
Anchored by some of Broward County’s larger parks and natural lands, including Tradewinds Park (home of Butterfly World) and Fern Forest Nature Center, Coconut Creek was formerly a farming district along the edge of the Everglades, bounded by the Hillsboro River at the county line. The rivers and creeks that flowed east were replaced by drainage ditches.
In 1956, a developer purchased several hundred acres and began a planned community he called Coconut Creek. By the late 1960s, it grew densely enough to incorporate as a city. Since the 1980s, both city and county snapped up what natural habitats remained, giving Coconut Creek more green space than other cities in Broward, fitting in well with its careful attention to keeping its tree canopy.