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EspañolBROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA
'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.
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 mi²). Approximately two-thirds -- 2,194 km² (847 mi²) -- of the county's area lies in an undeveloped Everglades conservation area. 3,122 km² (1,205 mi²) of the county's area is land and 296 km² (114 mi²) 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, Florida - north
★ Miami-Dade County, Florida - south
★ Collier County, Florida - west
★ Hendry County, Florida - northwest
| 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 |
Demographics
2000 Census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 520/km² (1,346/mi²). There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 237/km² (615/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.57% White, 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.
410,387 residents of Broward County, or 25.3 percent of the total population, are foreign-born. 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.
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.[3] 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, and 1.13% of the population spoke Portuguese as their mother language. In total, 28.72% of the population spoke languages other than English at home. [1]
With the huge influx of immigrants since 2000, these figures have become outdated. However since so many of these immigrants are coming from Caribbean Islands where English is spoken, the change is not as fast as the rate of immigration would suggest.
2005 Census Report
U.S. Census Bureau 2005 Ethnic/Race Demographics:[2]
★ White (non-Hispanic): 49.9%
★ Black (non-Hispanic): 24.9%
★ Hispanic or Latino: 21.9%
★ Some other race: 3.8%[3]
★ Asian: 2.9%
★ Two or more races: 1.4%
★ American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3%
★ Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%
According to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau on August 4, 2006, the total population of Broward County had risen to 1.8 million people in 2005, and has increased by 10.1% between April 1, 2000-July 1, 2006. This number is accounted for by an increase to 442,355 (24.9%) in its black population and an increase to 364,121 (21.9%) 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. At the same time, Hispanics have continued to move into the county from neighboring Miami-Dade County and from Latin America, in particular, Venezuela and Colombia. Also, 2.9% of Broward County's population is Asian, though not high, it's a larger percentage than most of Florida's counties.
The population change is significant in at least one respect: The percentage of population identified as non-Hispanic white has now dropped to less than half, at 49.9%. As such, Broward County is now "minority-majority". [4]
Educational institutions
Broward County currently has the fifth largest school district in the country and the second largest in the state after Miami-Dade.
★ Florida International University
★ The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
★ Broward Community College
★ Florida Atlantic University
★ Nova Southeastern University
★ DeVry University
★ Keiser University
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
| # City of Parkland# City of Coconut Creek# City of Deerfield Beach# City of Coral Springs# City of Margate# City of Pompano Beach# City of Lighthouse Point# Town of Hillsboro Beach# City of Tamarac# City of North Lauderdale# Town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea# Village of Sea Ranch Lakes# City of Oakland Park# City of Wilton Manors# Village of Lazy Lake |
|
Neighborhoods in incorporated areas (and recently annexed census-designated places)
★ Bonnie Loch-Woodsetter North in Deerfield Beach.
★ 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.
★ 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.
★ 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.
★ Twin Lakes North of Prospect Road, in Fort Lauderdale. South of Prospect Road of Oakland Park, Florida.
★ 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
★ Broadview-Pompano Park
★ Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
★ Franklin Park
★ Godfrey Road
★ Hillsboro Pines
★ Hillsboro Ranches
★ Pine Island Ridge
★ Roosevelt Gardens
★ Sunshine Acres
★ Washington Park
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. [5]
| 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% |
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
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References
1. Modern Language Association Data Center Results, Broward County, Florida
2. 2005 Broward County Demographics
3. 2005 Demographics of Some Other Race
4. "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
5. State:Broward Power. St. Petersburg Times Last accessed November 14, 2006.
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
★ 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 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
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