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BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

City of Fort Lauderdale Image:Fort Lauderdale Skyline.jpeg City of Fort Lauderdale seal (details)
"Nickname: Venice of America"
Image:Map of Florida highlighting Fort Lauderdale.png Location of Fort Lauderdale in Broward County, Florida.
Founded	27 March 1911
City Government Style	Commission-Manager
Mayor	Jim Naugle
Area  - Total  - Water	36.0 mi² (93.3km²) 4.3 mi² (11.1 km²) 11.91%
Population  - City (2004)  - Density	164,578 4,803.1/mi²
Latitude Longitude	26°08' N 80°08' W
City of Fort Lauderdale Official Website

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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 known for its beaches, many bars, nightclubs, 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. According to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Fort Lauderdale is "America's top gay resort area."

Contents 1 Government 1.1 Mayors of Fort Lauderdale 2 Geography 3 History 4 Economy 5 Transportation 6 Sports 7 Sites of interest 8 Education 9 Demographics 10 Sister Cities 11 Media 12 Notable Fort Lauderdale residents, past and present 13 Trivia 14 References 15 External links

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 and longest-ever serving mayor, "Jim" Naugle, will be ineligible for reelection in 2009.

This list is incomplete

• 1991 - present James T. "Jim" Naugle
• 1983 - 1991 Robert Osborne "Bob" Cox
• 1981 - 1984 Robert "Rob" Dressler
• 1975 - 1981 E. Clay Shaw, Jr.
• 1973 - 1975 Virginia Shuman Young
• 1965 - 19? Melvin R. "Cy" Young
• 19?? - 196? Ed Johns
• 1956 - 1959 Porter G. Reynolds
• 195? - 195? Thomas B. Manuel
• 1954 C. M. Carlisle
• 1953 Lewis E. Moore
• 1926 J.W. "Jack" Tidball
• 1911 - William H. Marshall (first mayor)

[edit] Geography

Fort Lauderdale is located at 26°08′09″N, 80°08′31″W (26.135763, -80.141810)^GR1.

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:

On its east:

• Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
• Sea Ranch Lakes

On its south:

• Hollywood
• Dania Beach

On its southwest:
Davie Southwest Ranches

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.

[edit] History

At the time of initial European contact, the area was occupied by the Tequesta Indians. Disease, wars and displacement led to the demise of the Tequestas, who were later replaced by the Seminole Indians, who came to the area in the 18th and 19th centuries. The first American settlements started in the 1820's (Florida became a U.S. Territory in 1821). The main personality of the (approx.) 70 people living around the New River (present day Fort Lauderdale) was William Cooley, who acted as local Sheriff. He reportedly released three white settlers who had allegedly murdered an Indian chief for lack of evidence.^{[citation needed]} Since this incident coincided with the start of the Second Seminole War in 1835, the Indians took revenge and murdered Cooley's family on January 6, 1836. This triggered the departure of all the white settlers from the area. During the Second Seminole War, Major William Lauderdale led his Tennessee Volunteers into the area and in 1838 erected a fort on the New River at the site of the modern city of Fort Lauderdale, where SW 9th Avenue meets SW 4th Court. Major Lauderdale left after one month but his name remained. The Seminoles destroyed the fort a few months later and two more forts were built later on, closer to the ocean. It would take until he 1890's to see a new meaningful arrival of settlers. In 1893, a young Ohioan named Frank Stranahan arrived and built a house that served as the first trading post, post office, bank and first hotel of the area. He built three different houses on the original site along present day U.S. 1 highway, the last one in 1901. That house still stands today as a museum and is Broward County's oldest standing structure. 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. Today, it is major tourist destination, the yachting capital of the world and a financial center. Fort Lauderdale's nickname "the Venice of America" derives from its extensive network of waterways and canals, which extends for over 200 miles.

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.

[edit] Economy

Image:Fort Lauderdale Beach.jpg 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. Fort Lauderdale now attracts a more sophisticated and affluent crowd[1], however it still remains a popular spring break site for college students.

