Boca Raton, Florida is a city on Florida Treasure Coast whose name is synonymous with wealth and leisure. This city of 80,000 offers visitors beautiful beaches, shopping, restaurants, museums and a variety of entertainments. The warm year-round climate and ever-present sunshine makes Boca Raton a community that visitors of all ages can enjoy.
The Tequesta Indians were the first to inhabit the area of Florida that would become Boca Raton. However, it was the Spanish explorers that gave the city its name. The name Boca Raton comes from the Spanish boca, meaning ”mouth” and raton, meaning ”mouse” or ”rat” These words were used in sailing terms to mean an inlet with jagged rocks. This name was found on old maps of the Florida coast.
The first person to settle the area was a man named T.M. Rickards who built a house of driftwood in 1895 and began to sell land in the area. When the railway came in the 1800s, the area was opened up to settlers and entrepreneurs. Japanese immigrants came to the area in 1905. The town was incorporated in 1925, when the Florida land boom was at its peak. Architect Addison Mizner chose Boca Raton as the place to build a world-class resort community. As land prices fell, the town became known for the agricultural produce that was grown in the surrounding area. Florida Atlantic University and IBM came to the area and provided educational and employment opportunities.. Over the decades, the city of Boca Raton grew into the prestigious community it is today.
Sugar Sand Park offers a fun time for families with nature trails, a carousel, a science playground and science exploratorium. Red Reef Park is an oceanfront park with swimming, camping, fishing, snorkeling and nature trails. The Coconut Cover Waterpark offers a wave pool, water slides, tube slide and kiddie pools.
Mizner Park offers an urban setting with upscale dining, movies, amphitheater and shopping. Try the Town Center Mall for your favorite stores, like Macy's, Nordstrom's, Saks and Bloomingdale’s. Downtown Boca Baton has a number of specialty shops and boutiques for your shopping pleasure.
The Boca Raton Museum of Art houses collections of modern, African Tribal and Pre-Columbian art for visitors. Try a night hike at the Daggerwing Nature Center to learn more about the wild inhabitants of the Boca Raton area. Or try your skills on any of the areas golf courses for an enjoyable day in Florida’s famous sunshine.
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