Little Haiti (, ), is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. It is known historically as Lemon City, Little River and Edison. It is home to Haitian immigrant residents, as well as residents from the rest of the Caribbean. Little Haiti is a known neighborhood of Haitian exiles. The area is characterized by its French–Creole designations, with its street life, restaurants, art galleries, dance, music, theatre performances, family owned enterprises, and other cultural activities. Steeped in the complex and rich cultural histories of Caribbean immigrants who brought life to its area, Little Haiti has evolved into a colorful beacon in Miami’s arts communities. Throughout the years, small businesses like celebrated record stores, kitsch bars, and authentic eateries have eased into the neighborhood, creating their own particular patchwork within the already distinct Little River and Lemon City. A 13-foot bronze statue of General Toussaint L'Ouverture, the father of the Haitian Revolution, stands on N Miami Avenue and 62nd Street."History The area now known as Little Haiti was previously called Lemon City for well over a century. Several people settled near Biscayne Bay north of the Miami River after the civil war, squatting on unclaimed land. Some of the squatters eventually applied for homestead grants for the land they were squatting on. By 1889 a community had formed, with a post office named "Motto". "Lemon City" replaced "Motto" as the name of the community by 1893. A school had opened in 1890, and Lemon City also included several businesses and a newspaper, as well as port facilities on Biscayne Bay. With the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Miami in 1896, Miami quickly overshadowed Lemon City. Viter Juste, a Haitian businessman, activist and community leader, came up with the name of Little Haiti. According to Jean-Claude Exulien, a retired professor of history and friend of Juste's since 1977, Juste wrote an article in the Miami Herald in which he first referred to the neighborhood as "Little Port-au-Prince." However, editors at the Miami Herald found the name, "Little Port-au-Prince," too long, so the newspaper shortened the term in the headline to Little Haiti''. Over the objections of various groups including historians, African-Americans and Bahamians, City of Miami commissioners in May 2016 voted in favor of designating Little Haiti as an official neighborhood with boundaries overlapping the historic Lemon City and Edison, which was founded by Bahamian immigrants before Miami existed.