Fort Lauderdale real estate

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Riverwalk in downtown Fort Lauderdale

Once home to spring break

This "Venice of America" once was the mecca for beachfront thrills. By 1953, about 15,000 students were coming to the area during Spring Break. Just a year later, that number grew to 20,000. And the city was glorified in 1960 with the film Where the Boys Are. The sister of current Mayor Jim Naugle was an extra in that movie. By 1985, Spring Break attracted 350,000 students.

But then, officials decided the city needed a change. More of an upscale and improved image with economic strength and cultural vitality was sought. After all, city leaders reasoned, Fort Lauderdale is home to 155,181 residents, Broward's largest city and the seat of county government.

Downtown and waterfront real estate projects

Many Fort Lauderdale real estate projects around the beach and Intracoastal Waterway are planned, under way or just completed. Those developments are adding more than 1,900 condo units, hotel rooms, time-shares and apartments, more than 190,000 square feet of shops, offices and restaurants and tens of millions of dollars to the tax rolls.

Downtown Fort Lauderdale has become a hotbed of hip, upscale high-rise and town home construction. Trendy Las Olas Boulevard, with numerous outdoor dining spots added in recent years, boasts of being a prime dining and shopping district. The Las Olas Riverfront entertainment complex on the New River opened in 1998, drawing more people downtown.

Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods

Besides economic redevelopment, the city is concentrating on its neighborhoods and parks. Residents are getting new parks and improvements to existing ones through a voter-approved $35 million bond issue. And aggressive code enforcement is intended to clean up neighborhoods.

Many older neighborhoods have experienced rapidly rising property values in recent years. With western Broward reaching build-out, older eastern neighborhoods built in the 1950s and 60s are undergoing an influx of new residents.

Fort Lauderdale history

The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society says Seminole Indians first appeared in the area in the 1820s. In 1893, Frank Stranahan arrived and built a first trading post in what is now downtown Fort Lauderdale. The Stranahan House, Fort Lauderdale's oldest, now sits in the shadow of luxury highrise condos, just steps from the shops and restaurants of Las Olas Boulevard.

Fort Lauderdale's real estate boom in the 20s brought many setlers to what was mostly an agricultural community. Hurricanes and the depression caused growth to slow. The post-World War II economy made Fort Lauderdale real estate become attractive again, and steady growth has continued through the decades.

Fort Lauderdale today

The New River winds through downtown Fort Lauderdale, where many luxury-priced highrise condos are being built.