$3,500 a month, according to Apartments.com.

“This strong population growth has been decades in the making,” Schnur said. “The intent for downtown Fort Lauderdale was to always become this growing, evolving urban center with an incredible sense of place, livability and quality of life that rivals any other major city. That vision is starting to be realized, especially in the last five years.”

When Bryson Ridgeway, 42, first moved to Fort Lauderdale after graduating college in 2006, he didn’t plan to stay very long. Almost 20 years later, Ridgeway lives in the Rio Vista neighborhood with his wife Katherine and their three kids, ages 9, 11 and 13.

As a longtime resident, Ridgeway has seen the evolution of downtown Fort Lauderdale as housing options increased, especially in the last 10 years. The area’s walkability is a major draw, he said. He can walk a quarter mile to drop his kids off at school, a mile to get to work and three blocks to the restaurants on Las Olas.

While doing all that walking, he has noticed plenty of new families in the neighborhood lately. 

“It just made me realize that there is an influx of people behind us with even more kids,” he said. “That part is surprising, but when you think about it intuitively, it’s not surprising at all. A lot of people started moving here from 2010 through now, and they don’t leave.”

After having her twins, Callahan said downtown’s walkability was a factor in her family’s decision to stay in the city. Not only does her building have great amenities, but Callahan and her boyfriend can also walk to work and nearby public spaces with the twins, like Riverwalk. Now, she’s looking forward to the completion of the Huizenga Park renovations for Journey and Jade to enjoy, too.

“We don’t have to walk far to do anything,” Callahan said. “We very rarely get in the car.”

Downtown’s institutions, community centers and museums have also adapted to the area’s growing population. Joe Cox, the president and CEO of the Museum of Discovery and Science, has noticed two major changes in the area: the city skyline and the kids.

“Even in neighborhoods downtown like Flagler Village, five years ago, you’d hardly see a baby stroller,” said Cox, who has lived downtown since 2018. “Now they seem to be everywhere.”

The museum, which caters to families with its exhibits and IMAX movie theater, works closely with the DDA to monitor demographic shifts, Cox said. That means that the museum was ready for the influx of younger children.

In August 2023, the museum opened its Discovery Spot, a 5,000-square-foot exhibit specifically designed for children 6 and under to learn about Florida ecosystems, like the Everglades and ocean. It was an immediate hit. Attendance “soared,” jumping by 20 percent that year, Cox said.

Attendance numbers, which took a hit during the pandemic, have surpassed the museum’s pre-pandemic levels of about 400,000. It welcomed over 487,000 people last year.

Downtown’s walkability plays a role in museum attendance as well, he said.

“If you’re living in Palm Beach, we hope you come to the museum often, but you’re probably not coming as often as that family with young children who can walk from downtown Fort Lauderdale and just pop over after school, take a lovely walk along the Riverwalk and come to the museum. And we see a lot of people doing that very often.”

The museum has also seen significant growth in membership, which Cox says is an indicator of people who visit often. In 2018, the museum had about

 

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