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Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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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.[1] 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.

This list is incomplete

Geography

Fort Lauderdale is located at 26°08′09″N 80°08′31″W / 26.13583°N 80.14194°W / 26.13583; -80.14194 (26.135763, -80.141810)Template:GR. The city is considered the southwestern corner of the Bermuda Triangle.

 
Fort Lauderdale beach sunrise

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 93.3 km² (36.0 mi²). 82.2 km² (31.7 mi²) of it is land and 11.1 km² (4.3 mi²) 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: Template:Adjacent geography Template:Adjacent geography Template:Adjacent geography Template:Adjacent geography Template:Adjacent geography Template:Adjacent geography

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 tourists

Fort 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 2004

The 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, galleries, and restaurants as well as upgrades to Lockhart Stadium (to attract marquee sporting events).

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. It also hosts one of the largest seaports in the country, Port Everglades. Two railroads pass through Fort Lauderdale, and Amtrak provides services to other cities on the Atlantic coast. There is also a commuter rail service, the Tri-Rail, connecting Fort Lauderdale to Miami and West Palm Beach.

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.

Sports

Sites of interest

Education

The Fort Lauderdale area is served by several institutions of higher learning:

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:

Fort Lauderdale is also served by several private schools:

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 censusTemplate:GR 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/km² (4,803.1/mi²). There were 80,862 housing units at an average density of 984.0/km² (2,548.5/mi²). 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).

See also: List of radio stations in Florida

Notable Fort Lauderdale residents, past and present

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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