(MONEY Magazine) – So what makes today's South Florida--and the town of Hollywood, in particular--the image of what America at large will look like 25 years from now? Mostly, it's the diverse mix of people. "This place seems to attract every ethnicity, culture and age group," says Carl Hiaasen, the Miami Herald columnist and novelist whose books include Strip Tease and Stormy Weather.

From Pompano Beach down to South Miami, the geographic distinctions from city to city are slight, but the demographic variation is immense. Retirees warm their aching joints on the same beaches where the young and buff perfect their tans. And at night, local honky-tonks resound with pedal steel guitar just a few miles from the syncopation of Latin dance clubs.

To find the exact spot where tomorrow can be seen today, MONEY started with U.S. Census Bureau statistics and projections and then analyzed reams of data looking for the metropolitan area that comes closest to the population mix expected for the entire country in 2022. The best fits were Dade and Broward counties in southeast Florida--and especially one Broward County spot, Hollywood (pop. 126,000).

This small South Florida city between Fort Lauderdale and Miami hits the age makeup of America circa 2022 almost on the button: 27% of its residents are 55 or older, 13% are 45 to 54, and 31% are 25 to 44. Ethnically, the city is also 25 years ahead of the nation. Hispanics account for 17% of the metropolitan area, while 13% are African American. In fact, Hollywood misses on only one key measure: A scant 2% of its population is Asian, while Asian Americans will represent 6% of the U.S. population in 2022, up from today's 4%.

Yet for all the diversity of this strip of South Florida, Hollywood and the surrounding communities are really a series of enclaves--the city of Hialeah (home of the famous horse-race track) is 81% Hispanic, for instance, while 56% of Hallandale's population are over age 55. And older baby boomers have been moving into gated communities just outside of Hollywood. "Gates! It's the only way to be safe," says Cobbie Danzansky, 50, who now lives in Aventura with her husband Richard, 53. But professionals under 35 feel different--they're buying up older houses near Hollywood's 21/2-mile-beach "broadwalk." Some residents, who savor the cultural diversity, say the town could be the next South Beach, Miami's currently trendy Art Deco tourist strip.

"We borrow from everyone around us to get all the benefits of a big city," says Hollywood's Beth Spier, 30, who lived in Washington, D.C. until two years ago. "Yesterday I took my son to a show in Miami--next week we'll go to the children's activity center in Weston." Like many young parents, Beth and her husband Nigel, 32, moved to Hollywood for its affordable houses (median value: $104,000), hometown feel and proximity to the beach. "In D.C.," she says, "the only thing to do with kids in the winter is walk around the mall."

Retirees like the ambience too. Florence Valente, 73, moved from Brooklyn to Pembroke Pines 10 years ago to be near her 44-year-old daughter JoAnn Fegarra. "I like getting out and doing things," says Valente, "and the broadwalk is great for walking with my senior citizens' group."

The city's ethnic mix also offers opportunities. Andrew and Tai Vaz, both 29, opened their Asian restaurant Try My Thai in Hollywood. When they wanted to expand, their patrons loaned them the money. "The people of Hollywood adopted us," says Andrew. Vice president of Broward County's Latin Chamber of Commerce Jose Pepe Lopez notes: "The fire chief, finance director and assistant to the mayor are all Hispanic." Annual Latin cultural events such as Latinfest and Hispanicfest attract tens of thousands to the beach and downtown.

Of course, Hollywood is not without problems--challenges that may foretell those that will face America in 2022. Some retirees with no grandchildren in the area resist paying higher taxes to support schools. African Americans generally live in only a few neighborhoods and aren't as well integrated into the overall community as Latinos are. Finally, South Florida's robust 1.2% annual population growth is putting a strain on the environment. When told that America 25 years from now will look much like parts of South Florida today, Carl Hiaasen responds: "It doesn't surprise me; I just hope the rest of the country does a better job with zoning."

--Sarah Rose