Southwest Ranches, located just 15 miles southwest of Fort Lauderdale, is Broward county's 30th incorporated place. Because the area has many horse ranches and is located in the southwestern part of Broward County, residents chose "Southwest Ranches" over many other potential town names. The population as of the 2000 census was 7,203. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 7,342. The town includes Country Estates, Green Meadow, Ivanhoe Estates, Rolling Oaks and Sunshine Ranches.
History
When Pembroke Pines attempted to annex the area in the fall of 1996, the residents here desired to preserve their rural life. Eventually, a vote was taken in March, 2000 when area voters chose from three plans - annex to Pembroke Pines, annex to Davie or become a new city. Area residents didn't wait for the vote to begin plans for a new town. They had a contest in October 1999 to name the new town and the winner over 122 different names was Southwest Ranches. The Southwest Ranches Homeowners Association voted to begin the incorporation process early and the legislature approved the bill to allow this. Finally on 14 March, 2000, the vote was taken and the residents declared they wanted a new town, Southwest Ranches. By July, 2000, most problems were ironed out and the new council was elected.
Area: Approx. 13 square miles
15 miles southwest of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; 12 miles north of Miami/Dade County; 15 minutes from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport
Single-family dwellings; home costs range from $500,000 to over $3 million
Predominantly Residential, some Agriculture, & very little Commercial / Industrial. Our Town is zoned with minimum lot sizes of 1 acre / dwelling-unit to 2.5 acres / dwelling-unit. Farms, Equestrians and Families make up our wonderful, little Town in SW Broward!
Currently Southwest Parks has one Open Space Park in the Rolling Oaks Community on SW 178th Ave. The Sunshine Ranches Equestrian Park is on Volunteer Road, just North of Stirling Road. The community has been awarded grants to purchase land four additional parks.
Broward Sheriff's Office, District 8 for Police Safety. Broward County, Davie and SWR Volunteer Fire Department for Fire Safety. Emergency Medical Services provided by Broward County.
In close proximity to major highways I-75, I-595 and US 27. Only 15 minutes away from Ft. Laud / Hollywood International airport & 30 minutes away from Miami International Airport. There is one County Bus that comes through our Town; however, most of our residents commute by personal transportation.
Median Household Income in Broward County: $141,700
Communities:
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Country Estates
Rolling Oaks
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Green Meadow
Sunshine Ranches
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Ivanhoe Estates
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