Half of West Little River’s homes were built after 1958
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #223 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of West Little River was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958. Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Little River is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #223 of 638 in Florida. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Little River’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so West Little River’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about West Little River’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Little River M and M Mobile Home ParkNew Avocado Trailer ParkNew Tradewinds Trailer ParkNorthwest Trailer ParkParkside Mobile Home ParkRovell Mobile Home ParkSunny South Trailer ParkTradewinds Trailer ParkTrinidad Court Mobile Home ParkWestland Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
Central District Police Station Heliportairport
1cemetery inside West Little River
Oaklawn Pet
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
West Little River, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Little River yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
West Little River is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 34,128 at the 2020 census. Most of West Little River was originally a neighborhood of the city of Miami when it was annexed into the city in 1925. With the arrival of the Great Depression, Miami gave up its jurisdiction and West Little River became an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 34,699 in 2010, 34,128 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Little River. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1950Miami sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of West Little River.
People over time
West Little River, census by census
Between 32,492 and 34,699 people in every census since 1980.
5 censuses, 1980–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on West Little River’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to West Little River
Nobody well known was born in West Little River itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
West Little River is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #223 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in West Little River?
5% of West Little River’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1958.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
