Often referred to as simply “Boca”, the earliest known inhabitants were the Tequesta Indians. The construction of the Florida East Coast Canal, known today as the Intracoastal Waterway, and the connection of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway in 1895 all the way to Miami, made the city prime for new homesteads and development.

In the 1900’s settlers turned it into an agricultural community by growing pineapples for northern markets. There was even a large Japanese settlement, reflected in the Morikami Museum and Gardens. In the 1920’s, New York architect and Palm Beach socialite, Addison Mizner, bought 17,000 acres and built his “Cloister Inn”, reminiscent of a Mediterranean style castle where his wealthy friends could stay during the winter months and enjoy Florida’s balmy climate. The city incorporated in 1925. Although The Depression and hurricane of 1929 devastated Mizner financially and haulted development in the area, Mizner’s architectural influence and lifestyle legacy remain to this day.

During WWII, The Army Air Corps established a radar training school at what is known as Florida Atlantic University and the adjacent Boca Raton Airport. The Boca Raton Resort & Club served as a military barracks.

In the 1970’s, the building boom revived, making Boca Raton one of the most “fashionable” places to live during the winter months, or retire to.