Pompano Beach, Florida

Pompano Beach(/ˈpɒmpənoʊ/POM-pə-noh) is a city inBroward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north ofFort Lauderdaleand 36 miles north ofMiami. The nearbyHillsboro Inletforms part of theAtlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It is a principal city of theMiami metropolitan area, which was home to 6.14 million people in 2020. As of the2020 census, the population was 112,046,making it thesixth-largest cityin Broward County, theninth-largest cityin the South Florida metropolitan area, and the20th-largest cityin Florida.
Pompano Beach Airpark, located within the city, is the home of theGoodyear BlimpSpirit of Innovation.
TequestaIndians lived in the area.
The city's name is derived from theFlorida pompano(Trachinotus carolinus), a fish found off the Atlantic coast.
There had been scattered settlers in the area since at least the mid-1880s, but the first documented permanent residents of the Pompano area were George Butler and Frank Sheen and their families, who arrived in 1896 as railway employees.The first train arrived in the small Pompano settlement on February 22, 1896.It is said that Sheen gave the community its name after jotting down on his survey of the area the name of the fish he had for dinner. The coming of the railroad led to development farther west from the coast. In 1906, Pompano became the southernmost settlement in newly createdPalm Beach County.That year, theHillsboro Lighthousewas completed on the beach.
On July 3, 1908, a new municipality was incorporated in what was thenDade County: the Town of Pompano.John R. Mizell was elected the first mayor. In 1915,Broward Countywas established, with a northern boundary at the Hillsboro Canal. Thus, within eight years, Pompano had been in three counties.Pompano Beach experienced significant growth during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. In 1940, the U.S. Supreme Court disallowed forced confessions inChambers v. Florida, a dispute stemming from a murder in Pompano Beach.
Following the population boom due toWorld War II, in 1947, the City of Pompano merged with the newly formed municipality on the beach and became the City of Pompano Beach.In 1950, the population of the city reached 5,682. Like most ofsoutheast Florida, Pompano Beach experienced great growth in the late 20th century as many people moved there from northern parts of the United States. A substantial seasonal population also spends its winters in the area. The city of Pompano Beach celebrated its centennial in 2008. It is twinned withWest Bromwichin theUnited Kingdom.
The majority of the initial inhabitants, both African American and white, in this region migrated from northern Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, while some black residents also came from theBahamas.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.4 square miles (65.8 km), of which 24.0 square miles (62.2 km) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km), or 5.54%, is water.
A 2017 study showed 73,000 residents living withinFEMA's coastalfloodplain.
Pompano Beach is in northeastern Broward County along the Atlantic Ocean. It includes about 3 miles (5 km) of beachfront, extending from the intersection ofState Road A1Aand Terra Mar Drive to the Hillsboro Inlet. The city is bounded by the following municipalities:
On its northeast:
On its north:
On its west:
On its southwest:
On its south:
On its southeast:
Pompano Beach has atropical monsoon climate(Am) with hot, humid summers and warm winters.
These are the neighborhoods and communities that are officially recognized by the City of Pompano Beach.
As of 2010,Italian-Americansmade up 8.5% of the population, forming the second largest ancestry group in the city.
As of 2010, beforeannexationof other areas, Pompano Beach has the highest concentration of residents ofHaitianancestry in the country, at 9.3% of the population.while it had the highest percentage ofBraziliansin the US, at 2.67%.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $36,073, and the median income for a family was $44,195. Males had a median income of $31,162 versus $26,870 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,938. About 13.1% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2000, before many of theunincorporated areaswereannexedto the city, those who spoke onlyEnglishwere 76.4% of the population, while those who spokeSpanishas amother tonguewere 9.3%, whileFrench Creole(mostlyHaitian Creole) was at 6.2%,Frenchat 2.4%,Portuguese1.5%,Germanwas 1.0%, andItalianas afirst languagemade up 0.9% of the population.
