Located on the Atlantic Coast, 23 miles north of Miami, Fort Lauderdale is a predominantly residential resort city with a Venice-like series of canals and waterways. It has grown considerably since its beginnings as a 19th century fort commanded by the city's namesake, Major William Lauderdale. It acquired its reputation as a tourist destination
in the early 20th century after the East Coast Railway brought more investment and real estate development. A number of resort hotels began to pop up on drained swampland in the 1930's. Until recently, Fort Lauderdale was ground zero for the throngs of college students who travel south during spring break week to create some chaos. In the 1980's, the city council began to discourage the revelers and today, the city is best known for its boating opportunities and busy seaport.
Notable attractions are the International Swimming Hall of Fame (with mementos of Johnny Weissmuller, famous as a swimmer and as Tarzan, the record-breaking swimmer Mark Spitz and many others), the beautiful Flamingo Groves (planted with various species of citrus fruits) and Butterfly World on Coconut Creek. From the offshore Port Everglades, the second largest cruising port in the United States, there are daily departures of musical cruises to the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
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