Pompano Beach is a city just to the north of Fort Lauderdale. The Nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

Pompano Beach was settled about 1900, and incorporated as a city in 1947. Its name is derived from the Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus), a fish found off the Atlantic coast. Pompano Beach experienced significant growth during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. In 1950, the population of the city reached 5,682. Like most of southeast Florida, Pompano Beach experienced great growth in the late 20th century as many people moved there from northern parts of the United States. A substantial seasonal population also spends its winters in the area.

In 2004, John Rayson was elected as the first official mayor of Pompano. In recent years, an effort to rejuvenate rundown areas, an example of urban blight, near the city's beach has gained momentum and is undergoing a multibillion dollar building boom. Pompano Beach Airpark, located within the city, is the home of the Goodyear Blimp Spirit of Innovation.