# West Park, Florida

West Park, officially the City of West Park, is a municipality in Broward County, Florida, United States. It was created on March 1, 2005. West Park is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. It is located in the southeastern part of the county and consists of the neighborhoods of Carver Ranches, Lake Forest, Miami Gardens (Broward County), and Utopia. A large portion of the city lies west of the town of Pembroke Park, so the new city was called "West Park". The city has a population of 15,130 as of the 2020 census.

## History

The previously unincorporated neighborhoods of West Park embarked on the road to incorporation in 2004, after the Florida Legislature approved House Bill 1491, which provided for an election on November 2, 2004. Following a vote of 3,400 to 956 for incorporation, West Park was on its way to becoming Broward County's 31st city. After the election, residents elected an interim transition committee and held a series of workshops to gain input on the level of municipal-type services to be provided. It was decided that the new municipality would be known as West Park until a consensus was reached on a permanent name; this name was subsequently retained. On March 8, 2005, Eric H. Jones, Jr., was elected Mayor and four Commissioners were elected: Felicia M. Brunson, Thomas W. Dorsett, Sharon Fyffe and Rita "Peaches" Mack. They were sworn-in as the municipality's first elected leaders on March 10, 2005.
In 2011 West Park, received acknowledgement from the national non-profit organization KaBOOM! As the city garnered the designation of a 2011 Playful City USA community. This recognition was given the city's effort to “increase play opportunities for children”.

## Geography

The city is bordered by Miami-Dade County on the south, Pembroke Park on the east, Hollywood on the north and Miramar on the west.

## Media

The city of West Park has its own newspaper, "The West Park News", which is published by and part of Miami Community Newspapers.

## Demographics
### 2020 census

West Park, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. :
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White (NH) | 1,805 | 1,214 | 12.75% | 8.02% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 7,828 | 8,365 | 55.30% | 55.29% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 37 | 38 | 0.26% | 0.25% |
| Asian (NH) | 140 | 165 | 0.99% | 1.09% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 5 | 5 | 0.04% | 0.03% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 50 | 141 | 0.35% | 0.93% |
| Mixed-race or Multiracial (NH) | 200 | 313 | 1.41% | 2.07% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4,091 | 4,889 | 28.90% | 32.31% |
| Total | 14,156 | 15,130 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,130 people, 4,260 households, and 3,274 families residing in the city.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 14,156 people, 4,340 households, and 3,219 families residing in the city.

### 2010 Census

West Park Demographics :
| 2010 Census | West Park | Broward County | Florida |
| Total population | 14,156 | 1,748,066 | 18,801,310 |
| Population density | 6,462.3/sq mi | 1,444.9/sq mi | 350.6/sq mi |
| White or Caucasian (including White Hispanic) | 32.8% | 63.1% | 75.0% |
| (Non-Hispanic White or Caucasian) | 12.8% | 43.5% | 57.9% |
| Black or African-American | 57.9% | 26.7% | 16.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 28.9% | 25.1% | 22.5% |
| Asian | 1.0% | 3.2% | 2.4% |
| Native American or Native Alaskan | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 3.3% | 2.9% | 2.5% |
| Some Other Race | 4.6% | 3.7% | 3.6% |

### 2000 census

As of 2000, before being annexed to West Park, the Carver Ranches neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 96.90% of all residents, while Spanish accounted for 2.19%, and French Creole as a mother tongue made up 0.90% of the population.
As of 2000, before being annexed to West Park, the Lake Forest neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 60.49% of all residents, while Spanish accounted for 34.79%, French Creole at 4.04%, and French as a mother tongue made up 0.67% of the population.
As of 2000, the Miami Gardens neighborhood, before being annexed to West Park, had Spanish as a first language accounted for 51.09% of all residents, while English accounted for 45.17%, and French Creole as a mother tongue made up 3.72% of the population.
As of 2000, before being annexed to West Park, the neighborhood of Utopia had English as a first language accounted for 80.62% of all residents, while Spanish as a mother tongue made up 19.37% of the population.
As of 2000, before West Park annexed it, the Miami Gardens neighborhood had the 103rd-highest percentage of Colombian residents in the US, with 1.63% of the US populace. The forty-fourth-highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, at 9.76% of the city's population (tied with Key Largo,) the twenty-fourth-highest percentage of Dominicans in the US, with 4.62%, and the fifteenth-highest percentage of Jamaican residents in the US, at 6.3% of the city's population. It also had the forty-fourth-most Peruvians in the US, at 1.26% (tied with North Plainfield, New Jersey,) while it had the forty-fifth-highest percentage of Haitians (tied with Leisure City), at 3.6% of all residents. Also, West Park's Miami Gardens neighborhood had the sixty-first-highest percentage of Puerto Ricans, which was at an 11.2% populace. As of 2010, there were 4,711 households, out of which 8.0% were vacant.

## Education

Residents are zoned to schools in Broward County Public Schools:
* A portion of the town is zoned to Lake Forest Elementary School, and a portion is zoned to Watkins Elementary School.
* McNicol Middle School
* Hallandale High School