Pembroke Pines, Florida

Pembroke Pines is a city in Broward County, Florida (a residential suburb of Fort Lauderdale), with a population of over 150,000 residents. The city was incorporated in 1960, and took the name “Pembroke” due to its location along Pembroke Road in an area surrounded by many pine trees, although some speculate the name may have come from the Earl of Pembroke, an early landowner. The median income for a household in the city is estimated at $52,629, and the median family income is estimated at $61,480.The city’s great expansion from only a one square mile town in 1960 was largely a result of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, when thousands of southern Miami-Dade County residents moved northward to Broward County, many coming to Pembroke Pines. The population increased as former owners of destroyed homes spent their insurance money on an inland city better protected from hurricanes. In 1999, the resulting boom ranked the City of Pembroke Pines third place in a list of Fastest Growing Cities in the United States, and many retirees have since moved there.

Over the years, the unplanned overpopulation has put a strain on city resources, especially in the schools, which has led to a number of educational innovations. Pembroke Pines started a Charter School System, which is the largest in the county and in 2003, Charles W. Flanagan High School had nearly 5,000 students, making it the most populated high school in Florida. The city is also home to campuses for Broward Community College and Florida International University.

The first Gay Pride Festival was held in Pembroke Pines at the Hollywood Sportatorium. The city was also once home to the nationally recognized Miami-Hollywood Motorsports Park racetrack, built in 1966, which was home to many famous races, but which closed in 1992 because of residential construction.