West Park, Florida

For the former census-designated place in Hillsborough County, see Leto, Florida.

West Park, Florida
City
City of West Park
Motto:  "The City of Positive Progression"
Location of West Park in Broward County, Florida
Coordinates: 25°59′00″N80°11′11″W / 25.98333°N 80.18639°W / 25.98333; -80.18639
Country	United States of America
State	Florida
County	Broward
Incorporated	March 1, 2005 [1]
Government
• Type	Commission-Manager
•  Mayor	Felicia M. Brunson
•  Vice Mayor	Dr. Anthony L.T. Dorsett
•  Commissioners	Marvin Price, Brandon Smith, Joy Smith, Dr. Katrina Touchstone
•  City Manager	W. Ajibola Balogun
•  City Clerk	Alexandra Grant
Area [2]
• Total	2.26 sq mi (5.86 km2)
• Land	2.20 sq mi (5.69 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.17 km2)  2.85%
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,130
• Density	6,700/sq mi (2,600/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	33021-33023, 33009
Area code(s)	754, 954
FIPS code	12-76658 [3]
GNIS feature ID	2062996 [4]
Website	www.cityofwestpark.org

West Park, officially the City of West Park, is a municipality in Broward County, Florida, United States. It was created on March 1, 2005. It is located in the southeastern part of the county and consists of the neighborhoods of Carver Ranches, Lake Forest, Miami Gardens (Broward County), and Utopia. A large portion of the city lies west of the town of Pembroke Park, so the new city was called "West Park". The city has a population of 15,130 as of the 2020 census. ^[5] The city is bordered by Miami-Dade County on the south, Pembroke Park on the east, Hollywood on the north and Miramar on the west.

History

The previously unincorporated neighborhoods of West Park embarked on the road to incorporation in 2004, after the Florida Legislature approved House Bill 1491, which provided for an election on November 2, 2004. Following a vote of 3,400 to 956 for incorporation, West Park was on its way to becoming Broward County's 31st city. After the election, residents elected an interim transition committee and held a series of workshops to gain input on the level of municipal-type services to be provided. It was decided that the new municipality would be known as West Park until a consensus was reached on a permanent name; this name was subsequently retained. On March 8, 2005, Eric H. Jones, Jr., was elected Mayor and four Commissioners were elected: Felicia M. Brunson, Thomas W. Dorsett, Sharon Fyffe and Rita "Peaches" Mack. They were sworn-in as the municipality's first elected leaders on March 10, 2005.

In 2011 West Park, received acknowledgement from the national non-profit organization KaBOOM! ^[6] As the city garnered the designation of a 2011 Playful City USA community. This recognition was given the city's effort to “increase play opportunities for children”. ^[7]

Media

The city of West Park has its own newspaper, "The West Park News", which is published by and part of Miami Community Newspapers.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2000	12,713		—
2010	14,156		11.4%
2020	15,130		6.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]

2020 census

West Park, Florida - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race	Pop 2010 [9]	Pop 2020 [10]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	1,805	1,214	12.75%	8.02%
Black or African American alone (NH)	7,828	8,365	55.30%	55.29%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	37	38	0.26%	0.25%
Asian alone (NH)	140	165	0.99%	1.09%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	5	5	0.04%	0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	50	141	0.35%	0.93%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	200	313	1.41%	2.07%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4,091	4,889	28.90%	32.31%
Total	14,156	15,130	100.00%	100.00%

2010 Census

West Park Demographics
2010 Census	West Park	Broward County	Florida
Total population	14,156	1,748,066	18,801,310
Population density	6,462.3/sq mi	1,444.9/sq mi	350.6/sq mi
White or Caucasian (including White Hispanic)	32.8%	63.1%	75.0%
(Non-Hispanic White or Caucasian)	12.8%	43.5%	57.9%
Black or African-American	57.9%	26.7%	16.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	28.9%	25.1%	22.5%
Asian	1.0%	3.2%	2.4%
Native American or Native Alaskan	0.4%	0.3%	0.4%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3.3%	2.9%	2.5%
Some Other Race	4.6%	3.7%	3.6%

