Top 10 High Demand Jobs and Best Cities to Live in Florida

Florida is home to three of the Best Places to Live in America as determined by Money.com in 2010.

• Coral Springs FL - #44 -- Also named a Hottest Town in 2004 by Money Magazine.
• Coconut Creek FL - #48
• Wellington FL - #72

Coral Springs at the top of this state list is also ranked among the 50 Fablulous Places to Raise a Family. This additional list is a recommendation book by Kathleen Shaputis. As she wrote her revies for publication in 2006, she found that Coral Springs had already received several awards and that its population was very young overall - 1/3 being ages 17 and under. The median age for the community in 2009 was 33.8 years, according to US Census figures.

The population of Coral Springs increased at least 150% from 1980 - 2005. it also seems to be recreation and sports oriented, with over 600 teams organized among several sports. That makes sense for active kids and young adults - and even Seniors.

What is now Coral Springs was a marshy swamp land in the western part of Broward County. It was purchased by an individual and farmed for beans. After his death, the land was sold and became a real estate development, incorporated as a city in the summer of 1963. The lands just west of Coral Springs today are nature preserves and swamps under protection and development to aid Florida's native plants and wildlife, as well as to present birding and other outdoor recreational activities.

The first contruction in Coral Springs was the gateway welcoming Covered Bridge that is now a recognized heritage site and a protected structure. Mail was not delivered door to door in the Kennedy Era city until 1970 and residents picked it up from the real estate development offices, often on horseback. The development company did a good job, handled questions of overcrowding well, and their offices became City Hall.

Builders and young adults and families flocked to Coral Springs and it is now mainly a large, upscale community of young families. In the late 2000s, the city became the first state or local government to be given the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for performance excellence and innovation (for fiscal strength/accuracy and business and community development), a US Presidential Honor.

Coral Springs is all-business, front to back. City leaders encouraged the construction of condominiums that are used for business purposes in office parks that include Cumber Professional Park and Coral Springs Professional Park. A Downtown Coral Springs project advanced in the mid-2000s continues to redevelop the downtown district for business and residential purposes, to preserve historic attractions, and to draw new residents.

Environmental awareness and sustainability are priorities in Coral Springs and no landfills are used. Incineration is the method of disposal for waste that is not recyclable. Housing construction is often concrete block and stucco.

Two potbellied pigs living large in Coral Springs - Coral Springs - MiamiHerald.com

Lola and Katie sleep side-by-side in their Coral Springs home. They share their toys, and both play horns, keyboard and basketball. The girls love visiting the dog park and their favorite food is bananas, which they slurp down with the disgusting abandon - see video to right.

Downtown Miami is not far from Coral Springs at about 45 miles and it provides a free people mover. This is the Metromover that visitors often ride over the busy traffic to see the Freedom Tower, located conveniently at a Metromover stop. The building, once a newspaper office, is a visible part of Cold War and Civil Rights Era Florida History.

On the first floor is a display of Cuban-American historical items. They tell the story of the Cubans of the 1950s - 1960s, who left their newly communist home country ruled by Fidel Castro and emigrated to the US through Florida. Hence the name Freedom Tower. In the 1960s, the building was used as a base for providing healthcare and government services to Cuban refugees and in doing that, facilitated a foundation for the Cuban-influenced music culture of today. The facility currently belongs to Miami Dade College and features an art gallery of rotating displays from the masterworks of Da Vinci, Dali, and Goya. A National Historic Landmark, it is used to promote area culture and is visited by many people each year.

Over 31,500 job vacancies were found for Coral Springs in late October 2010. The highest demand jobs are:

1. Retail Sales Representatives
2. Registered Nurses (RNs) - includes specialties and Travel Nursing.
3. Retail Salespeople
4. Customer Service and Sales Clerks
5. Account Managers
6. Administrative Assistants
7. Occupational Therapists
8. Financial Analysts
9. Physical Therapists
10. Senior Accountants

1. Professional Therapy and Rehab Services
2. Memorial Healthcare System
3. Bank of America Corp.
4. Medical Connections Inc.
5. Florida Medical Center
6. Broward Health AT&T
7. HCR ManorCare
8. Cleveland Clinic of Florida
9. All About Staffing
10. Nova Southeastern University
    

High-Demand Jobs Expected to Increase by Highest Percentages

1. Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts
2. Mainstream Elementary School Teachers
3. Mainstream Middle School Teachers
4. Mainstream Kindergarten Teachers
5. Cost Estimators
6. Construction Laborers
7. Veterinary Techs
8. Mainstream Secondary School Teachers (high school level)
9. Brickmasons and Blockmasons
10. Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

Education K-12 and construction occupations cover much of this Top 10 List, while Sales and Healthcare dominated 2010 job openings.

Secondary education located within 30 miles of Coral Springs includes:

• Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
• Barry University
• Broward Community College
• Florida Atlantic University-Boca Raton
• Keiser College
• Nova Southeastern University
• Palm Beach Community College