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| Pompano Beach Night View |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompano_Beach,_Florida
History
Its name is derived from the Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus), a fish found off the Atlantic coast.[10]
There had been scattered settlers in the area from at least the mid-1880s, but the first documented permanent residents of the Pompano area were George Butler and Frank Sheene and their families, who arrived in 1896 as railway employees.[11] The first train arrived in the small Pompano settlement on February 22, 1896.[11] It is said that Sheene 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.[11] That year, the Hillsboro Lighthouse was completed on the beach.[11]
On July 3, 1908, a new municipality was incorporated in what was then Dade County: the Town of Pompano.[9] John R. Mizell was elected the first mayor.[9][11] In 1915, Broward County was established, with a northern boundary at the Hillsboro Canal. Thus, within eight years, Pompano had been in three counties.[9] Pompano Beach experienced significant growth during the Florida land boom of the 1920s.
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.[3][9] 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.[2]
Judy’s friend Skye back home recommended Pompano Beach, so we headed there as our first outing after arriving in Weston, Florida,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weston,_Florida near Ft. Lauderdale this past weekend. We needed a couple of days to rest our “60 something” bones following a hectic schedule of travel, visiting, and play since starting our journey almost two months ago. Once we land on the beach anywhere it doesn’t feel that far from home back on the Oregon coast. Except for the pleasing and glorious balmy breeze, the beach and ocean appear the same as home, not to mention all the Palm Trees. Before planting ourselves on the beach, we had lunch at Flanigan’s. http://www.flanigans.net/ The fresh seafood on the east coast is abundant, especially favorites like Mahi Mahi and Swordfish. Grouper is the local favorite, and is now included on our list as well.
We are taking a break for a few weeks in South Florida following the long journey of getting here from Depoe Bay, Oregon. This is kind of the turning point of our journey since we will begin to head back around mid December. So far, Judy and I are on top of our game, and feel pretty good for the long trip. Other than getting lost at night in most places in Florida, we are doing well. Good thing for Judy’s skills using Google Map… Otherwise, not sure where we would be right now… I even forget where we are at times, and Judy has to remind me. We are at Starbucks right now in Weston Town Village plotting our next move… Stay tuned…
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
