The City Of Boca Raton Florida, 33433

The city of Boca Raton ("bōkə rə-tōn") located in Palm Beach County, Florida is home to about 200,000 residents. The incorporated city of Boca Raton has some 86,000 resident (according to US census Bureau 2006) and an additional 120,000 people who do not live within city limits but use Boca Raton as a mailing address. Boca Raton was incorporated in May 1925 and popularized my Addison Mizner’s famous “pink hotel” (Boca Raton Hotel) which still stands today. Boca Raton boasts some of the best shopping, culture and art in all of South Florida.

Boca Raton literally translates into “rat’s mouth” but is actually a reference to an inlet full of sharp rocks (Boca = mouth, Ratones = gnawing rocks that damaged bottom of ships). On early maps it referred to an inlet located in Biscayne Bay in south Miami but was mistakenly moved north to its current location.

Boca Raton is one of the more affluent cities in the United States. According to Forbes magazine Boca Raton has three of the ten most expensive gated communities in the country. Boca Raton is known for it social community and high income demographic. The city has a large Jewish and South American community, most of its Jewish population is from the northeastern United States and its South American population is made up of Brazilian, Colombian and Venezuelan descent.

Boca Raton is home to Florida Atlantic University (my Alma Matter). FAU is a growing university that is currently dealing with serious state cutbacks and is struggling to maintain its growing student body. They are currently raising tuition and cutting back on many programs to deal with the state funding cutbacks.

The city also has numerous references in popular culture including being the stage for one of my favorite movies, Caddyshack. It has been referenced in many popular TV shows including Seinfeld where it has called “Gods waiting room”.

Boca Raton is known as a popular hangout for suspected Mafia members. According to MessageLabs (email security vendor) Boca Raton is “the spam capital of the world”. This is not surprising given the areas appeal, high income demographic and the presence of organized crime. A former US Securities and Exchange Commissioner once called the city "the only coastal city in Florida where there are more sharks on land than in the water."

The purpose of this site is to showcase some of Boca Raton’s good points, including popular sites to see, restaurants, museums and legitimate business. It is our hope that we can use the internet to drive more business to Boca Raton entrepreneurs. More to come soon and thanks for stopping by….

Ezra