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Fort Lauderdale is known for its extensive network of canals, and is an especially popular destination for fishing and yachting. There are many things to do and great attractions to see including Bonnet House Museum Gardens, Miami MetroZoo, Monkey Jungle, Parrot Jungle Island, ... more »
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Airports Fort Lauderdale is known for its extensive network of canals, and is an especially popular destination for fishing and yachting. There are many things to do and great attractions to see including Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, Miami MetroZoo, Monkey Jungle, Parrot Jungle Island, Museum of Discovery and Science, Stranahan House, and Butterfly World.
Fort Lauderdale, known as the "Venice of America" due to its expansive and intricate canal system, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 152,397. The city is also sometimes referred to as "Fort Liquordale" because of its beaches, many bars, nightclubs, strip clubs, and overall party atmosphere.
The first inhabitants of the land were Seminole Indians who arrived in the 18th century. During the Second Seminole War, Major William Lauderdale led his Tennessee Volunteers into the area and raised New River Fort on the site of the modern city in 1838. In 1893, a young Ohioan named Frank Stranahan arrived and built a house that served as the first trading post, post office, bank and town hall of the area. The house was built near the site of the New River Fort and still stands today as a museum. Fort Lauderdale was officially incorporated as a town in 1911 and began as a predominantly agricultural community, raising dairy cows and citrus groves. The city and its surrounding suburbs have experienced tremendous growth following the end of World War II.
In one of the city's worst traffic disasters, on March 17, 1993, an Amtrak passenger train collided with a loaded Hess gasoline truck at the Cypress Creek Road crossing of the CSX Railroad track in north Fort Lauderdale. The truck was unable to move due to heavy rush hour traffic. The collision and fire killed the truck driver and as well as five motorists that were stopped at the crossing. Nobody on the train was seriously injured.
Downtown Fort Lauderdale suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Wilma on October 24, 2005.
Local transportation includes Broward County Transit (BCT), which is the county bus system. BCT provides for connections with the bus systems in other parts of the metropolitan area: Metrobus in Miami-Dade County and Palm Tran in Palm Beach County. Tri-Rail, a commuter rail system, connects the major cities and airports of South Florida. Broward County voters may soon be asked to approve a 1-cent tax to fund transportation projects such as light rail and expanding the bus system.
Railroads
Several railroads pass through Fort Lauderdale. Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC) and CSX Systems are freight lines. Amtrak provides passenger service to other cities on the Atlantic coast, and Tri-Rail provides commuter service from Palm Beach County, through Broward County/Fort Lauderdale, and into Miami-Dade County.
Airport
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is the city's main airport (although it is located in neighboring city Dania Beach) and is one of the fastest growing airports in the country. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood is an emerging international gateway for the Caribbean and Latin America. Fort Lauderdale is also served by Miami International Airport and Palm Beach International Airport.
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Fort Lauderdale is also home to one of the ten largest general aviation airports in the country, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Cruises
Fort Lauderdale is served by Port Everglades, the nation's 2nd busiest cruise port. It is Florida's deepest port, and is an integral petroleum receiving point.
Interstate Highways
Broward County is served by three Major Interstates (I-75, I-95, I-595) and some U.S. Highways including U.S. Route 1, US 27 and US 441. It is also served by Florida's Turnpike and State Highway 869, also known as the Sawgrass Expressway.
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Temperature - Yearly Average
* This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Source wikipedia.
