Fort Lauderdale, a coastal city in the state of Florida, is a widely popular destination with tourists from across the nation, Canada and Europe.  Approximately 4 million cruise passengers pass through Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, which has the distinction of being the third largest cruise port in the world after the Port of Miami located further south and the Port of Canaveral, located further north. The average year round Fort Lauderdale temperature of 75° can also be attributed to the Florida city’s global popularity.

The largest city in Broward County, Fort Lauderdale has a population of over 181,000 residents and Fort Lauderdale is the 10^th largest city in the Sunshine State. The seaside city of Fort Lauderdale is also renowned for its 165 miles of inland waterways, giving the city the epithet as the “Venice of America.” With more than 50,000 registered yachts and 100 marinas in the city, Fort Lauderdale also holds the distinction of being known as the yachting capital of the world.

The city of Fort Lauderdale was incorporated in 1911. It is named after a series of forts built during the late 1830’s as shelter for the Seminole War. The forts left abandoned until 1890, are named honoring the two US military officers Major William Lauderdale and Lieutenant Colonel James Lauderdale, who oversaw operations during the earlier battle. The city’s first major development started in the 1920’s during the Florida land boom, but was shortened due to the 1926 Miami Hurricane and the Great Depression. At the outset of World War II, Fort Lauderdale became the headquarters for a Naval Air Station as well as for a Coast Guard base that was built in Port Everglades. 

In the early 1960’s and 1970’s, Fort Lauderdale became a popular Spring Break destination annually for thousands of college students from across the nation. Up until the mid 1980’s, when legislation was passed to discourage college students from visiting the city, Fort Lauderdale had an estimated 350,000 college visitors for spring break each year. The number has since dwindled down to 20,000 college visitors annually, though Fort Lauderdale is still known as a popular destination for its nightlife, fine dining and bars. In fact, there are over 4,000 dining establishments in the greater Fort Lauderdale area

Residential communities are also abundant in the Fort Lauderdale area from the palatial homes in Victoria Park and the high-rise condominiums on Las Olas Boulevard to the waterfront residences on Hendricks Isles. Fort Lauderdale is also the home of the annual Winterfest Boat Parade, an annual holiday tradition for more than 50 years that takes place along the Intracoastal waterways in East Fort Lauderdale and features over 100 boats decorated with festive Christmas lights.