Hallandale Beach, Florida

ACH H allandale Beach, Florida, with a population just over 40,000, is roughly four square miles in size. It is bordered by I-95 on the west, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the City of Hollywood to the north, and the city of Aventura and the Dade County line to the south. The city was named after Luther Halland, who was recruited by railroad magnate, Henry Flagler, owner of the Florida East Coast Railway, over a century ago, to found a settlement south of the community of Dania. Halland constructed a small trading post and became the first postmaster of the small hamlet. By 1900, it had slowly grown to a dozen families. In 1904, the first school was built, and the first church followed two years later. Hallandale was primarily a farming community; the beach was undeveloped and used by the residents only for recreational purposes. Hallandale was incorporated on May 11, 1927, the eighth municipality in Broward County. By that time, a thriving community of 1,500 residents, with electricity and street lights, was in place. In 1947, Hallandale was reincorporated as the City of Hallandale, allowing it to expand its borders through annexation of nearby unincorporated land lying adjacent to the Atlantic shore. On August 27, 1999, the city officially changed its name to Hallandale Beach. Today, Hallandale Beach is probably best known as the home of two racetrack/casino/ entertainment venues: Gulfstream Park, which AT A GLANCE HALLANDALE BEACH, FLORIDA WHAT: A four-sq.-mile city in Broward County; population 40,000 WHERE: Located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, next to Aventura, Florida WEBSITE: www.cohb.org