The entertainment district runs east-west along Las Olas Boulevard, from the beach to the heart of downtown. 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. The city also hosts Langerado, an annual music festival.

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.

Image:Fort Lauderdale Skyline 7.jpgThe 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, 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.

[edit] Transportation

Local transportation includes Broward County Transit (BCT), 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. In November 2006, Broward County voters rejected a one-cent-per-hundred sales tax increase intended to fund transportation projects such as light rail and expanding the bus system.

Several railroads pass through Fort Lauderdale. Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC) and CSX Systems are freight lines. Amtrak provides passenger service to other cities on the Atlantic coast, and Tri-Rail provides commuter service from Palm Beach County, through Broward County/Fort Lauderdale, and into Miami-Dade County.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is the city's main airport 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 Florida's Turnpike and State Highway 869, also known as the Sawgrass Expressway.

[edit] 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 AmericanAirlines 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, Lynn University, and University of Miami.

[edit] Sites of interest

• African American Research Library and Cultural Center
• 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.
• Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
• Las Olas Boulevard
• Lockhart Stadium
• Mark K. Wheeler Gallery at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
• 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.

[edit] Education

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

• The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
• Broward Community College
• Florida Atlantic University
• Florida International University
• Lynn University
• Nova Southeastern 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)

[edit] Demographics

Image:Fort Lauderdale New River Development.jpegAs of the census^GR2 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.

[edit] Sister Cities

Fort Lauderdale has 15 sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

Image:Flag of Australia.svg Gold Coast, Australia Image:Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg La Romana, Dominican Republic Image:Flag of Israel (bordered).svg Haifa, Israel Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Agogo, Ghana Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Belo Horizonte, Brazil Image:Flag of Panama (bordered).svg Panama City, Panama Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Quepos, Costa Rica Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Mar del Plata, Argentina

Image:Flag of Venezuela.svg Isla Margarita, Venezuela Image:Flag of Colombia.svg Medellín, Colombia Image:Flag of Turkey.svg Muğla, Turkey Image:Flag of Italy.svg Rimini, Italy Image:Flag of Brazil.svg São Sebastião, Brazil Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Sefton, England, UK Image:Flag of Haiti.svg Cap-Haïtien, Haiti

[edit] 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.

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

[edit] 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
• Wayne Huizenga,Business and civic leader
• Paige O'Hara, stage actress and singer
• Lee Majors, actor
• Marilyn Manson, musician
• Stockar McDougle, NFL offensive 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
• John Riedling, profession baseball 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
• Dwayne Johnson, professional wrestler,actor
• David Cassidy, pop singer Partridge Family

[edit] Trivia

• The city is also sometimes referred to as "Fort Liquordale" because of its beaches, many bars, nightclubs, strip clubs, and overall party atmosphere.<ref>Broward-Palm Beach New Times Club Directory: Elbo Room - URL retrieved October 28, 2006</ref>
• The city is sometimes considered the western corner of the Bermuda Triangle.

[edit] References

<references/>

[edit] External links

• City of Fort Lauderdale - official website
• Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 26.135763° -80.14181°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

