In residential Mid Town and New Town, homes average 1,500 square feet, with lot sizes roughly 50 feet by 100 feet. Typically built by shipbuilders and carpenters for New England sea captains, many of these homes feature Bahamian and New England influences and high ceilings. Conch-style homes along Eaton Street are generally large, but this is not the rule. Lots along this busy street also are smaller, and the real estate therefore is less valuable. Both house and lot sizes diminish toward the outskirts of Old Town, where large estates coexist with shotgun cottages, which are described in our Attractions chapter.
Neighbors are almost always just an arm's length away.
From Truman Avenue south is the area once known as Little Havana because it was primarily inhabited by Cuban cigar workers. The majority of one-story homes here are referred to as shotgun houses, designed with all rooms off the left or right sides. Due to renovations and extensions, cottage sizes range from 800 square feet of floor space with two bedrooms and one bath to 1,500 square feet with three bedrooms and three baths. Some have been gathered into cottage compounds. Many homes have been cosmetically restored to their original splendor and in some cases are experiencing a second renewal for structural improvements.