Hollywood, FL

Hollywood extends from an Atlantic barrier island through a compact downtown to broad residential districts in western Broward County. The beach lies across the Intracoastal Waterway; downtown gathers around Hollywood Boulevard, Harrison Street, and Young Circle; farther west, U.S. 1, I-95, Florida's Turnpike, and two rail lines divide neighborhoods and commercial corridors. Within downtown's compact grid, historic storefronts, restaurants, galleries, the Art and Culture Center, and ArtsPark cluster within a few blocks of Young Circle. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport abuts the city, and part of Port Everglades lies inside its boundary. Holly-Go buses and the on-demand Sun Shuttle connect city districts, while Tri-Rail uses separate Hollywood and Sheridan Street stations. Beach tourism, an arts-centered downtown, port and airport lands, and highway-oriented neighborhoods now function as distinct parts of one municipality.

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Joseph Wesley Young planned those east-west connections from the beginning. He bought his first parcel in February 1921 and laid out Hollywood Boulevard from the Atlantic toward the Everglades, with parallel man-made lakes, separate districts, and three large circles. Hollywood incorporated on November 28, 1925. The original thirty-foot concrete Broadwalk ran 1.5 miles along the shore, modeled on Atlantic City's boardwalk. A 1926 hurricane killed 37 residents, devastated the young city, and reduced its population from about 18,000 to roughly 2,500; Hallandale and Dania later separated. Young's 1928 proposal to dredge shallow Lake Mabel into a deep-water harbor became Port Everglades, turning part of his resort plan into a working seaport. Hospitality work is most visible along the oceanfront and Broadwalk, where hotels, restaurants, rentals, and entertainment line the shore.

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Memorial Healthcare System and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital form a large medical campus inland, while HEICO makes aerospace, defense, and electronics components. Metal-additive manufacturer Sintavia, marine-technology firms, engineering consultants, and a large customer-service operation add other inland workplaces throughout Hollywood. Port and airport access support maritime, aviation, and logistics activity near the northeastern side. These workplaces broaden Hollywood's economy beyond the visitor district and place many daily trips along the same east-west routes that connect the beach, downtown, medical campus, rail stations, and western neighborhoods. The beach and downtown remain Hollywood's clearest public rooms. The brick-paved Broadwalk now runs nearly 2.5 miles past restaurants, public art, the beach theater, and Charnow Park.

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The park contributes a splash pad and restored paddleball courts, while the theater holds events directly beside the promenade. At 1301 South Ocean Drive, the existing Beach Culture and Community Center and Harry Berry Park were part of a redevelopment still in the approval process in 2026; a May amendment called for a replacement oceanfront community center, renewed park space, public beach parking, and housing. Inland, the ten-acre ArtsPark at Young Circle contains an amphitheater, gallery, glass studio, playground, and lawns. On the third Saturday of each month in 2026, the Downtown Hollywood ArtWalk opened galleries, brought artists into public view, and filled the surrounding streets with mural tours, music, and a market.