The Florida Land Boom of the 1920s
$29.95
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About the Book
During the Roaring Twenties, millions of Americans moved to the Sunshine State seeking quick riches in real estate. Many made fortunes; others returned home penniless. Within a few years thousands of residential subdivisions, palatial estates, inviting apartment buildings and impressive commercial complexes were built. Opulent theaters and imposing churches opened, along with hundreds of municipal projects. A unique architectural theme emerged, today known as Mediterranean Revival. Railways and highways saw a renaissance. New cities—Boca Raton, Hollywood-by-the-Sea, Venice—were built from scratch and dozens of existing communities like St. Petersburg, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando were forever transformed by the speculative fever.
Florida has experienced numerous land booms but none more sweeping than that of the 1920s. This illuminating account details how one of the greatest migration and development episodes in American history began, reached dizzying heights, then rapidly collapsed.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Gregg M. Turner
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 192
Bibliographic Info: 70 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9919-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2062-6
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Preface 1
Introduction 3
1. Those Effortless Riches 11
2. Communities of Note 21
(Miami—Miami Beach—Hialeah—Country Club Estates—Opa-locka)
3. Marketing the Frenzy 41
4. More Communities of Note 60
(Coral Gables—Miami Shores—Hollywood-by-the-Sea—Boca Raton—Sebring)
5. Railways and Highways 90
6. More Communities of Note 114
(Venice—Sarasota—St. Petersburg—Davis Islands and Davis Shores)
7. Down Comes the Curtain 155
Chapter Notes 167
Bibliography 173
Index 179
Book Reviews & Awards
“Turner’s book about the boom in paradise is well-researched and well-written. Anyone interested in the history of Florida will want to add this book to their collection”—The Florida Historical Quarterly.
