Oakland Park dates to 1800, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 59% of U.S. towns · #46 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Oakland Park Elementary School and the Mai-Kai Restaurant. Most of Oakland Park was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1945 on, and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1929.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Oakland Park’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oakland Park is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #46 of 638 in Florida. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oakland Park’s overall grade.
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 Oakland Park’s 1.1 sits above most of its state (73% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1800.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Oakland Park’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally named Floranada (a blend of Florida and Canada), the town was forced into bankruptcy after the hurricane of 1926. When the municipality reincorporated in 1929, residents chose to make it a city and voted for the name Oakland Park. The original boundaries went from the Atlantic Ocean, west to what is now U.S. 441, and from the north fork of Middle River north to Cypress Creek Boulevard, but when the boundaries were reestablished, it was to approximately the west side of U.S. 1, west to Northeast 3rd Avenue and the north fork of Middle River north to what is now Prospect Road. Over time, it has expanded to its current boundaries, mainly due to acquiring a few other areas, such as recent annexations of previously unincorporated neighborhoods of Twin Lakes South and North Andrews Gardens.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1800, according to Wikidata. Oakland Park’s post office opened in 1929, and the census of 1930 counted 463 people here.
How does Oakland Park rank for history?
Oakland Park is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #46 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.
What is on the National Register in Oakland Park?
Two places: the Oakland Park Elementary School (listed 1988) and the Mai-Kai Restaurant (2014).
How old are the homes in Oakland Park?
2% of Oakland Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (7), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.
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