Listed on early maps as "Boca Ratones," many people wrongly assume the name is simply translated to "Rat’s Mouth." The Spanish languageSpanish word boca (or mouth) was often used to describe an inlet, while raton (literally mouse) was used by Spanish peopleSpanish sailors to describe rocks that gnawed at a ship's cable, or as a term for a cowardly thief. The name Boca Ratones originally appeared on eighteenth century maps associated with an inlet in the Biscayne Bay area of Miami, FloridaMiami. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the term was mistakenly moved north on most maps and applied to Lake Boca Raton, whose inlet was closed at the time. The local pronunciation for "Raton" resembles the Spanish pronunciation; "Boca Raton" rhymes with "tone" and "alone" (not with "baton"). The city's early history was as the site of Addison Mizner's Boca Raton Hotel. The "pink hotel" today is visible from miles away as a towering building on the Intracoastal Waterway. The Pearl City (Boca Raton)Pearl City neighborhood of Boca Raton was established to originally house the service personnel for the hotel. Japanese farmers of the Yamato Colony, FloridaYamato Colony converted the land west of the city into pineapple plantations beginning in 1904. During World War II much of their land was confiscated and used as the site of a major training facility for B-29 bomber crews. Much of the airbase was later donated to become the grounds of Florida Atlantic University, many of whose parking lots are former runways of the airbase, while part of the airbase is now used as Boca Raton Airport. The Japanese heritage of the Yamato Colony survives in the name of Yamato Road (NW 51st Street) just north of the airport and at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens northwest of the city. Image:Boca Raton Resort & Club Tower.jpgright300pxthumbThe Boca Raton Resort & Club Tower stands 300 ft (91m), has 28 floors, and was completed in 1969. It's the tallest building in Boca Raton. http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boca_Raton%2C_Florida