Categories: South Florida metropolitan area > Charter counties in Florida > 1915 establishments > Broward County, Florida

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Broward County, Florida
Location in the state of Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.
Seat	Fort Lauderdale
Area - Total - Land - Water	1,320 sq mi (3,419 km²) 1,205 sq mi (3,121 km²) 114 sq mi (295 km²), 8.66%
Population^Est. - (2007) - Density	2,059,591 1,347/sq mi (520/km²)
Founded	April 30, 1915
Named for	Napoleon Bonaparte Broward
County logo
Website	www.broward.org

Broward County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population is 1,623,018; this makes it the second most populated county in the state. According to 2008 U.S. Census estimates, its population has increased to 1,751,234 ^[1]. Its county seat is Fort Lauderdale, Florida^[2].

It is also the sixteenth most populous county in the US.

Broward County is one of three counties that comprise the South Florida metropolitan area.

History

County logo.

Broward County was created in 1915. It was named for Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, Governor of Florida from 1905 to 1909. In 1915, Palm Beach County and Dade County contributed nearly equal portions of land to create Broward County. By the 1960s, Broward County was considered a leader in agriculture products and services within the State of Florida. The massive buildup of the South Florida region since the mid 1970s transformed the region, evidenced by the closure of the last major agriculture center within the county (Waldrep Dairy Farm) in 2003. It was one of the counties at the center of the 2000 U.S. Presidential election recount controversy. In 2002, it began an aggressive campaign of placing surveillance cameras along highways and traffic lights. Critics contend the cameras violate drivers' due process rights and two separate lawsuits have been filed over their use, one in Aventura filed in February, and one in Temple Terrace near Tampa, filed at the end of July. [1]

Points of interest

Broward boasts some notable attractions. The Museum of Discovery and Science is located in Ft. Lauderdale. The International Swimming Hall of Fame is located near the Atlantic Ocean in Fort Lauderdale. The International Game Fish Association has the Hall of Fame for Sport Fishing in Dania Beach. Flamingo Gardens is a botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary. Butterfly World is located in Coconut Creek. Sawgrass Mills, a large shopping mall, is located in Sunrise. Also, the NHL's Florida Panthers play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. There are also multiple entrances to Everglades parks. In Pompano Beach is the Festival Flea Market Mall, America's largest indoor flea market. The African-American Research Library & Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale boasts more than 75,000 books and materials on the experiences of people of African descent in the Caribbean, Central and South America and the United States [2].

Geography

Physical geography

Broward County is close to sea level in elevation averaging about 6 feet above sea level. It is rather new geologically and located at the eastern edge of the Florida Platform, a carbonate plateau created millions of years ago. Broward County is composed of Oolite limestone while western Broward is composed mostly of Bryozoa.^[3] Broward is among the last areas of Florida to be created and populated with fauna and flora, mostly in the Pleistocene.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,320 square miles (3,418 km²).Approximately two-thirds—847 square miles (2,194 km²) -- of the county's area lies in an undeveloped Everglades conservation area. 1,205 square miles (3,122 km²) of the county's area is land and 114 square miles (296 km²) of it is water. The total area is 8.66% water.

Broward approved the construction of Osborne Reef, an artificial reef made of tires off the Fort Lauderdale beach, but it has proven an environmental disaster.[3]

Adjacent counties

Hendry County	Palm Beach County
Collier County		Atlantic Ocean
	Broward County, Florida

	Miami-Dade County

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1920	5,135	—
1930	20,094	291.3%
1940	39,794	98.0%
1950	83,933	110.9%
1960	333,946	297.9%
1970	620,100	85.7%
1980	1,018,200	64.2%
1990	1,255,488	23.3%
2000	1,623,018	29.3%

2000 Census

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile (520/km²). There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile (237/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.57% White (58% were Non-Hispanic White,)^[5] 20.54% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 2.25% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.00% from other races, and 3.35% from two or more races. 16.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In relation to ancestry, 9.4% were Italian, 7.4% American, 6.8% German, 6.7% Irish, and 4% English ancestry according to Census 2000. Furthermore, about 5.0% were Jamaican and 4.0% Haitian alone, so 10.6% were generically West Indian.^[6]

Notably, Broward was the only county in the nation outside the Northeast where Italian-Americans compose the largest ethnic group.

