[3] Opa-locka was founded in 1926 by American aviator and industrialist Glenn Curtiss, who was inspired by the Middle Eastern folk tales of the One Thousand and One Nights.

[6][7] Opa-locka was founded in 1926 by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss, who had retired to become a real estate developer during the nascent Florida land boom.

The city's unique "Arabian" or "Moorish" architectural theme was executed by American architect Bernhardt E. Muller, who had designed several Mediterranean and Spanish-style homes in nearby Miami in 1923.

By some accounts, Muller met with Curtiss on the site of the future city to describe his concept for an architectural design inspired by individual stories of the Arabian Nights; other sources indicate that Curtiss was inspired by his own reading of Arabian Nights, or by the 1924 film The Thief of Baghdad, which was adapted from the story.

[9] Opa-locka's overall design and layout was conceived by New York planner and architect Clinton McKenzie, who drew heavily from the contemporary "Garden City Movement", which called for satellite communities centered on residences, industry, and agriculture but connected to a central hub and interspersed with greenbelts.

[10] Opa-locka became a self-contained community with a hotel, zoo park, golf course, archery club, swimming pool, airport, and train station.

[13] Ultimately, a total of 86 to 105 buildings were built in the "Neo-Moorish" or Moorish Revival style that had first emerged in Europe and North America in the late 19th century;[14][11] common characteristics included onion-shaped domes, minarets, crenelated parapets, Saracenic arches, watchtowers, mosaic tile, and outdoor spiral staircases.

Several Moorish-style buildings have survived,[15][16] of which twenty are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Opa-locka Thematic Resource Area.

[17] On January 8, 1927, as part of an effort to drive growth and generate interest, Opa-locka held its inaugural "Arabian Nights Fantasy", which included dignitaries such as Florida Governor John Martin.

[22] Opa-locka was the first community in the United States to commemorate the election of Barack Obama as the country's first African American president.

A mile-long section of Perviz Avenue—from Oriental Boulevard to Ali Baba Avenue—was renamed "Barack Obama Avenue" on February 17, 2009.

Opa-locka was the backdrop for several films, including Salesman, Living Dreams, Texas Justice, Bad Boys II, and 2 Fast 2 Furious.

[23] On June 1, 2016, then-Florida Governor Rick Scott issued Executive Order Number 16-135, declaring the City of Opa-Locka to be in a state of "Financial Emergency" under Florida Statute Section 218.503.

[citation needed] Just over a week earlier, Opa-locka Commissioner Terence Pinder apparently drove his SUV into a tree at high speed, killing himself.

[26] The City of Opa-locka does not have an Audit Committee to help select the public accountant to perform the independent audited financial statements, as required by Florida Statute 218.391(2) Amelia Earhart launched her historic trip around the world from Miami Municipal Airport, established by the city's founder, aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss, then located in what is now the southern part of Opa-locka.

[27] The German dirigible Graf Zeppelin visited Naval Air Station Miami, which later became Opa-locka Airport, as a regular stop on its Germany-Brazil-United States-Germany scheduled route.

The airfield center then served as a listening post for Cuba until the 82nd Airborne took over Opa-locka Airbase during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

[44] The city was deeply affected by the crack cocaine epidemic which led to surge in violent crime, including gang activity, homicide and robberies which started in the 1980s and early 1990s.

According to press reports in late 2011, local officer German Bosque led the state in the number of complaints and internal investigations of his activities.

[48] North Dade Middle School in Miami Gardens[49] and Hialeah/Miami Lakes Senior High in Hialeah serve the city.