It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment in South Florida history.
A century ago, the region experienced a land boom when investors and developers from around the country came down on trains and automobiles and started building cities where once there was swampland, farms and small settlements. Cities sprang up almost overnight. Thanks to a burgeoning post-war economy, entrepreneurial spirit and good old fashioned Florida glamour, the area’s population shot up to the hundreds of thousands.
Now, 11 cities from Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade are celebrating their centennials in 2025 and 2026. In honor of this milestone, WLRN News will be bringing together stories from each of these communities that peer through history to give us a better understanding of the present and our shared future.
The seriesHistory We Call Home: 100 Years of South Florida will run throughout the year and will highlight locales across the region. Our reporters will spotlight the moments, ideas and people that made these cities part of our community's fabric over the past century. We hope you'll join us on this journey.
- A row of pavilions near the Jupiter Inlet marks the site of the old life-saving station, where many lives were saved and lost. As the Town of Jupiter celebrates its centennial, its evolution from a small agricultural town to a vibrant community spotlights its strong ties to maritime history and national events.
- More than 11 cities and landmarks in South Florida are celebrating centennials over the next two years. WLRN News is recognizing this historic milestone in the new series, History We Call Home: 100 Years of South Florida.
Series Credits
Project management and reporting: Joshua Ceballos
Editing: Sarah Mobley Smith, Jessica Bakeman
Digital Editing: Sergio Bustos, Matheus Sanchez, Alyssa Ramos
Music composition and engineering: Merritt Jacob
Reporting: Helen Acevedo, Wilkine Brutus, Sherrilyn Cabrera, Julia Cooper, Carlton Gillespie, Danny Rivero, Jimena Romero, Veronica Zaragovia
Graphic design: Lex Leshansky
Web design: Matheus Sanchez, Mihail Halatchev