No one knows for sure how Boca Raton got its name. The literal Spanish translation is "rat's mouth," but according to the Boca Raton Historical Society the more correct translation is "Thieves Inlet." A variation of the name first appeared near Miami on eighteenth century maps, but later maps placed it farther north, associating it with Lake Boca Raton in Palm Beach County.

Before European settlers arrived to this stretch of Florida's Atlantic Coast, native Americans hunted the area and fished its waters. White settlers began arriving in the late eighteenth century, and by the early nineteenth century had founded a small agricultural community near Lake Boca Raton where they raised pineapples and winter vegetables. Japanese pineapple farmers, led by Joseph Sakai, joined these earlier immigrants on the Florida frontier, but the community remained a sleepy backwater.

In 1925, at the height of the Florida land boom, Boca Raton was incorporated as a city and hired famed architect, Addison Mizner, to develop a world-class resort. With the backing of northern investors, Mizner set up a development company, built an exclusive resort hotel--the Cloister Inn--and platted large areas for development. When hurricanes swept across Florida in 1926 and 1928, destroying much of what had been developed to date, investors pulled out, and Mizner's company went bankrupt.

Those who remained worked in the agricultural or service industries. Some found jobs at the Cloister Inn, which later became the Boca Raton Hotel and Club. During the 1940s and 1950s Boca Raton finally experienced the economic boom that it was promised years before. World War II brought 20,000 U.S. army personnel to town, but most moved on at war's end. However, the arrival of IBM and Florida Atlantic University in the 1960s spurred a population explosion: From a mere 723 residents in 1940, Boca's population grew to almost 30,000 by 1970 and to some 80,000 today.

In the midst of this rapid growth, the Boca Raton Historical Society has led preservation efforts in the historic city. For visitors, the Society offers tours of its headquarters, the Old Town Hall, the train museum and the Boca Raton Hotel and Club. The Children's Museum offers interactive opportunities for younger visitors to learn about the city's history. Young and old will find much to treasure in this historic coastal community.

This podcast made possible through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council.

Script written by Naomi Williams. Narrated by Dave Dunwoody.