Realtors in 1950s: move to Florida, it's safer from A-bomb

By Jane Feehan

A building boom hit Fort Lauderdale after World War II. According to realtors in 1951, the growth was fueled by American fears of an enemy A-bomb hitting the industrial Northeast.  South Florida wasn’t important enough to attract military interest, some realtors suggested, so investments would be safer here.

While that notion could be debated, the economic boom was at full throttle. Investors would buy a piece of property and within a week were offered considerably more than what they paid. Most sought improved parcels – lots with buildings—to avoid high war-time taxes on vacant property. If such lots were unavailable, investors poured foundations or partially constructed buildings before a deal was closed. Mindful of the war-driven materials shortage that caused a post-war housing crisis throughout the U.S., investors began construction with what was available. Lots with nothing but foundations were a common sight in 1950-51 Fort Lauderdale.

Conventional military wisdom of the day: South Florida wasn’t necessarily safe from an enemy incursion. The state’s coastline provided plenty of strike opportunities but an attack would most likely occur north of Cape Canaveral to avoid the Bahamas and its dangerous shoal waters. In such an event, South Florida would be isolated and its hotels likely filled with the enemy.

South Florida growth exploded during the 1950s but A-bomb fears could not be credited. For the real reasons behind the boom, see:

https://janeshistorynook.blogspot.com/2020/07/three-big-reasons-for-floridas-growth.html

For info about the fallout shelter craze, see:
https://janeshistorynook.blogspot.com/2020/06/fallout-shelters-miami-growth-biz-in.html

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale Daily News, Jan. 1951.


Tags: Fort Lauderdale history, Fort Lauderdale in the 1950s. Post war Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale boom,  historical researcher

Florida's population explosion in the 1950s; Fort Lauderdale leads

Fort Lauderdale Beach circa 1960 
Florida State Archives/Erickson

By Jane Feehan

A special census was taken* in the mid-1950s in Florida. The trend upward from the official US Census of 1950 was remarkable.

Four cities in the state joined the over-50,000 population rankings with Fort Lauderdale leading the way with the biggest increase:

• Fort Lauderdale soared from the 1950 Census of 36,328 to 62,906 persons in the mid-50s.
• Miami Beach from 46,282 persons in 1950 to a mid-decade count of 50,981.
• West Palm Beach jumped to 51,015 from 43,162 persons in 1950.
• Pensacola among the four growth cities, tallied 50,954 mid-decade; 43,479 in 1950.

And ...

• Broward County nearly doubled its population in five years – from 83,933 in 1950 to 159,052 persons by the mid-1950s.
• Dade County also climbed significantly from 495,084 to 703,777 in about five years

By 1960, the population increases in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties accounted for approximately 50 percent of the entire state’s growth.

In 2021, Fort Lauderdale's population was reported at about 182,000 residents. No doubt, 2022 will reflect another substantial increase due to different reasons from those of the 1950s: rising crime and higher taxes in other states.

 ---------------

*Locally-financed special counts were taken to qualify for additional revenues.

For more information on population, see: index for Florida in the 1950s

Sources:

Miami News, Oct. 11, 1957

Palm Beach Post, Nov. 19, 1961

Tags: Fort Lauderdale history, Fort Lauderdale population in the 1950s, South Florida population growth in the 1950s, film researcher, history of Fort Lauderdale

Florida's turnpike opens in 1957 - Miami to Fort Pierce

By Jane Feehan

Governor LeRoy Collins officially open Florida’s turnpike, the Sunshine State Parkway, January 25, 1957. The first leg of the road stretched 110 miles from the Golden Glades in Miami to Fort Pierce.

Before the turnpike, a trip from Fort Pierce to Miami took nearly four hours; after the road opened the same distance could be covered in 108 minutes.

A year later, the Florida turnpike was determined a success.  Records revealed that 3,649,502 vehicles traveled the road carrying approximately 11,000,000 passengers.

Also, there were:

251 accidents

129 injuries

6 deaths or 3.6 deaths per 100,000,000 vehicle miles

And: 

Gross income from tolls: $4,450,000

Approximate costs: $1,280,000

A second section of the Sunshine State Parkway, from Fort Pierce to Wildwood, opened in 1964. The final part connected Miami to Homestead in 1974. Revenues in 2010 reached $596 million, an increase of 1 percent from the preceding year. The contributions the turnpike made to South Florida’s building boom of the 1950s and 1960s … inestimable. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

-------

Sources:

www.floridasturnpike.com/about_history.cfm

www.floridasturnpike.com/downloads/TEAR/2010/Overview%20Graphs.pdf

Miami News, Jan. 19, 1957

Miami News, Jan 26, 1958

Tags: Florida history, Florida turnpike history, Sunshine State Parkway history, South Florida history, Florida road history, film researcher

Warner Bros film showcases Florida, boosts tourism - 1950s

Chasing the Sun – Warner Bros., 1957
The Wonders of Nature’s Playground! On Land – and Under the Sea
Owen Crump and Charles L. Tedford, Writers
Andre de la Varre, Director

By Jane Feehan

In 1957, Warner Brothers released Chasing the Sun, a short movie that Herb Rau of the Miami News praised as doing the best job of selling Florida than was ever witnessed. The 31-minute film, directed by Andre de la Varre, told a story of travel in Central and South Florida seen through the eyes of an Austrian artist. Much of it highlighted attractions; some of those remain open today.

Color cameras caught the iconic water skiing girls at Dick Pope’s Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven (closed in 2009). The film also featured Miami attractions: Parrot Jungle (now Jungle Island), Rare Bird Farm (closed), Monkey Jungle (open) and Theater of the Sea in Islamorada (open).

A publicity piece provided by Warner Brothers, who had released 19 films about Florida during the 20 years prior to the 1957 film claimed, “Without question, Chasing the Sun does the greatest selling job for Florida to date, either by magazine, newspaper, or motion picture.” They expected 50 million to view the movie across the U.S.

Before the film was released, however, Miami Beach was drawing hordes of tourists to the Fontainebleau, Eden Roc and a growing roster of glamorous hotels. Arthur Godfrey was broadcasting his popular TV show from the Kenilworth. In 1957 the first leg of the Florida Turnpike was completed. New towns were established in Broward County, including Plantation in 1953. National Airlines saw a need to establish a route to accommodate keen interest in Florida and, in 1958, began non-stop passenger jet service between New York and Miami.

It could be the film reflected as well as promoted the growing interest in Florida.

Sources:

Miami News, Nov. 10, 1957

IMDB.org

Tags: Films about South Florida, Miami Beach in the 1950s, Miami in the 1950s, 
Florida film industry research