Most cities just happen. Streets get paved, buildings go up, neighborhoods take shape over decades of mostly uncoordinated growth. Weston did not happen that way.
The land that would become Weston was assembled in the 1950s by Arthur Vining Davis, an industrialist and original owner of the Arvida Corporation, which would eventually develop it. The 15,000-acre tract sat largely untouched for decades while plans for its development took shape. The community was originally conceived as Indian Trace, and in 1978, the Indian Trace Development of Regional Impact was approved, permitting over 25,000 dwelling units (a number later reduced to 17,000 through amendments).
The large portion of the master-planned community was developed by Arvida/JMB Realty, a company also known for its role in developing Walt Disney World. It’s a fitting connection in that Weston shared a belief with Disney that the environment can be deliberately shaped to create a particular kind of experience. The difference is that Weston was designed for people to actually live in.
The name Indian Trace was changed to Weston in the early 1980s, and in 1984, the first homes were completed in the Windmill Ranch and Country Isles neighborhoods. Those two communities still stand today as some of Weston’s most established addresses. By 1991, the population had reached around 5,000 residents, a number large enough for the community to begin taking its governance more seriously.
THE DECISION TO INCORPORATE
By the early 1990s, a tension was emerging. Weston was growing rapidly and generating significant tax revenue. But as an unincorporated area of Broward County, those dollars were flowing to county coffers rather than back into the community. As one early civic leader summed it up, the driving factors for incorporation came down to two words: “Zoning and cash.”
In April 1994, the Board of Supervisors initiated an Incorporation Feasibility Study to determine whether Weston should incorporate as a city, annex to a neighboring municipality, or remain part of unincorporated Broward County. They approached Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, and Sunrise to see what annexation might look like. None of the offers were compelling enough.
By November 1995, both the Board of Supervisors and a resident Steering Committee concluded that the best path was for Weston to incorporate itself as a city, primarily so that local tax revenues would stay in Weston, remain under resident control, and be used for the benefit of the community.
The vote was held on September 3, 1996, and roughly 90% of voters chose incorporation. Weston became a city almost by unanimous demand!
The Bonaventure section of the community was given its own separate choice: join Weston or join the City of Sunrise. In April 1997, Bonaventure’s residents voted by nearly a 2-to-1 margin to become part of Weston.
A CITY LIKE NO OTHER
What makes Weston unusual, beyond its history, is the model it chose for operating as a city. Weston contracts out virtually every city service, including police, to entities like the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, keeping the direct city workforce remarkably small while still delivering a full range of services to residents. It’s an approach that has kept taxes low and quality of life high.
The results speak for themselves. In its early years as a city, Weston was named one of the 25 most affordable suburbs in the United States by BusinessWeek, and was recognized as one of America’s Best Small Cities by Money Magazine (one of only three Florida cities to receive that designation). More recently, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Weston among the top places to live in Florida, and it has been recognized as one of the safest cities in the whole country.
Today, Weston encompasses nearly 26 square miles and is home to approximately 70,000 residents. The lakes, the landscaping, the parks, the trail network—none of it is accidental. It was drawn on a plan long before the first family moved in, and that deliberate vision is still visible in everything from the widths of the sidewalks to the placement of the parks.
Not many cities can say they were built by design. But Weston can say it was built to be the best place to live in South Florida.
Love what you're reading?
Get the best of Weston delivered to your inbox every month — local stories, events, and good news worth sharing.
Subscribe for Free
