Fort Lauderdale is a place of bustling beaches, relaxed pace of life and revelry. However, there’s more to Fort Lauderdale than the scintillating beaches and parties. In fact, the city boasts a rich and diverse art, history, culture and music that is still alive today. There is a trove of trivia about Fort Lauderdale waiting to be unearthed. So, here are a few facts about Fort Lauderdale that will spur your wanderlust towards the city.
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Fort Lauderdale Geographic and Demographic Fast Facts
- Fort Lauderdale is located in southeast Florida, United States.
- It is about 28 miles from Miami (north).
- It is the county seat of Broward County.
- It has about 23 miles of beach.
- It gets more than 3,000 hours of sun every year.
- It has approx 38.6miles of total area, out of which 3.8 square miles is water and 34.7 square miles is land.
- It is a vast network of canals. It has over 300 miles of inland canals called as the Intercoastal Waterway.
- The ethnic composition in Fort Lauderdale includes Hispanic or Latino-13.7%, African-American or Black-31.0%, non-Hispanic White-52.5%, Asian-1.5%, Native Alaskan or Native American-0.3%, Pacific Islander-0.1%, two or more races-2.1%, and some other races-2.4%.
Fort Lauderdale History Fast Facts
- The area which is now known as Fort Lauderdale was settled by the Tequesta Indian tribe.
- In the 16th century, Spanish explorers came to the area.
- In 1838, the first stockade of the US named “Fort Lauderdale” was constructed on the banks of the New River, which served as a fighting site during the Second Seminole War.
- The town got its name after multiple forts built by the U.S. during the Seminole War II.
- It was named after Major William Lauderdale.
- In 1893, the first trading post was formed in a house that also was the site of the first post office, town hall and bank.
- In 1911, Fort Lauderdale was incorporated as a city.
- In 1915, it became the county seat of Broward County.
Fort Lauderdale Government and Economy Fast Facts
- Fort Lauderdale follows a Commission-Manager type of government.
- The Fort Lauderdale’s economy depends on Tourism.
- The city has headquarters of about 3 Fortune 1000 companies.
- From 1940 until 1980s, it was called as the “Spring Break Destination” in the United States for college pupils.
- It is the maintenance and manufacturing hub for yachts.
Fort Lauderdale Important and Interesting Facts
- Fort Lauderdale is nicknamed as the “Venice of America” because of its extensive canal system.
- It is also known as the “Yachting Capital of the World”, with more than 300 miles of inland waterways and over 50,000 registered yachts.
- It ranked 48th is the list of “Most Fun City in the U.S.” by Cranium Inc. (2003).
- It was also a finalist in the National Civil League “All-American City” award.
- It is also known as “Fort Liquordale” because if its nightclubs, bars, beaches and spring break destination history.
- It is home to over 100 marinas.
- It hosts the largest boat show in the world- the “Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show” that attracts more than 125,000 people every year.
- The city served as a site of the movies “Where the Boys Are (1960)” and “Flight of the Navigator (1986)”.
- The city is the setting for the 1986 movie Flight of the Navigator.
- About 6 beaches of the city are “Blue Wave Certified” by the Clean Beach Council. These include Dania Beach, Fort Lauderdale Beach, Hollywood Beach, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.
- It is home to one of the world’s largest ship terminals- Port Everglades.
- “The South Florida-Sun Sentinel” and “The Miami Herald” are the English newspapers serving Fort Lauderdale.
