Parkland real estate

Brought to you by: Sun-Sentinel

Tucked up in the piney woods of Broward's northwest corner, with Palm Beach County to one side and the Everglades to the another, Parkland is a study in contrasts. It's a city whose character and inhabitants would seemingly be at odds, yet oddly enough aren't.

It's a forest town, and trees predominate on land formerly owned by large cattle ranchers. Parkland's main drag, Holmberg Road, is a two-lane blacktop where the 35-mph speed limit is strictly enforced by police with little other crime to pursue.

In Parkland's western reaches is the Ranches, a neighborhood of large, old-time farm spreads where nearly everyone rides a horse. The 7-square-mile city is primarily residential and city officials jealously safeguard Parkland's rural mystique. Indeed, city law prohibits any structure that doesn't reflect Parkland's ``parklike'' image.

Parkland's 15,105 residents, however, are anything but country folk. With a high median income, they live in homes with an average pricetag of more than $300,000. More than 40 percent have bachelor's degrees or higher. More than 90 percent are white and their median age is 35.

Presiding over this marriage of sophistication and simplicity is a City Commission made up of four commissioners and a mayor. Commissioners are elected from districts, and the mayor citywide. A professional city manager hired by the commission oversees the city's day-to-day operations. City Hall is at 6500 Parkside Drive.

Development has been the prevailing issue in recent years. The commission persists in strict reviews of each new development and - some say unfairly - rejects any that don't conform to the "parklike" atmosphere.