As of 2000, before being annexed to West Park, the Carver Ranches neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 96.90% of all residents, while Spanish accounted for 2.19%, and French Creole as a mother tongue made up 0.90% of the population. ^[11]

As of 2000, before being annexed to West Park, the Lake Forest neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 60.49% of all residents, while Spanish accounted for 34.79%, French Creole at 4.04%, and French as a mother tongue made up 0.67% of the population. ^[12]

As of 2000, the Miami Gardens neighborhood, before being annexed to West Park, had Spanish as a first language accounted for 51.09% of all residents, while English accounted for 45.17%, and French Creole as a mother tongue made up 3.72% of the population. ^[13]

As of 2000, before being annexed to West Park, the neighborhood of Utopia had English as a first language accounted for 80.62% of all residents, while Spanish as a mother tongue made up 19.37% of the population. ^[14]

As of 2000, before West Park annexed it, the Miami Gardens neighborhood had the 103rd-highest percentage of Colombian residents in the US, with 1.63% of the US populace. ^[15] The forty-fourth-highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, at 9.76% of the city's population (tied with Key Largo,) ^[16] the twenty-fourth-highest percentage of Dominicans in the US, with 4.62%, ^[17] and the fifteenth-highest percentage of Jamaican residents in the US, at 6.3% of the city's population. ^[18] It also had the forty-fourth-most Peruvians in the US, at 1.26% (tied with North Plainfield, New Jersey,) ^[19] while it had the forty-fifth-highest percentage of Haitians (tied with Leisure City), at 3.6% of all residents. ^[20] Also, West Park's Miami Gardens neighborhood had the sixty-first-highest percentage of Puerto Ricans, which was at an 11.2% populace. ^[21] As of 2010, there were 4,711 households, out of which 8.0% were vacant.

Education

Residents are zoned to schools in Broward County Public Schools: ^[22]

• A portion of the town is zoned to Lake Forest Elementary School, ^[23] and a portion is zoned to Watkins Elementary School. ^[24]
• McNichol Middle School ^[25]
• Hallandale High School ^[26]

References

1. "Broward-by-the-Numbers (pages 3-5)" (PDF). www.broward.org. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. "QuickFacts West Park city, Florida". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
6. "Making Play a Priority: Non-Profit Organization KaBOOM! Announces List of 151 "Playful City USA" Communities | KaBOOM!". kaboom.org. Archived from the original on 2016-09-14.
7. "City Of West Park | The City of Positive Progression". Archived from the original on 2016-09-19.
8. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
9. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - West Park, Florida". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 19, 2022.
10. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - West Park, Florida". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 19, 2022.
11. "MLA Data Center Results of Carver Ranches, FL". Modern Language Association . Retrieved 2015-01-02.
12. "MLA Data Center Results for Lake Forest, FL". Modern Language Association . Retrieved 2015-01-02.
13. "MLA Data Center Results for Miami Gardens (Broward,) FL". Modern Language Association . Retrieved 2015-01-02.
14. "MLA Data Center Results for Utopia, FL". Modern Language Association . Retrieved 2015-01-02.
15. "Ancestry Map of Colombian Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
16. "Ancestry Map of Cuban Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
17. "Ancestry Map of Dominican Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
18. "Ancestry Map of Jamaican Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
19. "Ancestry Map of Peruvian Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
20. "Ancestry Map of Haitian Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
21. "Ancestry Map of Puerto Rican Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
22. "Zoning Map." West Park. Retrieved on September 23, 2018. Alternate link.
23. "Lake Forest." Broward County Public Schools. Retrieved on September 23, 2018.
24. "Watkins." Broward County Public Schools. Retrieved on September 23, 2018.
25. "McNicol." Broward County Public Schools. Retrieved on September 23, 2018.
26. "Hallandale High." Broward County Public Schools. Retrieved on September 23, 2018.

External links

• City of West Park official website