Even 100 years ago, people couldn't stay away from South Florida's endless summer.
It was the 1920s and the region was exploding as American dreamers and real estate speculators from across the U.S. poured in as part of what became known as The Great Florida Land Boom. From Miami-Dade to Palm Beach County, new communities sprung up left and right thanks to a burgeoning post-war economy, entrepreneurial spirit and good old fashioned Florida glamour.
Now a century's worth of history across the region is coalescing: in 2025 and 2026, a total of 11 cities are turning 100 years old and will be marking their centennial with heartfelt celebrations.
It's a once-in-a-lifetime moment in the relatively short life of South Florida. In recognition of this momentous landmark, WLRN News is shining a spotlight on these centennial cities in the new series, History We Call Home: 100 Years of South Florida.
WLRN reporters will give snapshots of the moments, ideas and people that made these cities into an integral part of the South Florida fabric in just a century’s time. This series will run throughout the year and will highlight locales across the region.
The Boom
The Roaring 20s was a booming time for South Florida. Railroads, fine weather and the allure of a new frontier brought people to the Sunshine State in droves, leading to a mass development wave.
Economic growth at the time meant more families had disposable income to vacation and buy real estate in Florida. Yearlong sunshine and luxury attractions, like railroad magnate Henry Flagler’s Royal Palm Hotel, attracted well-to-do snowbirds, as well as investors looking to get in on the gold rush.
“ People wanted to invest whatever money they had, and this area was considered hot,” said Paul George, HistoryMiami's resident historian.
The proliferation of cars and new road construction also gave people a kind of mobility that allowed them to drive further south than they could before.
No land was too poor or too remote to attract buyers or to be subdivided, so long as it was within the confines of the state of Florida.
“ This area now had roads that would take you to different parts of the United States. It had a railroad line. Pan Am Airways was founded in 1927 in Key West. So it had a lot of connections,” George said.
South Florida also became a target for settlement thanks to the region's military importance during World War I.
"Because of our sunny climate and warm winters, it was a great place to grow fruits and vegetables which would be shipped over to Europe to help feed the soldiers," said Scott Mitchell, director of the Silver River Museum in Ocala, in a 2021 video.
After the war ended around 1918, soldiers stationed in Florida wanted to return and plant their roots. Many moved to South Florida after their service.
The farm work the military did during the war primed the land for agricultural companies to come in as well. The Pennsylvania Sugar Company, the Florida Sugar and Food Products Company, the Moore Haven Sugar Company and the Southern Sugar Company purchased thousands of acres of land in the early 1920s. This paved the way for more real estate investment as the local economy grew.
Property values ballooned as a speculative real estate bubble took the area by storm. Parcels of land that sold for $2,000 in the early part of the century shot up to $50,000. In today’s market that would equal an increase of more than $800,000 in just a short time.
In his 1936 book, Miami Millions: The Dance of the Dollars in the Great Florida Land Boom of 1925, author and Democratic legislator J. Kenneth Ballinger wrote of the exorbitant amount of money flowing in South Florida as investors and speculators bought up parcels like hot cakes.
“Pirate gold was nothing but museum antiques in the days when the binder boys had money flowing into Florida at a rate that would have put even the New Deal to shame,” wrote Ballinger, referring to young men who would buy and sell properties for marked up prices. “No land was too poor or too remote to attract buyers or to be subdivided, so long as it was within the confines of the state of Florida.”
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Wealthy landowners wanted to capitalize on the frenzy and began creating new developments that would become the dream cities of the future.
Entrepreneurs like Glenn Curtiss, who founded Miami Springs, Hialeah and Opa-Locka, as well as Coral Gables founder George Merrick, would advertise their new towns in newspapers all over the country. They attracted investors and people looking to move and enjoy the South Florida climate.
From 1920 to 1925, the population of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties each doubled or nearly tripled, according to contemporary census estimates.
With the critical mass of visitors, investors and homesteaders, South Florida experienced a mini boom of new communities. From 1925 to 1926, 11 cities came into being.
Cities, landmarks and institutions
As part of this series, WLRN reporters will lift up the voices of neighborhoods that haven’t always been front and center for the past century. They will illuminate the origins of these cities, and celebrate some of the people who helped to make those origins possible.
Beyond just municipal centennials, this series will also highlight the landmarks and institutions turning 100 that have helped shape local history and culture — like the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, and the University of Miami in Coral Gables.
The stories will include an account of Jupiter's first lifesaving station from the time when it was just a small agricultural town still largely influenced by the sea.
Descendants of the century-old Bahamian community in Coral Gables will tell the stories of their ancestors and the building of Miami-Dade County's "City Beautiful."
Hollywood historians and residents will share their knowledge and experiences of the hotel that put the city on the map, and a historic Black community that's finally being recognized.
These stories and more will be part of our yearlong series celebrating this fateful time for our region. By the end, our hope is to come to a better understanding of how 100 years of history made these communities into the places we call home.
