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Prior to 1820

At the time of initial European contact, the area was occupied by the Tequesta tribe of native Americans.

1820-1892

The first settlements by Americans of European descent started in the 1820s (Florida became a U.S. Territory in 1821). The de facto leader among the approximately 70 people living at the "New River Settlement" (present day Fort Lauderdale) was William Cooley. Cooley was appointed by Governor William Pope Duval as Justice of the Peace for the region.

Cooley maintained friendly relations and traded with the Seminole Indians in the area. In the early 18th century, Creek Indians had moved down from Alabama and joined the Seminoles. White settlers killed a Creek chief named Alibama and burned his hut in a dispute. As Justice of Peace, Cooley jailed the settlers, but they were released after a hearing at the Monroe County Court in Key West; the justification was insufficient evidence. The Creek people blamed Cooley, saying he withheld evidence. The growing uneasiness between the Creeks and the whites lead to the Creeks' emigration to the Okeechoobee area.

On 3 January 1836, Cooley led a large expedition from the settlement to free the Gil Blas, a ship that had beached the previous year; the scale of the operation required most of the settlement's able men. Three days later, a group of 15 to 20 Indians invaded the Cooley house, killing Cooley's wife and children, the children's tutor, and burning the house to the ground. This triggered the departure of the white settlers from the area. During the second Seminole War, Major William Lauderdale led his Tennessee Volunteers into the area. In 1838, Lauderdale erected a fort on the New River at the site of the modern city of Fort Lauderdale (where SW 9th Avenue meets SW 4th Court). Lauderdale left after one month, but his name remained. The Seminoles destroyed the fort a few months later. Two more forts were built sequentially, each closer to the ocean.

1893-1925

Further settlement did not occur until the 1890s. In 1893 a young Ohioan named Frank Stranahan arrived and built a house that served as the first trading post, post office, bank and hotel in the area. He built three houses on the original site along present day U.S. 1 highway, the last one in 1901. That house stands today as a museum and is Broward County's oldest standing structure. Fort Lauderdale was officially incorporated as a town in 1911, beginning as a predominantly agricultural community that raised dairy cows and maintained citrus groves.

After 1945

The city and its surrounding suburbs have experienced tremendous growth since the end of World War II. Today, it is a major tourist destination, a significant yachting home port and a financial center.