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About Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, known as the "Venice of America" due to its expansive and
intricate canal system, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As
of the 2000 census, the city population was 152,397. The city is also sometimes
referred to as "Fort Liquordale" because of its beaches, many bars, nightclubs,
strip clubs, and overall party atmosphere. According to the 2004 U.S. Census
Bureau's Estimates, the city grew to 164,578. Annexation of unincorporated areas
in 2005 has boosted the city population to 170,823. It is the county seat of
Broward County, and forms a part of the South Florida metropolitan area.
Government
Fort Lauderdale has a Commission-Manager form of government. City policy is
set by a city commission of five elected members; the mayor and four district
commission members. Administrative functions are performed by a City manager,
who is appointed by the city commission.
Mayors of Fort Lauderdale
The mayor of Fort Lauderdale serves a three-year term, no greater than six
consecutive terms, for a total of eighteen years. The current mayor, Jim Naugle,
will be ineligible for reelection in 2009.
1991 - present Jim Naugle
1988 - 1991 Robert Cox
1975 - 1981 E. Clay Shaw, Jr.
1973 - 1975 Virginia Young
1965 Cy Young
1956 - 1959 Porter G. Reynolds
1954 C. M. Carlisle
1953 Lewis E. Moore
1926 J.W. "Jack" Tidball
1911 - William H. Marshall (first mayor)
Geography
Fort Lauderdale is located at 26°08′09″N, 80°08′31″W (26.135763,
-80.141810)GR1. The city is considered the southwestern corner of the Bermuda
Triangle.
Fort Lauderdale beach sunriseAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the
city has a total area of 93.3 km˛ (36.0 mi˛). 82.2 km˛ (31.7 mi˛) of it is land
and 11.1 km˛ (4.3 mi˛) of it (11.91%) is water. Fort Lauderdale is known for its
extensive network of canals, and is an especially popular destination for
fishing and yachting.
The city of Fort Lauderdale is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, and includes
several miles of beachfront. borders the following municipalities on its outside
borders:
On its east:
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
Sea Ranch Lakes
On its south:
Hollywood
Dania Beach
On its southwest:
Davie
On its west:
Plantation
Lauderhill
Lauderdale Lakes
On its northwest:
North Lauderdale
On its north:
Pompano Beach
The northwesternmost section of Fort Lauderdale is separate from the remainder
of the city, except for the Cypress Creek Canal as it flows under I-95. This
section of Fort Lauderdale borders the cities of Tamarac and Oakland Park on its
south side.
Oakland Park also borders Fort Lauderdale on the west side of its northeastern
portion. The greater portion of Fort Lauderdale in the south is bordered, along
its north side by Wilton Manors.
History
The first inhabitants of the land were Seminole Indians who arrived in the
18th century. During the Second Seminole War, Major William Lauderdale led his
Tennessee Volunteers into the area and raised New River Fort on the site of the
modern city in 1838. In 1893, a young Ohioan named Frank Stranahan arrived and
built a house that served as the first trading post, post office, bank and town
hall of the area. The house was built near the site of the New River Fort and
still stands today as a museum. Fort Lauderdale was officially incorporated as a
town in 1911 and began as a predominantly agricultural community, raising dairy
cows and citrus groves. The city and its surrounding suburbs have experienced
tremendous growth following the end of World War II.
In one of the city's worst traffic disasters, on March 17, 1993, an Amtrak
passenger train collided with a loaded Hess gasoline truck at the Cypress Creek
Road crossing of the CSX Railroad track in north Fort Lauderdale. The truck was
unable to move due to heavy rush hour traffic. The collision and fire killed the
truck driver and as well as five motorists that were stopped at the crossing.
Nobody on the train was seriously injured. Downtown Fort Lauderdale suffered
extensive damage from Hurricane Wilma on October 24, 2005.
