Real estate in Hollywood Florida is sometimes confused with the attractive Southern California city, its namesake.  The 30-square-mile city of Broward County FL homes beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and extends several miles inland with Hollywood homes in subdivisions such as Estates of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood Beach, Oak Point, and Beverly Hills.  Nestled between Fort Lauderdale real estate and Miami, the population of Hollywood FL real estate has reached 130,000.

Garnished with the slogan, 'The City of the Future,' residents of Hollywood FL homes are proud of their cultural and racial diversity.  Because of the ethnic mix as well as the mixture of ages, in 1997 Money Magazine selected residents of homes in Hollywood Florida as best representing the face of the U.S. population in the year 2022.

However, the community’s population has not always been so diverse.  Joseph Young arrived in 1920 searching for land to build his 'Dream City' in Florida, which would include a boulevard extending from the Everglades to the ocean with lakes on either side.  He saw one lake emptying into the Intracoastal Waterway and the other as a basin for private yachts.  Young envisioned a centrally located business district, large parks, a golf course, schools, and churches, writing that it 'will be a city for everyone from the opulent at the top of the industrial and social ladder to the most humble of working people.'  He planned three circles that because Harding Circle, City Hall Circle, and Academy Circle, which are presently named Young Circle, Watson Circle, and Presidential Circle.

Young formed the Hollywood Land and Water Company with 26 departments to oversee every aspect of the construction of the city and purchased a parcel of land, founding his community in 1921.  By 1925, Hollywood real estate sales and construction were moving forward at a rapid pace and the city incorporated with close to 18,000 residents. It grew to 18,000 acres with 6 ½ miles of oceanfront.

Construction along Hollywood Beach transformed the coastline.  A unique 30-foot-wide cement promenade, the Hollywood Broadwalk, and the state’s best bathing pavilion, the Hollywood Beach Casino, a shopping arcade, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.  Soon northern industrialists, visiting celebrities, and fancy social affairs found a wonderful new venue:  the 7-story Hollywood Beach Hotel with the world’s largest solarium and a direct-connect to the New York Stock Exchange for guest use.

Everything came to a halt in September of 1926 as a vicious hurricane slammed the area.  The population declined to 2,500.  The determined Joseph Young led in the rebuilding effort as head of the Hollywood Relief Committee.  To cheer on the efforts, the Hollywood Municipal Band would assemble and play arousing marches and inspirational music.

Building focus moved inland to Hollywood Hills but Young found himself in a financial bind.  Hope was not lost.  One day while grounded in a speedboat in a mud flat, he got the idea to dredge a deep-water seaport from shallow Lake Mabel to the Atlantic for ships from around the world to dock in the city.  Thus, Port Everglades was born.  By 1934, the stress of financial collapse took its toll and Young passed on at the age of 51.

Seizing Young’s legacy of determination, two of his principal creditors formed new corporations to renew his efforts to grow the city.  By 1940, population increased to 6,239 and it never again slowed down.  By 1975, there were over 121,400 people living in the city.  The focus then turned to growth management.

For more information about real estate in the area, contact The Herman Group…..