Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1980

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Kohl, Raymond

Abstract

This thesis explores the impact of the Great Depression on the resort city of Miami Beach, Florida. The city was not immune to the effects of the economic collapse of the 1930s. However, an examination of building department records, city employee salaries, tax collections, and other indicators demonstrate that Miami Beach suffered only temporarily in the early 1930s, while the rest of the nation plunged into economic depression. The city's early developer, Carl Fisher, sold expensive house lots and planned a playground for rich winter residents. The depression undermined these plans, and resulted in an economy dependent on less affluent tourists residing in moderately priced hotels. The city had good political leadership and advertised its attractions effectively. As a result, Miami Beach experienced only a short period of hard times and then continued to grow during the depressing years.

Extent

111 p.

Comments

Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1980.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

Identifier

FADT14013

Format

pdf

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