The History of Pembroke Pines

Did you know that Pembroke Pines was named after pine trees that grew along Pembroke Road? And here we thought it was because the city was filled with fancy, aristocratic pines. Speaking of fancy, the city’s founder, Sir Edward J. Reed, must have been quite the landowner, as he purchased a whopping 2 million acres of swampy land throughout southern Florida. The area’s first inhabitants, the American Indians, appeared around 4,000 years ago, but it seems that even animal hunters were making their mark on Broward County as early as 10,000 years ago.

Pembroke Pines was once just a dairy farm-filled land until World War II when retired service members began to occupy the area, including parts of the Waldrep Dairy Farm. The city’s first mayor, Walter Smith Kipnis, even built the first home in the city back in 1956, which was appropriately called Pembroke Pines.

But not everyone was thrilled about the city’s incorporation, as builders contested it and a legal battle over the boundaries of the new municipality ensued. However, the addition of the first fire department in the 1960s and the extension of city services marked the start of Pembroke Pines’ growth.

And speaking of growth, in 1980, the city doubled in size after annexing the property from Flamingo Road to U.S. 27. The extension of Interstate 75 also helped the city expand westward. But let’s not forget about the Broward Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison that was built in the northwestern part of town in 1977 and closed in 2012. We guess you could say that Pembroke Pines has a colorful history – from fancy pines to retired service members to legal battles and even maximum-security prisons.

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