410,387 residents of Broward County, or 25.3 percent of the total population, were foreign-born (45% of whom were naturalized citizens),^[6] of which 60,241 of these were born in Jamaica, 47,445 in Haiti, 32,572 in Cuba, 12,776 in Peru, 9,189 in the United Kingdom, and 9,015 in the Dominican Republic. However, in percentage form, the most common countries of foreign-born residents included Jamaica (15%), Haiti (12%), Cuba (8%), Colombia (8%), Canada (5%), Brazil (4%), and Peru (3%).^[6]

There were 654,445 households out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,691, and the median income for a family was $50,531. Males had a median income of $36,741 versus $28,529 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,170. About 8.7% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2005, Broward County led the nation's metropolitan areas in new AIDS diagnoses, with a reported rate 58.4 new AIDS diagnoses per 100,000 people. County officials think the numbers may stem from a new and successful HIV testing campaign that has resulted in many people being diagnosed with full-blown AIDS at the same time they've been diagnosed with HIV.[4] Ironically, without the implementation of the new testing campaign, the reported numbers of new diagnoses would have probably been lower.

Languages

As of 2000, 71.27% of all residents spoke English as their first language, while 16.33% spoke Spanish, 3.51% French Creole, 1.77% French, 1.13% Portuguese, 0.89% Italian, and 0.56% of the population spoke German as their mother language. In total, 28.72% of the population spoke languages other than English at home.^[7]

With the huge influx of immigrants since 2000, these figures have become outdated. However, since so many of them are coming from the Anglophone Caribbean, where English is spoken, the change is not as fast as the rate of immigration would suggest.^{[citation needed]}

2008 Census Report

U.S. Census Bureau 2008 Ethnic/Race Demographics:^[8]

White (non-Hispanic): 47.3%
Black (non-Hispanic): 25.5%
Hispanic or Latino of any race: 24.0%
Some other race: 4.2%^[9]
Asian: 3.1%
Two or more races: 1.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.2%

According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census of 2008,^[10] the total population of Broward County had risen to almost 1.8 million people (1,754,846), and increased by 10.1% between April 1, 2000 and July 1, 2006. This number is accounted for by an increase to 426,310 (25.5%) in its black population and an increase to 408,543 (24.0%) of its non-black Hispanic population. A significant portion of the black population has resulted from immigration, of whom are mainly Afro-Caribbeans/West Indians. Some Afro-Latinos and Afro-Brazilians might also classify themselves as only black. More black foreigners immigrated to Broward County between 2001 and 2005 than any other county in the United States. Also, 52,506 (3.1%) of Broward County's population is Asian, which is a higher figure than that of most counties in the state.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Broward County Schools currently has the sixth largest school district in the country and the second largest in the state after Miami-Dade.

Colleges and universities

Public libraries

Broward County Library is one of the largest public library systems in the country, composed of 37 branch locations.

Government

The Broward County Charter provides for a separation between the legislative and administrative functions of government. The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative branch of Broward County Government.

The County Commission is composed of nine members elected by district. Each Commissioner must be a resident of the district for which he or she seeks election. Each year the Commission elects a Mayor and Vice Mayor. The Mayor's functions include serving as presiding officer, and as the County's official representative. The Commission appoints the County Administrator, County Attorney and County Auditor. The Commission also appoints numerous advisory and regulatory boards.

The County Commission meets in formal session the first four Tuesdays of each month at 10:00 a.m. in Room 422 of the Broward County Governmental Center. Over 507,000 cable subscribers in Broward County have access to television coverage of Commission meetings, which are broadcast live beginning at 10:00 a.m. each Tuesday, and rebroadcast at 5:00 p.m. the following Sunday. Meetings can also be viewed via webcasting at www.broward.org.

