Overtown is one of the oldest Miami neighborhoods, dating back to the city's earliest days. In the 1890's, it was a segregated living area for African-Americans working on Henry Flagler's Railroad. These workers were forbidden to live within the city limits, and this area of land west of the railroad tracks was initially called "Colored Town." Today, it's a developing African-American cultural neighborhood and a reminder of one of the most sensitive periods in U.S. History. If Overtown's on your Miami to-do list, consider affordable downtown Miami hotels that are centrally located and just a short distance away.