To learn about the North Fork area, first you have to learn about the New River.

Broward County's New River

Broward County is tucked between the Florida Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean. These two large aquatic systems are connected by more than 266 miles of natural and man-made canals that cut through the county’s urban corridor.  The New River basin is located in east-central Broward County.  It is part of the County's water drainage system and is considered one of the few naturally occurring surface water bodies in Broward County. The whole New River extends for about 25 miles to the Atlantic Ocean (Work, 2002.)  

The Basins of the New River

North Fork Location | Click photo for a larger version

The New River consists of three distinct basins, the main New River, the South Fork, and the North Fork. Most of the land along the New River and the South Fork has been developed with luxurious homes, seawalls, boat docks, and manicured lawns.  Along these parts of the river are several marinas and boat traffic is heavy, with boats up to 100 feet long traversing the waterways (Broward County Department of Planning and Environmental Protection [DPEP], 2001a, p.336.) 

In contrast, the 3.5-mile-long, shallow meandering tributary of the New River known as the North Fork winds through an historic African American community without marinas and boats.  Divided from the rest of the of the New River by the Broward Boulevard Bridge (with a clearance of no more than 6 feet during low tide), the North Fork still has a large area of its natural shoreline containing pond apples, lush leatherferns, and mangroves.  It is the only part of the New River that remains largely in its original, natural state. (Vos, 2002)