Pompano Beach ( ) is a city in
Broward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
. The nearby
Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 112,046.
Located north of
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
, it is a principal city in the
Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,158,824 people in 2017.
Pompano Beach Airpark, located within the city, is the home of the
Goodyear Blimp ''Spirit of Innovation''.
History
Its name is derived from the Florida
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 created
Palm Beach County.
That year, the
Hillsboro Lighthouse was completed on the beach.
On July 3, 1908, a new municipality was incorporated in what was then
Dade County: the Town of Pompano.
John R. Mizell was elected the first mayor. In 1915,
Broward County was 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 in ''
Chambers v. Florida'', a dispute stemming from a murder in Pompano Beach.
Following the population boom due to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, 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 of southeast 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.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy
An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.54%, is water.
A 2017 study showed 73,000 residents living within
FEMA's coastal
floodplain.
Pompano Beach is in northeastern Broward County along the Atlantic Ocean. It includes about of beachfront, extending from the intersection of
State Road A1A and Terra Mar Drive to the Hillsboro Inlet. The city is bounded by the following municipalities:
On its northeast:
*
Hillsboro Beach
*
Lighthouse Point
On its north:
*
Deerfield Beach
On its west:
*
Coconut Creek
Coconut Creek is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Situated north of Miami, it had a population of 57,833 in 2020. It is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city seceded from ...
On its southwest:
*
Margate
*
North Lauderdale
On its south:
*
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
On its southeast:
*
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
Climate
Pompano Beach has a
tropical monsoon climate (
''Am'') with hot, humid summers and warm winters.
Neighborhoods
These are the neighborhoods and communities that are officially recognized by the City of Pompano Beach.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 112,046 people, 44,297 households, and 23,038 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of 2010, there were 55,885 households, of which 24.5% were vacant. As of 2000, 17.4% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.85.
In 2000, the city the population was spread out, with 17.7% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
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 2010, Italian-Americans made up 8.5% of the population, forming the second largest ancestry group in the city.
As of 2010, before annexation of other areas, Pompano Beach has the highest concentration of residents of Haitian ancestry in the country, at 9.3% of the population. while it had the highest percentage of Brazilians in the US, at 2.67%,
As of 2000, before many of the
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
s were
annexed to the city, those who spoke only English were 76.4% of the population, while those who spoke Spanish as a
mother tongue were 9.3%, while
French Creole (
Haitian Creole) was at 6.2%, French at 2.4%,
Portuguese 1.5%, German was 1.0%, and Italian as a
first language
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tong ...
made up 0.9% of the population.
Data for previously unincorporated areas that are now part of Pompano Beach:
*
Pompano Beach Highlands as English being at 69.54% who spoke it as a first language, while Spanish at 20.26%, French Creole (Haitian Creole) at 4.74%, Portuguese 3.89%, and
Vietnamese at 1.12% of the population.
*
Collier Manor-Cresthaven had speakers of English as their first language at 72.54%, Spanish at 16.92%, French Creole (Haitian Creole) 6.88%, French at 1.40%, Italian at 1.12%, and Portuguese at 1.12% of residents.
*
Leisureville: As of 2000, speakers of English as a first language accounted for 86.24% of all residents, while speakers of French Creole accounted for 10.05%, and speakers of German as a mother tongue made up 3.70% of the population.
Education
Although there are about 17 postsecondary schools within 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 Schools operates public K–12 schools.
Elementary schools
* Pompano Beach Elementary School
* C. Robert Markham Elementary
* Cresthaven Elementary
* Cypress Elementary
* Drew Charles Elementary
* McNab Elementary
* Norcrest Elementary
* Palmview Elementary
* Sanders Park Elementary
Middle schools
* Pompano Beach Middle School
* Crystal Lake Middle School
High schools
*
Blanche Ely High School
*
Pompano Beach High School (magnet for northern Broward County)
* Schools outside of the Pompano Beach city limits:
Coconut Creek HS (
Coconut Creek
Coconut Creek is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Situated north of Miami, it had a population of 57,833 in 2020. It is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city seceded from ...
)
Deerfield Beach HS (
Deerfield Beach), and
Monarch HS (Coconut Creek)
The
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami operates the Saint Coleman
K–8 school in 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 from
Bank 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.