Cities, towns, villages, and unincorporated areas

Incorporated

Map of Broward County Florida.svg

#	Incorporated Community	Designation	Date incorporated	Population
2	Coconut Creek	City	01967-02-20 February 20, 1967	49,890
26	Cooper City	City	01959-06-20 June 20, 1959	30,062
4	Coral Springs	City	01963-06-10 June 10, 1963	126,875
23	Dania Beach	City	01904-11 November 1904	28,831
22	Davie	Town	01925-11-16 November 16, 1925	90,329
3	Deerfield Beach	City	01925-06-11 June 11, 1925	76,478
16	Fort Lauderdale	City	01911-03-27 March 27, 1911	183,606
31	Hallandale Beach	City	01927-05-14 May 14, 1927	37,145
8	Hillsboro Beach	Town	01939-06-12 June 12, 1939	2,334
24	Hollywood	City	01925-11-28 November 28, 1925	141,740
17	Lauderdale Lakes	City	01961-06-22 June 22, 1961	31,879
11	Lauderdale-by-the-Sea	Town	01947-11-30 November 30, 1947	5,990
18	Lauderhill	City	01959-06-20 June 20, 1959	67,073
15	Lazy Lake	Village	01953 1953	39
7	Lighthouse Point	City	01956-06-13 June 13, 1956	11,262
5	Margate	City	01961-06-22 June 22, 1961	56,002
28	Miramar	City	01955-05-26 May 26, 1955	108,240
10	North Lauderdale	City	01963-06-10 June 10, 1963	42,335
13	Oakland Park	City	01929-06-19 June 19, 1929	42,300
1	Parkland	City	01963-07-10 July 10, 1963	22,183
30	Pembroke Park	Town	01957-12-10 December 10, 1957	5,487
27	Pembroke Pines	City	01960 1960	146,828
20	Plantation	City	01953-04-30 April 30, 1953	86,138
6	Pompano Beach	City	01947 1947	102,745
12	Sea Ranch Lakes	Village	01959 1959	1,392
25	Southwest Ranches	Town	02000-07-25 July 25, 2000	7,203
19	Sunrise	City	01961 1961	89,787
9	Tamarac	City	01963-08-15 August 15, 1963	59,923
29	West Park	City	02005-03-01 March 1, 2005	12,713
21	Weston	City	01996 1996	65,793
14	Wilton Manors	City	01947 1947	12,879

Neighborhoods in incorporated areas (and recently annexed census-designated places)

Bonnie Loch-Woodsetter North in Pompano Beach.
Broadview-Pompano Park in North Lauderdale.
Broward Estates in Lauderhill.
Carver Ranches in West Park.
Chambers Estates in Dania Beach.
Chula Vista Isles in Fort Lauderdale.
Collier Manor-Cresthaven in Pompano Beach.
Country Estates in Southwest Ranches.
Crystal Lake in Deerfield Beach.
Edgewater in Dania Beach.
Estates of Fort Lauderdale in Dania Beach, and partially in Hollywood.
Godfrey Road in Parkland.
Golden Heights in Fort Lauderdale.
Green Meadow in Southwest Ranches.
Hacienda Village in Davie.
Ivanhoe Estates in Southwest Ranches.
Kendall Green in Pompano Beach.
Lake Forest in West Park.
Leisureville in Pompano Beach.
Loch Lomond in Pompano Beach.
Melrose Park in Fort Lauderdale.
Miami Gardens in West Park.
North Andrews Gardens in Oakland Park.
Oak Point in Hollywood.
Palm Aire in Fort Lauderdale.
Pine Island Ridge in Davie.
Pompano Beach Highlands in Pompano Beach.
Pompano Estates in Deerfield Beach.
Ravenswood Estates in Dania Beach.
Ramblewood East in Coral Springs.
Riverland Village in Fort Lauderdale.
Rock Island in Fort Lauderdale.
Rolling Oaks in Southwest Ranches.
Royal Palm Ranches in Cooper City.
Tedder in Pompano Beach.
St. George in Lauderhill.
Sunshine Ranches in Southwest Ranches.
Terra Mar in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, and partially in Pompano Beach.
Twin Lakes North of Prospect Road, in Fort Lauderdale. South of Prospect Road, in Oakland Park.
Utopia in West Park.
Village Park in North Lauderdale.
West Ken-Lark in Lauderhill.

Unincorporated areas and census-designated places

Politics

Over the past fifty years, Broward County has gone from solidly Republican to solidly Democratic. In the 1972 U.S. presidential election, Broward County residents voted overwhelmingly for Richard Nixon over George McGovern. From the 1992 U.S. presidential election onward, however, voters of Broward County backed the Democratic presidential nominee over the Republican nominee by strong majorities. Broward County is now the most reliably Democratic county in the state,^[11]^[12] with the exception of the much less populous Gadsden County (where African Americans are a majority). This change in voting tendencies is most likely due to the continuous flow from large migrations of snowbirds and transplanted people from the liberal Northeast and other blue states, as well as a growing LGBT community, and also naturalized U.S. citizens born in places such as Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Israel.

