Boca Raton, city, Palm Beach County, southeastern Florida, on the Atlantic Ocean; incorporated as a city in 1925. It is a fashionable beach resort and polo center. Manufactures in the city include computers and communications equipment. Florida Atlantic University (1961) and a community college are here. Cultural institutions include the Boca Raton Museum of Art, the Caldwell Theatre Company, and two children's museums. The city was platted in 1914 and became a notable resort following the opening of a luxury hotel in the 1920s. Its name is derived from the Spanish for “rat's mouth,” suggested by jagged rocks at its narrow ocean inlet. Population 49,505 (1980); 61,492 (1990); 74,764 (2000).
