Broward County, Florida

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Broward County, Florida
Seal of Broward County, Florida
Map
Map of Florida highlighting Broward County
Location in the state of Florida
Map of the U.S. highlighting Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded April 30, 1915
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%
PopulationEst.
 - (2005)
 - Density

1,777,638
1,347/sq mi (520/km²)
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, Florida[2].

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.

Contents

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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. In Pompano Beach is the Festival Flea Market Mall, America's largest indoor flea market.

[edit] Geography

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.[1]

[edit] Adjacent Counties

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

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1920 5,135
1930 20,094 291.3%
1940 39,794 98%
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%

[edit] 2000 Census

As of the census[3] 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,)[4] 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, 10.6% were West Indian (about 5.0% Jamaican and 4.0% Haitian alone),[5] 9.4% Italian, 7.4% American, 6.8% German, 6.7% Irish, and 4% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 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, are foreign-born (45% of whom are naturalized citizens),[5] of which 60,241 of these were born in Jamaica, 47,445 in Haiti, 32,572 in Cuba, 12,776 in Peru, 10,843 in Mexico, 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%).[5]

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.[2] Ironically, without the implementation of the new testing campaign, the reported numbers of new diagnoses would have probably been lower.

[edit] 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. [6]

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.

[edit] 2006 Census Report

U.S. Census Bureau 2006 Ethnic/Race Demographics:[7]


According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census of 2006,[9] the total population of Broward County had risen to almost 1.8 million people, and increased by 10.1% between April 1, 2006 and July 1, 2006. This number is accounted for by an increase to 441,678 (25.3%) in its black population and an increase to 408,335 (22.8%) 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, 54,001 (3.0%) of Broward County's population is Asian, which is a higher figure than that of most counties in the state.

The population change is significant in at least one respect: The percentage of population identified as non-Hispanic white (as of 2005) has now dropped to less than half, at 49.9%. As such, Broward County is now "minority-majority". [10] As of 2006, the non-Hispanic white population is now estimated by the U.S. Census to comprise 48.7% of Broward residents.[9]

[edit] Educational institutions

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

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

[edit] 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.

[edit] Cities, towns, villages, and unincorporated areas

[edit] Incorporated

  1. City of Parkland
  2. City of Coconut Creek
  3. City of Deerfield Beach
  4. City of Coral Springs
  5. City of Margate
  6. City of Pompano Beach
  7. City of Lighthouse Point
  8. Town of Hillsboro Beach
  9. City of Tamarac
  10. City of North Lauderdale
  11. Town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
  12. Village of Sea Ranch Lakes
  13. City of Oakland Park
  14. City of Wilton Manors
  15. Village of Lazy Lake
  1. City of Fort Lauderdale
  2. City of Lauderdale Lakes
  3. City of Lauderhill
  4. City of Sunrise
  5. City of Plantation
  6. City of Weston
  7. Town of Davie
  8. City of Dania Beach
  9. City of Hollywood
  10. Town of Southwest Ranches
  11. City of Cooper City
  12. City of Pembroke Pines
  13. City of Miramar
  14. City of West Park
  15. Town of Pembroke Park
  16. City of Hallandale Beach

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

[edit] Unincorporated areas and census-designated places

[edit] Politics

Over the past fifty years, Broward County has gone from solidly Republican to solidly Democratic. In 1972, Broward County residents voted overwhelmingly for Richard Nixon over George McGovern. In the past two presidential elections, however, the voters of Broward County backed the Democratic nominee over George W. Bush by strong majorities. Broward County is now one of the most reliably Democratic counties in the state. [11] 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 Canada, Europe, Israel, and other areas. Also, the fast growing number of minorities such as Black people (African Americans and West Indians,) the GLBT community, and Hispanics in the area are a contributing factor.

Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democratic Other
2004 34.6% 64.2% 0.4%
2000 30.9% 67.4% 1.6%
1996 28.3% 63.5% 8.2%
1992 30.9% 51.8% 17.3%
1988 50.5% 45.5% 0.5%
1984 56.7% 43.3% 0.0%
1980 55.9% 35.6% 8.5%
1976 47.1% 51.6% 1.3%
1972 72.4% 27.3% 0.3%
1968 54.5% 29.1% 16.4%
1964 55.5% 44.5% 0.0%
1960 58.8% 41.2% 0.0%

[edit] Transportation

[edit] 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.

[edit] Major Freeways and Tollways

[edit] Railroads

[edit] Airports

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2005-01-12.xls
  2. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ Demographics of Broward County, FL. MuniNetGuide.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
  5. ^ a b c Broward County, FL Detailed Profile. city-data.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  6. ^ Modern Language Association Data Center Results, Broward County, Florida. Modern Language Association. Retrieved on 2007-06-22.
  7. ^ 2006 Broward County Demographics
  8. ^ 2006 Demographics of Some Other Race
  9. ^ a b Broward County, Florida -- ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2006
  10. ^ "Minorities become a majority in Broward", Sun-Sentinel, August 4, 2006. Article no longer available at Sun Sentinal.com, link is to archive at soflo.org
  11. ^ State:Broward Power. St. Petersburg Times Last accessed November 14, 2006.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] Government links/Constitutional offices

[edit] Special Districts

[edit] Judicial branch

[edit] Tourism links