**Presidential elections results**
Year	Republican	Democrat
2008	32.3% 225,453	67.2% 474,579
2004	34.6% 244,674	64.2% 453,873
2000	30.9% 177,939	67.4% 387,760
1996	28.3% 142,870	63.5% 320,779
1992	30.9% 164,832	51.8% 276,361
1988	50.0% 220,316	49.5% 218,274
1984	56.7% 254,608	43.3% 194,584
1980	55.9% 229,693	35.6% 146,323
1976	47.1% 161,411	51.6% 176,491
1972	72.4% 196,528	27.3% 74,127
1968	54.5% 106,122	29.1% 56,613
1964	55.5% 85,264	44.5% 68,406
1960	58.8% 68,294	41.2% 47,811

Transportation

Street grid

A street grid stretches throughout Broward County. Most of this grid is loosely based on three primary eastern municipalities, (from South to North) Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, and Pompano Beach. Deerfield Beach—another primary eastern municipality—has its own street grid, as do two smaller municipalities—Dania and Hallandale.

Major Freeways and Tollways

Railroads

Tri-rail and Amtrak run through Broward.

Airports

Public transportation

Greenways System

Construction is underway on a network of recreational trails to connect cities and points of interest in the county. [5] [6]

References

^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=05000US12011&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=Broward+County&_cityTown=Broward+County&_state=04000US12&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
^ Notes on Florida Geography, Florida International University
^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
^ "Demographics of Broward County, FL". MuniNetGuide.com. http://www.muninetguide.com/states/florida/Broward.php. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Broward County, FL Detailed Profile". city-data.com. http://www.city-data.com/county/Broward_County-FL.html. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
^ "Modern Language Association Data Center Results, Broward County, Florida". Modern Language Association. http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=12&county_id=11&mode=geographic&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
^ 2008 Broward County Demographics
^ 2008 Demographics of Some Other Race
^ Broward County, Florida -- ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2008
^ State:Broward Power. St. Petersburg Times Last accessed November 14, 2006.
^ 2008 General Election Results. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2008-11-11.

External links

Miami portal

Government links/Constitutional offices

Special Districts

Broward County Public Schools
Broward Health (formerly North Broward Hospital District)
South Broward Hospital District(Memorial Healthcare System)
South Florida Water Management District

Judicial branch

Tourism links

Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Waterfront News local newspaper for Broward County, Florida fully and openly available in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library

Official sites

The Broward Alliance (Broward County's official public/private partnership for economic development)

Coordinates: 26°07′28″N 80°14′58″W / 26.124354°N 80.249503°W / 26.124354; -80.249503

Municipalities and communities of Broward County, Florida

County seat: Fort Lauderdale

Cities	Coconut Creek \| Cooper City \| Coral Springs \| Dania Beach \| Deerfield Beach \| Fort Lauderdale \| Hallandale Beach \| Hollywood \| Lauderdale Lakes \| Lauderhill \| Lighthouse Point \| Margate \| Miramar \| North Lauderdale \| Oakland Park \| Parkland \| Pembroke Pines \| Plantation \| Pompano Beach \| Sunrise \| Tamarac \| West Park \| Weston \| Wilton Manors

Towns	Davie \| Hillsboro Beach \| Lauderdale-by-the-Sea \| Pembroke Park \| Southwest Ranches

Villages	Lazy Lake \| Sea Ranch Lakes

CDPs	Boulevard Gardens \| Broadview Park \| Franklin Park \| Hillsboro Pines \| Roosevelt Gardens \| Washington Park

Former CDPs	Bonnie Loch-Woodsetter North \| Broadview-Pompano Park \| Broward Estates \| Carver Ranches \| Chambers Estates \| Chula Vista \| Collier Manor-Cresthaven \| Country Estates \| Crystal Lake \| Edgewater \| Estates of Fort Lauderdale \| Godfrey Road \| Golden Heights \| Green Meadow \| Hillsboro Ranches \| Ivanhoe Estates \| Kendall Green \| Lake Forest \| Leisureville \| Loch Lomond \| Melrose Park \| Miami Gardens \| North Andrews Gardens \| Oak Point \| Palm Aire \| Pine Island Ridge \| Pompano Beach Highlands \| Pompano Estates \| Ramblewood East \| Ravenswood Estates \| Riverland Village \| Rock Island \| Rolling Oaks \| Royal Palm Ranches \| St. George \| Sunshine Acres \| Sunshine Ranches \| Tedder \| Terra Mar \| Twin Lakes \| Utopia \| Village Park \| West Ken-Lark

