The city's name is derived from theFlorida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus), a fish found off the Atlantic coast.[13]There is a debate that the name comes from Pompeii.
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.[3] The first train arrived in the small Pompano settlement on February 22, 1896.[3] 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 createdPalm Beach County.[3] That year, theHillsboro Lighthouse was completed on the beach.[3]
On July 3, 1908, a new municipality was incorporated in what was thenDade County: the Town of Pompano.[2][3] 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.[2][3] Pompano Beach experienced significant growth during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. In 1940, the U.S. Supreme Court disallowed forced confessions inChambers v. Florida, a dispute stemming from a murder in Pompano Beach.[14]
Following the population boom due toWorld War II, in 1947, the City of Pompano merged with the newly formed municipality on the beach and became the City of Pompano Beach.[2][5] In 1950, the population of the city reached 5,682. Like most ofsoutheast 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 withWest Bromwich in theUnited 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 theBahamas.[15]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.4 square miles (65.8 km2), of which 24.0 square miles (62.2 km2) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), or 5.54%, is water.[16]
A 2017 study showed 73,000 residents living withinFEMA's coastalfloodplain.[17]
Pompano Beach is in northeastern Broward County along the Atlantic Ocean. It includes about 3 miles (5 km) of beachfront, extending from the intersection ofState Road A1A and Terra Mar Drive to the Hillsboro Inlet. The city is bounded by the following municipalities:
As of 2010,Italian-Americans made up 8.5% of the population, forming the second largest ancestry group in the city.[51]
As of 2010, beforeannexation of other areas, Pompano Beach has the highest concentration of residents ofHaitian ancestry in the country, at 9.3% of the population.[52] while it had the highest percentage ofBrazilians in the US, at 2.67%.[53]
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.
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%, andVietnamese at 1.12% of the population.[55]
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.[56]
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.[57]
Although there are about 17 post-secondary schools within 10 miles (16 km) 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.
TheRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami operates the Saint ColemanK–8 school in Pompano Beach; it opened on September 9, 1958.[67] The archdiocese formerly operated the St. Elizabeth of Hungary School.[68] The church attempted to resolve its debt to the archdiocese by loaning $2.13 million fromBank 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.[69]
In recent years, an effort to rejuvenaterundown 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.[2]
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.[1]
TheKester 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.[1] There are two malls in Pompano Beach. The first isFestival Flea Market Mall, which houses booths and kiosks selling jewelry, electronics, and clothing. The other,Pompano Citi Centre, is an open-air mall.
Parks include Pompano Beach Community Park, Kester Park, Cresthaven Park, Harbors Edge Park, and Scott Meyers Memorial Park.[citation needed] Fern Forest Nature Center is just across the Coconut Creek city boundary.[73][74]
Pompano Beach Community Park features an aquatic center,pickleball courts, basketball courts, soccer fields, jogging paths, and baseball fields. Prior to 2008, this park was the location of thePompano Beach Municipal Stadium, which served as the spring training camp for theWashington Senators from 1961 to 1971 and theTexas Rangers from 1972 through 1986.[75][76][77]
In 2004,John Rayson became the first elected mayor of Pompano Beach. Prior mayors had been selected by city commissioners from among themselves. The vice mayor continues to be selected by city commissioners from among themselves. At the federal level, Pompano Beach is located inFlorida's 20th congressional district, which is represented byDemocratSheila Cherfilus-McCormick. The current Mayorat Large is Rex Hardin.[78]
Pompano Beach is a part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood media market, which is the twelfth-largest radio market[79] and the seventeenth-largest television market[80] in the United States. Its primary daily newspapers are theSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel andThe Miami Herald, and their Spanish-language counterpartsEl Sentinel andEl Nuevo Herald. Local Pompano-based media includesThe Pompano Pelican, the longtime local weekly newspaper; the Deerfield-Pompano Beach Forum, published by the Sun-Sentinel Company;Pompano Post Community Newspaper and PompanoFun.com, a website focusing on local entertainment and events; and television programToday in Pompano.[81]
In addition to Tri-Rail, Pompano Beach is also served by several bus routes operated byBroward County Transit. Two major transfer points are the Northeast Transit Center and Pompano Citi Centre.[83]
^Language spoken at home among residents at least five years old; only languages (or language groups) which at least 2% of residents have spoken at any time since 1980 are mentioned
^"Census Counts: 1890-2020".Florida Municipal Population Census Counts: 1890 to 2020. Office of Economic and Demographic Research, The Florida Legislature. 2023.Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. RetrievedJune 18, 2023.
^"Top 50 TV markets ranked by households". Northwestern University Media Management Center. Archived from the original on August 7, 2007. RetrievedSeptember 24, 2007.
.jpg)
