Coconut Creek is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Situated 37 miles (60 km) north of Miami, it had an estimated population of 57,348 in 2022. It is part of South Florida‘s Miami metropolitan area. The city seceded from Pompano Beach in the 1960s. It is nicknamed “Butterfly Capital of the World” because it is home to Butterfly World, the world’s largest butterfly aviary, with over 80 species and 20,000 individual butterflies.
Coconut Creek has an area of 12 square miles (31 km²), with approximately 57,000 residents and 1,400 businesses. Housing is primarily single-family homes, condominiums, and townhouses within professionally landscaped communities.
The city took its name from the coconut trees, that were planted in the area by early developers. Robert E. Bateman, one of the developers, named Coconut Creek after combining the names of Miami-Dade County‘s village of Indian Creek and the Miami neighborhood of Coconut Grove.
The city is a well-planned community with a unique environmental consciousness touting an abundance of trees, waterways, landscaped roads, parks, and butterfly gardens throughout the neighborhoods. This is due to the city’s progressive planning approach to creating a unique life-style for residents and businesses. Coconut Creek is the first in the state of Florida and eleventh in the country to be certified as a “Community Wildlife Habitat”.
Playful City USA, a national program advocating for local policies that increase play opportunities for children and is a key platform in combating the play deficit, has named Coconut Creek a 2012 Playful City USA. KaBOOM! selected Coconut Creek for its outstanding dedication to play.