oct-2017

222 223 DAVIE, FLORIDA DAVIE, FLORIDA Davie, Florida THE HEART OF BROWARD COUNTY T heTown of Davie is located in Broward County,Florida,approximatelyfivemiles from theAtlanticOcean,fivemiles from the Everglades Conservation area,and about 16miles from the cities of Miami and Boca Raton.The historyof Davie dates back to the early1900s when its first settlers arrived and named the town“Zona”in recognition of their former home in the Panama Canal Zone.The communitywas renamedDavie in 1916,in recognition of Robert Parsell Davie’s assistance in draining the Everglades swamplands,and the town that was carved out of it. Today,Davie is home to just over 100,000 residents who inhabit the town’s 36 squaremiles.Davie is amix of commercial,residential,industrial,educational,and rural communities,aswell asasignificant equestrian population in itswesternsection.The townhasalways hada reputationasa“Cowboy”town,withmanyof its earlierbuildingshavingadecidedly“WildWest”architec- ture.Indeed,oneofDavie’smostnotable features is the BergeronRodeoGroundswhichwere founded intheear- ly1940s,andtodayhostsconcerts,familyentertainment, car shows,horseshows,andother typesof events. Davie is also the nexus of higher education in South Florida and is home to several nationallyknown colleges,technical institutes,and universities,including