The origin of the name of Doral is the union of the names Doris and Alfred; Doris Kaskel a New Yorker and Alfred Kaskel a Pole, husbands, who in 1950 bought 2400 acres of land with the dream of building a hotel and a golf course, which they called “Doral Country Club” (founded in 1962).
Doral is a city located in Miami Dade County, Florida, which was erected around the hotel founded by the Kaskels, a place that from the second year of its foundation was consolidated as an obligatory destination for golfers by hosting the first open golf tournament (Doral Open Invitational) and for more than 10 years home to the PGA.
In the early eighties Doris Kaskel and her grandson Bill began the real estate development of housing in Doral with the construction of the Doral States community and later in association with Lennar Homes the Doral Park community, which brought with it young families as the first residents of the Doral.
In 1985 Morgan Levy originating in Whashington and Jesse Jones of Mississippi, residents of Doral, founded the Federation of West Dade, the name by which at that time the Doral, with the purpose of representing the interests of 8000 families who at the time lived in the area and protecting its insipient infrastructure. It was they who achieved the construction of the first John I. Smith elementary school, parks, the police department and initiated the process to turn Doral into an independent municipality. In 1996 the first election of the Community Council was held, in which they were elected as commissioners: Jose “Pepe” Cancio (Cuban-American), Mario Pita and Barbara B. Thomas. In 2003 the inhabitants of Doral voted for the incorporation of the city as an independent municipality to Miami Dade County, electing Juan Carlos Bermudez (Cuban-American) As the first mayor of the city, Pete Cabrera (Cuban-American) Vice Mayor and as members of the Council: Mike Di Pietro(Miamian), Sandra Ruiz (Mexican) and Robert Van Name (New Yorker). Since its foundation, the government of the city has been in charge of people from different countries of Latin origin, including: Cubans, Venezuelans, Argentines, Mexicans, among others.
The multicultural dynamism in Doral is not only presented in politics, the multiculturalism that is lived in the city goes further, it is seen in: food, music, customs, business, etc.
The city has been chosen by many foreign investors mostly of Latin American origin as their place of residence and business for several reasons, such as:
For its location: it is located 1 mile from Miami International Airport, 10 miles from the Port of Miami, and; is bordered by two of Miami Dade County’s major highways (836 and 826)
For its business activity: It is home to one of the largest private free zones in USED (Miami Free Zone); It is the headquarters of more than 100 multinationals, of 250 companies with headquarters; It operates more than 2600 companies related to Trade and Logistics and has more than 50 financial institutions.
For its educational institutions: it has more than 10 public schools, charter schools and private schools with category “A” the highest rating granted by the state of Florida; It has more than 10 university institutes, universities and technical schools.
For its quality of life: it has 6 parks with more than 121 acres, 20 hotels, 2 shopping centers, business centers, diversity of restaurants and a long etcetera.
Some recognitions from Doral
-Business week named Doral as the best city in Florida to create a company.
CNN Money named the city of Doral 51st out of 100 in the U.S . for living and doing business.
-Forbes.com ranked Doral as the second best city in the USA to live well and favorable to companies.
-US News & World Report chose the city of Doral as the third best city in the United States to retire.