Cities and communities of Broward County, Florida

County seat Fort Lauderdale Image:Broward County Florida.png Incorporated places Coconut Creek | Cooper City | Coral Springs | Dania Beach | Davie | Deerfield Beach | Fort Lauderdale | Hallandale Beach | Hillsboro Beach | Hollywood | Lauderdale Lakes | Lauderdale-by-the-Sea | Lauderhill | Lazy Lake | Lighthouse Point | Margate | North Lauderdale | Oakland Park | Parkland | Pembroke Park | Pembroke Pines | Plantation | Pompano Beach | Sea Ranch Lakes | Southwest Ranches | Sunrise | Tamarac | West Park | Weston | Wilton Manors Unincorporated Census-designated places Andytown | Boulevard Gardens | Broadview Park | Broadview-Pompano Park | Broward Estates | Chula Vista | Franklin Park | Godfrey Road | Hacienda Village | Hillsboro Pines | Hillsboro Ranches | Kendall Green | Leisureville | Loch Lomond | Pine Island Ridge | Roosevelt Gardens | Royal Palm Ranches | St. George | Sunshine Acres | Washington Park Neighborhoods in incorporated areas (and recently annexed census-designated places) Bonnie Loch-Woodsetter North | Carver Ranches | Chambers Estates | Collier Manor-Cresthaven | Country Estates | Crystal Lake | Edgewater | Estates of Fort Lauderdale | Golden Heights | Green Meadow | Ivanhoe Estates | Lake Forest | Melrose Park | Miami Gardens | North Andrews Gardens | Oak Point | Palm Aire | Pompano Beach Highlands | Pompano Estates | Ramblewood East | Ravenswood Estates | Riverland Village | Rock Island | Rolling Oaks | Sunshine Ranches | Tedder | Terra Mar | Twin Lakes | Utopia | Village Park | West Ken-Lark Adjacent Counties Palm Beach | Miami-Dade | Collier | Hendry   v • d • e</span>

Image:Flag of Florida.svg	State of Florida
Topics	Government | History | Floridians | Transportation | State Parks
Capital	Tallahassee
Larger cities	Cape Coral | Clearwater | Coral Springs | Fort Lauderdale | Gainesville | Hialeah | Hollywood | Jacksonville | Lakeland | Miami | Miami Gardens | Miramar | North Miami | Orlando | Pembroke Pines | Plantation | Pompano Beach | Port St. Lucie | St. Petersburg | Sunrise | Tallahassee | Tampa | West Palm Beach </font>
Smaller cities	Altamonte Springs | Apopka | Aventura | Bartow | Boca Raton | Bonita Springs | Boynton Beach | Bradenton | Brandon | Coconut Creek | Cooper City | Coral Gables | Davie | Daytona Beach | Deerfield Beach | Deland | Delray Beach | Deltona | Dunedin | Fort Myers | Fort Pierce | Greenacres | Hallandale Beach | Homestead | Jupiter | Kissimmee | Lake Mary | Lake Worth | Largo | Lauderdale Lakes | Lauderhill | Margate | Melbourne | Miami Beach | North Lauderdale | North Miami Beach | North Miami | Oakland Park | Ocala | Ocoee | Ormond Beach | Oviedo | Palm Bay | Palm Beach Gardens | Palm Harbor | Panama City | Pensacola | Pinellas Park | Plant City | Plantation | Port Charlotte | Port Orange | Riviera Beach | Royal Palm Beach | St. Augustine | Sanford | Sarasota | Spring Hill | Sunrise | Tamarac | Temple Terrace | Titusville | Vero Beach | Wellington | Weston | Winter Haven | Winter Park | Winter Springs </font>
Regions	Big Bend | Central Florida | Emerald Coast | First Coast | Florida Keys | Florida Panhandle | Gold Coast | Nature Coast | North Central Florida  | South Florida | Southwest Florida | Space Coast | Sun Coast | Tampa Bay Area | Treasure Coast | Walt Disney World</font>
Counties	Alachua | Baker | Bay | Bradford | Brevard | Broward | Calhoun | Charlotte | Citrus | Clay | Collier | Columbia | DeSoto | Dixie | Duval | Escambia | Flagler | Franklin | Gadsden | Gilchrist | Glades | Gulf | Hamilton | Hardee | Hendry | Hernando | Highlands | Hillsborough | Holmes | Indian River | Jackson | Jefferson | Lafayette | Lake | Lee | Leon | Levy | Liberty | Madison | Manatee | Marion | Martin | Miami-Dade | Monroe | Nassau | Okaloosa | Okeechobee | Orange | Osceola | Palm Beach | Pasco | Pinellas | Polk | Putnam | Santa Rosa | Sarasota | Seminole | St. Johns | St. Lucie | Sumter | Suwannee | Taylor | Union | Volusia | Wakulla | Walton | Washington</font>

da:Fort Lauderdale

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