Broward County, Florida
| Broward County, Florida | ||
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 Location in the state of Florida |
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 Florida's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | April 30, 1915 | |
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| Named for | Napoleon Bonaparte Broward | |
| 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% |
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| PopulationEst. - (2007) - Density |
1,766,476 1,347/sq mi (520/km²) |
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| 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 1,766,476.[1] Its county seat is Fort Lauderdale[2].
It is also the sixteenth most populous county in the United States.
Broward County is one of three counties that comprise the South Florida metropolitan area.
Contents |
History
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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.[3]
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.[4]
Geography
Physical geography
Broward County has an average elevation of six feet (1.8 m) 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.[5] 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.[6]
Adjacent counties
- Palm Beach County, Florida - north
- Miami-Dade County, Florida - south
- Collier County, Florida - west
- Hendry County, Florida - northwest
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 5,135 |
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| 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[7] 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,)[8] 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.[9]
Broward is the only county in the nation outside the Northeast in which Italian-Americans formed the largest ethnic group in 2000. They are concentrated mainly in the Pompano Beach area.
410,387 residents of Broward County, or 25.3 percent of the total population, were foreign-born (45% of whom were naturalized citizens),[9] 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.
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.[10] 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.[11]
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.
2009 Census Report
U.S. Census Bureau 2009 Ethnic/Race Demographics:[12]
- White (non-Hispanic): 46.2%
- Black (non-Hispanic): 25.9%
- Hispanic or Latino of any race: 24.6%
- Asian: 3.3%
- 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 2009,[13] 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
- Florida International University
- The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
- Broward College
- Florida Atlantic University
- Nova Southeastern University
- DeVry University
- Keiser University
- University of Phoenix
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
| # | Incorporated Community | Designation | Date incorporated | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Coconut Creek | City | February 20, 1967 | 49,890 |
| 26 | Cooper City | City | June 20, 1959 | 30,062 |
| 4 | Coral Springs | City | June 10, 1963 | 126,875 |
| 23 | Dania Beach | City | November 1904 | 28,831 |
| 22 | Davie | Town | November 16, 1925 | 90,329 |
| 3 | Deerfield Beach | City | June 11, 1925 | 76,478 |
| 16 | Fort Lauderdale | City | March 27, 1911 | 183,606 |
| 31 | Hallandale Beach | City | May 14, 1927 | 37,145 |
| 8 | Hillsboro Beach | Town | June 12, 1939 | 2,334 |
| 24 | Hollywood | City | November 28, 1925 | 141,740 |
| 17 | Lauderdale Lakes | City | June 22, 1961 | 31,879 |
| 11 | Lauderdale-by-the-Sea | Town | November 30, 1947 | 5,990 |
| 18 | Lauderhill | City | June 20, 1959 | 67,073 |
| 15 | Lazy Lake | Village | 1953 | 39 |
| 7 | Lighthouse Point | City | June 13, 1956 | 11,262 |
| 5 | Margate | City | June 22, 1961 | 56,002 |
| 28 | Miramar | City | May 26, 1955 | 108,240 |
| 10 | North Lauderdale | City | June 10, 1963 | 42,335 |
| 13 | Oakland Park | City | June 19, 1929 | 42,300 |
| 1 | Parkland | City | July 10, 1963 | 22,183 |
| 30 | Pembroke Park | Town | December 10, 1957 | 5,487 |
| 27 | Pembroke Pines | City | 1960 | 146,828 |
| 20 | Plantation | City | April 30, 1953 | 86,138 |
| 6 | Pompano Beach | City | 1947 | 102,745 |
| 12 | Sea Ranch Lakes | Village | 1959 | 1,392 |
| 25 | Southwest Ranches | Town | July 25, 2000 | 7,203 |
| 19 | Sunrise | City | 1961 | 89,787 |
| 9 | Tamarac | City | August 15, 1963 | 59,923 |
| 29 | West Park | City | March 1, 2005 | 12,713 |
| 21 | Weston | City | 1996 | 65,793 |
| 14 | Wilton Manors | City | 1947 | 12,879 |
Neighborhoods in incorporated areas (and recently annexed census-designated places)
- Bonnie Loch-Woodsetter North in Deerfield 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 Deerfield 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
- Andytown
- Boulevard Gardens
- Broadview Park
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
- Franklin Park
- Hillsboro Pines
- Hillsboro Ranches
- Roosevelt Gardens
- Sunshine Acres
- Washington Park
Economy
Locair has its headquarters on the grounds of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in an unincorporated area.[14] When Chalk's International Airlines existed, its headquarters was on the grounds of the airport in an unincorporated area.[15]
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,[16][17] 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, and Asia.
| 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
Interstate 95/State Road 9
Interstate 75/Florida State Road 93
Interstate 595
Florida's Turnpike-
Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike (State Road 821) 
Sawgrass Expressway (State Road 869)
Railroads
- Tri-rail and Amtrak run through Broward.
Airports
- Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport
- North Perry Airport
- Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport
- Pompano Beach Airpark
Public transportation
- Broward County Transit
- Tri-Rail
Greenways System
Construction is underway on a network of recreational trails to connect cities and points of interest in the county.[18][19]
References
- ↑ 2009 Population Finder, Broward County, Florida. American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Trials : Trials News and Photos - South Florida". Sun-sentinel.com. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/sfl-pembroke-pines-red-light-camera,0,7750984.story. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ↑ "African American Research Library : African American Research Library News and Photos - South Florida". Sun-sentinel.com. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/topic/arts-culture/libraries-museums/african-american-research-library-PLCUL000114.topic#. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ↑ Notes on Florida Geography, Florida International University
- ↑ Updated 56 minutes ago (2007-02-16). "Tire reef off Florida proves a disaster - U.S. news - Environment - msnbc.com". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17189132/. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Broward County, FL Detailed Profile". city-data.com. http://www.city-data.com/county/Broward_County-FL.html. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ↑ "What's New at The Body, November 23, 2005". Thebody.com. http://www.thebody.com/updates/2005-11-23.html. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ 2009 Broward County Demographics
- ↑ Broward County, Florida -- ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2008
- ↑ "Contact Us." Locair. Retrieved on June 19, 2010.
- ↑ "Administration." Chalk's International Airlines. Retrieved on May 12, 2010.
- ↑ State:Broward Power. St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved November 14, 2006.
- ↑ 2008 General Election Results. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ↑ "Topic Galleries - South Florida". Sun-sentinel.com. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-interstate-595-greenway-b062509,0,3474616.story. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ↑ "Welcome To Broward County Greenways". Broward.org. http://www.broward.org/greenways/. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
External links
Government links/Constitutional offices
- Broward County Government / Board of County Commissioners
- Broward County Supervisor of Elections
- Broward County Property Appraiser
- Broward County Sheriff's Office
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
- Broward County Clerk of Courts
- Broward County Clerk of Courts Records
- Broward County Public Defender
- Broward State Attorney's Office, 17th Judicial Circuit
- Circuit and County Court for the 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida
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)
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