There are many reasons why my wife and I enjoy living in Coral Gables. If you’re looking to move to South Florida, you must look into our City Beautiful. I hope this will give you a perspective that warrants your attention to this paradise where we live. Here are a few reasons of many why we love our City.
The design of the Biltmore Hotel was inspired by the Giralda Tower at the Cathedral of Seville. 350 rooms, with a fifteen-story tower, and two massive seven-story wings. Famous for its pool built to hold 1,250,000 gallons with more than 20,000 sqft. The Tower is visible from as far away as downtown Miami. The Hotel opened in 1926. You must have Sunday Brunch here.
Venetian Pool – A sixty thousand-square-foot, eight-hundred-thousand gallon swimming pool. Would you believe this is a former rock quarry excavated for many of the early homes built in Coral Gables including our City Hall. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. I was inaugurated in 1924.
Our beautiful City Hall, also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It features a rotunda patterned after the Philadelphia Mercantile Exchange. The structure was completed in 1928.
George Merrick, founder of our City Beautiful grew up in this house. It is open to the Public for tours. It is located at 907 Coral Way. A must see.
Coral Gables has over five miles of Biscayne Bay Frontage and approximately forty miles of lot frontage (+- 12 miles of canal in the City) on its inland waterway system.
The magnificent De Soto fountain. I make it a point to drive by here everyday on my way to the office. It is currently undergoing extensive renovation at a cost of more than $750k.
The Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center. Children and Adults alike enjoy a variety of programs and activities. The center includes a small theatre, gymnasium, teaching kitchen, a fitness center, indoor playground, and an athletic complex which includes a football field, two soccer fields, three baseball/softball fields, outdoor basketball courts, and a playground.
The new Coral Gables Trolley service began in November, 2003. It is free, and a very pleasant way of getting around. I never have to wait for more than 15 minutes for a ride. When in need to go Miami Downtown, the trolley will take me to Metrorail and I am in Downtown in less then thirty minutes with no hassle.
I have just completed my quarterly survey of the Coral Gables Real Estate market. This will give you a good sense of what real estate values are like in our City Beautiful.