Deerfield Beach, now home to nearly 90-thousand people, is the tenth-largest city in Broward County. But in the early 1900s, it was a quiet farming village with dirt roads, small wooden houses, and little over a thousand residents who were fiercely defensive of their seaside home.
In this episode of History We Call Home: 100 Years of South Florida, we look back at Deerfield Beach’s journey from deer-grazing territory — to infamous mobster haven — to a thriving community.
From Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade, 11 cities are celebrating their centennials in 2025 and 2026. WLRN News' series "History We Call Home" spotlights the moments, ideas and people that made these cities part of our community's fabric over the past century.