during the 1970s, sweetwater began to grow quickly. in 1972, florida international university began teaching students at its campus just south of the town. two large highways were being built in the area. one north of the town and the other to the west of it. the area also got noticed by the dade county hispanic community. all of this caused the population of sweetwater to double. the town had the largest growth of all cities in dade county during the 1970s.