[2] South Florida had been roamed by Native Americans (Tequesta, Calusa, and Jaega), probably for centuries, before white pioneers advanced through Little Hunting Ground (later known as Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood) to Big Hunting Ground (now known as the Cutler neighborhood of Palmetto Bay).

[5] Wilson Alexander Larkins (1860–1946) was 36 years old when he, his wife (Katie Estelle Burtashaw) and five children, and their livestock arrived in Fort Dallas (now the Lummus Park Historic District of Miami) in 1896.

He purchased property west of Red Road and Sunset Drive, where he built a home and barn.

He also built the first general store east of that area in 1898 at what is known today as Cartagena Plaza or Cocoplum Circle[6] (actually in Coral Gables).

[8] A depot was placed along the Florida East Coast Railway in 1904, and in the same year, John Moses Dowling built the first house within what is now South Miami city limits.

His son-in-law opened the first store on the west side of the tracks, called the White Palace Grocery.

[6] Harold W. Dorn and his brother Robert moved to the area in 1910; their primary interest was growing mango and avocado.

[8] In 1925, the Dorn brothers built the Riviera Theatre at 5700 South Dixie Highway; in 1934, Charles T. Fuchs moved his Holsum Bakery from Homestead to South Miami and turned the Riviera Theatre Building into a bakery.

The first African-American to purchase land in the Larkins area was Marshall Williamson, who moved there from Madison, Florida.

The town's leaders asked Congress to "relieve the people of their income tax for the current year," but federal assistance was not forthcoming.

The economy was booming post World War II: a bank was established, the First National Bank of South Miami, new buildings were constructed, a hospital established (South Miami Hospital) and the community prospered.

Many long-time residents recall waking up to the olfactory stimulation of bread being baked at the Holsum bakery on the corner of Sunset Drive and Red Road.

Designed by architect Henry George Fink, the governmental seat on Sunset Drive was dedicated in October 1956 by Mayor Paul U. Tevis.

Jack Block was elected mayor of the city in 1968, and was thereafter re-elected every two years until 1984 when, as he told interviewer Gregory W. Bush, "I started to not enjoy it as much.

Where the Jaycees and myself, I cooked ribs all night long, and all the white people were there serving the black community.

According to reporting by SOMI magazine, a local publication, during early October 2018, "[o]n August 21, 2018, in the City of South Miami Commission Chambers the forging of a 'Sister-City' between the City of South Miami, Florida, and the Municipio de Medellin, Colombia, was formalized.

[25] South Miami residents complained about the architecture, which seemed closed from pedestrians, elitist, and far too tall for a town that liked small, homey buildings and mom-and-pop shops.

Gabriel Lopez-Bernal, an urban planner praised by the Miami New Times for his blogging on "civic discourse",[28] wrote: "Unlike its predecessor, Sunset Place was designed to be an open-aired Mediterranean community, incorporating former mall aspects like big boxed anchor tenants with street-level restaurants, faux cityscapes, and even a few residential units.

"[29] In 2015, The Shops at Sunset Place was acquired for $110.2 million by the joint venture of Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE: FRT), Coconut Grove-based Grass River Property, and Miami Beach-based Comras Co.[30] The mall is, thus, under new management[31] and has been seeking to redevelop the site with plans for a new hotel and other improvements.

[32] The city has numerous parks and a vibrant downtown filled with historic buildings, restaurants and unique shops.

[33] Much of South Miami stretches down U.S. 1, along which it features a wide variety of retail stores and restaurants on long-owned real estate or in newer shopping plazas.

The South Miami Branch library of the Miami-Dade Public Library System is open 6 days a week and offers a large children's room, as well as (for a small branch) an extensive collection of DVDs and large-print books.

Long-time South Miami resident John Edward Smith (image marketing and business development consultant) publishes SOMI Magazine every two months, whose "About SOMI" web page states "balances hometown interest while promoting the many businesses located in the South Miami Town Center.

Dara Smith and Olee Fowler wrote in January 2020, "Not historically top of mind as one of the city's major food destinations, South Miami's culinary scene is slowly taking shape.

From fine dining to fast casual, [there are] can't miss food and drink spots.

South Miami City Government as of November 2022 includes: Elections Results for November 8, 2022 Javier E. Fernandez 2,833 Horace G. Feliu 1,652 Steve Calle 2,126 Luis Joseph Gil 2,026 Lisa Bonich 2,230 Michelle Readon 2,025 Amend Charter Required Commission Meetings Yes 2,518 No 1,833 Amend Charter Four-Year Term City Mayor Yes 2,167 No 2,278 Amend Charter City Ofc/Dept Internal Fund Transfer Yes 2,670 No 1,603 Amend Charter Installation Elected Official Yes 3,444 No 862 Lisa Bonich was appointed as the Vice Mayor until the next City elections.

[44] It was also on Solucient's list of top 100 hospitals in the country and earned the Florida Governor's Sterling Award in 2010.