Oakland Park began as Floranada, incorporated in 1925, went bankrupt after the 1926 hurricane and returned as the City of Oakland Park in 1929. Oakland Park Elementary School still occupies a 1925 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Florida East Coast Railway runs through downtown beside Dixie Highway, and the city has adopted zoning meant to turn that core into a walkable, mixed-use district.
Much of today's map came from annexation, including the formerly unincorporated neighborhoods of Twin Lakes South and North Andrews Gardens. The 2020 census counted 20,596 housing units, about 7% vacant, and rising property prices in neighboring Wilton Manors have pushed Oakland Park prices up as well.