By SANDRA C. ROA

Amid a steady rhythm of cock-a-doodle-dos and the shuffling feet of residents heading to work, another day unfolds in the heart of Little Haiti, a bustling community in North Miami. About 34,000 residents from Haiti and Central America live in the 5-square-mile neighborhood. And in a place of such diversity, it can be hard to predict what may be found around each street corner.

Once known as Lemon City, Little Haiti still has lemon trees growing on the lawns of hundreds of one-story houses. Buildings are painted in pastel greens, yellows and oranges. Makeshift shacks are built with materials including broomsticks, tarps and tins. Potted plants, filled with mixtures of tropical greenery, sit next to brightly colored leather sofas. And, with the neighborhood just a few miles from the Atlantic Coast, small boats lie scattered and rusted in the front yards of many transplanted islanders.