Living in Oakland Park is remarkably similar to living in Fort Lauderdale as the City of Oakland Park is surrounded by Fort Lauderdale on all sides. The community is located mostly east of I-95 and consists mainly of my favorite 1950’s and 1960’s Florida Atomic Ranch homes.
Originally incorporated in 1925 as the town of Floranada but the town went bankrupt after the hurricane of 1926. The town was incorporated again as Oakland Park in 1929.
A small, but quaint, downtown area is undergoing a revitalization project featuring new streets and sidewalks and a push to attract new businesses to a hometown style main street just east of Dixie Highway, and to the north of Oakland Park Boulevard. A new attraction is the Funky Buddha Lounge located on 38th Street just north of the Downtown area. This enormous brewery features a myriad of home-made beers and a selection of food from gourmet food trucks that are brought in on a themed and rotating basis.
Although Oakland Park can be a quiet little suburb, it’s well located for commuters who need access to I-95, and enjoy the attractions like the beach and nightlife in Wilton Manors.