Data for previously unincorporated areas that are now part of Pompano Beach:
Although there are about 17 post-secondary schools within 10 miles (16 km) of downtown Pompano Beach, the majority of these are for-profit schools or schools that specialize in a specific field. Students may prefer postsecondary schools that offer programs in a wider variety of disciplines, especially if a student has yet to settle on a specific field of study. Pompano Beach is also the registered office for Augustine Graduate School, a post-secondary school, named for the North African theologian, philosopher, educator, and scholar Augustine, the graduate school offers graduate programs in the areas of psychology, philosophy, theology, education, and business; additionally the graduate school offers graduate certificates in various areas.
Broward County Public Schoolsoperates public K–12 schools.
Elementary schools
Middle schools
High schools
TheRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Miamioperates the Saint ColemanK–8 schoolin Pompano Beach; it opened on September 9, 1958.The archdiocese formerly operated the St. Elizabeth of Hungary School.The church attempted to resolve its debt to the archdiocese by loaning $2.13 million fromBank of America, and the school had $337,000 in debt in 2009, and it ballooned to $1.3 million of debt in the 2009–2010 school year. It closed on June 15, 2010.
In recent years, an effort to rejuvenaterundown areasnear the city's beach has gained momentum and has stimulated a multibillion-dollar building boom. Community redevelopment agencies were established for the East Atlantic/Beach corridor, as well as for the old downtown and Hammondville/Martin Luther King Jr. corridor.
Companies based in Pompano Beach includeAssociated Grocers of Florida. Nonprofits includeCross International.
According to the city's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,the largest employers in the city are:
Pompano Beach holds several annual cultural events including the Pompano Beach Seafood Festival, St. Patrick's Irish Festival, St. Coleman's Italian Festival, the Pompano Beach Holiday Boat Parade, The Holiday Yuletide Parade, The Annual Nautical Flea Market at Pompano Community Park & Amphitheater, and The Annual Blues and Sweet Potato Pie "Juneteenth" Festival.
TheKester Cottages(the Pompano Beach Historical Museum), Blanche Ely House Museum, Meridian Gallery, The Historic Ali Cultural Arts Center, Bailey Contemporary Arts, and Pompano Beach Art Gallery are located in the city. Two theatres in the area include Curtain Call Playhouse and Poet Productions.There are two malls in Pompano Beach. The first isFestival Flea Market Mall, which houses booths and kiosks selling jewelry, electronics, and clothing. The other,Pompano Citi Centre, is an open-air mall.
Pompano Beach Municipal Golf Course has two 18-hole courses, the Palms, and the Pines, which opened in 2013.
Parks include Pompano Beach Community Park, Kester Park, Cresthaven Park, Harbors Edge Park, and Scott Meyers Memorial Park.Fern Forest Nature Center is just across the Coconut Creek city boundary.
Pompano Beach Community Park features an aquatic center,pickleballcourts, basketball courts, soccer fields, jogging paths, and baseball fields. Prior to 2008, this park was the location of thePompano Beach Municipal Stadium, which served as the spring training camp for theWashington Senatorsfrom 1961 to 1971 and theTexas Rangersfrom 1972 through 1986.
In 2004,John Raysonbecame the first elected mayor of Pompano Beach. Prior mayors had been selected by city commissioners from among themselves. The vice mayor continues to be selected by city commissioners from among themselves. At the federal level, Pompano Beach is located inFlorida's 20th congressional district, which is represented byDemocratSheila Cherfilus-McCormick. The current Mayorat Largeis Rex Hardin.
Pompano Beach is a part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Hollywoodmedia market, which is the twelfth-largest radio marketand the seventeenth-largest television marketin the United States. Its primary daily newspapers are theSouth Florida Sun-SentinelandThe Miami Herald, and their Spanish-language counterpartsEl SentinelandEl Nuevo Herald. Local Pompano-based media includesThe Pompano Pelican, the longtime local weekly newspaper; the Deerfield-Pompano Beach Forum, published by the Sun-Sentinel Company;Pompano Post Community Newspaperand PompanoFun.com, a website focusing on local entertainment and events; and television programToday in Pompano.
TheSouth Florida Regional Transportation Authorityhas its headquarters in Pompano Beach,located next to thePompano BeachTri-Railstation.
In addition to Tri-Rail, Pompano Beach is also served by several bus routes operated byBroward County Transit. Two major transfer points are the Northeast Transit Center and Pompano Citi Centre.
Pompano Beach'ssister citiesare: