1966 Coral Ridge Properties Map of Coral Springs, Florida

This is the only known surviving example of the c. 1966 masterplan of Coral Springs, Florida. The map was issued for Coral Ridge Properties, the town's developer. Coral Springs is today a successful example of community planning, consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in Florida.

A Closer Look

This map covers the planned community, divided roughly into quadrants, the bottom two of which remained undeveloped at the time, and the neighboring city of Margate. To the west is the 'Million Acre Playground' (described on the back), a state and federal flood control and conservation project. The original owner of the map made an annotation circling a lot on a street surrounded by the Broken Woods Golf Course, which appears to have been converted to residential development in recent years. The city is cut through with canals and waterways, which, combined with abundant palm trees, add to its resort-like charm.

On the back (verso) is more information about the community and the surrounding area. The promotion of the city as ideally located along Florida's Gold Coast, with proximity to Fort Lauderdale and other coastal cities, appears to have been borne out by the city's subsequent development. Images at bottom-right show the housing design options available. Coral Ridge's founder, Joe Taravella, and President, James S. Hunt, were from New York City and Detroit, respectively, and intentionally imported a colonial aesthetic to the town's architecture.

Coral Springs and Planned Communities in South Florida

Although often plagued by idealism and poor execution, planned suburban communities in the postwar United States had a solid record. The development model proved especially effective in Florida and other states with abundant land, sunny weather, and pro-business policies. Coral Ridge Properties, already a successful developer in South Florida, proposed a family-oriented community with a consistent aesthetic and ample space for single family homes.

In order to promote the new community (chartered in July 1963), Taravella and Hunt undertook creative marketing campaigns and attracted enough attention (including from talk show host Johnny Carson) to be acquired by Westinghouse, the electric and appliance conglomerate. The arrangement was mutually beneficial, as Westinghouse could install appliances in new homes while Coral Ridge could advertise properties as 'fully equipped with the latest and best conveniences'.

Since the 1960s, the city has grown consistently and developed a reputation for beauty (maintained by strict building codes), safety, good government, and livability. Although this map suggests a maximum potential of 60,000 residents, the population today doubles that.

Publication History and Census

This map is not known to exist in any institutional holdings and is very scarce to the market. Given the references to Westinghouse, it must date from after Coral Ridge's acquisition in 1966. At the same time, the city represented here is mostly undeveloped, suggesting a date early in its history.