Economy
In recent years, an effort to rejuvenate
rundown areas near 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 include
Associated Grocers of Florida. Nonprofits include
Cross International
Cross International is a Christian charity focused on alleviating poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse s ...
.
Largest employers
According to the city's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events
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.
Museums and other points of interest
The
Kester Cottages
Kester Cottages at Founder's Park is a historic site operated by the Pompano Beach Historical Society in Pompano Beach, Broward County, Florida. The site includes a local history museum and exhibits from the late 1930s. They constitute the Pom ...
(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 is
Festival Flea Market Mall
Festival Flea Market Mall is an indoor flea market mall located in Pompano Beach, Florida. The established flea market used to be a Pompano outlet mall prior to its transformation into a flea market. Festival Flea Market Mall is now a private compa ...
, which houses booths and kiosks selling jewelry, electronics, and clothing. The other,
Pompano Citi Centre, is an open-air mall.
The city has been twinned since 2017 with
Termoli, a coastal town in the
province of Campobasso, Italy.
Sports
Pompano Beach Municipal Golf Course has two 18-hole courses, the Palms, and the Pines, which opened in 2013.
Parks and recreation
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,
pickleball courts, basketball courts, soccer fields, jogging paths, and baseball fields. Prior to 2008, this park was the location of the
Pompano Beach Municipal Stadium
Pompano Beach Municipal Stadium was a stadium in Pompano Beach, Florida primarily used for professional and amateur baseball from 1957 until its demolition in 2008. The ballpark was dedicated on March 22, 1957, and held 4,500 people. The stadium ...
, which served as the spring training camp for the Washington Senators from 1961 to 1971 and the Texas Rangers from 1972 through 1986.
Government
In 2004,
John Rayson
John C. Rayson (born March 29, 1949, in Oak Park, Illinois) is a Broward County, Florida attorney. He served as the mayor of Pompano Beach, Florida from 2004 to 2007. Prior to becoming mayor, Rayson served as a member of the Florida House ...
became 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 in
Florida's 20th congressional district, which is represented by
Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. The current Mayor
at Large is Rex Hardin.
Media
Pompano Beach is a part of the Miami–
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
–
Hollywood media market, which is the twelfth-largest radio market and the seventeenth-largest television market in the United States. Its primary daily newspapers are the ''
South Florida Sun-Sentinel'' and ''
The Miami Herald'', and their Spanish-language counterparts ''
El Sentinel'' and ''
El Nuevo Herald''. Local Pompano-based media includes ''The Pompano Pelican'', the longtime local weekly newspaper; the Deerfield-Pompano Beach Forum, published by the Sun-Sentinel Company; ''Pompano Post Community Newspaper'' and PompanoFun.com, a website focusing on local entertainment and events; and television program ''Today in Pompano''.
Infrastructure
Transportation
The
South Florida Regional Transportation Authority has its headquarters in Pompano Beach, located next to the
Pompano Beach Tri-Rail station.
In addition to Tri-Rail, Pompano Beach is also served by several bus routes operated by
Broward County Transit. Two major transfer points are the Northeast Transit Center and Pompano Citi Centre.
Notable people
*
Jahseh Onfroy
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion ga ...
(1998–2018), better known as
XXXTentacion, rapper who died June 18, 2018, in
Deerfield Beach, Florida
*
Kodak Black (born 1997), rapper
*
Roland "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" Daniels (1950–1988), professional wrestler
*
Tyrone Carter
Tyrone M. Carter (born March 31, 1976) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Minnesota, earned All-American honors and won several national a ...
(born 1976), professional football player,
Pittsburgh Steelers
*
Henri Crockett (born 1974), professional football player,
Atlanta Falcons
*
Zack Crockett (born 1972), professional football player,
Oakland Raiders
*
Blanche General Ely and Joseph A. Ely (1903–1994), school founders and principals; see
Ely Educational Museum
*
Further Seems Forever,
emo band
*
Mark Gilbert (born 1956), Major League Baseball player, and US Ambassador to New Zealand
*
Al Goldstein
Alvin "Al" Goldstein (January 10, 1936December 19, 2013) was an American pornographer. He is known for helping normalize hardcore pornography in the United States.
Background
Goldstein was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to a Jewish family. He ...
