Traditionally known as a city that hosts college students on spring break, Fort Lauderdale, Florida has its share of wealthy residents. If you are relocating to Fort Lauderdale, consider this snapshot of the city.

The county seat of Broward County, Fort Lauderdale is a growing mid-size city. Annexation of outlying communities boosted the city’s population to 170,823 in 2005 by U.S. Census Bureau estimates. In five years, the citizenry had grown 12.1%. Densely populated with over 48-hundred people per square mile, Fort Lauderdale is part of a much larger metro area with over five million people. White Non-Hispanic residents make up 57.1% of this city’s population. A large African-American community accounts for 30.1%, and Hispanic residents, another 9.5%. With its diverse culture, Fort Lauderdale is characterized as metropolitan. The city has a large foreign-born population, making up 18.2% of the citizenry. Families resided in 47% of city homes with an average of 2.2 people per dwelling. The average age of citizens at 41.4 years is five years higher than the U.S. figure.

If you are relocating to Fort Lauderdale for a job, census statistics help provide a picture of the job market. For women, the health care industry was the leading employer at 10% of the female workforce. Construction work lead the list for men at 11%. Median household income in 2005 was $44,169, slightly below the national average. Per capita income was much higher at $34,443 to $25,035 for the U.S. In 2005, poverty affected 16.6% of Fort Lauderdale’s people. Poverty was lowest for White Non-Hispanic residents at 8.7%, highest for African-Americans at 31%. Statistically, crime is high in Fort Lauderdale. Information compiled by the FBI shows civil disobedience has declined in recent years, with fewer murders, rapes and assaults. Even property crimes like auto theft have fallen. The city’s crime index in 2004 was 594.1, still high when compared with the country as a whole at 325.2.

Housing values have risen dramatically since 2000 when the average home was deemed to be worth $150,100. In 2005, that number nearly tripled to $344,800 per dwelling. Ten percent of all housing have been built since 1990. Census figures find 19.4% of the city’s domiciles were unoccupied in 2005. Owners occupied roughly three of every five homes in the city. Monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners was $1,675, while rent averaged $815 a month. Over half of owners with housing debts and nearly 60% of renters reported spending 30% or more of their income on living arrangements.

Called "Venice of America" for its vast network of canals, people relocating to Fort Lauderdale are finding plenty of beaches. A major tourist destination, the area is renown for its fishing and yachting. Nightclubs, bars, museums and places for the performing arts are part of the city scene. Many college students flock to the area, as the city has been widely associated with the annual “Spring Break”. The educating mainly goes on outside of the city, with over 25,000 full-time students attending Miami-Dade Community College and another 12,500 at Nova Southeastern University. If you like to work on your tan somewhere that’s hot and sunny, Fort Lauderdale is the place. Located along the Atlantic Ocean, summertime highs can average up to 89 degrees. It doesn’t cool down that much. By January, the maximum temperature is 78 while the low averages 59 degrees. Thanks to the yearly hurricane season, the city has an average rainfall of 61.6 inches.

Fort Lauderdale's economy relies on tourism and manufacturing. With its proximity to the Bahamas and Caribbean, cruise lines and nautical recreation are popular. A major manufacturing and maintenance center for yachts, the boating industry provides roughly 100,000 area jobs. Fort Lauderdale has the nation's second busiest cruise port. Many residents are opposing new development. High-rises have been filling out the landscape in recent years, as the city is running out of space in some suburban areas. Fort Lauderdale has been dubbed "America's top gay resort area" by the city’s tourist and convention bureau. Fort Lauderdale is the birthplace of former tennis star Chris Evert.