Economy
Intersection of Las Olas and A1A. Fort Lauderdale beach, once notoriously
crowded during Spring Break, still attracts a large number of seasonal
touristsFort Lauderdale's economy is heavily reliant on tourism. During the
1970s, the city was known as a spring break destination for college students;
since the 1980s, police have cracked down on underage drinking and other illicit
activity, and the tourist dollars have been largely redirected toward cruise
ships and other nautical recreation. In the last few years however, Fort
Lauderdale has welcomed back spring breakers with open arms, due in part to the
large infusion of cash for the local economy they provide. Police for their part
have kept problems to a minimum, and the scene is nowhere near the anarchy of
the 1970s and 1980s crowds. Today the entertainment district runs West to East
along Las Olas Boulevard, from the heart of downtown to the beach. The district
is anchored in the West by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, and runs
through the city to arrive at the intersection of Las Olas and A1A. This
intersection is the "ground zero" of Fort Lauderdale Beach, and is the site of
the "Elbo Room" bar featured in the 1960's film Where the Boys Are, which led in
large measure to the city's former reputation as a spring break mecca.
Fort Lauderdale is a major manufacturing and maintenance center for yachts. The
boating industry is responsible for over 100,000 jobs in the area. With its many
canals, and proximity to the Bahamas and Caribbean, it is also a popular
yachting vacation stop. The boating industry is in transition as high land cost
are forcing marinas to sell and relocate out of the area. Addtionally, the
number of boat slips are declining as marinas are more actively seeking the
large mega-yachts.
Fort Lauderdale skyline, featuring Las Olas River House, completed in 2004The
downtown area, especially around Las Olas Boulevard, has seen dramatic growth in
the past decade, and now hosts many new hotels and high-rise condominium
developments. Other improvements include a wide array of new boutiques, art
galleries, and restaurants as well as upgrades to Lockhart Stadium (to attract
marquee sporting events).
Several large companies are based in the Fort Lauderdale area including:
AutoNation USA, Citrix Systems, DHL Express, Spirit Airlines, One Model Place,
and National Beverage Corp. Due to its proximity to Miami, Fort Lauderdale is
emerging as a location for Latin American headquarters for companies such as
Microsoft.
Transportation
Local transportation includes Broward County Transit (BCT), which is the
county bus system. BCT provides for connections with the bus systems in other
parts of the metropolitan area: Metrobus in Miami-Dade County and Palm Tran in
Palm Beach County. Tri-Rail, a commuter rail system, connects the major cities
and airports of South Florida. Broward County voters may soon be asked to
approve a 1-cent tax to fund transportation projects such as light rail and
expanding the the bus system.
Two railroads pass through Fort Lauderdale, Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC)
and CSX Systems. Amtrak provides services to other cities on the Atlantic coast.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is the city's main airport
(although it is located in neighboring city Dania Beach) and is one of the
fastest growing airports in the country. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood is an
emerging international gateway for the Caribbean and Latin America. Fort
Lauderdale is also served by Miami International Airport and Palm Beach
International Airport.
Fort Lauderdale is also home to one of the ten largest general aviation airports
in the country, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Fort Lauderdale is served by Port Everglades, the nation's 2nd busiest cruise
port. It is Florida's deepest port, and is an integral petroleum receiving
point.
Broward County is served by three Major Interstates (I-75, I-95, I-595) and some
U.S. Highways including U.S. Route 1, US 27 and US 441. It is also served by
State Highway 869, also known as the Sawgrass Expressway.
Sports
The Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League play at BankAtlantic
Center in suburban Sunrise, Florida.
The Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball and the Miami Dolphins play at
Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium is 17 miles southwest of
Fort Lauderdale.
The Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association play at American Airlines
Arena in downtown Miami, located 23 miles south of Fort Lauderdale.
The Baltimore Orioles conduct Spring training in the city at Fort Lauderdale
Stadium.
International Swimming Hall of Fame is located at Fort Lauderdale Beach.
South Florida also hosts the college sports teams of Florida Atlantic
University, Florida International University, Nova Southeastern University, and
University of Miami.
Sites of interest
Bonnet House Museum and Tropical Gardens
Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale Stadium
Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop, a large indoor/outdoor flea market with the
Thunderbird Drive-In Movie Theatre.
Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
Jungle Queen Riverboats
Las Olas Boulevard
Las Olas Riverfront, known locally as "Riverfront."
Las Olas Riverwalk, a landscaped promenade along New River. (Locally known as "Riverwalk.")
Lockhart Stadium
Metropolitan Community Church of Fort Lauderdale, locally known as the "Sunshine
Cathedral".
