History
Cooper City was created via the Special Act of the Florida Legislature as a municipal corporation, on June 20, 1959. It is located around fifteen miles on the southwest of Fort Lauderdale, and has a land area of around 8.5 square miles. It’s estimated population is 29,000 with the average age of residents as 32.5 years. It has several schools– three elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and several other private and religion-affiliated schools. It also has several parks, recreational facilities, and programs for everyone, and has thus rightfully earned the reputation of being a recommendable place to “grow families.”
Prior to the creation of this excellent community, Cooper City has a fascinating history behind it. The Archaeological and Historical Conservancy reported that Cooper City’s borders have evidence of habitation as early as 500 A.D. Additionally, they also uncovered evidence of a 19th century Seminole Indian grave.
Before the Seminole Indians, the Tequesta tribe have also lived in South Florida. The tribe, as reported by Spanish explorers, were a hunter-gatherer society, and they only had 30 members by the year 1743. This small number was reportedly due to European diseases, warfare, and alcoholism. The Spanish preserved their clan by sending the remaining Indians to Havana, Cuba, once the Spanish ceded Florida to the United States in 1819.
The Seminole Indians, came after the Tequesta, though it had also been theorized that the remaining Tequesta tribe hid and later joined the Seminole Indians. The Seminole Indians were originally part of the Crete Nation (Georgia) and they came to South Florida during the three Seminole Wars. They were later forced by Major Lauderdale to stay in reservations in Oklahoma, though the Indians fought back, and there was much bloodshed. Soon, only 100 Seminoles remained, and they were rounded up and sent to the Reservation. Early settlers made their space in Fort Lauderdale, though threat of Indians kept Broward County from growing. When the late 1870s rolled over, activity began.
The Cooper City area continued to be inhabited by the Seminoles, but they traded and lived peacefully beside the white settlers in their area in the Everglade, which was then considered an impenetrable swamp by settlers. The white settlers eventually worked at farming and livestock raising, despite the marshland domination of the area. There were also a great industry in growing oranges. In fact, Cooper city was once Wacico Groves, short for Walsh Citrus Company.
Then modernization ran its course, and we find that today, Cooper city has grown to become a family-oriented community. Though early settlers still have issues with the newer members of the community, the government is taking measures to address this dispute for the harmonization of the people.