A train stop along the Florida East Coast Railroad near the current NE 24th Street shared that name.

The city is home to a sizable LGBT population and has become a destination for LGBT tourists, who frequent its many nightclubs and gay-owned businesses along the main street, Wilton Drive;[8] the 2010 U.S. Census reported that it is second only to Provincetown, Massachusetts in the proportion (15%) of gay couples relative to the total population.

Many of the businesses in the arts and entertainment district are LGBT-owned and/or operated, and "The Drive" has become a local, regional, and national destination for LGBT+ tourism.

In late 2018, construction began on a "Complete Streets"[13] project that will see wider sidewalks, on-street parking, buffered bike lines, and the reduction of vehicular lanes from four to two.

Another example of the economic revitalization in Wilton Manors is the Highland Estates neighborhood, bordered by NE 26th Street on the south, Dixie Highway on the east, the North Fork of the Middle River on the north, and NE 6th Avenue on the west, was significantly transformed in the decade from 1995 to 2005 from a blighted area to an upscale neighborhood with multiple new modern townhouse developments.

Citywide real estate prices increased with, and even ahead of, the national trend in the years of the expansion of the housing bubble (2000–2007).

Again following the national trend as the housing bubble burst, Wilton Manors real property taxable values fell 36% from 2007 through 2011.

Another major city park is Mickel Field, which was traditionally a busy hub for local baseball and softball leagues.

At the request of the surrounding neighborhood residents, Mickel Field underwent a significant renovation and re-opened in Summer 2015 with new walking trails, fitness station, picnic and performance pavilion, and other new facilities more in tune with the needs of current residents.

[citation needed] On June 19, 2021, at the start of the Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors, a member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus lost control of the truck he was driving, which was to be a part of the parade, and drove into other members of his group, killing 75-year-old James Fahy and injuring 2 others, one of whom was put into critical condition, before going on to strike a nearby garden store.

The driver, identified as 77-year-old Fred Johnson Jr., narrowly missed U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was seated in a convertible at the time of the accident.

[15] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.94 square miles (5 km2), all land.

Wilton Manors has approximately 1270% more resident gay couples per capita than the national average of 1.1% of the population, as of 2010.

[23] Since the early 2000s Wilton Manors has voted overwhelmingly Democratic, higher than the state and county average.

A number of LGBT+ publications also serve the community; including South Florida Gay News, The Mirror, OutClique, and Hot Spots.

[36] The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami previously operated the Saint Clement School in Wilton Manors.