Boca Raton is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. It was incorporated in 1925. According to the 2006 census, the population recorded was 86,396. Boca Raton is the largest city between West Palm Beach and Pompano Beach in Broward County due to population and land mass. In the 1960s, the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) made Boca Raton their southern home. IBM remained there until 1996. An explosion of development to the west of the historical center of the city in the 1980s caused some of the areas in the east to decay, including the downtown corridor. In 1999, the Town Center at Boca Raton was bought by the Simon Property Group for redevelopment. In late 2006, Simon began the stage of construction for an outdoor lifestyle center near the new wing. Town Center Mall, as it is now called is the largest indoor mall in Palm Beach County, and is also a tourist attraction. Boca Raton's development code is strict, including the types and sizes of commercial buidings, signs, and advertisments which are allowed to be built inside the city limits. Also, according to the city zoning code, there are no car dealerships or billboards allowed within the municipality. The area has adapted a Mediterranean and Spanish architectural theme, which was initially inspired by Addison Mizner.
The old Boca Raton Mall in the downtown area was beginning to experience a higher vacancy, and occupancy by marginal tenants due to the Town Center at Boca Raton opening west of the city in 1980. In 1991, Mizner Park, a new downtown outdoor shopping and dining center was completed over the site of the old Boca Raton Mall. Since then, it has become a cultural center for southern Palm Beach county. Mizner Park features many restaurants, shopping centers, and is home to the Boca Raton Museum of Art. On the southwest edge of Mizner Park was the former National Cartoon Museum, which closed in 2002. The museum relocated to its original home in New York City. There are many large developments to be added to the are west of the city limits, which includes gated communities, and several golf courses.
Boca Raton has an affluent social community as well as a high income demographic. Boca Raton also houses a large Jewish and South American influence. The city's Jewish population consists of people mostly from the northeastern United States, while the South Merican population is comprised mainly of a large demographic from Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.
A majority of Boca Raton is actually located outside the city limits. Some of these communities and neighborhoods include: Boca Del Mar, Boca Pointe, Avalon, Boca Falls, Boca Winds, Boca West, Cimarron, Hamptons, Mission Bay, Loggers' Run, The Polo Club, Sandalfoot Cove, and Whisper Walk.