown Port of Miami is the largest cruise ship port in the world, which handles more than 3.6 million passengers a year. Besides its importance to cruise travel, Miami Beach is world-renowned for its ‘gold coast' hotel strip, palatial properties and outdoor recreational facilities. Locals give the feeling that nothing could ever be more important than taking a morning run along the beach, sunning oneself or shopping during the afternoon, then dining and dancing till dawn.

Miami's subtropical climate ensures warm weather year-round, with plenty of sunshine - and the lifestyle and vibe here emphasise not work but plenty of play.

The city's real genius, however, is that in recent years, it has successfully absorbed the different cultures of its multi-ethnic population and been influenced by them all - and now Miami is considered a model community for the 21st century and a compelling example of America's changing face.

While there are downsides as a result of its diverse population, Miami is essentially a city founded on the ideals of liberation by immigrants looking for an opportunity to flourish. Now one of the most exhilarating cities in the country, this safe, successful, multicultural metropolis has vibrancy and savoir faire and really is a ‘City of the Future,' surrounded by sparkling ocean and beautiful beaches, year-round perfect weather, colourful and delectable cuisine, and it is a growing Mecca for sports, food and culture.