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale has hosted popular exhibits such as King Tut and
Princess Diana.
Museum of Discovery and Science
Old Fort Lauderdale Village & Museum
Port Everglades
Stranahan House, the oldest house in Broward County.
Education
The Fort Lauderdale area is served by several institutions of higher
learning:
Broward Community College
Nova Southeastern University, a four year university that offers graduate
programs in law, osteopathic medicine, dentistry and business.
Florida Atlantic University
Florida International University
Fort Lauderdale's public education is served by Broward County Public Schools,
the 5th largest school district in the nation. Public high schools that serve
Fort Lauderdale are:
Boyd H. Anderson High School
Dillard High School
Fort Lauderdale High School
Northeast High School
Stranahan High School
Fort Lauderdale is also served by several private schools:
Pine Crest School
Cardinal Gibbons
Westminster Academy
St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale)
Demographics
As space becomes increasingly unavailable in and around Fort Lauderdale,
high-rises are springing up in formerly single family and light industrial
areas. This rapid development faces intense opposition from many longtime
residents.As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 152,397 people, 68,468
households, and 33,001 families residing in the city. The population density was
1,854.4/km˛ (4,803.1/mi˛). There were 80,862 housing units at an average density
of 984.0/km˛ (2,548.5/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city was 64.27% White,
28.88% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.05% Pacific
Islander, 1.76% from other races, and 3.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 9.45% of the population.
There were 68,468 households out of which 19.6% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 32.2% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 51.8% were non-families. 40.3% of all
households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the
average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 7.7%
from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there
were 110.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,887, and the median income
for a family was $46,175. Males had a median income of $34,478 versus $27,230
for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,798. About 13.8% of
families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including
29.0% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Fort Lauderdale is a popular location for gay and lesbian residents and
visitors. In the last decade many gays and lesbians have moved to the city in
rather large numbers. Fort Lauderdale is also home to the International Gay and
Lesbian Travel Association.
Media
Fort Lauderdale is served by two English-language newspapers, the South
Florida Sun Sentinel and The Miami Herald, as well as two Spanish-language
newspapers El Sentinel and El Nuevo Herald. The Sun-Sentinel is Fort
Lauderdale's primary newspaper with over a million subscribers focusing mainly
on issues that affect the Fort Lauderdale and Broward County area. The newspaper
also has several news bureaus, including one in Cuba.
Fort Lauderdale is a part of the Miami media market, which is the 12th largest
radio market and the 17th largest television market in the United States.
Television stations serving the Miami area include WAMI (Telefutura), WBFS (UPN),
WBZL (The WB), WFOR (CBS), WHFT (TBN), WLTV (Univision), WPLG (ABC), WPXM (i),
WSCV (Telemundo), WSVN (FOX), WTVJ (NBC), WPBT (PBS), and WLRN (also PBS).
Notable Fort Lauderdale residents, past and present
Kaitlyn Ashley, pornographic actress
Daisy Berkowitz, lead guitarist for Marilyn Manson
Angel Boris, actress and Playboy model
Issac Bruce, NFL wide receiver
Bonnie Canino, women's boxing champion
Mary Carey, pornographic actress and politician
Amy Dumas, professional wrestler
Chris Evert, professional tennis player
Tiffany Fallon, Playboy model
Jessicka Fodera, American singer/vocalist for the rock bands Jack Off Jill and
Scarling.
Tucker Fredrickson, professional football player
Cory Gibbs, professional soccer player
Robby Ginepri, professional tennis player
Catherine Hickland, soap opera actress
Steve Hutchinson, professional football player
Paige O'Hara, stage actress and singer
Lee Majors, actor
Marilyn Manson, musician
Stockar McDougle, NFL defensive lineman
Mike Mularkey, former Buffalo Bills head coach
Sean Murphy, NASCAR driver
Matt Murton, professional baseball outfielder
Brian Piccolo, professional football player
Kelly Parsons, actress and model
Jaco Pastorius, pivotal/influential jazz bassist
Mitch Richmond, professional basketball player
Jeff Roth, professional wrestler
Asante Samuel, NFL cornerback
Ryan Shealy, Major League Baseball player with the Colorado Rockies
Archie Shepp, free jazz saxophonist
Niki Taylor, model