Unincorporated community	Fern Crest Village

Ghost town	Andytown

South Florida metropolitan area

Counties	Broward • Miami-Dade • Palm Beach

Major Cities	Miami

Cities and towns 100k-250k	Coral Springs • Fort Lauderdale • Hialeah • Hollywood • Miami Gardens • Miramar • Pembroke Pines • Pompano Beach • West Palm Beach

Cities and towns 25k-99k	Aventura • Boca Raton • Boynton Beach • Coconut Creek • Cooper City • Coral Gables • Dania Beach • Davie • Deerfield Beach • Delray Beach • Doral • Greenacres • Hallandale Beach • Homestead • Jupiter • Lake Worth • Lauderdale Lakes, Florida • Lauderhill • Margate • Miami Beach • North Lauderdale • North Miami • North Miami Beach • Oakland Park • Palm Beach Gardens • Plantation • Riviera Beach • Sunrise • Tamarac • West Park • Weston • Wilton Manors

Cities and towns 10k-25k	Belle Glade • Cutler Bay • Hialeah Gardens • Lighthouse Point • Miami Lakes • Miami Springs • Opa-locka • Palm Beach • Parkland • South Miami • Sunny Isles Beach • Sweetwater • Palm Springs

A list of cities under 10,000 is available here.

State of Florida

Tallahassee (capital)

Metropolitan areas

Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from June 2008

Genealogy

Up to date as of February 01, 2010

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Broward County, Florida

Map
File:Map of Florida highlighting Broward County.png Location in the state of Florida
Florida's location in the USA
Statistics
Founded	April 30, 1915
Seat	Fort Lauderdale
Area - Total - Land - Water	sq mi ( km²) sq mi ( km²) sq mi ( km²), 8.66%
wikipedia:Population - (2005) - Density	1777638
Website: www.broward.org
Named for: Napoleon Bonaparte Broward

Broward County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population is 1,623,018; this makes it the second most populated county in the state. According to 2006 U.S. Census estimates, its population had grown to 1,787,636 [1]. Its county seat is Fort Lauderdale^GR6.

It is also the fifteenth most populous county in the US.

Broward County is one of three counties that comprise the South Florida metropolitan area.

History

Broward County was created in 1915. It was named for Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, Governor of Florida from 1905 to 1909. In 1915, Palm Beach County and Dade County contributed nearly equal portions of land to create Broward County. By the 1960s, Broward County was considered a leader in agriculture products and services within the State of Florida. The massive buildup of the South Florida region since the mid 1970s transformed the region, evidenced by the closure of the last major agriculture center within the county (Waldrep Dairy Farm) in 2003. It was one of the counties at the center of the 2000 U.S. Presidential election recount controversy. In 2002, it began an aggressive campaign of placing surveillance cameras along highways and traffic lights.

Points Of Interest

Broward boasts some notable attractions. The Museum of Science and Discovery is located in Ft. Lauderdale. The International Swimming Hall of Fame is located near the Atlantic Ocean in Fort Lauderdale. The International Game Fish Association has the Hall of Fame for Sport Fishing in Dania Beach. Flamingo Gardens is a botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary. Butterfly World is located in Coconut Creek. Sawgrass Mills, a large shopping mall, is located in Sunrise. There are also multiple entrances to Everglades parks.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,418 km² (1,320 sq mi). Approximately two-thirds -- 2,194 km² (847 sq mi) -- of the county's area lies in an undeveloped Everglades conservation area. 3,122 km² (1,205 sq mi) of the county's area is land and 296 km² (114 sq mi) of it is water. The total area is 8.66% water.

Broward approved the construction of Osborne Reef, an artificial reef made of tires off the Fort Lauderdale beach, but it has proven an environmental disaster.[2]

Adjacent Counties

Palm Beach County - north
Miami-Dade County - south
Collier County - west
Hendry County - northwest

**Presidential elections results**
Year	Republican	Democrat
2004	34.6% 244,674	64.2% 453,873
2000	30.9% 177,939	67.4% 387,760
1996	28.3% 142,870	63.5% 320,779
1992	30.9% 164,832	51.8% 276,361
1988	50.0% 220,316	49.5% 218,274
1984	56.7% 254,608	43.3% 194,584
1980	55.9% 229,693	35.6% 146,323
1976	47.1% 161,411	51.6% 176,491
1972	72.4% 196,528	27.3% 74,127
1968	54.5% 106,122	29.1% 56,613
1964	55.5% 85,264	44.5% 68,406
1960	58.8% 68,294	41.2% 47,811