(1936–2013), pornographer and former publisher of ''
Screw'' magazine
*
Kelsey Grammer (born 1955), actor in the NBC sitcoms ''
Cheers'' and ''
Frasier''
*
Paolo Gregoletto (born 1985), bass player in metal band
Trivium
*
Al Harris (born 1974), professional football player,
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
*
Lamar Jackson (born 1997), Heisman winner, NFL MVP, football quarterback for the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
*
Ingemar Johansson (1932–2009), former world heavyweight boxing champion
*
Eddie Jones Edward, Eddie, or Ed Jones may refer to:
Architecture
* Edward Vason Jones (1909–1980), American neoclassical architect
* Edward Jones (English architect) (born 1939), English architect who designed the Saïd Business School
* Edward Jones (Wel ...
(born 1971), professional basketball player,
Dallas Mavericks
*
Barry Krauss (born 1957), professional football player,
Miami Dolphins
*
Jerome McDougle (born 1978), professional football player,
Philadelphia Eagles
*
Stockar McDougle (born 1977), professional football player
Jacksonville Jaguars
*
Harry Newman (1909–2000), All-Pro football quarterback
*
Richard Thomas Nolan (born 1937), writer,
Episcopal Church canon, retired philosophy and religion professor
*
Dan Nugent (1953–2001), professional football player,
Washington Redskins
*
Patrick Peterson (born 1990), professional football player,
Arizona Cardinals
*
Jason Pierre-Paul
Jason Andrew Pierre-Paul (born January 1, 1989) is an American football outside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Florida and was drafted by the New York Giants in t ...
(born 1989), professional football player,
New York Giants
*
Jabari Price
Jabari Price (born August 31, 1992) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at North Carolina. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round, 225th overall of the 2014 NFL Draft.
High school career
...
(born 1992), professional football player,
Minnesota Vikings
*
Jordan Pundik (born 1972), vocalist in pop-punk band
New Found Glory
*
Jake "The Snake" Roberts (born 1955), professional wrestler, retired
WWE
*
Rashard Robinson (born 1995), professional football player,
New York Jets
*
Esther Rolle (1920–1988), actress, from television's ''
Good Times'' and ''
Maude''
*
Clint Session (born 1984), professional football player,
Indianapolis Colts
*
Corey Simon (1977), professional football player, Indianapolis Colts
*
Harold Solomon (born 1952), American tennis player ranked No. 5 in the world in 1980
*
Brett Swenson (born 1988), professional football player, Indianapolis Colts
*
Natalie Vértiz (born 1991),
Peruvian American beauty pageant titleholder who represented Peru at
Miss Universe 2011
*
Fahreta Živojinović
Fahreta Živojinović (; ; born 20 October 1960), known by her stage name Lepa Brena (), is a folk singer, actress, and businesswoman. She is the best-selling female recording artist from the former Yugoslavia.
Lepa Brena grew up in Brčko, B ...
(born 1960), better known as Lepa Brana,
Bosniak and
Yugoslavian pop-folk singer
Sister cities
Pompano Beach's
sister cities are:
*
Itajaí
Itajaí () is a municipality in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. It is located on the northern central coast of Santa Catarina and is part of the Vale do Itajaí Mesoregion, on the right bank of the Itajaí-Açu river mouth. It lies at th ...
, Brazil
*
San Clemente del Tuyú
San Clemente del Tuyú is an Argentine town in the '' Partido de la Costa'' district of the Province of Buenos Aires.
History
Noticed by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520, who gave nearby Cape San Antonio its name, Spanish authorities first surveye ...
, Argentina
*
Termoli, Italy
See also
*
Merritt Boat & Engine Works
*
Kester Cottages
Kester Cottages at Founder's Park is a historic site operated by the Pompano Beach Historical Society in Pompano Beach, Broward County, Florida. The site includes a local history museum and exhibits from the late 1930s. They constitute the Pom ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
City of Pompano Beachofficial site
Pompano Beach Chamber of CommercePompano Beach Historical SocietyComprehensive Statistical Data and more about Pompano Beach
{{authority control
Beaches of Broward County, Florida
Cities in Broward County, Florida
Cities in Florida
Italian-American culture in Florida
Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean
Seaside resorts in Florida
Beaches of Florida
1908 establishments in Florida