The Gorgeous Ghetto

The Gorgeous Ghetto
Within the beautiful city of Miami, Florida, there is a town on the southern tip called South Beach. Throughout the history of South Beach, the reputation, perception, and overall life of the town and its culture has evolved and gone through many changes since its beginning in the 1900’s. The perception of South Beach as a nice place of retirement has often been overshadowed by the idea of the South Beach strip being the party headquarters of the east coast. The images of high-end cars and homes on display throughout the town at times blur the fact that the town rates top ten of the most dangerous cities in the world (City). The town and its profile have changed immensely since it’s beginning, and likewise, so has the perception of the town changed over time. No matter what the perspective may be, the idea of South, Beach, Miami has drastically changed from its origin to the present. The word ghetto has gone through many changes over time. From its own origin being used to describe the pieces of town exclusively for the Jewish community, it has now become a very versatile word. Now in Webster’s Dictionary, the ghetto has also been defined as a section of a city, especially a thickly populated slum area (Ghetto). Generally, from the images, television shows, movies, and billboards, South Beach Miami would not normally be addressed as the “slums” nor would it be known as the “ghetto”, but as cliché as it may sound, looks can be deceiving. There is a “hood”, or ghetto, to every great place. California’s is arguably Oakland.

"Ghetto definition | Dictionary.com." Webster's Online Dictionary Dictionary.com. 17 Mar. 2009 <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ghetto>.
"Miami & South Beach, Florida. Miami Population and Demographics." Web Design Miami: Websites Designer Miami Florida &#9668;. 17 Mar. 2009