SOUTHWEST RANCHES, FLORIDA

'Southwest Ranches', located 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Fort Lauderdale, is Broward county's 30th incorporated place, having incorporated in the year 2000 to avoid annexation by the City of Pembroke Pines and to preserve its semi-rural lifestyle. Because the area has many horse ranches and is located in the southwestern part of Broward County, residents chose ''"Southwest Ranches"'' over many other potential town names. The population as of the 2000 census was 7,203. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was 7,342.^[1] The town includes the 2000 U.S. Census census-designated places of Country Estates, Green Meadow, Ivanhoe Estates, Rolling Oaks and Sunshine Ranches.

Contents

Description

References

External links

Description

The area is primarily residential, with most lots of 1 acre (4,046.86 m²) or more. There are some small farms and equestrian ranches.
The town has laws that keep homes from being built on lots of less than 1 acre. This has created a conflict with the federal Fair Housing Act.^[2] They also generally stop streetlights and sidewalks from being built, a big difference from the cities of Cooper City, Davie, Pembroke Pines and Weston that surround the town.
The town's government is run by a mayor and four council members. The town contracts with the Broward County Sheriff's Office to provide police services,^[3] and with a private company called John Canada and Associates to perform functions for the government, such as buying land, building parks and keeping records.

References

1. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2004-04-12.xls
2. http://www.floridacdc.org/articles/041208-1.htm
3. http://www.sheriff.org/about_bso/dle/districts/d8/

External links

★ Town of Southwest Ranches