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Good Life Boca raton is synonymous with living well, from its affluent demographics and luscious landscaping to its designer lifestyle By Marie Speed
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oca Raton was not always the sixth borough of New York, or the designer shopping capital of Southern Palm Beach County. There weren’t always smart gated country clubs and grocery stores with valet parking, and blacktie balls every Saturday night during season. Before all of that, in the early part of the 20th century, when South Florida was still somewhat of an exotic frontier, Boca Raton was first a farming community. In fact, Butts Bean Farm was where the Town Center mall stands today. In the 1920s, Boca Raton began developing its identity as a resort destination, when eccentric architect Addison Mizner built the extravagant
Cloister (later, the Boca Raton Club), a venture that went belly up with the ensuing Florida land bust of that decade. Still, the die had been cast, and Boca Raton had landed on the international radar as a vacation paradise of sorts. It wasn’t until the mid-1960s, however, when IBM moved its headquarters to Boca Raton—and Arvida began building dream communities—that the town began its sustained growth and diversification into a sophisticated town with a resort atmosphere and strong business base. Along with that growth came an influx of affluent snowbirds and retirees, wealthy industrialists and entrepreneurs. Although the town has since gotten younger and far more populous, the “good life” reputation has prevailed.
Boca chamBer annual 2012
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