- published: 30 May 2016
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Fort Lauderdale /ˌfɔərt ˈlɔːdərdeɪl/ is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census.
The city is a popular tourist destination, with 10.35 million visitors in 2006. Fort Lauderdale is sometimes known as the "Venice of America" because of its expansive and intricate canal system. The city is a major yachting center, with 42,000 resident yachts and 100 marinas and boatyards in 2006. The city sits 23 miles (37 km) north of Miami. Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area hosted over 4,000 restaurants and 120 nightclubs in 2006.
Fort Lauderdale is named after a series of forts built by the United States during the Second Seminole War. The forts took their name from Major William Lauderdale, who was the commander of the detachment of soldiers who built the first fort. However, development of the city did not begin until 50 years after the forts were abandoned at the end of the conflict. Three forts named "Fort Lauderdale" were constructed; the first was at the fork of the New River, the second at Tarpon Bend on the new River between the Colee Hammock and Rio Vista neighborhoods, and the third near the site of the Bahia Mar Marina.
Lauderdale is a long narrow geographical district in the Scottish Borders, Scotland, being the valley of the Leader Water, (a tributary of the River Tweed), above which rivulet St. Cuthbert had a vision of St. Aidan's soul being conducted to heaven. It is traversed from end to end by the A68 trunk road which terminates at Edinburgh.
Many ancient camps, and many tumuli, are found in Lauderdale. The Roman road into Scotland, Dere Street, which means 'the road into the country of the wild animals', crossed a ford at Newstead, near Melrose, where there had been a Roman fort and garrison, and entered Lauderdale. Dere Street is said to have been reconditioned by King Malcolm Canmore and probably used by him in his almost constant warfare against England. The Roman road has now been traced from the Tweed through Lauderdale to Soutra.
The valley is said to take its name from the principal town of Lauderdale, the Royal Burgh of Lauder, The town is said to derive its name from the ancient family of the same name. The name of the river between 1124 and 1165 was spelt Leder and Ledre, whilst the name of the town has always been spelt Lauueder, Lawedir, Laudre, Lawder, Lawedere, Lauueder, &c. In a charter of William the Lion (1165 - 1214) both Lauueder and Lauuederdale are mentioned, as is Loweder in another document of the same reign.