Fort Lauderdale [key], residential, commercial, and resort city (2020 pop. 182,760), seat of Broward co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic coast; settled around a fort built (c.1837) in the Seminole War, inc. 1911. On the New River and a navigable canal to Lake Okeechobee, the city is interwoven with more than 270 mi (435 km) of natural and artificial waterways. It has one of the largest marinas in the world and one of the most popular beaches in the country; tourism and recreation are economic mainstays. The city's manufactures include boats and yachts, and there is a wide variety of small businesses. A large retired community is there. Among Fort Lauderdale institutions are the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, the Museum of Art, the Museum of Discovery and Science, Nova Southeastern Univ., and a campus of Florida Metropolitan Univ. Nearby Port Everglades is a major artificial port with heavy passenger and freight traffic.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Political Geography
