FL
PlantationCity Guide
A 22-square-mile Broward suburb of master-planned lakes, golf, and DHL's US headquarters.
Plantation sits in central Broward County, about 10 miles west of Fort Lauderdale and roughly 30 miles north of Miami, covering 21.75 square miles between I-95 and the Sawgrass Expressway. The city was incorporated on April 23, 1953 with a population of 300 and a budget under $2,000, on land that had failed as a rice plantation a generation earlier — the Everglades Plantation Company gave the city its name without ever giving it a working farm.
A city built around planned communities, not a downtown
Frederick C. Peters, the shoe-business heir who consolidated about 10,000 acres in the 1930s, designed Plantation as a farming cooperative — a rural alternative to Miami's coastal sprawl. By the 1980s, Gulfstream had paved most of that vision into Jacaranda, a master-planned grid of lakes and canals that still defines the city's western half. Today Plantation is a federation of subdivisions: Jacaranda's lake-and-cul-de-sac blocks west of University Drive, the rural-feel Plantation Acres along Flamingo Road, the waterfront Plantation Isles, and the new mixed-use core at Plantation Walk.
The city's tenants tell its other story. DHL Express has run its US headquarters here for years; TradeStation, the University of Phoenix's South Florida campus, and HCA Florida Westside Hospital anchor a quiet white-collar economy along the Broward Boulevard and University Drive corridors. American Heritage Schools' Broward campus — Niche's #1 K-12 private school in Florida — occupies a 40-acre campus on Broward Boulevard, while South Plantation High runs the world's only high school magnet dedicated to Everglades restoration. See homes for sale in Plantation.
Plantation is what suburban Broward looks like when planned communities, corporate parks, and Everglades-edge greenway share the same 22-square-mile grid.
Key Details
What makes Plantation special
What to Expect
A federation of mostly-quiet subdivisions threaded by Broward Boulevard, University Drive, and Sunrise Boulevard. The east side is older 1960s–70s ranch stock; the west is the 1980s–90s Jacaranda lakes grid and the newest Plantation Walk corridor. Days revolve around schools, golf, and corporate parks; evenings are quiet and car-dependent outside of Plantation Walk and the Broward Mall area.
The Market
Zillow's 2026 typical home value is $487K, up 6.2% year-over-year, with homes going pending in roughly 13 days. Inventory mixes single-family on Jacaranda's lake-and-canal grid, no-HOA ranches in Plantation Acres ($400K–$700K), waterfront single-family in Plantation Isles ($600K–$1.3M), and 700 new luxury rentals at The Rise Plantation Walk.
Districts
Jacaranda — the 1980s–90s Gulfstream-developed lakes-and-canals grid west of University Drive — is the largest, with subsections Lakes, Pointe, Cove, and Villas. Plantation Acres on the western edge is rural-feel, often HOA-free, near I-75. Plantation Isles offers boat-dock waterfront, and Plantation Walk's 27 acres anchor the newest mixed-use core with 700 apartments at The Rise.
Getting Around
I-595 cuts east-west across the southern edge and connects directly to FLL (~10 miles east, 15–20 minutes) and I-95. Florida's Turnpike runs through the eastern third; the Sawgrass Expressway borders the west. There's no Tri-Rail station inside the city — the nearest is Fort Lauderdale (~14 minutes east by car). Broward County Transit Route 22 and the 595 Express bus handle local transit; everywhere else is car-dependent.
Schools & American Heritage
American Heritage Schools' Broward campus on Broward Boulevard is Niche's #1-ranked K-12 private school in Florida (2026), with ~3,000 students on 40 acres and the most National Merit Scholars in the state. South Plantation High runs the world's only high school magnet dedicated to Everglades restoration and environmental science (2,235 enrolled, 2025–26). Plantation High and a deep Broward County public roster round out the district options.
Parks & Golf
Plantation Heritage Park (90 acres, 1100 S Fig Tree Lane) is the county-managed flagship, with an 18-hole disc golf course and tropical hardwoods. Plantation Preserve is a 7,148-yard par-72 championship layout looped by a 55-acre Everglades-style wetland preserve and a 1.5-mile multi-use trail. Plantation Central Park (77 acres) holds the city's Olympic-sized public pool; Frank Veltri Tennis Center anchors competitive tennis.
Employers & Economy
DHL Express runs its US headquarters in Plantation; TradeStation, the University of Phoenix's South Florida campus, and HCA Florida Westside Hospital (224 beds, founded 1974) anchor the rest of the corporate base. Historical anchors American Express (1975–2017) and Motorola (1969–2015) left major office stock behind that has since been redeveloped. The corporate corridor concentrates along Broward Boulevard and University Drive.
Storm Risk & Climate
Roughly 10% of Plantation's 22-square-mile land area sits in a designated FEMA flood zone per the city's floodplain office, though hurricane-driven rainfall can flood properties citywide. The city sits in the South Florida hurricane belt with a high Storm Events risk score; peak exposure runs June through November. Newer construction at Plantation Walk and along Broward Boulevard meets elevated flood-elevation minimums; older 1960s–70s east-side stock carries more exposure.
Lifestyle & Highlights
The best of Plantation
Market Intelligence
Real estate trends in Plantation
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Plantation
Talk to a Plantation expert
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