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Boca Raton Area

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The earliest known inhabitants of the Boca Raton area were the Tekesta Indians, who lived along the shores of what is now the Intracoastal Waterway. Spanish explorers and buccaneers were sailing off our shores in the 1500s and found the natural harbor of Lake Boca Raton to be a safe refuge in times of trouble. The Spanish are responsible for giving the City its name -- Boca de Ratones. The "de" and the "es" in Ratones were dropped over the years.
By the early 1900s Boca Raton was a tiny agricultural community, and many planters specialized in pineapple cultivation, the brainchild of a young Japanese student from New York. Joseph

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Sakai, with promises of land and the approval of the United States Commissioner of Immigration, traveled to Japan to recruit farmers for his Florida project. They named their community Yamato, an ancient name for Japan. One of those early immigrants from Japan was George Sukeji Morikami, who donated the land for the Morikami Park and Museum of Japanese Culture which is located in Delray Beach.
In May of 1925 the Town of Boca Raton was created by Florida chapter 10348. Also in the 1920s, an architect named Addison Mizner decided to build a dream city of his own. He bought 17,000 acres of land and designed what was to be a new world resort, a utopia of architectural beauty, centering around an exclusive resort hotel. Boca Raton became a playground for the wealthy who enjoyed staying at The Boca Raton Resort and Club, then known as The Cloisters. It remains one of our City's landmarks, and Mizner's influence is evidenced today in much of the City's architecture.

During World War II the United States Army operated an airbase and radar school on the site where the Boca Raton Airport and Florida Atlantic University now stand. "Africa USA," a tourist attraction with camels and zebras, operated in the early 1950s in the area where the Camino Gardens residential development is now located. In the 1960s, Boca Raton was home to the Winter Bible Conference.

Until the early 1960s Boca Raton remained a small town with an additional seasonal population. Like its South Florida neighbors, Boca Raton experienced a building boom during the 1970s. The strict zoning standards that were adopted during that time, and continue to be implemented, are responsible for the beautiful Boca Raton that we enjoy today.

During the 1980s the City focused its attention on its downtown area. First, by planning the 344 acres now known as the Community Redevelopment Area and second, by applying for approval of a Development of Regional Impact from the State of Florida. The residents of the City voted for a separate tax for the downtown area. This tax known as Tax Increment Financing was designed to bring the tax revenue back to the area.

 

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