Margate
Oakland Park | Parkland | Pembroke Park | Plantation | Sunrise | Southwest Ranches | Tamarac | Weston | Wilton Manors
Located in the northwestern part of Broward County, Florida, about 12 miles from Fort Lauderdale and 40 miles north of Miami, is the City of Margate. Founded in the 1950s by Jack Marqusee, Margate derived its name as a contraction of its founder’s name and the word “gate” (denoting its status as the “gateway” to western Broward County).Margate became a town in 1955 and was incorporated as a city in 1961. In 2005, the City celebrated its 50th anniversary with a host of community events and special projects. The City Commission designated March 30th the official birthday of the City. Originally planned for a population of 35,000, today Margate is growing more populous, younger, and more diverse. Between the 1990 and 2000 census, the City grew more than 25 percent to 53,909 residents while the total number of families increased 13.9 percent to 14,331. According to the 2000 census, Hispanics made up 15.3 percent of the population, while residents 65 and older dropped from 30.4 percent to 21 percent, or from 6,384 residents to 4,268. The percentage of owner-occupied homes increased from 78.3 percent in 1990 to 80.1 percent in 2000.
Margate has grown considerably since 1967 when there were 5,700 residents and it was surrounded by farmland. Today, the City is home to more than 56,000 residents and is a full-service city. Margate takes pride in operating with fiscal responsibility, offering a variety of excellent services at minimal cost. In fact, Margate is one of the few Broward County cities that serves the public with its own Fire, Police, Building, Parks and Recreation, Senior Center and Storm Water Utilities departments, thus offering residents virtually every primary public service.
| Margate Real Estate For Sale | ||
The City’s Finance Department has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for 18 consecutive years. Margate’s Department of Environmental and Engineering Services provides retail water and wastewater services to the entire developed area within the city limits. The City owns and operates both a 20-million gallon per day water treatment plant and a 10.3 million gallon per day wastewater treatment facility.
Public Works manages the City’s 100-lane miles of roadways and will oversee the $35 million Road Bond Referendum work approved by Margate residents in 2006.
The City operates the Margate Inner-City Transit (or MIT), which is the largest city-run system in Broward County. The City is home to approximately 105 acres of parks including the Calypso Cove Aquatic Facility, a water park opened in 2005 that has received national and international recognition for excellence in design. The City is also home to Firefighter’s Park, which is the largest park dedicated to firefighters east of the Mississippi River.
The Margate Fire Department was the first recipient of the National Gold Standard Service Award and has received numerous state commendations as well. Margate’s Fire Department aims to provide the public with the best possible fire suppression, emergency medical, and fire prevention services available. Its continuous goal is to treat all individuals as if they are family.
Margate’s Police Department (MPD) was the first police agency in Broward County and the second municipal agency in the State of Florida to be accredited through the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) in 1997. The MPD has been subsequently reaccredited through CFA three times in 2000, 2003, and 2006.
