In 1893, a young Ohioan named Frank Stranahan arrived and built a house that served as the first trading post, post office, bank and town hall of the area. During the Second Seminole War, Major William Lauderdale led his Tennessee Volunteers into the area and raised New River Fort on the site of the modern city in 1838. The first inhabitants of the land were Seminole Indians who arrived in the 18th century. It is the county seat for Broward county, and is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale- West Palm Beach metropolitan area, which has over 5.5 million people. The city is most famous for its beaches and boats, and while the city of Fort Lauderdale is relatively small in area, the term 'Fort Lauderdale' is often used to refer to the larger metropolis that has grown up around it. Situated in Broward County in South Florida, the city's population is over 170,000. It is known as the ' Venice of America' due to its expansive canal system.
Fort Lauderdale is a coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean in the US state of Florida.