Pembroke Pines was incorporated as a village on Jan. 16, 1960, with about 1,500 residents. It has no National Register listings; its landmarks are parks and memorials.

Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. Sources: the City of Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue history, City Manager’s Office, Pines Day, demographics and park pages; the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places data; and the Florida Division of Historical Resources’ historical markers list. City questions: 954-450-1060.

Pembroke Pines is a young city. The Village of Pembroke Pines was incorporated on Jan. 16, 1960, with about 1,500 residents, according to the city’s own fire rescue history. Today it has about 177,000 people and is Broward County’s second-largest city; see our population guide. Its landmarks are its parks, memorials, schools and City Center.

Key dates

  • 1953: the West Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department is founded to serve the unincorporated area.
  • Jan. 16, 1960: the Village of Pembroke Pines is incorporated.
  • 1964: Fire Station 33 opens at North Perry Airport.
  • 1981: a fire station opens on newly annexed land west of U.S. 27.
  • 1992: after Hurricane Andrew, the city grows into the fastest-growing in the country.
  • 1998: the city opens its own charter schools.
  • April 25, 2026: Pines Day marks the city’s 66th birthday.

From West Hollywood to a village

Before 1960 the area was open land west of Hollywood, with the Pembroke Pines Country Club community taking shape, the city’s history says. Residents of what was then called West Hollywood formed a volunteer fire department in 1953, led by founding Chief Charles Frey until 1964. On Jan. 16, 1960, the village incorporated.

By July 1964 the fire department was working out of a new station, Station 33, at North Perry Airport. In 1969 residents approved a referendum to create a paid fire department by 1974, and in 1973 the City Commission voted to establish it.

Growth to the west

The city kept expanding west. In 1975, when Steven L. Josias began 21 years as city attorney, Pembroke Pines had about 15,000 residents, according to the city’s page for the park named for him. Charles F. Dodge, hired in 1975 as the city’s first Community Services director, became city manager in 1989; the city credits him with opening Broward County’s first senior citizen center in Pembroke Pines.

The fire department’s history traces the growth through its stations: Station 69 in 1978, Station 79 in 1981 “in the newly annexed land west of US27,” Station 89 in Century Village in 1986 and Station 99 in 1996.

After Hurricane Andrew

Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida in 1992. The city’s history says Pembroke Pines saw “a substantial increase in population, urban development, and economic expansion” afterward, “becoming the fastest growing city in the country.” By 1994 the fire department answered more than 10,000 calls a year.

In 1998 the city opened its own public charter schools, now four elementary, two middle and one high school with more than 5,900 students, according to the City Manager’s Office. The Census Bureau counted 154,750 residents in 2010 and 171,178 in 2020. The city covers 34.76 square miles between Florida’s Turnpike and U.S. 27, its demographics page says.

National Register and historical markers

The National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places data lists no property in Pembroke Pines, and the Florida Division of Historical Resources’ list of state historical markers shows none in the city. The nearest National Register listings and historic sites are in older Broward communities to the east, such as the Davie School (listed 1988) in Davie and the Hollywood Boulevard Historic Business District (listed 1999) in Hollywood.

Landmarks you can visit

  • Memorial Park, 601 City Center Way, beside City Hall: honors those who have served in the U.S. military and holds a 9/11 memorial, plus a special needs inclusive playground. The city sells memorial bricks to honor veterans; 954-743-1005. See the city’s park page.
  • Fletcher Park, 7900 Johnson St.: dedicated to Donnith H. Fletcher, the first Pembroke Pines resident killed in the Vietnam War, the city says.
  • Jack McCluskey Rainbow Park, 9201 NW 19th St.: named for a former commissioner and vice mayor who served from 1978 to 1982 and 2008 to 2012.
  • Paul J. Maxwell Park, 1200 SW 72nd Ave.: named for a commissioner, vice mayor and mayor from the 1970s until 1986.
  • Chapel Trail Park Nature Preserve, 19800 Sheridan St.: a 450-acre wetland park the city says was established in the 1990s, with a 1,650-foot boardwalk. Open 8 a.m. to dusk Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
  • The Charles F. Dodge City Center, 601 City Center Way: City Hall, named for the longtime city manager, and home of SnowFest, BooVille and Pines Day.

More parks: parks and trails in Pembroke Pines.

Pines Day

The city marks its birthday each spring with Pines Day. In 2026 it was Saturday, April 25, at City Center, with a “Route 66: The Road to 250” theme for the city’s 66th birthday and the nation’s 250th, including a car show, a roller rink and rides, according to the Pines Day page.

Help us fill in the record

Do you have records, photos or a published history of early Pembroke Pines or West Hollywood? Tell us through our contact page. We publish only what we can source.

Related: population and growth, parks and trails and moving to Pembroke Pines.

Frequently asked questions

When was Pembroke Pines founded?

The Village of Pembroke Pines was incorporated on Jan. 16, 1960, with about 1,500 residents, according to the city. It grew out of the Pembroke Pines Country Club community in the unincorporated area then called West Hollywood.

How old is Pembroke Pines?

The city celebrated its 66th birthday at Pines Day on April 25, 2026.

Are there National Register historic places in Pembroke Pines?

No. The National Park Service’s list of National Register of Historic Places listings has no property in Pembroke Pines, and we found no state historical marker in the city.

Why did Pembroke Pines grow so fast?

The city’s fire rescue history says Pembroke Pines grew sharply after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, becoming the fastest-growing city in the country, after annexing land west of U.S. 27 in the early 1980s.