Data from the 2012 US Census confirmed what anyone who has visited South Florida has known for years: Fort Lauderdale is really gay. According to the report, same-sex couples comprise 2.8 percent of the total households in this seaside resort city, making it the destination with the highest concentration of LGBT couples in the country.
Thanks to the subtropical climate, 23 miles of beaches, 17 gay guesthouses and a well-established gaybourhood in Wilton Manors, it also attracts 1.2 million LGBT visitors annually. Friendly and unpretentious — and increasingly popular with bears: Beach Bear Weekend is now an annual May event — Fort Lauderdale is the kind of laid-back place where a tourist can easily feel like a local within moments of arriving.