In the late 19th Century South Florida pioneer Henry Flagler recruited Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish minister and brother-in-law to one of his sales agents, to establish a beachside settlement just north of Miami. Halland and another Swedish entrepreneur, Olaf Zetterlund, pitched some of their fellow countrymen on a sweet deal: cheap land in a frost-free subtropical climate. That was the beginning of what would become Hallandale. By 1999, after annexing land adjacent to the Atlantic shore, the city changed its name to Hallandale Beach, a sleepy oceanfront community that has become a seasonal home to snow birds, particularly French Canadians. In fact, the city is regarded as a hidden gem with massive family lots — inspiring people in recent years to purchase larger homestead properties with waterfront access.

In early 2007, the Hallandale Beach City Commission enacted a 12-month moratorium on major developments in the midst of a real estate boom and the awarding of casino licenses to pari-mutuel facilities Gulfstream Park and Hollywood Greyhound Track, which is now Mardi Gras Casino. In order to carefully manage the wave of growth, city commissioners wanted to formulate a master plan to guide private development toward mixed-use, sustainable, pedestrian-oriented urban development.

Hallandale is in close proximity to other coastal communities like Aventura and Hollywood, prompting people to eye Hallandale as other communities nearby get too congested. As such, you’ll see more than just snow birds but also Europeans and other foreigners seeking vacation homes.

Hallandale Beach has four community bus routes servicing the city’s 4.63-mile-square area. It’s main thoroughfare, Hallandale Beach Boulevard, connects with I-95, U.S. 1 and A1A.

Some Data:

Population: 38,951

Median age: 46

Median income: $34,216

Average household net worth: $310,969

Most expensive residential sale:

A 4,747-square-foot waterfront home with five bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms at 455 Holiday Drive sold for $1.89 million on March 26.

Least expensive home on the market:

A 625-square-foot condo with one bedroom and one bathroom at 900 Southwest 11th Avenue is listed for $57,000.

Median sales price per square foot: $209, roughly 10 percent more than Broward County average

New developments:

There are plans for 26 towers with 4,689 units in the Hollywood/Hallandale market, accounting for 9.8 percent of the tri-county region’s planned projects.