It is unique in that it constitutes a large farming belt directly adjoining what is now the seventh most populous major metropolitan area in the United States.

[8] Named for the pockets of red clay that cover a layer of oolitic limestone,[9] Redland produces a variety of tropical fruits, many of which do not grow elsewhere in the continental United States.

[13] Later in the 20th century, people simply began referring informally to the entire agricultural area stretching northwest from (and outside of) the now well-developed Florida City, Homestead, and US 1 corridor as "the Redlands.

In 1897, John Brinsell became the first settler in the redland district, building the first house south of Cutler (now Palmetto Bay) near what is now Silver Palm Drive and SW 157th Avenue (Newton Road).

[12][14] John Brinsell, dubbed "Lying Johnnie" by fellow pioneers, often exaggerated land praises to lure settlers and sell property.

[9] Large-scale farming was impractical, however, because the red, iron-rich soil that gave the area its name could only be found in scattered "potholes" that, at their largest, were only an acre in size.

[19] Young people were brought in during the summer and taught etiquette as well as art, and the intersection at which the building stood became the de facto center of town.

[18] In 1914, Alvin Lindgren, the son of an early pioneer, had a steam tractor built to his specifications that would lead to a revolution in farming in the area.

[20] Using the machining and welding experience he had gained from working for the FEC Railway, Lindgren developed the first tractor capable of scarifying rock land.

[20] Farming on a larger scale had now become feasible, and the farmers of Redland soon started to grow citrus, followed by avocados, mangoes, papayas, and a variety of other tropical fruit.

[21][19] The school contained indoor bathrooms, electric lighting, drinking fountains, a science laboratory, cloak rooms, a cafeteria, and a stand-alone 3200-square-foot (300 m2) auditorium that seated 300 people.

"[24] Although a handful of homes and a town hall were built, the development effectively collapsed with the end of the Florida land boom of the 1920s.

[18] In the early 1940s, Ludolf Andersen and his wife bought the property, and moved the Redland Grocery Store sign to the Guild Hall.

[18] In 1927, the Seaboard Air Line Railway came through the center of Redland, with pioneer resident George W. Kosel donating both a mile of right of way and a station site at SW 256th Street (Plummer Drive).

In 1933, another famed roadside attraction, Monkey Jungle, opened on Hainlin Mill Drive a mile and a half east of Aladdin City.

[22] Known for its tagline, "where the humans are caged and the monkeys run wild,” it remains a major attraction in the area, having survived devastation and temporary closure from hurricanes and allegedly false claims of animal abuse.

Three months after the disappearance, Juan Carlos Chavez, who had been living in a trailer on a neighbor's property, confessed to abducting, raping, and murdering Ryce, and then dismembering his body and interring the remains in planters sealed with concrete.

[29] The crime led to the passage of the Jimmy Ryce Act, which prescribes conditions for the involuntary civil commitment of sex offenders upon release from prison.

[31] The geographical center of Redland is 25°31′42″N 80°29′25″W / 25.5284426°N 80.4903347°W / 25.5284426; -80.4903347 (coincidentally, the site of the long since demolished Seaboard rail depot), and its elevation 7 feet (2.1 m).

In 2016, the historic 1905 pine clapboard Kosel homestead on the northwest corner of Plummer Drive and Redland Road was demolished, as was the 1926 Howard Schaff residence on the west side of Krome Avenue south of S.W.

[41] To date, however, only two structures in Redland—the William Anderson General Merchandise Store and the Silver Palm Schoolhouse—have been listed in the NRHP.

In addition, in January 2019, the Florida Department of Transportation began what is now almost-completed construction on its project to widen Krome Avenue through Redland to four lanes.