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 and 36 miles north of Miami. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to 6.14 million people in 2020. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,046, making it the sixth-largest city in Broward County, the ninth-largest city in the South Florida metropolitan area, and the 20th-largest city in Florida.
Pompano Beach Airpark, located within the city, is the home of the Goodyear Blimp Spirit of Innovation.
History
Tequesta Indians lived in the area.
The city's 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, 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. It is twinned with West Bromwich in the United 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 the Bahamas.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, 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
On its southwest: Margate North Lauderdale
On its south: Fort Lauderdale
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.
Andrews Industrial District Arvida-Pompano Park Avalon Harbor Avondale Beach Blanche Ely Boulevard Park Canal Point Civic Campus Collier City Cresthaven Cypress Bend Cypress Cove Cypress Lakes Downtown Pompano Beach Garden Isles Gardens Golfview Estates Harbor Village Pompano Beach Highlands Hillsboro Shores Island Club John Knox Village Kendall Green Leisureville Liberty Park Loch Lomond Lyons Park Northwest Pompano Old Collier Old Pompano Palm Aire Pine Tree Park Pompano Airpark Sanders Park Santa Barbara Estates Santa Barbara Shores Snug Harbor South Dixie Terra Mar
Demographics
Historical racial composition20202010200019901980White (non-Hispanic)41.0%50.6%60.8%66.5%80.6%Hispanic or Latino23.8%17.5%9.9%5.4%2.2%Black or African American (non-Hispanic)28.0%28.2%25.0%27.4%16.8%Asian and Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic)1.6%1.3%0.8%0.5%0.4%Native American (non-Hispanic)0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%Some other race (non-Hispanic)1.3%0.7%0.3%0.1%Two or more races (non-Hispanic)4.1%1.5%3.0%N/AN/APopulation112,04699,84578,19172,41152,618 Demographic characteristics20202010200019901980Households59,74255,88544,49632,15724,244Persons per household1.881.791.762.252.17101.5104.397.392.786.2Ages 0–1718.4%18.3%17.7%17.1%15.0%Ages 18–6461.2%62.8%58.9%65.4%55.2%Ages 65 +20.3%18.9%23.4%17.5%29.8%Median age43.242.742.241.050.9Population112,04699,84578,19172,41152,618 Economic indicators2017–21 American Community SurveyMiramarBroward CountyFlorida$31,587$36,222$34,367$56,109$64,522$61,777Poverty Rate15.6%12.4%13.1%84.7%90.0%89.0%29.0%34.3%31.5%11.0%13.1%11.7% Language spoken at home20152010200019901980English64.6%64.1%75.7%83.6%91.1%Spanish or Spanish Creole17.4%16.1%9.3%4.7%2.1%French or Haitian Creole10.2%11.8%8.4%6.9%1.7%PortugueseN/A2.8%1.5%0.3%N/AOther Languages7.8%5.2%5.1%4.5%5.1% Nativity20152010200019901980% population native-born72.8%74.6%79.7%85.8%90.0%... born in the United States70.3%72.4%78.5%84.7%89.5%... born in Puerto Rico or Island Areas1.3%1.2%0.6%1.6%0.5%... born to American parents abroad1.2%1.1%0.7%0.6%% population foreign-born27.2%25.4%20.3%14.2%10.0%... born in Haiti6.1%6.9%4.8%4.4%N/A... born in Mexico2.6%2.6%2.0%0.5%< 0.1%... born in Brazil2.1%2.4%1.4%0.2%N/A... born in other countries16.4%13.5%12.1%9.1%10.0%
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%.
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 the unincorporated areas 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 (mostly Haitian Creole) was at 6.2%, French at 2.4%, Portuguese 1.5%, German was 1.0%, and Italian as a first language 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 post-secondary 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. – Use this map to compare the city limits to the school attendance boundaries.
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) – Compare to the zoning map. Deerfield Beach HS (Deerfield Beach),"Deerfield Beach High." Broward County Public Schools. Retrieved on September 23, 2018. and Monarch HS (Coconut Creek) – Compare to the zoning map.
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.
Largest employers According to the city's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:
# Employer # of Employees 1Pompano Park1,1002City of Pompano Beach7123Broward County Sheriff's Office7004Walmart6875Publix6556Aetna Rx Home Delivery4907Point Blank Solutions4008Associated Grocers of Florida3009Pompano Masonry 30010FreshPoint284
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 (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, which houses booths and kiosks selling jewelry, electronics, and clothing. The other, Pompano Citi Centre, is an open-air mall.
Pompano is also home to the Jellyfish Museum.
Sports Pompano Beach Municipal Golf Course has two 18-hole courses, the Palms, and the Pines, which opened in 2013.
Parks and recreation