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D−History
History · Margate

Margate was first counted by the census in 1960

More historic than 2% of U.S. towns · #596 of 638 in Florida. What drives it

Most of Margate was built recently: 0.4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1945 on and the census since 1960.

1960first census
0on the National Register
0.4%homes built before 1940
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: City of Margate · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Margate began

When was Margate founded?

1960

Margate first appears in the census in 1960.

First census: 2,646 in 19602020 census: 58,71266 years

How historic is Margate?

D−

More historic than 2% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first census.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Margate’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Margate is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #596 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Margate’s overall grade.
Founding era1960, from the first census: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19400.4% of homes (±0.3) · typical FL town 0.6% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical FL town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 2%
NewerOlder
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 7%

Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Margate’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.3 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: the first census (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Margate’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Margate are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages6 hamlets and corners are still on the map.Famous sons and daughtersEric Eichmann, Shanyder Borgelin and 6 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Margate’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Margate’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Aztec Estates Mobile Home ParkCoral Cay Plantation Mobile Home ParkFair GateHammondvilleMargate EstatesRancho Margate Mobile Home Park

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Famous people

8 famous people were born in Margate

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
E
Eric EichmannAmerican soccer player · b. 1965
Shanyder BorgelinHaitian-American soccer player · b. 2001
Arin HansonAmerican YouTuber · b. 1987
Josh SmithAmerican baseball player · b. 1987
Matt LuzunarisAmerican soccer player · b. 1989
Jonathan FreenyAmerican football player · b. 1989
The story

How Margate came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Margate.

Read it all →

Margate was founded in the 1950s, when much of it was still either part of the Everglades or farmland. It became a town in 1955, when land development became prominent due to an influx of people moving to Margate. In 1961, it was officially incorporated as a city. The name Margate is a portmanteau of the first three letters of the founder's last name, Jack Marqusee, and the first four letters of gateway, since it was considered a "gateway" to western Broward County. The city has a waterpark called Calypso Cove and a golf course, Oriole Golf and Tennis Club.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Margate, 1945 to 2001

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1945On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1965Born hereEric Eichmann is born here
  4. 1987Born hereArin Hanson is born here
  5. 1987Born hereJosh Smith is born here
  6. 21st century
  7. 2001Born hereShanyder Borgelin is born here
By decade

Margate, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Calypso Cove Aquatic Facility2024Calypso Cove Aquatic FacilitySTREETRUNNER Akai MPC 2000XL2016STREETRUNNER Akai MPC 2000XLUS441-FL7-CopansRoadEarlyMorning-Jul20132013US441-FL7-CopansRoadEarlyMorning-Jul2013NW 20th Court - Royal Palm Blvd2013NW 20th Court - Royal Palm BlvdRoyalPalmBlvd-SunriseSep20122012RoyalPalmBlvd-SunriseSep2012Margate, Florida - Aerial2012Margate, Florida - AerialFlying Over2012Flying OverMargate Canal2009Margate CanalMargate-clock-tower2008Margate-clock-towerMargate-city-hall2008Margate-city-hallEndOfRoadSign-Margate2006EndOfRoadSign-MargateWet Sunset2005Wet Sunset
On the map

Margate on the map, 1945 to 1995

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Margate. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Margate on the 1945 USGS mapMargate on the 1962 USGS mapMargate on the 1973 USGS mapMargate on the 1983 USGS mapMargate on the 1995 USGS map1945Fort Lauderdale North sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Margate.

People over time

Margate, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,00065,000196019802000202058,712

Grew from 2,646 people in 1960 to 58,712 in 2020, more than tenfold.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Margate’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

North LauderdaleIts storyD−Coconut CreekIts storyD−Coral SpringsIts storyD−

Questions about Margate’s history

What year was Margate founded?

The Margate post office opened in 1960, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Margate rank for history?

Margate is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #596 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Margate?

0.4% of Margate’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1978.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.